“The Persians,Eygptians,Greeks and Romans never helped you out if you got a puncture
Oh and they all also had slaves…”

The Christians of the confederate states of America also had slaves. So the presence or absence of slaves is nothing to do with Christianity.

I would suggest initially contacting your uncle for an update within the next day or two. In the initial hours and days when a condition is being assessed after admission your aunt might not be helped by a visit. In any case I’m sure your uncle would appreciate you expressing your concern and offering support. I’d agree that in most cases visiting your aunt in the ward would be the best thing if she is detained for more than a few days. Obviously this depends on the her condition and the wishes of your uncle.

From the experience of a relative, visitors, whether relatives or friends were welcome if the visits were known about in advance but unexpected visits could be unsettling. But again whatever your uncle suggests would be best.

I’ve checked of the first 20 Christmas cards lying around the room. None of them mention god or Christ in the text or have any angels depicted. It’s all scenes of snow, holly, cartoons, and jokey photographs.

If this is a Christian country the cards certainly don’t show it. It seems this winter event is about TV specials, presents, and good food and drink. God is a long way back bringing up the rear.

“If you want to look for a bit more evidence outside of the census – why do people get married in church? why do people have their children Christened? why do people have church funerals?”

Largely tradition to keep relatives happy I guess. I reluctantly got married in church because my wife wanted to as she was a christian. Our children weren’t christened. My last close relative to die didn’t have a church funeral it was a cremation without any minister or other official being involved. The service was conducted by me. As for me – I’m donating my body to science. I don’t see the point in slowly rotting away in the ground after death.

ernie_lynch – “The two vital ingredients which all known societies have always had, throughout history and prehistory, and throughout the world, no matter how varied they might be, is religion and music.

Both of which on the face of it would appear unnecessary and pointless. But since I know of no exception to that rule then I reckon it must be accepted that those two requirements are a prerequisite for a successful society.”

All societies have also had crime and disease but it doesn’t mean we need them though. The need for religion is a flaw in the human character. It’s time we got over it.

“From Sunday a change in the law, which has been approved by the Home Office, means victims should go to their bank rather than the police station.”

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/article-23390837-fraud-victims-told-go-to-the-bank-not-the-police.do

“So rich IT boys can subsidised by minium-wage income tax payers?”

Like the current cycle to work scheme you mean?

No VAT would give the same benefit without the admin costs. Would be open to everyone not just those whose employers choose to run the scheme.

“stans have a very low sidewall, which allows the tyre to balloon out even more (they use a ‘hook’ to hold the bead), so for a given width, the stans rim will give the tyre a better shape the the equivalent mavic.”

Surely all modern rims have hooks?

Spikes if any chance of black ice/water ice. Normal knobblies fine on snow.

First tour, Scottish Highlands, 1978. Flared jeans rule!

@ Bigthuinder

“recent cock ups have shown them up very poorly as well – things like steven lawrence”

Recent? What world do you live in when an 18 year old crime is recent?

“worming their way out a few tricky situations due to the lying of the IPCA. “

The clue is in the I. It is short for independent. They are not the police.

A possibly useful link is the Forth and Clyde/Union Canal Towpath between Glasgow and Edinburgh. Hit that anywhere then follow the towpath to Kirkintilloch. From Kirky use the old railway bed path from Kirkintilloch (starts behind the MacDonalds) to Strathblane to pick up the West Highland Way.

Not no win no fee, but there have been some seriously bad court decisions over the years. No wonder many people are reluctant to lead youth groups.

Read the Gaping Gill case here for example. Father on scout trip lets son enter cave. Boy dies. Father sues scouts (2 years later after other son leaves the troop) and wins.

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmconst/754/754we26.htm

What happened to personal responsibility.

Surly Long Haul Trucker with Tubus racks and Ortliebs. Near Lake Powell, Utah.

Statistically you are far more likely to be killed on seriously injured driving to the trails than actually riding them

I find that stat unlikely given how safe cars are. Any references?
In 2010, in England, the KSI rate for cars was 39 per billion miles. Given that serious injuries for RTA stats includes any broken bone or any injury requiring in patient treatment then mountain biking would need to be very safe indeed to have a serious injury rate less than driving a car.

