best I saw was motorbike trail riding, down track, through stream, duck under trees and out on carttrack, actually quite easy, shame that when my mate ducked under the tree a stub branch went down between his back and rucksack, just as he accelerated ….

*attempted a flight of stairs, bang wallop, landed at the feet of an old lady in the queue at a bus stop, I was bleeding so badly she gave me a tissue…………….

easy, start an e-petition demanding more money for the NHS, I’m sure most people will manage to sum up the effort required to do that

alternatively change vat, bias it cheap on good stuff and raise it to 100% on crap

I’ve dealt with the NHBC and it was a less than pleasant and helpful experience.

Dear wrightyson, “The best thing about the Nhbc warranty is that it will have been properly inspected during construction. “. Well the bloke who inspected mine was a bit shortsighted as he didn’t spot the missing lead flashing on the roof joins. Hence the conversation with the NHBC, however I can reliably inform you that a house that leaks when it rains is legally structurally sound.

Sue, have you got any building/trade/practical mates, as I’d ask them, the mortage survey will simply establish arse sorry cost covering ability (*and not spot damp, etc etc) and a full building survey will cost LOTS. (*edit – can you ask the neighbours if they’ve had any problems, I would, also can you get an ins quote and try to work out if it’s loaded – ins companies have a subsidence database – postcode risk system)

having looked into ‘long Scotland trips’ me and gf have switched back to a caravan as our future plan.

Anyway – have a think about an awning (poss even free standing frame tent as at least that can be left behind) – for extra living space in the wet, put the portaloo there etc, the small ones are SMALL (VW – mate has one, it’s a move everything before bed/cooking/etc etc). If you want to do the ‘tourist west coast tiny anywhere roads (And you DO, you really do – it’s the most fantastic place in the world[*when sun etc out])’ I’d suggest anything bigger than a transit size would be a liability. If the kids get bored you need to take down awning, pack and then drive off, and then the reverse on return…

As a complete alternative there are a few wigwam campsites in Scotland, http://www.wigwamholidays.com/Wigwam_Site_Locations, and this – http://www.ruareidh.co.uk/ etc etc so if you took the car and used these you could probably splash out on a hotel every so often and cover the boondocks.

as a balance, part (IMHO a large part), is the fact that the public sector are incapable of getting a decent contract (ie payback clauses, correct reward structure and general vfm), e.g PFI (which will crucify us in the future) took two parties to arrange and the one holding the purse strings was the public sector

country boy here does, luckily there’s a towpath and lots of no cars type back lanes, I try to avoid any main road, I quite enjoy it, even with crap lights.

same degree, I’d still do pinball, but less drink/dossing and would have joined some societies (sport/outdoors) etc and had a longer sporting life (e.g first game of hockey as a vet – which is 35+).

Mind you I’ve been lucky – tents used to be single skin canvas (without sewn in groundsheet) windsurfing used to be hideous lumps with rope tied booms, kites were balsa wood, motorbikes had drum brakes, and as for mtb….

fyi – near Glentrool has the Clatteringshaws lake loop and has lots of forest trails (which you can do slowly in a car) so for a complete beginner may be more suitable

my gf (non technie) enjoyed Glentrool blue, and had we got the entire giraffe population of the Serengeti tied end to end then managed to swing them round I wouldn’t have hit anybody

as above Orkney probably best, not a lot there though, roads are a nice potter if you get a sunny day without too much wind, you can sort of loop Hoy, passenger ferry to Moaness, and then out to Old Man and back to Lyness road) (*allocate some time for museum there). Go early, with the sun, to the Ring of Brogar and have a wander around,

http://www.bing.com/maps/#JnE9Lm9ya25leSU3ZXNzdC4wJTdlcGcuMSZiYj01NC42Mzg5MzMyNDAwNjIlN2UxMC4xNjIzNTM1MTU2MjUlN2U0OC4xNTUxNTgyODYwOTI4JTdlLTEwLjE2MjM1MzUxNTYyNQ== is one of the most tranquil places I’ve been, memorial plaque is quite sobering

worth doing a trp round the Viking stuff – Maes Howe etc

*if you want islands and MTB do Harris

bit late now, but I tend to lay carpet on mine, mainly as it’s never got a car in it and it so much knee friendlier

as she’s tiny (so limited choice – esp on a budget), and there is a much wider range in spd compatible ones (well in what I could find esp winter styles)

see south west Scotland (Glentrool, Clatteringshaws etc etc- see forest tracks, lots of, roads are quiet as well ), you don’t need to use the centres that are nearbyish, this is an overlooked, scenic and varied area.
(http://www.gallowayforestpark.com/)

to see (IMHO) best Scotland, do west coast by the islands, I stayed in Plockton (Skye, Torridon etc driveable) and loved it, however riding here I would suggest is harder and ‘less flexible’ as there just aren’t many places to bale out to (and track options)

also stayed at Grantown on Spey (near Aviemore but a bit less ‘touristed’), loved it, lots of riding and scenery in the Cairngorms. Some stunning and varied riding here.

