Caravan Club do 2 campsite guides for Europe. Most complete campsite guides i’ve used and you don’t need to be a member to buy them.
Reviews in them are given by club members. Also,depending when you are going,the ACSI discount card gives you reduced campsite fees on 100’s of French campsites out of the main season.
I used to get pretty severe mouth ulcers and they seemed to occur after having acidic food and drinks.As i’ve got older they have more or less stopped and its very rare for me to get one now.
Not read the Greens manifesto but are they going to target powerful cars and gas guzzling 4 wheel drives. I think they would find very stiff opposition to this due to the lobbying power of motor manufacturers.
Why not test the water by renting somewhere for say 6 months in the area you are interested in. Or buy a touring caravan and having a tour around.
I thought we would be retiring in Spain but 8 years into it my wife wanted to return here. Family and friends are a big pull to come back.
And whatever people say about the NHS its great compared to the shambles we encountered in Spain.
Its not a good situation when one partner wants to return and the other wants stay.
Having to remove part of the bumper/plastic wheel arch trim to change a headlight bulb on the wifes Ford Ka. When you remove the trim it breaks the plastic buttons so unless you know about this and keep plenty spare you can’t fit the trim back.
My wife has got loads of bird feeder stuff and it has attracted rats.
My neighbour laid a trail of seed into his garden,then from his book depository window he picked them off with his airgun.
My wife has had 2 Hudls and both went faulty on the charging point.
Got her money back and bought an Acer for around £80 at Tescos.She says she prefers it to the Hudl and has a longer battery life.
The bottom line is that a 1.6 diesel with all your families gear on board towing a typical 4 berth caravan is going to find it hard going no matter how you juggle the weights around.
Have you thought about the folding type like a Pennine ? Bottom half is basically a caravan with the top in canvas.Can be pretty expensive second hand though.Or how about a 2 berth caravan with the wife and kids in the ‘van at night and you in a sleeping pod in the awning.
My wife gets exactly the same thing in cold weather and thats just walking.She does have asthma and attends an asthma clinic at the doctors.
They’ve prescribed her a different type of inhaler which she uses just before she goes out.
My wifes had 2 Hudl’s,both of which went faulty at the charging port.
She exchanged the last one for an Acer,£79.99,again from Tesco.
Seems simple to use,and i prefer it to the Hudl’s.
As long as it doesn’t become very icy then all the man made stuff will be easily rideable.Its the narrow paths that thread through the trees that can become really boggy and will stop you.You don’t need to ride these though to get to the red and black routes.
Wooler Wheel 100 miler in Northumberland.Best event i rode last year.
Darlington Council do a 100 miler on the first Sunday in Sept.Its a bargain at £4.
Haydon 100 from Haydon Bridge was a good route, just spoiled by the weather last year.
Wife is on her second Hudl.First one had a problem with the charging points failing.Second one is dead now because of same problem.Wouldn’t have another.
My MIL and BIL are here for a few days. She has fairly bad dementia and i didn’t think it would be this difficult.No memory at all and no realisation of time.Needs to use the toilet every hour even during the night which means no sleep for any of us.She can’t converse as there’s nothing after the first two words of a sentence.
My BIL lives with her in an attic in the house.He is pretty withdrawn and rarely speaks.He has no friends and his life is just looking after his mother.
My wife had romantic notions of it being a jolly Christmas with all of us,and even though its her mother,she can’t wait for them to leave.
I have 2 road bikes,one with Rival the other Ultegra.
No complaints about either but the Ultegra is what i would choose out of the 2. Better finished and just feels that bit smoother and precise.
Both brakes work equally as well and i think that Rival has the edge in the weight stakes.
The Shimano press fit bb has given no trouble in 3 years but the Sram press fit was troublesome within a couple of 100 miles.
On my old oil burner i turn the mains water off after making sure pressure in heating system is up to the mark.My plumber said leave the thermostat in the living room at 10 degrees.Left it like this for over 2 months last winter with no problems.
You’re going to be pretty fortunate if you get dry and warm weather in January in Southern mainland Spain.But here’s my two penny worth.
Camping Sierra Espuna in the Sierra Espuna regional park.Log cabins to rent and about one and a half hours south of Alicante airport.
Great walking and cycling in the park with plenty of info at the campsite.Also has a bar, with other bars and restaurants in the village.Two grocery shops and two bakers for fresh bread.Its Spanish so forget your John Smiths and burgers.Minus point is its not next to the sea.About 40 minutes away.
We have one of those dangerous dog breeds known as a King Charles.
A neighbour got a rescue dog and it attacked our dog for no reason.I could hear the shouting and screaming and the owner was beating her dog with an umberella to try and get it off.
A few weeks later i was walking past her house when the dog attacked again.
This time it came off second best with a steel toe capped boot to its chest.
The woman rang her boyfriend and he turned up threatening to find me and kill me( i was out on the bike).My wife phoned me and said to stay out on the bike a bit as the boyfriend was going bananas.
A few weeks later a car pulled up beside me and the boyfriend jumped out.
Turns out his girlfriend told him that i kicked their dog for no reason and he left a bit embarrassed.
They won’t accept that their dog has a problem as it will attack any dog and the horses in the nearby fields.