Not that I’m saying MTBing is dangerous but cars are extremely safe.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/statistics/tables/ras30056

the punishment is the loss of liberty not what we do to you once you are in prison.

So should they be supplied with drink, drugs, and whores because it’s being in jail that is the punishment not what happens in jail?

what likie crashing a bike not wearing enough protection they should just ignore you

A crash is accidental. Tattos are not. If someone who chooses to disfigure themselves shouldn’t expect the taxpayer to pay.

And what have the relatives been convicted of?

So are you saying nobody should be sent to prison in case their relatives miss them? The cons should think abut that before they do the crime.

Anyway when cons are taken to another jail to see relatives it is because the relative concerned has committed a crime and is serving a sentence in that jail. S the answer is one or other or both of them not to chose to be criminals.

as for visiting relatives WTF are we thinking of lets just tell them they died.

Maybe it’s just me but I thought seeing your relatives was one of the freedoms you lost got sent to jail.

I suspect vans move folk all over between jails and I bet they are not always full.

The way the system works prisoners going to hospital or being taken to and from other jails travel one to a vehicle. It can’t work any other way. Vehicles carrying other prisoners have schedules to meet and can’t wait for an hour while a con sees visits his dad or gets tattoos lazered. So each trip to the tattoo removal or each visit will cost the taxpayer hundreds of pounds.

I don’t think the NHS should be doing tattoo removal for anyone. It’s a self inficted disfigurement. If they are going to do them serving convicts should not be getting them.

“Niether softy approaches or harsh tough love will eradicate all crime and your view is just a indication of whether you are in favour of trying to rehabilitate or revenge”

No my view is from personal experience. Seeing prisoners being taken out of jail under escort to attend several sessions of tattoo removal indicates to me the system is too soft.

Or prisoners being taken out of jail and driven across the country to visit their relative in a different jail.

Etc, etc.

The Americans have got it right. Our system is too soft on career criminals. There was a case in the news just last week where an innocent man was murdered by two guys out on bail for serius crimes.

http://www.hamiltonadvertiser.co.uk/news/local-news/hamilton-news/2011/10/13/calls-for-probe-into-how-thugs-were-free-to-kill-popular-blantyre-student-51525-29585794/

That is not the first time by any means.

For less serious crimes it can take dozens of convictions before anyone gets a jail sentence. For anything other than serious crime the non custodial options have usually been tried and failed.

6ft3

22″ Kona Kula (feels a touch big)
21″ Spesh Hardrock
60cm Surly Long Haul Trucker
57cm Kaffenback. A touch small but rideable (and dirt cheap)

“An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind”

The alternative just leaves the victims blind.

“I am surprised. Every days a school day on STW – whats the source? “

DVLA website has a link to a PDF quoting GMC Guidelines as follows.

“If you do not manage to persuade the patient to stop driving, or you discover that they are continuing to drive against your advice, you should contact the DVLA immediately and disclose any relevant medical information, in confidence, to the medical adviser.
5. Before contacting the DVLA you should try to inform the patient of your decision to disclose personal information. You should then also inform the patient in writing once you have done so.”
(*Reproduced with kind permission of the General Medical Council) “

From Page 6 of “At A Glance” PDF

http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical/ataglance.aspx

“Would force drivers to get more training. Yes costs would go up but maybe road death would be reduced from the 4000 a year they are at. “

You mean like down to the 2222 in 2009?

http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/tsgb/latest/tsgb2010accidents.pdf

The UK has among the safest roads in Europe. Not that there isn’t room for further improvement. Why, for example, do we have a system where drivers routinely can get three driving convictions in three years without a ban? Why are there so many loopholes allowing drivers convicted of seriously bad driving to escape bans. Over 100mph and no ban? Come on.

http://www.highland-news.co.uk/News/Ton-up-Inverness-driver-escapes-ban-03082011.htm

http://www.wiltsglosstandard.co.uk/news/8432347.Motorists_escape_ban_despite_topping_100mph_on_A417/

etc.

“Regarding advising pedestrians, motorists etc to don helmets….you cant wrap people up in cotton wool even though it might be best for them!….walk into an A&E on a friday night and there will be a multitude of minor head injuries all waiting to be stitched up….would a helmet have prevented some of these?….no doubt, but who wants to go drinking wearing a helmet?….where do you draw the line?”

