Thanks Whitestone. Can you remember how long that took your and roughly what daily mileages you were doing? The problem with all these routes is fitting in with the ferry timetables so I will likely be either sitting waiting on a ferry or rushing to make one :-)

Day 1 will be mainly sitting in Oban or on the ferry to Barra so it’s more like 4 days of cycling around the ferries.

Thanks Scotroutes. Unfortunately I need to be back home on the Saturday morning. I’m thinking of altering the route to make it more chilled. Basically I’ve got Monday to Friday next week. Me, the bike and a tent. Nothing booked and plans can be adjusted to suit. I’ve never been to the Outer Hebrides so If I can include at least some of the islands in my route that would be great.

EDIT – I should mention i’ll be on a tourer rather than the mountain bike and I can use my car to get to a starting point.

Cheers. Travelling would likely be late afternoon on Friday 1st June. The ferry gets in at 16:30. Although at a push I could probably be in Ullapool on the Thursday. No accommodation booked. I’ll have my tent with me.

Loch Leven Half Marathon this coming weekend. I’m looking forward to it, but will be glad when it’s done. Think i’m done with the tarmac and will focus on hills.

Hillfoots are in a similar situation to where I am (Fossoway) in that if you are happy to drive everywhere it’s great, but public transport is poor unless you want to go to Stirling. You really rely on a car to get about. I can get to Edinburgh Airport in 35 minutes, Glasgow Airport 45 minutes, Dundee Airport 45 minutes so it’s very central and I also have the Ochils, Glendevon and Lomond hills all nearby, but going out for a meal other than the local pub is a taxi/drive away and you can’t just nip to a decent supermarket (18 mile round trip).

As your cousin is coming from Canada i’m not sure if close to the city is the same way many of us would think about it in Scotland. I could be close to Vancouver but still 90 minutes into the city centre. Based on what you’ve said so far I would look at the Linlithgow area or even Aberdour/Dalgety Bay.

I’ve done it a few times on the bike, but haven’t done the new section from Dundee to Newburgh yet as it’s a bit of a pain due to the train station being in Dundee so i’d have to come back on myself. Some sections you are best taking the road rather than cycling the coastal path. Lower Largo to Shell Bay is a slog over the dunes during high tide. Crail to St Andrews is a lot of carrying.

Sunday would have been better. It’s a great ride in nice weather. I normally do it over two days and get a cheap b&b near Elie (heading south to north)

Boot cut Levi’s here. Normally wait for a sale and pick up a couple of pairs. I’ll pay about £50 for a pair and that’ll do me for years. Nothing fancy. They seem to wear well.

From the BBC News Website:

He said: “Bidvest are specialists – a food distribution firm with years of experience. DHL are <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>scratching </span>around for any work they can get, and undercut them.

Very good.

<div class=”bbp-reply-author”>DickBarton
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@MrGrim – Stirling has an Arnold Clark Citroën dealer…absolutely terrible Sales Manager but everything else is good and they do tend to get the Berlingo in.

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Thanks. I was actually there the other day. The sales lady I spoke to was great but they didn’t have anything I was looking for at the time.  If km79 is right about the release date then I’ll wait a couple of weeks until the 18 plates are out then look around for something pre-reg on a 67 or 1-2 years old for a lot less than RRP.

Cheers TR. I’ve got two Citroen dealers within 30 miles (Perth and Dunf), but they don’t seem to stock or care about the van derived MPV’s. I’ll check out the place in Kirkcaldy. I only really care about dealer follow up for warranty issues as the garage in the next village do all the servicing with genuine parts and I know that they do a great job. The Landy just gets serviced at home.

If the new lingo is out in the next couple of months I might wait. Otherwise, I’ll get one a couple of years old that’s already taken some of the depreciation hit.

Is there any word on when these are going to be available I’ve asked my local Citroen dealer about this in the past but they don’t seem particularly interested and don’t carry the current Multispace.

