I’ve found the iPads to be extremely reliable and keep going for years (still with great battery life). I’m a long-term Android phone user but I had 2 Samsung tablets in a row fail just outside warranty and it’s been iPads for tablets ever since.

We experienced hot sunshine, heavy rain and hail storms during one week at the end of September into October (which coincided with some strangely hot weather back in the UK which was better than Mallorca). Had to carry a full range of clothing

A dawn run to the lighthouse is also abit special , ditto dusk / sunset but you will need lights for the return leg.

Always take lights as there are quite a few unlit road tunnels on the island.

Be more careful than usual on wet roads… for some reason I found the roads there super slippy (corners especially) after rain – much more than I usually find in the UK.

[as above]
This is [another] give away:-
“Shipping custom fee for Return Items: Customers are responsible for the customs fee of the returned items which will occur when returned items reach China”

Which suggests you might be lucky and get something (fake?) sent to you from China

Useful info here:- https://ramblingman.org.uk/planningatrip/planning_a_dales_way_trip/ with a possible 5 day schedule (perhaps spend the 1st afternoon just getting to Windemere camping caravan club site?)

It’s been many many years since I’ve done it (but done it 2 or 3 times) and always been a bit more leisurely than you suggest.

If coming from Windemere then it’s only a short’ish (off the train / afternoon) hop to the Windemere / Ashes lane camping caravan club site (before Burneside)

There was a site in Sedbergh but if possible Dent was always a favourite stop if you can make Windemere/Burneside to Dent in a day.

I see there is now a campsite in Buckden which is great as this used to be a problem area https://buckdencamping.co.uk/site-information/

If it’s a bit much to make Ilkley from there (?) consider camping at Appletreewick (tbh our stops were largely based on proximity to Theaskston pubs – that’s probably changed too)

I’m also in Skipton and dreaming of doing this too but I think it’s probably one for next year for me now (holidays planned)

Some years ago we went with a fuller survey via the mortgage company and it really scuppered the sale. The report highlight all the ‘standard’  small / expected stuff for a house of that age stuff but because mentioned in the report the mortgage company insisted on further inspection reports for damp and electrical (it was a couple of decades old so yes we expected it would need changing at some point) and something else I forget. We ended up walking away because they then undervalued the house significantly which the seller was never going to accept.

Now, I’d take the minimum survey for the mortgage company and perhaps get additional personal checks via builder or independent survey.

” I wasn’t allowed out of the grounds of the dealership!”

Why ? I’d be a lot more comfortable buying having had it up to speed (and corners). Hope they had some believable reason why you were not allowed to drive it otherwise I’d be suspicious.

“we make sure he goes outside for a pee before we go to bed.”

Have you checked that it is actually peeing in the garden before bed ? For the first few years our dog was quite happy to go out in the garden before bedtime then we started having little ‘leaks’ in the night. We did get some medication from the vets but I noticed that she had become really reluctant to do any toilet in the garden. I started taking her on a later walk and the problem went away.

A bottle of chocolate milk after most training sessions (12+ hrs swimming) for my daughter – sometimes a protein enhanced version. Sometime just a Nesquick home made one (whole fat milk). Also allow a ‘treat’ milky coffee type drink some mornings (hoping she stays awake in school after training). Also like little packs of chicken satay snacks (Aldi, who also has a decent chocolate milk shake). Also fig biscuits and also individual microwave sponge puddings covered in custard – it’s not exactly the recommended food for an athlete but we were also more concerned with just eating enough and a speedy recovery ready for the next day.

[Deleted -poly has it covered

Undoubtedly some vulnerable people will have been exploited.

]

Happy with our Sage 2 slice toaster, it’s the best we’ve owned (but never had Dualit ):-https://www.johnlewis.com/sage-a-bit-more-2-slice-toaster-brushed-metal/p1719748?The ‘a bit more’ setting is well used in our house. Only thing I’d have liked for the slot to be a cm or two longer for some breads but it’s fine for most regular slices.

I didn’t even know I had a problem with the [passenger] front doorlock  on my Karoq (2020) but it was identified as a problem at a service and replaced under warranty. I’ve had a few little niggles, a problem with the ‘SOS ‘ / warning system kicking in randomly – that looks like quite a few people had that problem but think a software update resolved. Odd ‘pumping sound’ appears to be resolved as some seal in the gearbox (so I’m told) but some suspension knocking persists. There’s been enough ‘small’ problems to encourage me to pay £35 pm for years 3 to 5 for servicing (x2), mot (x2),  breakdown / recovery and most importantly ongoing warranty cover – feels almost like good value.

