I get to stay away 2 or 3 nights, 3 weeks out of 4. Fortunately I get to plan my own “routes” and accommodation. This means I can take myself to places where an early evening walk, ride or even canoe is possible. The latter means some serious time spent planning car parks without height restrictions for a week’s worth of town/city centre visits! Worth it though.

I eat out of the hotel if its a chain, unless I really can’t be arsed. Sometimes I just buy a good loaf or bread, some pate, cheese or smoked salmon and then head off to the river bank to eat it.

Ginger beer is my substitute for a pint of rubbish hotel beer, but if there’s a decent pub I allow myself a pint of real ale.

All the above works well from April to October. In winter, the evenings can be a pain, and I have even resorted to hotel gyms on occasion to get some exercise. Agree with the injury thing, some of the static bike things are really poor. My work is flexible enough that I can sometimes take a longer lunch hour to get a walk in, which helps sanity.

Guitar comes along too.

Obviously I also spend ages on the internet.

I learnt to shuffle across and use the passenger window pretty quickly, and have done a fair number of trips over there solo. The barrier will wait patiently. Occasionally the car behind you won’t be so patient, even though they can clearly see what you’re doing!

One other point. I sometimes find barriers that won’t accept my card(s) so always have a few notes quickly to hand. The first one after Calais always seemed to do that, but its pretty random! And no, its not due to the bank stopping the card as I’m abroad and then catching up, its happened between successful uses on a few occasions.

Tenacious tape, holding after a few years on my Rab, where the seams wore through in about 3 months…

Definitely a Death Star uncloaking, just as they start to fire up the primary weapon.

Or lens flare.

How long have you got?

If its only a week, pick one general area or you end up spending too much time in the car and not enough exploring.

Are you camping? This will allow lots of flexibility of location according to weather conditions. It can be very different on the west than the east at times for example.

All the areas mentioned above are fabulous. My personal favourite is pretty much anything from Kyle of Localsh north to Cape Wrath! I know its a little more driving, but worth it, and in September you’ll be after the worst of the NC500 busy period.

More thoughts:

The stunning beaches / coastline – Arisaig area is stunning (“Local Hero” beaches) – the only thing is the many campsites full of static caravans, but they’re surprisingly well hidden once you’re actually on the beaches. Further north, Achmelvich/Clachtoll are lovely spots to camp by beaches. And there’s always Oldshoremore and Sandwood Bay right at the top…
Mountains – almost anywhere, but on the west coast, Cuillin of Skye, Torridon, Knoydart, Fisherfield Forest and Assynt are some of the best anywhere. Knoydart and Fisherfield are probably a bit “wild” for a flying visit, you need to walk in a fair way.
Sea Kayaking – Arisaig
Hiking / Walks – anywhere!
Cycling (this will prob be a pass out rather than a full day) – again, most areas excellent. Applecross circuit including the Bealach na Ba if you’re keen.
Distillery Tour – Talisker on Skye
Wildlife – sea eagles and whales – Mull good for these. Otter sanctuary near Glenelg ferry on Skye.

Coming from the north via Cwm Llwch is so far superior to the Storey Arms track, that I can’t believe its not rammed with people. And its not. Up to the Llyn, then the ridge to Corn Ddu and PyF, after that depends how far east you want to go before descending, though walking along the roads and paths at the end to get back to the car can be tortuous…

Absolutely, the new job, just make sure you’re happy it really is better. If you can afford the £5k less without struggling, happiness is worth so much more!

After taking redundancy from a previous middle management role, with lots of deadlines and teams to run, I had a good break. I then started a non-management job earning roughly 40% less, and I’m so much happier. Stress is so bad for you. I now feel in charge of myself again, plan my own diary with no interference, don’t spend all my time in endless circles of meetings, and get to work the hours I want when I want to. The only thing I miss is some of the people, as I’m working more on my own now, but I’m loving it overall.

Tenacious tape. Used it on jackets and tents, lasts as long as the rest of the garment/tent once repaired, and as simple to do as could be; as long as the rip isn’t too huge.

One of these, or similar; https://www.halfords.com/motoring/car-accessories/car-mats-boot-liners/halfords-universal-boot-mat

Its on its 3rd car now, I think, about 8 years old at a guess. Extremely tough, and gets some serious abuse, and my car is generally known as the Skoda Skip, full of wet camping gear, canoeing kit and a mountain bike on a semi-permanent basis…

Not done any riding in the main Massif Central, but walked there. I’ve ridden a reasonable amount on the SW fringes on the Causses.