We all draw it in different places so why do some people feel the need to preach about helmet wearing. Why do medical professionals single out cyclists?

If pedestrians and drivers can choose not to wear helmets despite them accounting for 99% of head injuries then so can cyclists.

“v8ninety – Member

I’m a Paramedic. Trust me, you should wear a helmet. Voice of experience here. “

Please confirm…

1. You have never treated a motorist, pedestrian or anyone else in the with a head injury.

2. Are cyclists the most common group for head injuries? All stats suggest they are only a minority.

3. Do you give the same advice on prevention and recommend helmets for pedestrians and drivers/passengers.

4.If not, why do you feel head injuries in these groups are not worth being given the same professional advice reserved for cyclists?

“code, considered by many to be best practice?so not a law then/Cant be bothered to argue with an idiot but codes are not laws”

The Land Reform (Scotland) Act is the law governing public access in Scotland. The access allowed is responsible access. The code defines responsible access.

So the code does describe legal access to land. Whether the code is a law or not doesn’t matter.

Here, read for yourself.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asp/2003/2/section/10

I’ve toured on road through the Rockies in July and August from the Canadian border south to Colorado. I didn’t find heat to be a problem. Anything up to 90F is fine because it is a very dry heat and on a bike there is always enough breeze to cool through perpiration. It is so dry you never feel damp. Any sweat dries immediately. You will need to drink huge amounts of water to ride all day though. I was getting through more than 6L some days.

If it is particularly hot then starting early and finishing at mid day is the way to go but I very rarely needed to do this in the mountains.

Oh, and another reason to ride early is that high up there is often a pattern of dry sunny mornings followed by thunderstorms with associated lightning strikes any time from lunchtime to early afternoon onwards. I always tried to cross passes by mid day.

Just to be clear these comments apply to Colorado Wyoming, and Montana mountains. I understand Utah is dryer and hotter though as already stated local conditions will vary..

Seems the midgies are late this year. Tracksterman reports none in the NW highlands. Can’t be long now though ……..

http://tracksterman.tumblr.com/

I suppose it depends on how you define off road. My LHT was strong enough for me to use on maybe 80 miles of gravel road during an otherwise on road USA tour.

I’m 16 stone, was carrying a 30-40 pound load and was riding 700x32s. So I think lighter riders on bigger tyres and strong wheels could use an LHT offroad without it breaking. As a tourer of course it has a low BB height which would cause issues on anything too technical.

Just to clarify – unless there is injury there is no need to supply insurance details after an accident.

Also if the driver stopped and supplied her details and the vehicle and owner details there is no need to report the accident to the police. For non injury accidents …

“The driver of the mechanically propelled vehicle must stop and, if required to do so by any person having reasonable grounds for so requiring, give his name and address and also the name and address of the owner and the identification marks of the vehicle.”

So name and address of driver and owner and reg number of vehicle are the legal requirements.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1988/52/section/170

An alternate to going all the way up to Inversnaid is to climb up the big hill at Cailness which has a landrover track going up the hill. At the top a long fast descent takes you down to the back of Ben Lomond and the forest. When I did it there was a 10 foot locked gate to be climbed. From there I went through the forest to the Drymen-Aberfoyle B Rd then back to Balmaha on the WHW.

An option to lengthen the day is to go along the south side of Loch Katrine on the track to the former bothy at Glasahoile. From there it would be a 2km mostly trackless uphill push to the pass at Bealach nam Bo before path then track to Loch Ard. Still an off road alt to the tarmac round the northside.

I’ve only walked the south side and it was a few years ago so I can’t comment on the current condition of the tracks. Bealach nam Bo can be tricky to find going east. The pass isn’t obvious until quite close. Careful map and compass work recommended.

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/tools/cycling-tools/mini-pump/product/review-innovations-road-air-2-pump-33713/

For me this pump didn’t work, from new, in a dry heated garage. Wouldn’t seal properly. When the head was lifted off the valve the O ring came off. Utter rubbish. I would have returned it but I used the included bottle cage mount to mount my Topeak Road Morph instead.

I should have known there was a reason Wiggle had discounted it by 75% to £4. I suspect they were getting a huge amount of returns.

toys 19 – “Anecdotes do not make science. The stats are:
people killed by cyclists every year. 1 last year, zero for most other years.
people killed by motor transport 3000.
Every time you post that link we should post the 3000 links for each of the road dead. “

If you are going to quote stats it’s better to be accurate.

