check out diesel Berlingo/Partner range

e.g 2007 Berlingo 1.6HDI (cost 7k with 7000 miles), about 50mpg in normal use (roughly to speed limits, mainly rural, driving), drops to about 30 at 90 on motorway. Rear seats can be unbolted easily(as a 1 or 2 or 3)) – so it cn be vanned, it’s NOT a sport drive ie it rolls on orners and lacks overtaking power on A roads

Fairer allocation of limited resources and application of lifestyle trends to those resources. Promotion of a hobby that can generally be regarded as ‘good’ for the individuals taking part (and the country as a whole – i.e you don’t get many obese mountain bikers). I’d also like to see a relationship between subsidy and public access to agricultural land.

see – http://www.naturalengland.org.uk/ourwork/access/rightsofway/prow/default.aspx

I ride ‘sensible and polite’ cheeky all the time, no real issues, I’d suggest less than 1% of people know the law (or actually care).

If everybody(bikers) was polite, smiled, shouted hallo (or bike behind or ting ting etc),slowed down and ‘worked’ with the other user types so that meetings were pleasant I’d like to think that would help our case (even when confronted by loonies).

*not sure of exact problem,
what about a very low strength loctite/thread locker type product, so that bolt is sealed ? but can still be got out without excessive force

bout 90ish, was a regular motorbike trail rider and the writing was on the wall for access back then, a bloke in the club ran a bike shop so Giant Terrago DX, and off I went. (Still used by a mates missus as a stable bike). However being a country boy every bike I ever had was a mountain bike, including my tricycle.

ah, did wonder, I was coming from a windsurf/surfing background, make sure it’s a triathalon suit then as other suits can be crap for swimming in (arm movement can be restricted etc), given the workrate I’d probably agree about the warmth etc, I’d suspect that a good fit will swim better though – what is their returns policy ?.

what do you want it for, and where and when will you be wearing it, asking as warmth is related to fit (and to suit thickness/material) to body(and fit of ‘holes’), seams – you might want blind stitched and you might want glued and taped, zips can be zip, semi dry or dry, and depending on sport zip placement can matter. You can pad with a rash vest.

(I now buy online but that’s on makes I’ve used before)

In a vaguely similarish vein, a mate from Scotland whose parents were ‘persecuted out of Eastern Europe’ by the nazis (and we got the story many times), has been somewhat embarrased recently as after clearing out after his mums death he found all his deceased fathers stuff as well, the Iron Cross was worth quite a few quid…….

no would happily go very N, but that’s a good idea – we’ve done the railway and a few other forest tracks, also wonder about Exmoor etc

with gf on bimbles, on own for harder stuff, have always done on own, esp on middle of nowhere epics (and at 7am in the morning as nobody else can get up by then), but much more so since riding buddies, got gfs, babies, dogs etc. I do like the flexibility of self, and having come from motorbike trail riding (where we managed to get really tight, effective group behaviour going – navigator, tail-end, gate openers, team puncture fixing, helmets on dinner stop etc etc and Everybody doing man-behind eye contact at junctions, where I would say having a group actually speeded things up) I find that most groups generally slow things down, also I really find it hard to restart after a long stop mid ride and most people seem to prefer a pub lunch stop, but it is fabulous to be led round somebody else manor where the trails and route are good.

was the bar a digging bar ?, as I’ve used a digging bar and glove/trowel(to pull out loose) that worked pretty well and minimized dig area.

a mate lifted his floorboards a while ago and found that his gas pipe (which ran in an L shape through the room) – about 15 ft then right angle then 8 ft was completely unsupported except at the corner of the L, was an Ever Ready rubber coated torch, stood on end with the pipe resting on it, presumably as it was exactly the correct length

as it’s only week ‘1s’ that’ll knacker you, the other are near enough normal times, I’d make sure I did normal sleep when I can and the best you can during week 1s (*IMHO sleeping patterns are had to break)

do make sure you have blackout curtains and are in a quiet hotel room, I found that the further into the week I was I slept longer as I was more tired, however I could just about do first two with only catnaps

don’t plan anything other than sleeping for the nightish period after your shift week 1 finishes….

oh, edit, alcohol induced sleep is generally of very little use.

about 40 years ago, my parents had the sink and bath outlet intercepted through a filter (sand and foam cushion, net curtains I think ??? possibly not so good nowdays as I suspect people use a lot more soap/shampoo detergent and it’s probably more powerful ?? than it used to be) (as well as every drainpipe to a barrell) as we lived in a non mains rural Scotland

yes, did it myself, £25 (bearing and seal).

well worth a internet trawl for an exploded diagram etc etc on make/model as somebody has probably done it before and documented it (*although some machines it can’t be done apparently).