I suggest you write to your MP regarding lunches, and ask if they claim lunch, I suspect it may give you room for some extra questions on the disparity.

good post, everybody should be made to read that

another old person tip – from my mum

“why is it that with all the labour saving devices people have nowdays that they have so little time for each other ?”

** This works on 1 cell wide sheets edit **well it did with the office excel guru over my shoulder

get both open

start a 3rd

in top cell of 3 enter if(
then click on top lhs cell of 1
enter =
then click on top lhs cell of 2
enter ,0,1)

if(cellref=cellref, return 0, else return 1)

then copy the formulae all over the 3rd sheet if you see hwt I mean

edit – see here

right its sheet 3 A1 should be set to =IF(Sheet1!A1=Sheet2!A1,0,1)
then repeat the formulae for EVERY cell (**using the correct cell ref)
**you may wish to sort both sheets first ***

decide if you want rolling OS map (satmap/now technology) or peppercorn trail technology (ie old Garmin Extrex etc – no OS map on screen, LOTS cheaper)

I’m now Satmap and Memory map, like both, but I still use an OS map en route, mainly as you get a much wider picture etc, so can scope loops etc and I like seeing the overall picure ‘in my head’.

I got by for years with an Old Garmin Extrex, and just following the arrow, and using the map with multiway junctions etc.

for overall cheapness I’d consider a range/shop where you can buy 1 jacket, 2/3 trousers – as IMHO jackets always last longer (* well I hardly ever wore it in the office, people tend to object if you’ve no trousers) and it means you can get the trousers dry cleaned at your leisure

it is a bit like that isn’t it, 3 in 2 days here, ho hum
anyway, here is something to pass the time

:+)

see toys above and check out who own the local pay parking facilities

In your shoes I’d be tempted to see if any council building had associated parking and I’d start challenging that and also inquiring (under FOI act) how much they were paying and asking questions about ‘benefits in kind’ etc etc

*Basingrad put town centre parking charges up about 25% a while ago (ie in the recession) AND added lots of residents only parking near the town centre, to add insult to injury I found out that it costs the same a year for a ‘resident parking permit’ (for an effectively ‘personal’ space ) as it does for somebody who just works there to park for 1 week…….

he has the massive advantage of being a foreign poitician so seems to have accidentally told the truth, probably as there is no ‘cost’ to him. Our politicians could run the country properly or they can stay elected by telling us what we want to hear ………….

http://johnmadjackfuller.homestead.com/Sugarloaf.html

think this blokes follies are pretty good

He may even have been a decent MP, there’s a dirty great wall around his (ex) house, which apparently got built when the locals were down on their luck.

his pyramid is an an ‘olde Englishe churcheyarde’,but it’s surprisingly tranquil little place and it works

just go along wearing nothing but a pair of undies

In response to the ‘what have you come as’ question, simply reply I’m a premature ejaculation – I’ve come in my pants…

http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/byways-bridleways-trust-score-another-victory/

http://www.bbtrust.org.uk/pdf/pr-bassenthwaite.pdf

Byways & Bridleways Trust saves a public bridleway in the Lake District from closure.

In 2008 the Lake District National Park Authority made an order to downgrade 1190 metres of Bridleway 206008 at Bassenthwaite to the status of public footpath.

re the debt to trail riders

see – http://www.bbtrust.org.uk/archive/Seminar%20Papers/Seminar%201984-3-31.pdf

RESEARCHING INTO UNRECORDED RIGHTS OF WAY
ALAN KIND (LARA Motor Sport &. Planning Officer.)

HOW CAN B.B.T. HELP?
BRIAN THOMPSON (*TRF ROW officer)
Brian Thompson explained that B.B.T’s main method of protecting byways and bridleways

google on make/model, it’s often been done before. You’ll often get an exploded diagram – which can be really handy.

you can check the bearings- get hold of the drum and rock up and down etc – it will wobble on the back if you see what I mean
when I took the back off mine the trail of brown stain was also a clue as the grease was being washed out the back

I needed various spanners, and a rubber hammer and a hammer and I had to hit the spider (*the bit with arms on that holds the drum a lot harder than I wanted), as a hint if you take before disassembly photos of any wiring/bits that look tricky that might help when putting it back together – defintely doable though

yep, a bit of a mixed bag, beautiful near Faringdon, crisp white fields, blazing sun, no mud – but the previous passing of the hunt meant that some bits were teeth chattering to say the least, interesting animal collection – a white ferret, it actually saw me, and waited for me on a track, I stopped beside it and we looked at each other and then went on our ways, biggest dog fox I’ve ever seen, and lots of full size deer – all brave enough to stand and assess me before legging it, then it went a bit smelly – puncture and then about 20 minutes later,about 6 miles from home the airshock collapsed …….. so a slow end to a blazing day, didn’t get cold atall, well pleased, shock wanted

don’t use pea shingle as it acts like kitty shitter sorry litter, bigger is ok

I think all he’s left with is a £370,000 a year pension, he must be gutted.