Enjoyed it in Stirling last night. Into twin galaxies and stumped were my favourites

This thread started out being quite funny, then some of the posts went pretty harsh and the OP seems to have taken a kicking. I appreciate that he’s not helped himself.

The OP is out of work and has just been told a contract has fallen through. He’s not in a position to get credit for a car (presumably needed for work) so has asked a friend/relative for help. In this situation he’s asked to cancel the order and is facing a potential bill of £600. Maybe some of the behavior is influenced by these pressures.

Others might have handled the situation differently, but it’s crazy that this is a forum where folk are posting to help each other on subjects like depression, addiction, marital break ups, financial burdens etc. But some posts on this thread it’s OK to give someone another kick when they are asking for help.

OP – I hope you get it sorted one way or another so you can just move on.

Ling – It’s probably best just to move on as well.

Thanks again for all of the replies. I’ve got a call with them this afternoon so will go with the day rate + expenses and see what they say regarding the invoicing process and payment.

Thanks for all the replies.

I doubt I’ll charge for travelling and it will be a fairly standard day rate. Sounds like the consensus is to advise of my day rate and that expenses will be an additional amount.

hot_fiat – Member

I don’t think you’re allowed to operate as a sole trader for contract work
– certainly not if you’re doing an IT contract.

It is an IT contract. I’m trying to reduce the hassle involved in this as it’s likely a one off. Do i really need to go through an umbrella company?

If you’re struggling, you can always fly into Ljubljana in Slovenia and get a shuttle bus from the airport to Venice (Mestre)

Are you selling it through an agent? They normally filter some of the timewasters.

7k + VAT and that front end….i’m out!

Thanks lmcol. I’ve got a full car license and have been driving for 16 years, so happy that I understand most road rules. The main things I need to brush up on are bike specific like road positioning, gear changes, mirror checks and life savers.

Thanks for the replies, you both talk sense. The local place does half day hire for £40 so i’ll try that first and see how I get on. I can then either book more time or just take my first Mod 1 lesson.

Yup – doing it right now. 2 months into 3 months notice. Nothing lined up. Might go contracting. Have 3-6 months contigency just in case. Main thing is your reputation and contacts. I’ve rarely got a job without knowing someone who vouched for me.

Reason(s) for failure
Registration plate lamp not illuminating the registration plate (1.1.C.1e)
Nearside Front position lamp(s) adversely affected by the operation of another lamp (1.1.A.3f)
Offside Rear fog lamp not working (1.3.2b)
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (8.2.3)
Nearside Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)
Offside Rear Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)
Nearside Rear Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)
Centre Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)
Offside Vehicle structure has excessive corrosion, seriously affecting its strength within 30cm of the body mountings (6.1.B.2)

This was one of mine. That was expensive :D

Great mag. Have bought issues 1-9 individually, but this thread has reminded me to get a sub.

Thanks, that really helps. It’s the linking the segments to rides bits that I couldn’t get. I never record segments and can imagine that a lot of locals also don’t but it makes sense that as long as they hit one segment I can then track the full ride from there.

Nobeerinthefridge – Member
Strava is your friend.

Strava luddite. How do you pick a geographical place and view rides that have taken place there? Do you need premium? I normally only use Strava on my phone to record my own activities or see the activities of people I follow.

Maybe not as far north as you are looking, but i’m in Fossoway, about 10 minutes ride from Glen Devon. You get the benefits of rural living and easy access to local hills (Ochils). For me it’s perfect. 45 minutes drive to Edinburgh, same to Glasgow. 25 minutes to Perth and then straight on the A9. If you need to fly for work it’s a lot handier for the airport.

Every BT cabinet has fibre apart from one (mine) which is due to be connected later in the year. I’ve got an office at home, or there is also a co-working space in Kinross. There is a cycle path being built from Fossoway to Kinross. Riding from the door step and I do some road cycling in the evening as most local roads are very quiet. Dunning Glen is stunning.