I take blister pads if I’ve got new shoes, and food,space blanket, spare tops and leave route dets, worry time and call helicopter time with mate if on remote Scotland but I reckon a mobile is probably the best first aid tool

as above (canal)

off canal at/between Crofton beam pumping station/Great Bedwyn (lovely bit, cafe at pumping mill museum, and a windmill somewhere up hill to S), head SEish to Ham Hill/Inkpen Hill then see last page of – http://www3.hants.gov.uk/test-way.pdf (*also see walks overview as that may give other ideas, yes I know what a foot path is but you might get away with it)
then at Kings Somborneish do an E

ps when doing canal look at bridges, quite a few with masons marked stones and quite a few are rather pleasantly ornate.

try Neilson and Sunsail holidays – used both, they do sailing + MTB, but it sounds abit out of season so I’d do a temp and wind check

there’s always Loch Ken in Dumfries and Galloway, given March you just might get a heatave……………………..

check that air is getting to the petrol supply (ie where is fuel breather hole and is it blocked), can you take the fuel pipe off the carb and see if fuel flows from the tank, is there a fuel filter, is it blocked

*this is from mono minis (*and motorbike way)and assumes no seal leaks etc

level reservoir as upright as poss, cap off, fill up, tube on nipple along with ring spanner, and then pump brake to buggery and then undo nipple to push fluid through (making sure res level always high). I tend to try and pump through what I think is ‘all’ the origial fluid if you see what I mean.

Then with nipple tight(sealed), pump brake silly and hold on tight, gently tap the brake caliper (wood/rubber)[*this may(or may not) help release any air bubbles], then release nipple and as brake lever comes to end of travel simultaneously close nipple. Repeat till happy

by birth I think, now habit, don’t lie in even at weekends, born [and then lived]in middle of nowhere, so early taxi to school as a nipper, then working in London and commuting (a great reason to get up early) and now living the the SE it’s the only way I can bimble around without hearing traffic or seeing anybody, and the rising sun really is the way to see in the day.

see costco, panasonic plasma 42, 360 with 5yr warranty
(* don’t know if thats a good price or not and costco require membership but it does some stuff at V good price)

don’t tie the rope to a wall, I did as a small child, it hurt a lot, and my mum put me on the kitchen table and proceeded to sew 3 stitches to an anasthetic free forehead

most impressive toy I’ve seen was at Centre Parcs, a 4ft wide 30ish foot long ‘rubber’ mat was slung, suspended, about 3 ft above ground between three trellises (ie 3 fixed points with two runs between them) sag was still about 1 ft above ground, person A lay on mat bewteen trellis 1 and 2 and person B jumped up and down between trellises 2 and 3, by hitting the subsequent wave correctly you could get person A about 3ft up in the air above the mat

if kids are small, tyre, upright embedded in ground, plank roped to top of tyre, might work as seesaw (*all liability disclaimed)

take care if you live on a hill, we found that you can put your mates in a (tractor) tyre and roll them down the hill

if you wrap old foam cushions in waterproof plastic/gaffer taped up that acts as a crash mat

AWESOME, great post, and I’ve discovered some new gf friendly wilderness tracks – yahoo, cracking, thanks for sharing.

I’d say most people and (IMHO) it’s down to technology being so sophisticated (*and good) and also a change in the way things are built and put together and a change in the ‘jobs/skills’ that people have.

e.g. cars/motorbikes – I used to gap the plugs, points, fiddle with the carb etc etc, I probably couldn’t even find them nowdays and to be fair I don’t really need to with 12,500 service gaps.

as a nipper me and dad used to do things like put a new element in the kettle. a – could you get the old one out now[bar total destruction], b – could you find the spare part, c – would it be worth if if a new kettle is £10, d – have you ever burned a modern element out, e – as part of ‘modern and sophisticated society’ wouldn’t you already have thrown it out as it’s not the most up to date colour

Overall probably quite bad for ‘man’kind as I think the shed/flat cap quiet tinkering time was quality time and an awful lot of people don’t have it any more.

edit – true story, in the storms a few years ago fence blew down, so I had a chat with neighbours missus and asked about us rebuilding it ourselves, and I quote – ‘my husband can’t use a hammer’ ….

possibly look for surftech or tuflite material one, as a heavy short arse (I can’t get my arm around board[fingers round] – so have to actually grip….. I’m 85ishKg – McTavish 8ft6), expensive but I find the weight/float much better (but I also like Southpoint 8ft 4 I think it is)

(Bic do get good reviews)

it disappoints me a lot but doesn’t surprise me atall
(*someone who [along with his family] has experienced the police in ‘action’)

“Terrible culture of covering their colleagues back” – how depressingly true this is.

check out local club/swimming pool (they might practice there), take a course (which will hopefully include kit) and take it from there

presuambly you’re a strong and confident swimmer, either way understand things like tides, currents, flows, winds etc and the impact on effort they have.

it is lots of fun, you see the world very differently, at leisurely pace.

