I should add that my insulation clothes are bulky. Buffalo Special 6 shirt. The Munro fits over nicely, I suspect because of the generous cut. If your insulation layer is more tailored this may result in a more baggy fit.

Yeah I would rule the jacket out for runners, bikers, ski tourers. In my opinion not great for a high tempo activity. Climbers may use it, but as pointed out there is a definite weight penalty. It is ideal for MRT duties, if you do similar to this then the Munro would be ideal, anything else it really isn’t suitable/better alternatives.

Never seen anyone wear Jottnar. Looks good equipment but the prices are steep.

I have the Keela Munro. It is my winter jacket. For big mountain days in the winter it is superb. It is designed to work effectively with no concessions given for fashion. 8 hours of snow and sleet. Windchill of minus 15. No problem for it, stays dry. The people who comment negatively about it usually consider walking for 2 hours in the rain on a man made path to the top of a viewpoint hill like Conic hill etc to be the Great Outdoors. If you want functionality and good protection with something that lasts a few winter seasons I’d recommend. I wouldn’t use it outwith winter though, or anything other than walking.

Suffolk Punch. The gentleman’s choice.

My holiday read is the David Goggins book, “Can’t hurt me”. Wow. This guy takes fitness and ultra running to a whole new level.

Runways aren’t flat. You’d be surprised at how hilly they actually are. Much more noticeable when in a light aircraft. Some can literally throw you into the air just like off the end of an aircraft carrier.

Magic Mary would be good for you.

Our garden is big, steep and rough. 160cc Honda engine petrol Flymo. Makes a fantastic job.

So if not out with warranty you would have been charged £400-£500 for labour? How long did they have the car? Think I’d be avoiding servicing there. Sounds like no more than an hours work.

Two log burners on tick over. Lovely and toasty after working outside in the wet all day.

Camping ain’t a fashion parade. Crocs work. Loads of people wear them. I couldn’t care less if they say the holes are for your self respect to seep through. They just work, and when camping, that’s all that really matters.

No email in profile.  Think new site layout? PM sent though. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions.

Sure was. Especially ported. Mine is  still running strong. Incidentally you are not allowed modified saws on training courses. Mine was done a while later. A 346 ported is better out the box than a 550 mk 2.

How do you pay for the tax/vat? Are you billed after receipt or are the goods held until I cough up?

Regards the restrictions on using your own saw, I seem to remember there being a max power rating of around 3KW which effectively pushed you to 50cc and under?  Your clothing has to be rated above your max chain speed on the saw you use as well. I used my own 346 with type C class 3 trousers which was acceptable.

Also be aware that for your CS30/31 there is criteria on the saw if you use your own. Your PPE must meet the ability of the saw. ie class 3 trousers etc. On my course a lot of people used the equipment supplied by the trainers. No compliance issues that way. Good courses and you will learn lots. Within a few weeks the saw and training will have more than covered itself.

If considering doing it commercially and starting with one saw then I’d have a Husqvarna 562XP. Two saws then 572 XP and a 550XP. I’ve had all and they will earn you lots of money whilst being trouble free.

Where the word epic may actually be an understatement. Inspiring.

Great event. Managed 6 laps. Second year I’ve done it. Be doing it again for sure.

Cotic Bfe. Fell for the hype. Lasted a winter before moving it on. Unbelievably solid.

Millport 10 miler event at the weekend. A great small scale event that was well organised. The strong tail wind was good on the way round. Fantastic views as well.

Defeet. Work with smart phones. Around £15. Great for running in too. They are so good pro riders wear them and have their sponsor logo stitched on or just take the hit for wearing competitors brand. Work down to around freezing I find.

Penetrating oil then ride as normal unclamped.

Chopping block

I copied this one. Works a treat.

Dogs also make excellent heaters. 😀

I’ve found the layer up advice to be counter intuitive. Your sleeping bag heats up and retains the heat of your expelled warmth. If you sweat too much by having more clothes on then this could result in cooling too. I change into a thermal t shirt and dry boxer shorts. When it goes below freezing I put my dry socks on. Always been toasty year round camping and I’d consider myself to be a cold person.