It’s a bonus being able to jump onto the canal path (e.g. to Gargrave) although you can probably do that on either with a suitable wheel and tyre set.

Ribble CGR AL (Sport/Tiagra) is £999 https://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/ribble-cgr-al/
Happy with mine (Enthusiast / 105), it probably sits more on the roadie side than off but happy to jump down the odd bridleway and canal path,

RE. Selling to WBAC, I’ve just sold via Motorway and received £700 more than WBAC were offering online. The dealer picking up the car still ‘negotiated’ down the previously agreed price but I’m still up at least £700.

Another Charge Plug 3 for me (bought when Wiggle were selling them discounted).
It was bought as a winter bike but I kept on riding it most of the year and only brought out the ‘nice’ bike on the sunniest / smooth road days.
[Stealth Add…. I do need to clear the bike store so if anyone wants to pick it up Skipton, North Yorkshire I would sell it for not many £…I’d like to think it has a couple more years in it]

[hits the Like button]

https://www.toddsmotorhomes.co.uk/

Todds Motorhomes near Preston had the best quality / prepared vehicles around when we were looking in the North West (was about 5 years ago though). Indoor showroom is great when the weather is grim. They were good about trying  to resolve a couple of issues with our used purchase (less so after the first year when the included 3rd party warranty excluded many things… electrical switches in our case). They did offer much more money than any other dealer I found when wanting to sell it on again but I got a little more selling privately in the end.

I found most of the places advertising to buy vans are sharks. They offer rock-bottom prices with the hope of reselling for a massive profit. I sold our MH quite quickly via some Facebook groups and had a good bit of interest but had to field a few chats answering questions etc. The best offer I had from a dealer was from the dealer we had originally bought the motorhome from (who also serviced it) – they made a very decent offer quite close to what I achieved privately.
These:- Todds Motorhomes Preston

Again, James @ fit2ride in Ripponden

He knows his onions (saw him about a decade ago) – I’d forgot the chaps name but a quick look at the top end of Strava segments in the area and he’s there, a keen rider.

Pricing looks like it might tip a little over £200 but I think that includes some moulded custom footbeds for your shoes (not sure if it’s an option to leave these out but I’ve been happy with mine)

Petplan here – our vets and surgeons know they are going to get paid with Petplan and completed any paperwork on our behalf with us providing little other than a signature. All paid up after a couple of weeks. My only regret is reducing the cover thinking £4K of cover is more than enough rather than the original £7K policy – turns out scans and operation on a spine can come in at over £5K plus the visits / overnight with the local vet trying to figure the problem and you soon have a £6K bill (on a small dog)

How many kids make it as competitive swimmers? **** that. They started to get looked down on and ignored so they binned it off and it turned them off sport completely. Slow hand clap.

Swim parent here. Head coach is an arse and I think he actively berates, discourages and/or ignores those he doesn’t like / think ‘good enough’. As parents we think he is emotionally abusive. Attempts to raise a concern with the club are ignored and Swim England appear to be overwhelmed dealing with ‘worse’ issues. I can only hope it’s a generational thing (he’s about 60) and his type die out but it’ll be too late for us.

I think there will be more headlines to come but here’s a recent one:-
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-shropshire-60232977

I love a bit of Dr Hook:-

Slyvias Mother, when you’re in love with a beautiful woman, sexy eyes, the cover of Rolling Stone…. pure fantastic cheese

Kept one of my road bikes in the garden wrapped under a cheap blue plastic ‘tarp’ for a couple of years with no problems.

React or angular

I’ll add Vue.js to the list of options to consider.
(Although I’d be tempted to use plain js / jQuery, perhaps Bootstrap for quick and easy styling)

How much is a sensible level for annual vet fees ?

I’ve just spent nearly £6K on our pooch. Scans and operation on a spinal disc came in at a bit over £5K (specialist place, not local vets) and then fees at local vets whilst trying to figure out what was wrong. There was a ‘menu’ of operation prices and this was amongst the most expensive.

Pet Plan paid out no fuss within a couple of weeks (direct to the vets). Unfortunately I tried saving a few quid a couple of years ago and reduced my cover from £7K down to £4K so had to fund the difference.

I prefer a nice grainy pudding so I look for oats in the ingredient list. This excludes a lot of the english ones leaving me with Simon Howie (Wee Black Pudding) in my local (Yorkshire) shops.
Any other good oaty puddings available throughout the land ?

Neighbours milkman woke me at 1:45am today, slams doors (twice) and revs the nuts off his van, arse ! Not the first time. Neighbour is due to move house next month so I’m hoping the new neighbour doesn’t use him.

update… Bike arrived today, so only 3 or 4 weeks later than the date initially given. Bike arrived well packaged and in good condition. It was a bit of a surprise when I received the delivery notification as I’d chosen to collect in store and not paid for delivery.

