Sounds like there’s grounds for concern for Natural England that some people haven’t been playing fair with the old general licences. These were licences which you just printed off the website and you were responsible for following the conditions, such as being humane. The licences covered a few things, not just shooting, including keeping live birds in small larsen traps to attract other birds, but again you had to do it humanely to meet the conditions.

Now, you can still do all that but you have to apply for an individual licence. Looking at the new form, it’s just like all other Natural England licence forms, maybe a bit simpler. In this case, you have to describe if you’ve had proper training in the sort of control you want to do. It professionalises the whole thing, I doubt it’ll trouble proper gamekeepers apart from the delay in getting approval (which is a reasonable concern in the short term).

If someone wants to carry on with what they were doing before but can’t show that they are competent or explain why it’s needed, well…. but clearly the main complaint from opponents is the additional hassle. Some think that’s needed, some obviously not!

I’ve ridden at San Martino di Castrozza bike arena, which has dh and enduro lines – not lots of marked runs though, although the local terrain is amazing (Dolomites obvs, so pretty spectacular…!). Think it’s only weekend lift opening until mid June though…

They are very, very expensive. That’s in comparison to purchasing a trail bike from a manufacturer like Commencal, Vitus, YT etc where the whole direct sales thing seems to be bringing out great bikes with a good spec at really competitive prices. I’m not sure how much more exactly I’d be willing to pay to go E properly, but currently 1.5 to 2k more is just too big a step for me.

Will prices come down quickly, or will everyone start accepting that (full sus) bikes start at £3.5k? I’ve no other opposition to the idea of having one though.

Not this time unfortunately – we’re away that weekend, AND I’m on a stag do over the day and night enduro!!! Ah well, plenty more opportunities to come – I’d really like to do pippingford again, that was a lot of fun :)

Yeah I’m trying Pedalhounds this weekend – first time racing in that series, so I’m interested to see how it goes.

We’re pretty spoiled in the south east now, with Southern Enduro, Pedalhounds and now Gorrick gravity enduro type events to choose from. Not that I have enough time to take advantage of that, though!

Quick update on this – I had a really good 1 to 1 coached session with Katy, found it helped me lots.

She covered the things I wanted to work on really well and I thought she built the session in a way that introduced new things at a good pace to balance being interesting with repeating/practicing. The trails she picked worked really well for the session and what I needed to work on. So very positive, I felt faster and smoother by the end and at no point got frustrated (which seemed partly due to a well thought out session and partly due to her style of teaching). As mentioned above, I’d definitely be keen to do more.

Yeah I enjoy my job as an ecologist (as you mentioned that one!) and specifically retrained from the engineering side of the environmental sector because I wanted to work in something I found more interesting.

Things is, it is my job, so sometimes I don’t enjoy it as much depending on the usual stuff like who I’m working with, or a particular project. I think that’s normal for any full time job.

On top of that, there’s bits I enjoy more than others and will happily do in my spare time (for example, I climb trees with ropes and harness to survey bat roosts and I enjoy the physical challenge and collecting/working with all my kit). Other stuff, like keeping up to date with case law from European Court judgements etc, well, that’s just work work!

Overall though, yeah I find it worthwhile and can have some really good days at work, plus it’s very varied which I really need to keep me interested over a long time. Do I need to restrict my work thinking to work hours only? I think I could, but I don’t find the work stuff I follow to be “intrusive” into my time off, but it’s more like reading around my work area in most cases rather than anything more structured.

BASC should have some answers for you. If you’re the shooter, you’re probably a member already but I guess it could vary a lot, as already mentioned by others.

If you’re the landowner and someone is asking for your permission and offering to pay you, definitely contact your local BASC team. They have model agreements and permission forms you can use and can probably give you some idea of what others charge…

Is anyone using an insert in a narrower tyre / rim combo? I’ve got tight rear clearance issues on one bike and am limited to a 2.25 (2.3 max) rear tyre, on a 23mm internal rim. I’d be keen to get an insert but many seem aimed at 2.3 and over widths!

