Another vote for time on the Ile de Re, although the bridge toll is pricey. Centre of La Rochelle even kept the kids happy.

Heading down the coast south from La Rochelle is also worthwhile both beaches and towns. Didn’t think much of Rochefort but little places like Brouage were pleasant surprises. If you can be bothered going that far, Ile d’Oleron is worth a stop.

There’s a whole canal infrastructure just inland of Rochefort which can be used to link pleasant villages on the bike too.

Interesting to see how the solve the urban challenge of idiot pedestrains.

I’m wary of any approaching a minor junction with earphones in as there seems to be a nearly 100% chance of them crossing the road without looking. How’s a non human going to identify and react to that risk?

If the outflow is impassable, one suggestion was wading the loch before the outflow. Another was to go further downstream. It would have to be pretty high to make a 2.5km push down the east side a more appealing alternative. If it were that bad, that implies enough rain that your camping idea might be the greater problem.

Did it clockwise in a day several years back. I only recall one dampish crossing and there was only one route finding point which I remember being easier that way round.

None of the terrain is hard, but if you’re carrying camping kit with you and starting in the afternoon, I presume you want to take your time & enjoy it. Blair to Glenmore will probably be a bit far to enjoy in that time, although possible to do.

Been several threads on this before, one of which persuaded me to get the Atera Strada for 4 bikes & it has been going well. Particularly like the ability tip it back being based on curved runner rather than a hinge so it moves away from the back of the car as well as tipping down.

Aye, Tate St Ives has been grim, but also really enjoyed it on other occasions. Just like most galleries in that sense.

My kids didn’t like the seal sanctuary but couldn’t say why not & it was a bit pricey.

Rock climbing – some brilliant places on great rock.
Coastal path runs at either end of the day when they’re quiet.
Porthcurno telegraph museum
Tate in St Ives
Chip shop at Sennen Cove is good.

Why the fear hatred of farmed? Eat lots of it and I’m happier with the production of that than many other sources of meat & veg.

The kids really look forward to it, especially if I give them a bit of stir fried veg in soy sauce with it.

Wheels. The rear hubs are the issue according to a friend who has become an unwilling expert on their design and failings. I’ve had no desire to change anything on my 2011 ES8 and if you look at the weight saving vs the next model up you’re not going to achieve anything by minor tinkering for sensible money.

Clubs are best bet, as above. But it doesnt have to be expensive & certainly no more expensive than biking.

Also work out what you want to do it for – pottering with the kids, day trips along the shore, open water. Each step raises the kit and experience requirements so make sure you borrow as much as you can until you know exactly what you want.

TJ – Green was one of the ones who didn’t respond.

Gordon Murdie has his appeal, but he opposed the outsourcing of services. I don’t know about 2 of them, but the outsourcing of waste services from CEC has significant merit. I used to work in the waste industry and I know how far behind the city is.

Hmm. Edinburgh, so none of the parties have really done themselves any favours over either the trams or the outsourcing of council services. When I tried to talk to 4 colours of local councillors about concerns on the latter, only the blue one responded. So I reckon I’ve got to vote for the only one who engaged with constituents when asked to. Feels weird that.

Had one for a year. Climbs better than I thought it would and has given plenty of fun as well as all day riding in that time. Only complaint is that the front mech collects any muck going so some rides have had to involve gardening stops. Frames come up small on their measuring system. 6’2″ and it said Med, but my large feels right.

Been using a Strive ES8 since last June and really enjoy it. I’m 6’2″ and find the Large just right.

If I listen to my wife and her teaching colleagues, there’s a very large book could be written on the failures of politicians in relation to managing Education. Chartered Teacher farce is the one that’s annoying her most at the moment.

Another Atera Strada user here. Chosen from the responses to a similar thread a year-odd ago. Taken the family bikes over Scotland and to France without fault over that year.

For those recommending Casio F-91W, I can confirm biking can kill them. Just takes lots of hits, so maybe they’re made of badger or something.

The other one to check is clauses and paperwork governing the required condition on return and evidence of them having accepted it as satisfactory at that point. It might be the low price is being translated into a claim in relation to that.

The big 4 have been LLP for best part of a decade. Lots of the smaller ones have followed.

There is a valid point about the cost of professional advisors and whether they’re worth the money (and I include accountants, lawyers and bankers there).

Niche specialist areas certainly. Beyond that second tier firms I think give better value. Haven’t seen a second tier partner in a Ferrari yet.

Take it up with whoever appointed them and agreed the fee structure.

Spent a few years at manager level in the 90s doing such work and only on 1 job I can recall were full rates billed. Rest were fixed price or a mix of fixed price and discounted time and line. Very competitive market and several jobs done for cost.

Made many successful sales or part sales in that time but it is more highly regulated now than then which may or may not be the problem. Have they delivered the outcomes indicated upon appointment? Perhaps the complaint might better be directed at Directors who let it go beyond the point of no return.

Edinburgh voted to stop subsidising Blindcraft last year on cost grounds so it isn’t just (tory) national decisions, but (LD/SNP) local ones too.

TJ – follow that link and try and open the link to the report and you get error 404.

As, by definition, a fund should have more in it than it has paid out, the story lists a completely non relevant measure. All that story says is that previous contributions have covered pensions already paid. It makes no mention of there being enough for the future. Clearly if the link to the full report still worked there might be more to it, but the brief headline is nonsense.

A fund should have enough to pay all its future liabilities for past and current members. Unless it can be stated that on current actuarial valuations, fund + growth + future contributions > liabilities, there’s a problem of deficit and hence affordability.