Generally, local towns will have a number of routes “waymarked” with little painted marks on trees/gates/walls/rocks etc (both walking ones and cycling ones, so you need to know the difference you want triangle and two dots, see here,scroll down: https://www.quechua.co.uk/advice/mountain-signing-a_84380). In theory these are easy enough to follow, but if you lose them you’re stuffed! There are sometimes leaflets in tourist info offices, ask for VTT routes (Velo Tous Terrains), but the directions can be basic. As said above, grading is as much about effort and distance as about technical nature of the ride, and you can get boulder gardens on blues, though I’d expect them to be short. You can also get reds that are smooth as Swinley Green for the whole route, but have numerous steep long climbs on them. The grades are still a decent guide to the nature of the route though.

I recommend the IGN 1:25k maps, similar to our OS. What I would say is that the maps do not show “bridleways” as such, just some “tracks” of unknown sort. Often it feels you are venturing a bit into the unknown, though this is part of the fun of exploring.

I’m guessing that the “resort” areas will be a bit more obvious. I watched a couple of blokes dropping from the summit of the Plomb du Cantal once, down sweeping, flowing singletrack, they were in the valley in minutes and it looked awesome.

Matt: Allier from Langeac?

When I was office based and commuted, I was a 3 or 4, commuting about 10 miles each way. Once a week or so I’d come back over the downs, adding another 5 miles or so. This was great. I did find that after 3 days on the trot, and often working 8-6 plus the commute, I was pretty tired. I was also pretty bloody fit.

Now I’m on the road all the time, so drive everyday. I try to park somewhere central and walk to appointments in a town, rather than move the car between them, but that’s it. Fitness hasn’t suffered too badly as I finish early enough to spend time exploring new places when I’m away, but my driving miles have increased significantly.

Otherwise, I couldn’t live without the car, and still have the outdoor lifestyle I enjoy. On days off, I’m normally either out with the canoe or the bike, or visiting nature reserves or similar, and though a small amount of this is doable from home (well, not the canoeing), I like to travel to new places too. I like to think I walk or ride for most short “popping out” tasks, but I’d probably be exaggerating the “most” from “some”.

I did an almost identical route to Jekyll’s a couple of years ago, and it was an outstanding day on the bike. Option of The Beast instead of Potato Alley, but I prefer the latter, because I can actually ride it!

Not in the last month, but I’m pleased with this, as it took a bit of thought and patience to get into the right place at the right time, with the canoe pointing in the right direction in a gently moving stream and the drips at the right time. It also took quite a few shots…but is one of the very few occasions I’ve actually left home with a shot in mind.

Newark Priory at sunset

More recently, like this one from Llynnau Mymbyr in Snowdonia

I love this sort of stuff. I suspect, once I’ve played with all those links, I’m about to lose several hours of time…

Good effort Sarawak!

I don’t think the whole Ridgeway would fit on one, as they’re always printed square by OS.

Have a play here: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/shop/custom-made-maps.html#x

I stuck Goring in as a centre point, then dragged it about in 1:50k mode. Unless you know the Ridgeway well or have a reference to hand, it’ll take ages to be sure you’ve lined it up properly though! You can check by “locking” it then playing about with the detail in the red box to check points are covered.

Spot on, had me as East Mids/South Yorks area. I’m from Mansfield.

Enjoyed that.

Great thread.

My mum had a Citroen Visa Super X, which I basically used as my first car.

It was pretty weird. Very practical, as you’d expect, but certainly not normal. However, it was a complete hoot to drive. Little 1.2 revved freely to the limit (until it died suddenly, luckily after I’d handed it back to mum!), and a combination of excessive body roll with surprisingly good grip was perfect for scaring the shit out of your mates. I drove it in an appropriate manner, flat out, all the time. Which did not necessarily mean fast…

The wheels were solid magnesium alloys with 3 bolts, and a very rare tyre size, the spare sitting on top of the engine. There was a small chin spoiler as well as a particularly “gobbed on” rear spoiler.

The dashboard was a wonder in itself. I particularly liked the pod/drum thing to the side which had all the lights, indicators and wiper controls on it, and the way some of the other switches were accessed by reaching through the steering wheel.

Dunno about bikes, but I’ve flown Norwegian with a folding canoe (think the biggest drybag you could imagine, about 20kg), and they didn’t blink, just helped make it easy. Paid about £20 extra for a standard extra bag. The Scandis seem to think such activities are to be applauded, rather than as an opportunity to make you jump through hoops or pay through the nose.

I’m rich, I’m rich!

I have a pot of 1ps and 2ps, which I’ve never got round to turning into useful cash or anything. Weighs about 2kg, hundreds of them, 20 years worth possibly. Picked 20 pennies out from the top layer. 3 are seventies New Pence. Based on that extremely scientific test, I’m loaded by the time I factor it up to 15% of the whole pot.