My wife has booked me a coaching session with her in a couple of weeks, partly based on recommendations on here as a good rider but also a good teacher.

Whether I am capable of being fixed is of course another matter :)

Yes, I think the issues I’ve had on occasion is where the tape is layered too thickly (like a double complete wrap of the rim) which means the tyre sits too high on the rim, or too wide and lapping up the sides of the rim – I’d guess you’d quickly spot if that were the case though.

I’m no expert on road tubeless setups, but from mtb experience it might be worth looking at the amount of tubeless rim tape on there. In my experience taping too much can go up fine in the garage but be prone to issues when being ridden, specifically burping and slipping on the rim edge. Might not be that and happy to be corrected, but at those pressures I’d double check.

Haha unforeseen stealth ad potential right there…😉

I’ve been hopefully holding on to them with half an eye to building a 26” long travel hardtail, but it just hasn’t happened!

PM me if you’re keen and I’ll give them a once-over and send some photos.

I’ve got some 2004 bomber somethingorothers on the pub/pump track trailstar, which just keep working despite no effort on my part!

I’ve also got some 2011 55rc3 Ti forks in the garage – I just don’t have a 26 inch bike to put them on! I’ve kept them because I think they are the best forks I’ve ever owned, with a hope I could find a use for them, sadly looking less and less likely. If I could, I’d use them in preference to my modern Fox 34 FIT4 forks, but without a wheel size miracle,that isn’t going to happen….

I haven’t downsized, but on the “training for something else” thing, I’ve done that. I wouldn’t underestimate the challenge of getting a qualification in something new and finding a job in it – even at entry level – if it’s a desirable line of work. Having been in a higher-paid role previously, this can be quite demoralising.

So hopefully the house move cash will mean you don’t have any pressure to start something new to bring in income – but longer term contracting in the old line of work might be fine, of course.

Mt Zoom from XCRacer used to be comparitively good value – not sure if they go low enough in price for that budget, though.

I’ve got some Mavic shorts (xa pro I think) which are super light and quite well (slim) fitted for a baggy short. Thought they might be too light to last, but they’ve been great.

I have similar debates with my short chainstay 29er and south downs mud…

It’s a tricky compromise. Specialized 2.3 tyres (like the purgatory) seem to fit okay, but still tighter than ideal. I haven’t found modern Maxxis to come up particularly small or low profile unfortunately.

Onza Ibex 2.25 was fine and is a little like a “cut down” Maxxis HR, if that makes sense? Not as grippy, but was an okay compromise for me last winter on the back for the same trails you are riding.

I use Motorola T80s at work – think we’ve got about 10 now, had them for around 3 years.

They’ve been fine (ecological survey work, but not really extreme weather). The only issues have come up from user error, like forgetting to charge them or not holding down the button for a second or so before starting speaking. I haven’t had a range issue, but on most sites that hasn’t been an issue – it might be a bigger factor on bike tours, though.

Not exactly the same thing, but quite a few people seem to go through Illustrate My Bike (I follow her on Instagram, but I think she has a website and Etsy shop too).

I think the bike drawings look good, if you want something for the wall at home.

My Lovely Horse…

Macride bike seat for the toddler, winner by a long way for me.

Specialized Hillbilly tyre for the wet times.

There’s a Mavic “engineers talk” thing on this and safety (which is different to your performance query, I know…)

Mavic Engineering – rim/tyre/pressure combination

Kind of road-biased, but it combines tyre width, rim internal width and pressure to show what they see as “safe” combos.

So probably stay within that, which it looks like you will be doing. If you are thinking about support in cornering etc, maybe a low profile tyre with strong sidewalls would be the safest bet to reduce any roll?

Is there an opportunity to stop the current job and have a period of training / volunteering / apprenticing in something new, like when your partner returns to work, or would circumstances mean you’d have to jump almost immediately from your current salary on to another “professional” salary (allowing for a pay cut)?