Can I suggest we get Harry Hill involved, Knighthood or 370,000, what would win ?

Thanks to the politicians for sorting that out, thank heavens that there is no reward for failure otherwise he’d have got a pension beyond most people wildest dreams, wouldn’t he.

no, and I have to be honest IMHO (and experience) they’re the most inconsiderate and thoughtless users (everybody else has to do what they want, mainly as they tend not be of in full control of their ‘vehicle’, something that would not be tolerated for car users), and even 4wders don’t have vehicles that will stampede when a crisp bag blows past.

Fair point about everybody exercising common sense, as it really is muddy out there but my mtb doesn’t leave lots of 9″ deep 6″ round holes eyerywhere it goes.

build yourself a hydraulic ram pump (thanks Montgolfier brothers), ok, it needs running water but that can be had free, they can go forever

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics-news/2011/12/05/price-of-independence-poll-shows-majority-of-scots-would-back-split-if-it-made-them-500-better-off-86908-23611253/

The Scottish Social Attitudes survey found that 65 per cent of Scots would back independence if it meant that they would be slightly wealthier.

check out the Specialised Myka range, gf 4ft 10 on 13″, bout the only bike she’d fit ……

re the tapping punch idea, I’d maybe try making an indent on the outside of the ring (punch at right angles), then once indented (*beware of whats underneath etc and this might not be good – it’s a motorbike trick and there’s lots more metal) then push to loosen using the punch at an angle

See – http://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/ and search facilities

Possibly here (pub was good *years ago) but I think campsite facilities are BASIC – http://www.pubwithnoname.co.uk/ and it was overloaded with morris dancers …… ;+)

Figures for England
Total public righs of way (kilometeres) – 188,700 kilometres
BOATs – 3,700 km

“The Ramblers view is that motorised use of rights of way, for sport, is rarely appropriate and that vulnerable users – pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians and horse and carriage drivers – should be able to enjoy the rights of way network away from as much motor traffic as possible “

so having 98% of what you want isn’t enough ?
maybe instead of your usual walk leaders you should try a monkey with a pin, lets face it the statistics are that the monkey would be able to pick a traffic free route.

I think the Scottish access model is fantastic, but I do wonder if it would work if the population densities were similar (to England).

“The UK population is very unevenly distributed. 84 per cent of
the population live in England, 9 per cent in Scotland, 5 per cent in
Wales, and 3 per cent in Northern Ireland.”

“Overall, the UK population lives at an average of
257 people/km2, or around half a hectare per person, but this
masks considerable spatial differences. The highest densities are
in London (4726/km2), but this high figure is explained partly by
the regional boundary that includes almost exclusively built-up
land. The lowest densities are in Scotland (65/km2), but even here
the figures range from 8 persons/km2 in the Highland region to
3309 in Glasgow (see Figs. 1–3 below)”

See: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/bispartners/foresight/docs/land-use/jlup/10_space_per_person_in_the_uk_-_a_review_of_densities_trends_experiences.pdf

In a nutshell they’ve experimented with rats (*react similarly to humans apparently), really simple, lots of space, few rats – happy rats, limited space – lots of rats – fighting rats

So I guess if the population of Scotlnd ramps up then there’ll be more problems.

IME. Riding on stalking ground, I just found out where the owners lived, knocked and asked, they were really helpful – we’re here today so could you stay that side – yep, sorted.

you should have seen the horsed mud in Oxfordshireish yesterday, I couldn’t even push downhill – GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, tyres 5 inches wide, shame it was on an Orange 5, still at least I got to try single speeding for free…………….

gf does

you learn to read labels carefully
use Genius bread – nearly like bread, esp when toasted
issues in many restaurants/pubs – lots of food is ‘packaged’ so they can’t change the ingredients, also had some issues with people lying (*well I think they were really being ‘helpful’/not understanding but not always) by saying it was gluten free, however as gf sicks up it’s easy to know when they’ve lied
– National Front (*trust) cafes do gluten free stuff
– some pub chains and restaurants are now marking menus and there definitely seems to be an increase in number of placs and food ranges
-we now eat Indian a lot (so far all curries ok), can do kebabs – chicken/no pitta, fish and chips – chicken and chips if chicken is ‘bare’, some Thai is ok, don’t really do Chinese anymore

I just read every menu – and I’m finding more and more with either marked items and ‘we can alter to suit statements’ and remember the good ones.

There is coeliac society, worthing joining for info/tips.

Sweeping generalisation The more ‘rural’ you are the less choice, with some blinding exceptions – e.g chip shop in Plockton – no probs I’ll grill a bit of fish for you.

The main windup is when a group of us are out and want to eat – not always straightforward.

how about something like

http://www.britishseagullparts.com/engine-throttles.htm or something similar, lawnmower etc etc etc

can you use a motorbike clutch lever, bolted to the frame, with the lever bolt done up really tight, or you could glue a small spanner to the lever bolt for on the hoof adjustment …

edit *didn’t old car choke cables have a pull and turn the knob sideways to lock arrangement ?