Downsides: Public transport is poor. Limited bus service. Nearest train station is a 20 minute drive or 45 minute cycle. Pub/going out for meals. Nearest for me is about a 30 minute walk. Taxis can be expensive although there is a bus replacement service.

They’re turning kids into slaves just to make cheaper sneakers belts.
But what’s the real cost?
‘Cause the sneakers belts don’t seem that much cheaper.
Why are we still paying so much for sneakers belts
When you got them made by little slave kids
What are your overheads?

Not relevant. The thread just reminded me of it :D

I can’t believe after all this even contemplating keeping it is an option. Just send it back and I’d even push for full refund + costs. Run away

My last major cert (MCSE) was back in 2004 and I just can’t be bothered spending my evening/weekends studying again, or even learning new stuff, I just haven’t got the same desire/motivation as I had 20 years ago. I’m actually thinking about asking to switch back to a hands-on role but then I also hate having no say in what’s being implemented, especially if you know it’s better done in a different way

Might be best to look at smaller partners as an employer. In my experience most architects/designers in smaller companies do both working with crayons and providing assistance on implementations or doing the full implementations themselves. In larger firms, most folk doing design don’t even have credentials to login anymore.

Saying that though, if you have no drive to learn new skills, you won’t survive very long being hands on other than in companies where they don’t invest.

I’ve got an X-Fusion HiLo sitting in the garage doing nothing. I’ve moved from 27.2 to 30.9 when I sold the bike I was using it on. Not sure what it’s worth second hand, but feel free to message me if you are interested.

Nothing I can say much other than I’ve got some inkling of how you feel. Been there five times now. Email in profile or PM if you want any advice or just someone to chat to about it.

jambalaya – Member
Work wise I have to believe London will be much better in terms of opportunity and pay (double?). Edinburgh is going to win hands down for outright play opportunities.

Not sure on pay. I’m not a software developer but work in IT in Edinburgh. The difference in salaries for my role between the two cities is minimal and definitely doesn’t offset the extra cost of living in London. I’d be a lot poorer living in London than in or near Edinburgh.

Moved to Perth and Kinross a few years ago. It’s great as you get the benefits of living in a rural location but not that far away from stuff. I’m 30-45 mins drive from Edinburgh and Glasgow. 10 minutes (8 miles) from a supermarket. Ochils are easy to access and trails from my doorstep. Nice drive though Glendevon and jump onto the A9 and head north.

Downside there are no train stations immediately nearby

councilof10 – Member
I wonder how many people have died in the back of your party bus

People die everywhere. Probably in many places that are a lot less easily cleaned than an ambulance. They don’t bin the seats on trains or buses or airplanes when someone carks it in one.

Sent a text. Wrong forum :)

Clearwater (the orignal lower part) is a bit of an eye opener. Hopefully the uranium mining won’t come back despite the jobs it will create.

We did the opposite direction in two weeks. Had a rental car.

Calgary
Banff
Icefields Parkway
Jasper
Clearwater
Whistler
Vancouver

Is the Freelander 2 an option? You can pick up the later 65 reg ones which were high specced with under 15,000 miles for half the price of the Discovery Sport.

trail_rat – Member
What the hell were you buying for an 80k deposit.

Only a 10% deposit for a flat in some parts of that there London.

Happy to dismantle the bike(s) as it’s the security I’m looking for. The LWB Vivaro would be the smaller end of what I was looking for. The MWB Crafters and Sprinters are longer with the advantage of a height so I could build a raised double bed and place bikes in storage under it in the rear. The LWB Vivaro would be easier to live with daily I think.

codybrennan – Member
I’ve got a Fiamma rack on the tailgate, NBITF. Not the best solution if you’ve got nice bikes, I know, but it had to be a ‘family’ camper, so I couldn’t force the issue re a bike garage at the back.

Do you think a small garage (wheels off) would fit in a LWB? Swithering between a LWB Vivaro/Trafic and a MWB Sprinter/Crafter. I like the idea of the having the smaller van so I can use it everyday, but having the bikes inside as well as a bed, hobs, sink etc is a big deal for me