I’m still waiting (CGR AL, 105 level). I used the live chat to get an update and was given a new date of last Friday which passed by and I’ve just received an email suggesting a new date of the end of this week. I hope I’m wrong but it looks like they are pushing the date back a week at a time. To be fair they did try call me on Friday but I missed the call. I’m resigned to waiting given the lack of available alternatives and at least having something ready to go in Spring 2022.

It does grind that they take payment in full at time of order (flip-side is, I assume I’m protected from price rises ?)

Mine was due 2 weeks ago. I was initially impressed with their comms, receiving occasional update emails reconfirming the expected date, but now that date has passed I’ve not heard a thing. I’m considering how much longer I’m prepared to wait; I’m a fair weather rider so If I don’t get it soon then it’s not going to see much use this year.

I’ve wasted the last 3 days attempting to buy a 2nd hand Mini Cooper…
Day 1… 2 cars / different garages. I didn’t ring in advance which might have been a mistake but I thought it was smarter to not appear too interested ! Garage one not open, no sign of the mini outside, abandoned. Garage 2 closed but instructions to ring a number. Ring… get told that ‘he’s supposed to be there and must be busy if it isn’t.’ !? I leave a note then head home, get a call 30 minutes later and turn around. Get there, he’s on the phone but points to the keys and let’s me go and take a look around, 10 minutes of me poking around and he’s not come out, he’s still on the phone. Dump the keys and leave.
Day 2. 3 hours driving. Car look goods outside, inside it looks like a mug of hot chocolate has exploded all over the car. Bye ! Call another dealer to enquire about a car which is slightly above my budget to ask if there might be any movement in price, answer is a straight ‘no chance’ so end the conversation.
Day 3. Seat Main dealer has a more recent Mini Cooper, price just reduced and I’m starting to extend my budget so it’s looking good. Turns out they understated the mileage on the website by about 20k, irish plates (problem?), flaking paint on front corners somehow not shown on web site pictures, start it up and it’s rough as nuts then I spot the engine management light stays on and message saying ‘full performance not available’ ! I didn’t bother trying to drive it in case I ended up as a breakdown. Only two and a half hours driving there and back.

For tomorrow I’ve arranged to view one which initially I thought overpriced and the dealer says won’t budge on price but given my experience over the last 3 days I’m ready to start throwing my cash at them if it’s half-way decent.

I’ve noticed different vans being parked up just below Kwik Fit for a few days at a time :-

https://goo.gl/maps/bXB7Sx6fQ5JarQmM9

turns out that it’s still Carleton New Road here as mentioned above.
If you are happy to pay then Coach Street car park allows long term stays (including motorhomes):- https://goo.gl/maps/7rQR8i3yPMeFyjB78

https://www.cravendc.gov.uk/parking/parking-in-skipton/

If the small will do it looks to have Deore 1×10

Beware ! I bought my daughter one and the supplied crank & BB wasn’t Shimano (‘Prowheel’ instead !) They didn’t tell me and it was a few weeks before I spotted they’d swapped it out. Eventually got a bit of cash back as compensation but they said it wasn’t possible to supply me with the Deore crank and a replacement bike would probably have the same downgraded crank.

watch out for the disclaimer

*Some parts may be subject to substitutions of similar quality due to Covid-19 related supply chain issues

I recently bought my daughter a nice looking MHT 8.6, advertised as having a full Deore drivechain; I had it a month before I noticed that what I’d been supplied with was not a Deore Crankset but some **** ‘Prowheel’ crank (and BB) – not even approaching a similar quality. It’s not an insignificant component! They (Halfords) said that it was not possible to supply the advertised crank and in the end gave me a bit of money back but I would have far preferred the correct crank. They still advertise it as Deore even though they say they say they can’t get that component even on a new bike, they have even put up the price £50 since !

I think you’d be good for £200 each, possibly even £250 as an initial price.
There’s just not much availability around and people are going to be even more keen to buy once we have a couple of sunny weekends. I’d have been interested for my daughter but I’ve just managed to catch a Boardman bike in a small window of availability (although they downgraded from the advertised spec and then upped the price)

They are scheduled to play at Bingley Weekender on Saturday 7th August if it happens
https://bingleyweekender.co.uk/

I’m hoping that the film ‘Something Left Behind’ might get a Sky or a Streamed release sometime soon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MfIC8gegw0U

I’ve entered… one of those places I’ve seen a brown tourist attraction road-side sign to (Grassington Rd from Skipton) but don’t think I’ve ever visited. I promise to visit in 2022 if they can keep it open.