Decathlon is my go to and this bag is brilliant. Perfect size, good features, great organisation and much cheaper than Osprey etc.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/travel-backpack-40-l-travel-500-organizer-khaki/_/R-p-338564

I’ve got something similar for the same reason and it works well.

I’ve never taken the mech or bars off, normally I just zip it up with the bars poking out (they aren’t the muddy bit).

+1 for Cadis. Train or bike over, and then hire canoes if you are feeling adventurous.

I rode it a few weeks ago, it wasn’t fast for me! What is the forecast? It was crazy in the wet.

Could you post your bike the week before? and then Post it home?

Swiss trains do something really cool where you can send your bike ahead/ keep a box at a station ready for you. Could be helpful for a point to point ride, but I wouldn’t dare post my bike from the UK these days. Putting some pikes on a Brompton is probably a better idea.

I’m not convinced by that 10% figure.

You’re right, I was going from memory based on a podcast I listened to, just checked and they actually say 2-5%.
Really good listen though:
https://www.thirtyfifty.co.uk/uk-wine-show-interview-detail.asp?id=112&title=UK-Wine-Show-112-Carlos-de-Jesus-from-Amorim-on-Cork

I took the ferry and train few years ago. Works ok and you can do it in a day, worst part was Calais (need to cycle to the station, then slow train to Paris).
Thinking of doing it again this year, my plan is to take the bike in a soft bag on the Eurostar (so I can fold it instead of lugging a box).
At the moment I’m thinking of taking a night train to Andorra instead the Alps (meaning no need to stay in London the night before).

From a technical point of view, corks are terrible, there is around a 10% chance of the cork failing and the wine being corked. If you think about that with any other type of packaging, you’d never accept it. However, wine is more complicated than that because you also have tradition.
Nearly all cork comes from Portugal, and it is possible to know what cork is high quality and what is less reliable. They’ve been supplying the old world for generations, and so when the new world started producing wine they weren’t given the same quality corks.
This meant they had higher rates of failure in places like NZ, as well as it being a complicated process to get cork from the other side of the world, so quickly looked for alternatives. As it’s been said, screw tops can deliver all the oxidation a cork can, but is more reliable. So if there is less of a tradition, what wouldn’t you use the better method?
Meanwhile, in the old world, the corks were better quality and traditions more ingrained. Choosing a screwtop over a cork is more of an active choice. There of plenty of reasons you might do this, some growers are more happy to shun tradition, cost is obviously a major factor. There is an assumption amongst many in these countries that wine with a screwtop will be worse
Tldr: if it’s a wine from the old world, then there is a reason they’ve chosen a screwtop (and that might be because it’s a lower quality wine), it it’s a new world wine then a screwtop is perfectly normal (and if they’ve chosen a cork, it’s probably just marketing).

Have you checked Turo or Getaround? Much prefer these to hire companies if there is something available.

Beef and dairy network: for those involved or just interested in the production of beef animals and dairy herds.

I hired a bike from them and it was fine. They take your weight and brake preference, and so suspension etc. was set up ready.
If I was to do it again, I’d hire a bike but take my helmet.

Rocamadour is also amazing at night, beautiful illumination. Not saying you don’t have a good idea, but if you wanted to go late (and avoid the heat), that may work.

Am I the only one who thinks this could be quite a good result?
Short term, of course it’s infuriating, but long term this increases the chances of Johnson still being around for the next election. This has genuinely cut through, and a lot of people are pissed off. He might have swung it with the MET, but I don’t think the public will be so forgiving (surely?!?).
On the other hand, if Starmers beer turns out to be naughty and he has to go, that could also be seen as a good thing. I’m a big fan, but he’ll have done the job of exposing Johnson, moving the labour party on, and they can bring in someone rousing to “finish off the job”.
The Tories have always been regarded as ruthless for changing leaders, but they aren’t capable of it right now. It might be Labour who can tactically change when needed due to Durham police.

I used to live there, so happy to give tips. It’s got a handful of small parks, each one good for a day max. Most of the stuff is gentle gradient, some nice features but no real flow style trails.
I’d say it’s great for combining with other toursity stuff.

Fight scenes where the characters will take hundreds of punches to the face and shake it off. I think I could take one, maybe two and not be much use anymore.

Characters passing out drunk literally the second they have downed a shot.

I had this problem, and bought a Gaggia Classic.

“I am too stressed to stop and see if you are ok.”
Getting knocked to the ground by her car was quite stressful for me too!

1) It’s supposed to be easy to opt-out. Some sites have the ‘Reject’ button easily accessible, whereas others force you to manually deselect 10+ checkboxes. I thought that was illegal to make rejecting cookies more difficult than approving them? If that’s the case, to whom can I report offending sites?

Depends where you are. Chances are you are referring to GDPR- which is a European regulation, so report them to the EU (via your relevant government). Since we left the EU, the UK is still following “equivalence” regulation (for the time being), so you can report them to the ICO https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/report-a-breach/. The reality is though, there are so many offenders, it would be impossible to police. The ICO are taking steps against serious offenders (eg. Facebook), but aren’t bothered by most.

2) I’ve come across some sites that simply say “If you don’t want cookies, disable them completely in your browser” and there’s no way to disable the cookies except by blocking all cookies in Safari. I always back out of those sites, but aren’t they also illegal?

Yes that’s illegal, but see above- what are you going to do? The UK government have already said they would like to ‘review’ the cookie banners. Chances are what they mean is remove the need for them, rather than improve the enforcement.

3) What is ‘legitimate interest’ and why are those cookies different? I’m sure it doesn’t mean that the other cookies are illegitimate, but it’s confusing wording.