I think that would affect choices for me. Many options (or setting up your own business) might require a fair period of little income, or even extra cost if training is needed.

Personally, I like your idea of “coming back to it”. I’m a dad of two, both under 3. I still ride, but these few years are “project baby” and it’s not the right time for me to be launching my bid for an EWS win, y’know? 😂 So I’m happily still riding occasionally, riding with my eldest, racing when I can and taking the pressure off. The opportunities will come back and as you are still keeping fit, you’ll be able to snatch the chances when they come up. Whether you sell up and come back to it later with new kit or keep the bike might be just a financial / storage space one, based on how long you reckon that might be. You start to ride with the kids quite soon too, need a bike for that (and if you can, budget for a Macride!!!) 😉

Back in the early 90s I learned to sail in a Seahopper folding dinghy. Not inflatable (well, the bouyancy is!) but roofrack portable or inside the caravan – it went on all our family holidays to Europe and my nephews are learning to sail in it now.

Seahopper are still going with a very similar design. Basically it’s very similar to a mirror dinghy but a bit less power, so certainly not a fast boat. But absolutely fine for learning sailing basics and for kids fun, or just cruising around. I don’t think I’d put it on the sea though – it isn’t really designed for rough water, unless you love bailing 😂

If I were in your position OP, I’d just do the race and see how it goes before making too many changes – that bike wouldn’t put me off. I would likewise swap the tyres but stick with something I had some vague familiarity of – sounds like that may be the RoRo’s for you but personally I always got on better with the racier Bontrager tyres as they flatted on me less. “Riding light and smooth” isn’t something I’m great at when I’m tired and being competitive 😂

Yep I guessed Crawley, Winchester!

I’m local, couple of miles from Crawley and most of my local rides go that way.

There’s fun fast singletrack around Crawley if you’ve brought your pedalling legs, but don’t expect much gravity assistance. Couple of great loops around Winchester if you string together all the good bits, including the A272 down from Crawley to the city and back out via Farley Mount and Sparsholt.

But if you’ve got half a day and want more fun, head to QECP – that’s what I do! So your plan seems like a good one.

There are lots of small local centres, see the places above if you are keener on downhill trails and jumps/berms/roots, but obviously it’s not massive elevation anywhere (ground conditions are great at the moment though). Rogate or Tidworth need you to register online first (for free) and pay when you ride.

Bracknell area and south has woodland/heathland trail networks if you know where you are going. Basingstoke area is more rambling xc, with bridleways and doubletrack and the occasional good bit of singletrack.

A boiled egg with half a soft flour tortilla wrap for the 2.5 year old here. Large egg, boiled for 4 minutes so it isn’t too runny or solid (which would be a disaster 😂)

She’ll generally eat all the egg and a variable quantity of dipped / shredded up wrap.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/stw-runneristshoka-trainersrecommendations-for-roadlight-trail/

There was a bit of info in that thread. Still use mine for commuting and they are still doing fine, with some superficial wear.

I’d echo the above – they can feel imprecise off road but I’ve yet to turn an ankle!

Yeah I’ve got a Kona Hei hei (29er 120/100mm version) and bought it for basically exactly the reasons you describe, OP. Family commitments, tame local trails, bigger days out less accessible etc etc.

This niche of bikes seems popular at the moment, from what I’ve seen on the whole pink bike “down country” joke for one extreme and the changing geo on proper xc race bikes on the other so there are a few to choose from.

My experience has been pretty good. I would say that once I put a shorter stem, long travel dropper post, tough and grippy tyes, proper pedals etc on my hei hei it didn’t really feel like it would be competitive in a local xc race, compared to the hardtail I have previously used for that. I guess having a spare pair of wheels with light tyres would go a long way to help though. I’d also say that once I take the bike somewhere more “fun”, I tend to ride it as I would do a bigger bike and the frame and components just aren’t up to that, even if the geometry allows or encourages it. Ahem.

The hei hei is a good choice, be aware that the carbon version is a newer design and the geometry and cable routing were updated from the alu design, which ironed out some of the design issues the alu version still has.