2222 road deaths in 2009. Nowhere near 3000.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/adobepdf/162469/221412/221549/227864/642978/rrcgbmain2009.pdf

Justify commuting by car?

Because buses and trains don’t run early enough for my 7am start.

Because my morning commute is 25 minutes by car but the same journey is 1h30 or longer by public transport (when it runs).

Because the trains couldn’t cope with many more passengers anyway.

Because the UK’s roads are among the safest in the world.

Because it’s a free country.

Sorry about your friend but I’m not going to decide how I travel based on one accident.

Back in the 70s I campewd at the Narnain Boulders on the Cobbler and used water from the main stream. The next morning I saw a dead sheep less than 100M upstream. No ill effects. But subsequent advice I was given makes sense – drink from the small streams and there is less chance of anything being in the water upstream.

In the highlands I’ve always drunk water untreated from streams above the last house/farm and never had a problem. My dad has been drinking from the streams/lochs in the highlands since the 1940s. He’s still going strong at 83. Still does a bit of hillwalking. Never had a problem with water.

But if you don’t feel safe doing what other people have done for decades get some tabs. I’m going to be using Katadyn MicroPur Purification Tablets for a USA tour this summer. Claimed to be “The Only EPA Registered Purification Tablets on the Market! And the only disinfection system effective against viruses, bacteria, cryptosporidium, and Giardia.”

Viruses and bacteria are killed quickly. Cryptosporidium, and Giardia take from 30m to 2 hours to be killed depending on water temperature.

The TRL report is worth a read. All you need to know about how helmets work and a review of helmet studies. A free download at

http://www.trl.co.uk/online_store/reports_publications/trl_reports/cat_road_user_safety/report_the_potential_for_cycle_helmets_to_prevent_injury___a_review_of_the_evidence.htm

I believe helmets provide some protection but not as much as some people think. For technical off road riding they are more worthwhile as crashes are more frequent and more likely to be withing the desgn parameters of helmets.

For road cycling, (with the possible exception of racing) they are not needed. For an experienced rider road cycling is safe. Anyway, in the event of a life threatening crash a helmet is unlikely to help.

“A specialist biomechanical assessment of over 100 police forensic cyclist fatality reports predicted that between 10 and 16% could have been prevented if they had worn an appropriate cycle helmet.”

From page 48 of the TRL review liked to above.

In the UK there are about 100 cyclist deaths a year. So with about 2 million cyclists that is a 1:20’000 chance of a fatal crash. So I’m not going to start wearing a helmet that has a 10-16% chance of saving my life if the 1:20’000 chance of a fatal crash happens.

Of course other people may assess their risks differently. I would ask then if they wore helmets for the activities responsible for the other 99% of head injury admissions to hospitals. Drinking helmets would be a good start.

Choose your battles. I don’t think the incident is worth reporting.

To put it in perspective it’s worth reading the troubles a QC has had getting the police to do anything about a couple of serious incidents, both of which had good evidence. I’ve linked to one below. The other on the blog is a threat to kill from a driver.

http://thecyclingsilk.blogspot.com/2010/12/police-caution-for-unprovoked-assault.html

A car moving left as you undertook it? I don’t see the police doing anything. My take on passing queues on the left? Only if they are stopped. If they are stopped they can’t move left.

Going inside or outside depends on the circumstances. Each case is different. I’ll undertake trucks and buses as well but only if I am sure there is no way they are moving. In fact I can’t think of the last time I undertook either. Both usually occupy so much of the lane there is no gap at the kerb so I’d be going outside anyway.

Carbisdale is closed for the summer.

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=22&t=49188

What about Edinburgh to Fort William off road in a day? Union canal towpath, Forth and Clyde Canal towpath – Kirkintilloch, the old railway path Kirkie to Strathblane, follow the continuation of the old railbed through Blanefield to meet the WHW just before Dumgoyne. Then WHW to FW.

150 miles or so off road in a day?

Had to walk the first half of the Humber Bridge during a Lands End – JOG. But the worst wind I’ve experienced was in the northern corries of Cairngorm. Heard a gust coming, crouched down, but still got blown in to the air and dumped 6 feet away.