With the Speedster Stove I take a some 30ml bottles (hotel toiletry bottles are perfect or you can pick them up really cheap on the internet). 30ml will make a brew & heat up a meal. Also have a couple of bigger bottles (300ml/500ml) which I’ll take on longer trips.

It does take a few minutes longer to boil up but I’m never in a rush & it’s a lot quieter than gas too

The Mytimug fits nicely into the small Alpkit Stemcell with the collapsable Sea to Summit mug on top.

I use the Alpkit Mytimug 650 & the 30ml Speedster Stove, stand & windshield. Everything fits inside the mug. Weighs very little, works really well & cheap too

http://speedsterstoves.co.uk/alcohol/meths-burners.html

I have a pretty much brand new one of these for sale if you are interested?

Ibanez GSA60

Bought for my son but he only plays his acoustic

Love the Italian suggestion, our honeymoon & favourite holiday destination. Perfect!

Thanks for the advice has probably avoided the disappointment of opening a 40-year old bottle of vinegar

Dangeourbrain will look into your suggestions, much appreciated.

As if she’d ever be allowed in there unaccompanied…

Buggar – so now I need my wife & son to be born in different years!

CFH – she is also quite happy with a pint of 6X in The Lamb – We’re popping in there & the Outside Chance so maybe I just spend the money in there!?

Thought it might be a struggle & my folks keep telling me about the hot summer of ’76 so guessed it might not be a great year!

She’s not a Port / Armagnac drinker so that’s probably out

We met in 2010 & our son was was born in 2013 so a 2013 bottle could be ‘his’ pressie to Mum…

As for what she likes (I wish I’d remembered more – full bodied, oak, smokey, tobacco box, cherries/berries) Didn’t try much French wine

I’ve got a Coseyfire 5 in the workshop which is OK for £200ish. It’s multi-fuel, I’d go for the log burning only option next time. Small but pretty efficient. You can certianly see the quality difference between it & the Stovax I have in the house.

Coseyfire

Stooge?

Will be there again next year – great ride & met some great people along the way…free beer at the end too 🙂

ton – might take you up on the fatbloke group!

Rich – have you got a link to make donations?

Really like the look of them & stuck with mine. I had to really tighten it up to stop it rattling around on the rough stuff, which became uncomfortable on longer rides.

Big high speed dismount yesterday with my head taking a big hit & it certainly served its purpose… I can justify replacing it now though.

Just added a Stooge on the promise it’s 1 in 2 out & currently have

Full suss
Road bike
CX bike
Fat bike
Rigid steel 29er
26″ Steel hard tail

Thought was to get rid of the fat bike & rigid 29er but I do still ride & like them both. Non of the bikes I have would make much in the scondhand market so I can’t justify selling them…..

I’ve tried a few stoves / pots but favourites for backpacking or bike packing are: –

Speedster meths stove – very cheap & not much bigger than a tea light & either the small pot stand & wind shield they sell or combine it with a Lixada folding wood stove.

I use the Alpkit Mytimug 650ml which fits stove, lighter, brew kit, fuel etc inside it. Sea to Summit collapsible mug fits perfectly on top of it too. Mytimug fits into the small Stem Cell pouch too

Carry a couple of 30ml aluminium bottles filled with meths & a bigger 250ml aluminium bottle which you can get for pennies on the net.

Speedster Stove

Lixada wood burner

Some good advice available on Bear Bones website and Bike & Bivvy – Wild Camping on FB

Great stuff & thanks for sharing!

Cheers CG will have a look, roads not a problem.

Wayfarers is on the doorstep & I’ve been linking it up with the Test Way, Brenda Parker Way around Combe, Faccombe, Likenholt, Ashmansworth etc. I’ve only followed it under the A34 a couple of times but then headed back to Highclere, Penwood on the old railway line (ahem footpath). I might head that way later & have a look

Was initially thinking of the SDW one way over 2 days & using the train / car to the start point but I can extend the trip by a day or 2 & ditch the car / train.

Newish to the area & just stumbled across this thread, I wondered if anyone has ridden the Test Way from Combe Gibbet to Winchester?

I’m planning riding the South Downs Way at some point & thinking of including the Test Way to avoid using the car or train

The beer at the finish went down a treat. Lots of great people… Big thanks to John Climber, Tony (Lawnmanmx) for the offer to join them on the ride. Big thanks to Rich too…probably the only person with a bike as heavier than mine.

Will definitely do it all over again

Lawmanmx – I’ll be at the Jennride on my OOF – are you going?

Have a look on Talkytoaster.co.uk

Traffic on the M32 shouldnt be too bad as you can leave the motorway at the Ikea junction. From St George you’ll head down the A420 into the centre, can get a bit busier through St Phillips but you’ll avoid the Cabot Cicus traffic & also skirt around the centre towards St Mary Redcliffe, the docks (car park opposite St Mary Redcliffe or by Mud Dock) Boat trip around the harbour is also OK

Brooks Guest House tucked away in the middle of St Nicholas Market, Nothing too fancy or expensive, just a great place to base yourself & the staff are superb. They even have Airstream caravans in the roof that you can stay in..

Another vote for Banjo Bikes in Newbury
Also use Bertie Maffoons in Marlborough & Mike’s Bikes in Portishead

I’ve managed to squeeze an Alpkit Hunka XL, Decathlon 5 degree light sleeping bag (2/3 season bag) & Forclaz inflatable sleeping mat into the 13L airlok dry bag.

Probably no help whatsoever but after a lot of deliberating I’ve just bought a Mango Point AR – If you ride the Ridgeway you might be pretty close to their unit so could try before you buy

I had a look at a few bikes & ended up going for the Frog 43 (14″ Wheels) over the Isla bike, mainly because we sat him on it in the shop.

OOF here too… curiosity got the better of me

Have been contemplating the same thing over the Christmas break & thinking about this as a starter on Sunday Frozen Devil although I’m thinking it will be very wet

Also looking at a a few of these too UK Cycling Events both MTB & Road

Interested in what else is about & any feedback

It looks like they’ve had a quick clear up of the worst bits of fire road where the heavy plant has been working

Eddiebaby…plucked up the courage, just finished the front wheel

Keep getting ads for these pop up http://www.chilli-tech.com/action-cameras

Eddiebaby – did you drill the rims yourself?

So intrigue got the better of me & a quick spin on some kind strangers Fatty Trail on Cannock Chase has resulted in me being the proud owner of a hardly used Fatty… couple of great days out at Swinley & night rides on Cannock Chase in the past couple of weeks & I’m hooked.

Really like the look of those Dunes too

used this Four Chords App[/url]

Also Marty Schwartz, Justin Guitar, Drue James but the best thing by far has been 1-2-1 lessons with a really good guitar teacher.

Paying for a lesson motivates me to practice too

£5 an hour here for our 16 year old neighbour – Probably ends up nearer £10 as the misses is always far too generous after a few shandys!

I’ve bought a couple lights from this seller & so have a few of the lads at work I ride with. Had them about 18 months with no issues.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/rocketsgored2012

The Golf GTD – Can you get the Golf GTE?? Great perfromance & low tax

There were quite a few sections of both trails closed off last week due to forestry work, tree felling etc.

For some of the ‘trickier’ sections, e.g Tom, Dick & Harry, you get an option to ride around & avoid them

Just Vodka base or anything else considered? Made Jack Daniels & Blackberries or “Black Daniels’ & that was pretty good