The area around Llyn Cwm Llwch is used quite often, though should be quiet at this time of year. Got “blown off” from their in Storm Desmond a few years back (why do I always end up doing this stuff in December!?) and dropped back in to the stream a few hundred m above the field boundary, found a little pitch there. It was a bit more sheltered for lying in in the dark for 16 hours, in a storm, holding my tent up by lying on my back with arms and legs pressed against the poles. Tent survived, poles got bent.

Always thought the 2 llyns below the Fan Brycheiniog escarpment looked like good spots.

I’ve enjoyed writing reports/blogs on web forums for a number of years, especially about canoeing. Mostly, that was words to go along with pictures.

A few years ago, I started writing articles. This was more interesting, as the pictures were in my head at first, rather than writing around them. I’d then add a smaller number of the relevant best pictures. I was reasonably successful in getting them into the pretty small paddling media market.

Eventually, I started my own blog, and built a website to highlight the best of my images and the articles. Its still just a small start, and a new job has got in the way recently so its a couple of months since I’ve written much, but I enjoy it. Its a mix of outdoor subject, with the vague theme of being about finding pockets of natural beauty and wildness even close to home, though mostly its about hillwalking and canoeing trips. There is, though, a bikepacking one on there too!

If anybody’s interested, blog is here: https://www.wildernessisastateofmind.co.uk/blog

Publications linked here: https://www.wildernessisastateofmind.co.uk/published-articles

Web page: https://www.wildernessisastateofmind.co.uk/

Its been an interesting exercise learning to write specific articles on a chosen subject, learning a bit about structuring them, and a lot about editing and shortening! I’m still not very good at keeping things short and concise. I enjoy the process, though, even if not many people every read it!

Yeah, the Trailrakers do a very good job in the mud. Hate them off the mud though! Not sure if they’ve done any other sizes than 26″ though, or even if they’re actually still making them.

I now cope with Chiltern mud by not riding there in winter :)

Giant have a very good reputation on frame warranties.

I have a good mate who used to fly them, if you need a pilot. Though I doubt he’d fit in the cockpit these days!

He could confirm that they are good at low level stuff. He flew one under the Humber Bridge. Inverted. Got into quite a lot of trouble…

No worries. Nice bike!

2013 model?

https://www.bike-treks.co.uk/516815/products/2013_specialized_epic_29_fsr_comp_carbon_large.aspx

Loved the “cable cars” (tram/trolley) up and down the steep hills. We got lucky and hopped on as somebody got off, right at the front hanging off the footplate thing. That was brilliant.

One of the few US cities where walking around is a good thing, though as others say there are areas to avoid.

Impressive numptiness,

Assuming the car hadn’t broken down, maybe the driver glanced at the train and saw the back of it, assumed it had passed through, and was in too much of “hurry” to obey the flipping obvious flashing lights and sirens. After all, golf is such a time critical game. Then it turned out the train was reversing to hook up with carriages…

Or he just tried to jump the lights.

Either way, numpty* of the highest order.

*polite version of what he/she actually is.

On Friday, I finished early and went for a blast at Swinley before sunset. Fabulous, somehow it was just working, rolling, flowing, despite me being knackered from a long week I was pushing hard and buzzing. Mostly just the official blue and red, with a brief foray off piste. Loved it, amazing how sometimes biking is just so good even though you’ve ridden a trail hundreds of times. Even spent time cleaning the bike properly afterwards, as its done a few rides since I last did anything!

Yesterday, mate messaged me in the morning, taking the family over to Swinley. I thought, oh, well, always nice just to bimble around with friends and their kids, despite having gone there the day before. Message, “running late”. Oh well, I’ll do a quick blue while waiting. Heavens open. Properly. For 45 minutes. Blue took 41 minutes, chucking it down the whole time. Slipping on the “ginge”, couldn’t see anything thanks to prescription glasses covered in mist on the inside and rain on the outside. Not much fun at all, but still, I was out there. Then, 4 years of sweat started to wash from the helmet pads directly into my right eye. So now reduced to one eye, looking through a misty lens with rain on it. Somehow made it round, still enjoying the last few blue descents. Rain stops immediately I finish. Mate and family waiting in the car park. None of us fancy it, as the rain radar says more to come, and I was frickin’ soaked and cold. Muddy bike, cleaned yesterday, chucked rapidly into boot, where it still is. Head for the cafe for the usual worst coffee in Britain. At least I got 40 mins in, they drove 2 hours for bu88er all!