Triumph Herald convertibles, blue and orange ridge tent with wooden poles, Exchange & Mart US army down sleeping bags (feathers every where) and camp beds, primus stoves and tilleys, midges, midges, midges, cheeky camping all over Scotland, esp on the old road ‘loops’ that were just beginning to be improved, ending up with friends in Huna, fishing off the pier, outside shunky, fish auctions at Scrabster, building dams across streams on every beach I went to, hunting buckie groaties at John O’Groats …. glorious times

See (possibly): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ketusOFabb4 (*I can’t see lots of stuff at work)
but anyway search on Gossamer Albatross, be interesting to see how the technology has moved on

can I suggest very long socks, 3/4 shorts, long sleeves, take a midge net that you can put over helmet, full finger gloves, had to do a very long climb on a windless day – GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

two other memories, mum was only allowed to smoke in the tent(*facing out door) when there were midges, being called over by another set of campers who were cooking beans – the entire inside of the pot was genuinely pitch black as it was COVERED with midges

then again

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/1885775.stm

http://www.directline.com/about_us/news_27022009.htm

as Dave

I ‘sensible cheeky’ my way all over the home counties, very few problems, esp with ‘working’ landpeople, always slow down, hallo, smile, thank you.

Sad to say ‘ramblers’ are the worst, they truly are, however I think it’s important to be polite and calm, and ‘C) if stopped, explain how walkers got access through trespass’ – I also point out that of all paths there are that only about 21% are legal to cycle so I suggest that this % should be upped, and that I am upping it on my own behalf.

was in the gents loo at work, having a wee, in walked the female cleaner and popped a couple of ‘blues’ in the urinal I was using, with a cheery smile and a hallo ……

done, but can I suggest you maybe redefine/take care with the ‘improvments’ question – ie I personally don’t want someone to take improved as meaning we want trails surfaced and flattened.

get yerself to Croyde, (or Porlock, Lynmouth etc)

drive the toll road to Valley of the Rocks (passes Abbey), stroll Watersmeet, vist Porlock hill, walk Croyde/Woolacome via Baggy point (*some potential biking on coughpaths), go to Clovelly (park and then walk down the road back up and to the LHS that avoids funding the national front), Hartland pretty pleasant *if you like bleak end of the world scenery with a pub, which I do)

-1 for frame

got one for crinklies (75+), it pissed them off, (it was one where you either select a fixed display or loop, they hated the loop as they couldn’t stop it when they wanted and they couldn’t work the menu so couldn’t get one they liked to display, but to be fair my dad’s done manual labour for 60 years and his finger tips are about 1″ diameter) what does work is showing them the lot on computer (ie with you driving) and then sending them prints of the selected ones in nice frames

try a Berlingo car (*well if you want a *car* rather than a van type vehicle), the seats unbolt easily (single on LHS, double on RHS) and I can get two bikes (16″ O-5, 13″ Myka diagonally) if I do that, you might getaway with LHS out and back wheel stuffed down side of front passenger seat with bars sideways….

if you’re near Reading area welcome to try

*edit also we use the large stacker plastic boxes to hold kit – so we can just load and go

might be horsey lot, been done where I ride about 40 logs in a row (*well spaced though), treat it as a skills test.

If you do see the horsey lot you could try (politely) asking about it and if it was them suggest that if they were to leave a gap at one side that would be beneficial to other users and a better test of their horse control skills

have a beer somewhere different – http://www.wlac.co.uk/wlac/ (*food as well, gf loves it I think it’s a wee bit more than it should be but love the feel of the place)

run (*singletack/river path), go to Thames bridge (Slough side/rowing club house just down a bit), footpath towards Windsor on riverside, a rather nice bike bimble –

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=490295&y=181270&z=120&sv=490295,181270&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=778&ax=490295&ay=181270&lm=0

see also which is same areaish http://www.sustrans.org.uk/assets/files/leaflets/Sustrans_Jubilee_River_NCN4.pdf, fyi 61 is traffic noisy and unscenic but probably a great run (wide, surfaced etc)

if you’re near Swindon, Swindon MB do cheap courses and my gf did a girls only one and seemed to enjoy it