TJ, you may think I’m a git, but it isn’t in the username.

You’ve been told what the risk is by more than one contributor, so until you’re prepared to acknowledge such significant components of the debate nothing else from you is worthy of consideration.

I don’t know what teachers pension scheme you’re on about – I know of at least one funded one. Do you mean the Royal Mail scheme which hit the news recently and generated headlines like that? That’s a scheme in deficit no matter what absurd public accounting policies show otherwise.

Anyway, enough of your diversions. Answer the questions and provide the evidence.

But there is – the employer covers so much more of the risk in a public scheme that you gain that benefit. The benefit of a public sector pension is not dependent on the tax status of employee contributions – it is in its expression in terms of pension payment

If a money purchase scheme delivers nothing through a market collapse just as you price the annuity, there’s no fallback.

TJ – love the way you ignore the bits you don’t like.

Forget the “richest few” and other such generalisations. Provide information on the benefits from the scheme you object to having imposed on you vs those from a money purchase scheme with the same employee contribution and the rates employers are about to have to provide under the latest Pensions Act.

Then we can debate the specific merits of your complaint and it may help you articulate why taxpayers should cover your risk.

Talking tax breaks is again a distraction from your desire to have others cover your risk, but to answer your point: Remove the tax incentive and you remove the merit of a pension plan.

I was very specific in referring to liabilities. It doesn’t matter if a scheme is funded or not, it still looks at its liabilities and if it thought that on average it was going to have to pay a pension for an average of 10 years but now thinks that is going to be 15 years it looks at how to deal with that shortfall. That’s risk and is the biggest risk in pensions management – life expectancy – and that’s what you’re asking taxpayers to cover.

So, again, how would you ask them? Given your contributions on other threads where you’ve pointed out the small % of higher rate taxpayers, your point on the rich is somewhat diversionary as you’re speaking mostly to basic rate payers. Go on, sell them the deal.

As a former FD of a public sector body, I have to disagree on the salaries point being universal (although valid where there is a differnce) – plenty of salaries at or close to the private sector where I was. But, even where different, the pensions benefit far outstripped the salary shortcomings.

TJ – not going to argue you’re right or wrong, but I have been a public sector pension trustee. I do however have a question:

As the variables governing pensions assets and liabilities change pretty much daily, you’re asking taxpayers to insulate you against that risk. Fair enough, it is a viewpoint, but rather than argue about entitlements, how would you go about persuading the large body of private (or no) pension holders and taxpayers that they should take your risk as well as their own?

If you’re even vaguely fit, you don’t need 24 hrs. Did it in 19 on a 35lb bike years ago. So if that’s possible for you, you can afford to start c. 3-4am and get the easy miles in in the dark at the start and be onto relatively easy ground before it gets dark again. Gives you daylight to deal with all the interesting bit.

The bike lugging bit of Loch Lomond took us a couple of hours with the rest rideable. Steady pace was key. We got passed by others who burned out and quit whilst we plugged on.

According to one of my Uist based colleagues last week, given the winter they’ve had, if you venture off the Machair at present, you’ll sink.

That looks fun for the beaches!

A couple of weeks ago it seemed to be a headwind wherever I went.

Try a search on the Heritage Paths site. There’s certainly something billed as the “Machair Path” which at least has signs telling you where to start. If the weather keeps like it has for the last few months, the wind will be the challenge.

And RTC investigators address every collision whilst the evidence is still there to be collected do they?

I’m not in favour of any assumption of blame or liability where there is less than 100% guarantee that all necessary evidence will be available. Address that hurdle then fair enough, but not until.

Forget fault for a moment. Say these hypothetical incidents happen in the absence of witnesses. Who is deemed culpable if the driver cannot prove, say, that the cyclist went through a red light and hit him?

Atera Strada carrying 4 bikes round all summer & was great. easy to fit & use. Bikes well separated and secured.

whippersnapper – I’ve got a Strive ES8 & am impressed with its ability to do anything I want it to. Quite agile and climbs well as well the descent capability you’d expect. I bought it for geometry and price first, rather than travel, but I use it all regularly enough. Only thing I really don’t like is the front mech picking up a field worth of muck during a ride. Not sure the change to Sun hubs for 2012 is good though.

Mine arrived about 10 days ago. I’m 6’2″ with longish arms, so a pretty obvious large, but by too much to help your frame sizing.

But as I’ve ridden it a bit, I can tell you a bit about how it rides. For a 6″ bike it climbs really well, even without propedal, as long as you take the time to play with and settle shock pressure. Stability at speed on really rocky ground was very impressive – I cleaned sections where guys who usually do better than me stopped. Downhill it is really stable – very easy to get balanced off drops and surprisingly agile in tight twisty stuff. Seatpost works well on that.

Out of the box the quality was evident. Not just welds, but attention to detail on things like heli tape everywhere you’d want it, cable / hose protection, chainstay protector on it and torque settings etched in the frame by each bolt.

Happy with what I’ve bought, although early days.

Been riding once since 2002. It is the only bit of the bike which is original & seems to be bombproof. Just seems to be a case of replacing pivot bearings every now and again.

can’t tell you what it is worth – haven’t tried to sell mine yet.

Creative Industries isn’t particularly wll defined but includes anything from cottage craft industries to computer games design and bundles in between.

Try looking at what Arts Council England and Creative Scotland have to say on the subject for a couple of perspectives.

Been looking at the same – maybe I’ve picked it up wrong, but I took the marketing blurb to say that the difference was carbon vs alu chainstay