Today, I went canoeing.

A weekend of contrasts. Gotta love it.

Looks like one of the buildings in the Acropolis, the Temple of Erectheion.

https://www.airpano.com/gallery.php?gallery=19&photo=746

https://goo.gl/maps/qXxyPAMKPu12

Our fathers and grandfathers visited so many amazing places, but in the name of defending our way of life, rather than as tourists. We never thought to ask them about the places, for many were understandably reluctant to talk about the war itself. Maybe we should have asked them that, it may have helped open up things that needed opening up, or maybe not.

One of my grandfathers was in the First World War, I think attached to communications or similar. He served as an Air Warden in the second. The other was in North Africa in WWII, a tank driver captured in one of the hellish battles there, and MIA for several years before my grandma got a postcard from an Italian POW camp, a card we found after she died and the single most moving piece of literature I have ever seen. He must have seen some places, but died before I was old enough to talk to him about them.

I’m a pretty good sleeper, initially getting to sleep quite quickly. Sometimes if I wake in the middle of the night its harder to get back to sleep. My own little trick is to visualise following a route I know well. Could be a walk, a drive or whatever, simply picturing in my mind the various turns and features. Doesn’t always work, but often does. I find Swinley Blue a good one to mentally follow, rarely make it beyond about blue 4 or 5!

I also have a Garmin Vivoactive 3. Though I’ve not had it long, I’m very happy with it. Does all the things you say, and is waterproof. Yet to know how ultimately durable it is, buts its a hell of a lot better made than a previous Fitbit Blaze I had, and seems well designed to survive. I wouldn’t be putting any watch into the chainset, never had a problem with watches getting damaged during outdoor stuff since I scratched a Suunto in a jamming crack on Stanage 20 years ago, yet I leave them on all the time. You could always buy a screen protector for it (though my experience of these is that they crack easily, so you have to keep replacing them, or just stop replacing them and find you actually never end up scratching the watch face anyway).

Personally I dislike the G-Shock look, as I wear the watch on all occasions, so I prefer something that looks a little less like I think I’m on an expedition whilst in a work meeting.

Bugger, for the staff especially. Tough times, not knowing what’s going to happen, and now knowing your boss is a ruthless complete to55er before finding out which stores will stay and which will go.

I will not give Ashley a single penny of my money, and haven’t since 2004. Its personal with me, particularly the way his business dealt with friends and colleagues of mine in the stores when Karrimor went bump, compared with the very human way Karrimor had previously taken over the business I worked for. Exactly the same scenario in both cases, company bought out at point of going into administration, completely different attitude, and it stank. I seriously hope the Evans staff don’t have to deal with “management” staff coming in and treating them like shite, whilst offloading stock out of the back door. I believe at least 2 of our managers had the balls to call the police on them!

Seconded, Tenacious tape. Spinnaker tape might work too.

All good down jackets should be a bit grubby and covered in bits of tape. Daughter may disagree…

Some quality stories! Its a wonder many from STW have not died a fiery death at some point…

Mate of mine is a very good cook. We like to do wilderness canoeing trips, during which he produces the most amazing food even many days in. Day eight, somewhere in deepest Sweden. Slaving over a campfire, he spends a couple of hours making an amazing suet jam roly-poly pudding from fresh ingredients, slow cooked over embers, the smell permeating the campsite making the rest of us drool.

I made the (instant) custard. Which was immediately disposed off into the heather, and a second batch produced. He hasn’t let me forget that one.

My dad managed to make a tin of Heinz Chocolate pudding explode in our kitchen. Couldn’t get the results off the ceiling, so painted it brown. Fortunately it was the 70s so you could get away with such colour schemes…

Very little real-life difference. If its available, go for the cheaper one, it looks better too!

I’ve experienced exactly the same thing with the newest machines. I normally have a flask, but sometimes need an afternoon pick up too (I’m on the road most days). My cup is “almost” a large, but not quite. So I have the choice of no coffee, doing what you did, or just waiting until its almost full and adding the last milk, and pulling it out quickly letting the rest pour away, getting about 10p’s worth of the extra 25p in the cup. Frustrating!

I do find that if there is a Costa rather than a machine, more often than not I get charged for the regular, but the Barista tops it up pretty much to the brim, so maybe it all balances out.

My info is somewhat out of date (20 yrs!) but you have to visit the Haunch of Venison at least for a pint. Unique old pub.

My other haunt was the then Hopback brewery’s brewery tap, the Wyndham Arms, which I believe is still a “proper” local pub (no food!).

Ah, mate. Bugger indeed.

Have a hug from a stranger, and pass it on to your amazing mum.