This is where GDPR is a bit too vague. There are lots of real reasons you need to use cookies: the legislators quoted things like online banking when writing it, another legitimate interest may well be this site (to track that you’ve logged in).
In reality, a lot of companies have used the legitimate interest to argue their business model wouldn’t work without them- this wasn’t the point and is being tested in court at the moment.

4) Safari supposedly blocks 3rd party tracking cookies. Should I therefore just accept all cookies, safe in the knowledge that Safari will be blocking them behind the scenes?

I think this is correct, but others may know more about Apple than me.

5) Is there a way to selectively delete all cookies except those for sites I whitelist? E.g. a few sites where I want to stay logged in. I’m on Mac/Safari. Or a script that deletes all the offending cookies on a daily basis?

Yes- look for “manage website data”

6) I quite like Safari, and the way tabs are synced across all my devices etc. Do I have better cookie-blocking options if I switch to another browser?

Firefox has similar cookie blocking, and Brave is probably a more private browser.

7) Am I over-thinking? Should I stop worrying and learn to love the cookies?

Not really- it is a serious problem. I would add though, some sites do helpful things with cookies: the right level of targeting and measurement would mean sites can make money better and you would see more relevant adverts- although it is used in intrusive ways, it could also be used in manageable ways.
It’s also worth pointing out the alternatives to cookies right now are far more concerning.
Google tried to create an alternative which they thought would be more private (FLOC)- it ended up being a horror show- you could track far more than cookies can and it is illegal to use in the EU.
Apple talk about being private, but they are still tracking you just as much (just not sharing this with anyone else). The outcome is that they are closing down competitors and the hovering up the advertising market. Privacy is good, but it is being used as a cover to create alarming monopolies.

I went two years ago. There were many groups- fill their questionnaire in correctly and you’ll end up with a group at your level.
I think I said something similar (red/ optional jumping), the guides were all very good and able to take us to a good variety of trails (stopping to point out the jumps for those who wanted to, nothing bigger than a few feet in the end). There was plenty of hardcore stuff available (that’s what you see in the movies), but everything we did was rollable, and no major rock gardens or anything to be afraid of.
I only did one day, but was with people who had done several and they said most of the trails we were riding were new for them.
The trails were all fairly long (we did about 6/7 in a day I think), but the brilliant thing about Madeira is the variety. Due to the micro-climate they can take you to muddy or bone-dry trails (and lots in between). We did one fairly average trial to begin with, they used that to gauge what we were interested in and they took it from there.

I would be keen! Jordan_ke on chess.com

Close one eye and align the bars with the crown. Then check by closing the other eye.

I got one of these for the exact same problem (and then got a second for my wife).
Much easier than a tarp, keeps everything neat and the wheels away from the frame etc. The zip opens wide enough to get the whole frame in (handle bars poking out). It’s not the kind of bag I’d use on a flight etc. but great for the back of a car.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Heavy-Duty-Bike-Carrier-Travel-Bag-Carry-Transport-Case-Folding-Bicycle-Storage-/383932405545?_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286

Superhot is definitely worth getting.

Refurbished Sage Duo: they are out of stock now, but if you’re willing to wait, Windhorn sell them for €219, I just bought a Barista Express from them, and it’s like new.
https://www.windhornkd.de/en/products/sage/refurbish-devices/espresso/ses810-duo-temp-pro/english-version/

It’s normally 5 days per move.
Can you please count me in!
Jordan_ke

If you are going to Yosemite, I would recommend this: https://www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/14743119

Wild camping permits are hard to get hold of, and this guys sorts everything out for you and gives you the kit as well (saving luggage space).
I did it a few years ago, and it was truly incredible.

I’m just moving out of a shared ownership place, having lift here for 7 years, it’s been great. DM me if you want more information, here are some of my thoughts:
1) Pay attention to the full price, as others have said, they can be overpriced (don’t get fooled by a low number for your share).
2) Ask about service charge, rent is regulated and so some companies make up for it in the service charge.
3) Research the housing association thoroughly, some are great, some are basically criminals and some are incompetent (asking people in the building will tell you this). You’ll be reliant on them for everything (they will probably hold up the purchase).
4) You can buy up to 100% for most of them (and it’s not that hard).
5) There are limitations (you can’t sublet), selling is likely to be a slower process.
6) Check they have a cladding certificate.
7) Normally the rent is fairly reasonable too (it’s the only rent in the country which is regulated)
8) The biggest challenge is definitely qualifying for the flat. You normally have to live/ work in the area. The affordability window is fairly narrow (you can’t be too poor, you can’t be too rich). This is definitely worth checking if they are applying as a couple (if they’re both working, there is a risk of them earning too much, if only one of them is working, there is a risk of not meeting the affordability).
9) Once you qualify, it’s a real lottery whether you’ll get it.

I’ve found it to be a great option for me, don’t do it expecting to make a profit like homeowners often do (there are better investments). If you qualify, and are looking for a reasonable place to live, it may work well.

I rode with Freeride Madeira earlier this year and thoroughly rate them, good bikes, good group level, great guide and amazing trails (lots of variation).
If it’s just time you’re worried about, the day finishes relatively early (think about 4.30).
I’d agree with all the other posts, anything less than a day isn’t really worth it.
If you really can only do half a day, the locals use the bus service from Funchal up the mountain (couple of euro each time). But you will still have to find the trails down on your own (not impossible, but it’s not a bike park so won’t be too easy). You’ll probably only get two runs in half a day.

hunters tor and nutcracker – dartmoor
plague – dartmoor

I don’t suppose you could tell me where I might find this?