Have a look at the Jet2.com website to give you some ideas.They are trying to promote cycling holidays but they are little more than package holidays and a hotel with storage for the bike.There is info on cycling routes from the hotels though.
Bought a new bike from them over the internet.Wouldn’t buy anything from them again.Customer service attitude was pretty dreadful when i pointed out faults with the bike.The words ” tough shit ” come to mind.
Done many thousands of miles towing a caravan and only once have i had to pull off a motorway because of the high winds.Gusts of 20 mph should be no problem.
Take care on long descents as this is when the van is trying to push the car.
The worst vehicles for causing turbulence are car transporters so if overtaken by one let it pull away quickly.I find overtaking lorries uphill gives the least movement.
I just had a cracked tooth removed yesterday.The dentist gave me a sheet saying that i shouldn’t use a mouthwash or gargle,have hot drinks or alcohol,and no strenuous physical activity.
It took 3 different dentists 45 mins to get my tooth out.I thought the first one was going to break my jaw!
One day on and the pain is terrible in my gum despite strong painkillers.
My next door neighbour came back a couple of weeks from one.
Enjoyed it so much he’s taking the company to the small claims court.
It was a cheaper one but the trip was disastrous.
Boat being repaired on arrival therefore schedule was behind.Cruised during the night through places they wanted to see.Paid only cheap mooring fees so one night they were moored next to quayside builders merchants with cranes and the lot( i’ve seen the photos ).
To cap it all the captain steered the boat into an overturned barge,that everybody on deck could see.It caused panic with people running for lifevests.
Divers came to inspect and the boat had to go in for repairs again.
Oh,and the entertainer was the same guy every night.
dudeof doom,i used to live in the Espuna in the small village of El Berro.
Every body seems to be attracted by the big name of the Sierra Nevada but the Espuna is ace for mtb’ing and sees very few Brits riding there.
If you’re doing some camping and want great riding then head for the Murcia region and Camping Sierra Espuna in the Sierra Espuna regional park.Its a mecca for Spanish mountainbikers and road cyclists.
Campervans are very expensive to buy and run in Spain so it follows that hiring would be also.You can free camp , but leaving all your gear in a van while you’re out on the bikes is not recommended.
Eskay,i think you have your weights wrong.
I have a 1.8 Mondeo and tow a ‘van with an unladen weight of 1100kg and max laden of 1330 kg.
A make such as Lunar or the Bailey Rangers would come into this weight bracket for a 4 berth caravan.
I’ve been using Ultegra for quite a few years and have just bought a new bike with Rival on it.
Soon got used to the different style of changing and its been precise and quiet.
The hoods seem smaller than Ultegra but no palm ache.
Finish is not up to Ultegra standard but i think the overall weight for the groupset is lower.Brakes work perfectly well.
But after just 300 mile the bottom bracket has some play.I’ll be contacting a Scott dealer to try and get it sorted under warranty.
I could have had the same bike but with an Ultegra groupset for £200 more and with hindsight i should have bought that.
Going back to the riots in Bradford,this was done as a statement to say to the authorities to keep out of ” our ” areas.From that point police and politicians were scared to speak out about the criminality within the Asian parts of the city because of the fear of civil unrest.
The rest of the population could see this and that encourages resentment.
I’ve personally spoken to police officers who would turn a blind eye to motoring offences due to the ” you’ve only stopped me because you’re a racist” reply .
Luckily i moved away , together with my brother and many friends.
A dealer near me has a Medium CR1 Pro for £1600 which is tempting me.
I’m about 5’11’ and looking at the geometry and comparing it to my present Cube road bike the medium would be the one.
I have quite a few pairs of bibs and the most comfortable pad is in some Odlo ones.I think they are around £60.Comfort is relative as i still know i’ve been sat on a bike for 8 hrs.
Always just used nappy rash cream,E45 or sudocrem which is a bit thicker.
An older couple i know bought a new semi off plan.For the area it wasn’t cheap at 260k.
Superficially the quality looked excellent with decent quality fittings.
From day one it has been never ending problems both for them and all the other houses on the small estate.Not small stuff either.Complete floors having to be taken up,bathroom suites removed.Plumbing and electrics not connected.The 10 year guarantee meant nothing.
My friends couldn’t get the builder to do the remedial work so have paid out thousands themselves.
If i was buying a new build i would pay for regular stage inspections by an independant surveyor.
Quite a nice campsite within walking distance of Wooler.
At Powburn there is a Caravan Club site with some tent pitches.Nature reserve around the back and the River Breamish runs through it.Excellent facilities and very quiet.
There is a Caravan Club site right on the edge of Melrose town centre.They take tents but not sure if you need to be a member or pay extra.Excellent location and good facilities.
Lived in Shelf for quite a few years and liked it.Northowram further on the road is good as well. Wykes a dump.Hipperholmes not bad.I have some rental property in Wibsey,commercial,but the area has deteriorated.
I’d look between Shelf and the outskirts of Halifax.
A couple of friends have carbon Cubes.The lowest model has a different frame to the others.They both got quite a bit of discount off the rrp.
Sizing is a bit odd but they seem pretty good for the money.I have an alu one and love it.
If you’re certain of your sizing then Canyon would be tempting me.