Norway and Denmark are very well set up for walking. Estonia too if you prefer quieter trails. Excellent hospitality with cheap food and drink.

What about a Kelly Kettle?

Not tablets, but when required I use Covonia cough mixture night time formula. Not sure what the active ingredients are that make you drowsy but an hour or so after taking it I definitely sleep easier.

Surly Straggler here. My only bike. Purchased second hand. Set up with H bar and 1×10 29er. Bought as a stop gap to keep me pedalling as circumstances didn’t allow for me to have a lot of money invested into a bike. Found now though that I have no need to buy another. Anything I do on it it just gets on with it. Honestly no niggles and no desire to replace it.

Had a stretch of the legs at the Mighty Deerstalker last night at Inners. Was an enjoyable event and a positive change from just doing the miles. I’ve done a few events in that area now and they are all well organised and attended.

I had a hydraulic log splitter in the price range you are considering. It was ok. The axe head snapped off, I welded it back on. Seals would leak frequently, it was stored in a lean to but covered so I think they deteriorate over time. They were easily replaced. Eventually the motor became intermittent. I think it was just done in a little over 4 years of if I’m honest splitting rounds far greater than it should have been. Overall I found it could be slow. I ended up replacing with a kinetic log splitter. Portek quick split. Seems a lot less to go wrong and oodles of power even on heavily knotted stuff. When this dies I’ll replace with a petrol splitter. Should have done that initially as overall yes it costs more but I think more longevity and a better operator experience. With two stoves to feed you are maybe better off going straight there.

Having completed a couple of events recently, I wanted something healthy and nutritious to eat afterwards that wasn’t going to undo my physical efforts. I’ve made the below and thought I would share. It is very tasty and I think ticks the healthy box even if a little calorific. I would be interested to hear what others have post event to see you through until meal time. Really quick and easy to make.

Walnut and banana bread.

Oil for greasing
2 ripe bananas
3 eggs
110g almond flour
1 and half tablespoons honey
70g walnuts roughly chopped

Preheat oven to 200c
Mash the bananas in a bowl with a fork
In another bowl whisk the eggs, add the flour and honey. Stir in walnuts and banana.

Put into 20×12.5cm loaf tin.
Bake for twenty minutes.
Remove, allow to cool and turn onto wire rack.

Nice with your favourite jam and brew after dinner too.

I would like to use the GPS to assist me in getting better with map and compass, a bit like having an answer sheet to questions you have just answered I enjoy the hill craft. To be honest I thought learning to maximise the use of a GPS would of have been relatively straight forward and intuitive. Seems not, a skill in its own right. There would appear to be boundless applications for them, just need to find out what suits my requirements the best.

Can the GPS be utilised to aid map and compass during walks with respect to giving estimated time to a certain location?
If for example I’m on a summit and descendig to a saddle and I want to count steps for distance and work out time to the location can the GPS give a figure that I could reference for interest?
If you are following a third party Track and the saddle is not your next point, how do you pinpoint this location for information?

So what real world application would having a PC generated route loaded onto the GPS unit provide? The only instance I can think of is you join together points of interest nearby a route you perhaps might cycle. If at some point you choose to visit, you select the desired destination and the GPS unit provides a route there?
Is this the intended purpose and what others are there?

I now understand the difference between a route and track to GPS. Can then only a route made on the GPS be viewed on the GPS, and a route made on a PC can only be viewed on the PC? Meaning essentially a route on a PC is a preamble to the creation of a track?
I guess I’m now asking can a PC generated route be transferred to a GPS unit for the sake of say, cycling to points of interest that you have highlighted and then decide off the cuff that you want to visit them from your current location?

I don’t appear to have a routes menu on the GPS. I’ve looked everywhere for the transferred route. It will only see tracks.

I’d prefer it if the GPS followed a route as opposed to a track, but it just won’t show a route even though it has it on it’s internal storage. I’ll try and seen if saving the down loaded route as a TCX file allows the GPS to see a route.

I’ve managed to successfully convert. Will doing this have any bearing on how the GPS will navigate the route? Why is the GPS unable to see the download in route format?