I’m in winchester and confusingly share a name with the poster above…:)

I try to link up the singletrack / fun stuff I can find, but it’s certainly mostly xc riding with some notable small areas of more difficult trails or local centres (which I can ride to, just, but often drive to). Depending on how far you are moving to the area you may know some of them already (QECP, Rogate, etc). I also ride averagely in the Southern Enduro series, which  is gravity enduro stuff and is mostly centred on this area if that kind of racing is your thing.

There have been jump trails in Stoke Park Woods near Eastleigh, but the last time I went by everything was taped off…

Happy to share what I know locally, but another new baby means my rides are aiming for “short and sweet” right now!

Maybe go to a “fun” race / event with camping?

Bit of a change of pace from holiday trips and a nice social side, if you pick one that suits you?

Some date flexibility may be needed!

Well, my knowlege is a little out if date these days, but the first website is the .gov website with the “official” information – all Environment Agency info is now on .gov after the cull of all the individual Agency websites a few years ago. The second website claims to use EA data and only for rivers and the sea, but it isn’t clear how up to date that might be. If it was me, I wouldn’t put any faith in website 2 over website 1, as the data sets seem more limited and the data may be older.

On insurance, obviously it’s best to avoid flood risk areas but the insurance industry and government thrashed out the “flood Re” scheme a little while ago, to reduce the problem homeowners in flood risk areas had with rising premiums etc – Flood Re has its own website, which might be handy to look at.

On the sources of flooding, be careful you are comparing apples with apples. Surface water flood modelling is much newer than river and sea modelling and it is complex in terms of where water runs in major downpours. It is a useful indicator, but might not give you as much detail as the river and sea stuff – is your house at the bottom of a large hill? Guess where the water might end up in a massive storm… that kind of thing.

Reservoir breach, well it’ll be a big deal if it happens but that’s hard to attach a probability to, because it depends on maintenance and operation, as well as weather events.

Check the maps, but the formal searches during the buying process will also return this stuff, often through data suppliers like Envirocheck. Doesn’t guarantee anything though and understanding and accepting the probability / risk is part of the personal decision making – good luck!

The more capable the bike is, the faster or more technical the trails you need to feel challenged.

The faster and more technical the trails, the higher the consequences are if you get it wrong. Presumably it’s why people buy gravel bikes and put dropper posts on them, to increase the challenge without increasing the consequences.

What are you going to seek out next to replace the trail you’ve now conquered, OP….? Bwaaahahah maniacal laugh etc.

But yes, it’s great to have a bike that genuinely makes your riding more fun, what’s not to like?!

Okay it’s not exactly on your doorstep but I’ve ridden at San Martino di Castrozza. Good fun place to the south of where you’ll be with a small bike park setup – shop, hire, gondola, marked trails that sort of thing.

They have a few “main” DH trail variations under the bubble and some XC and Enduro trails that stray further. They also do a guiding service. They were nice guys who helped with the language barrier of my awful awful Italian. Main trails were fun in a Pleney/Morzine way, I didn’t ride much of the other stuff but the natural riding around there would be amazing, from the paths I walked. It is proper big mountains though, so a guide would be my choice next time, to avoid any 2-hour hike-a-bikes. Beautiful scenery and great wildlife too and the town was classic out of season ski resort but busy with drive-through tourists.

Had a kitchen fitted through Wickes. As above, the fitters and suppliers you get (we had a fitting team, flooring guy and a worktop supplier) are independent so it varies, but if you aren’t happy you can get Wickes to re-do it or change the fitter – had friends who had to have a whole kitchen re-done by a different team. So it’s a kind of insurance against picking a bad fitter yourself.

We saw that Wickes’ appliances were expensive, so cut them from the quote and ordered direct through AO. The Wickes installer was happy to fit them, bit it’s probably on you if they don’t fit!

I think the 2.4 was supposed to be the best one, but yeah it’s supposed to be more of an XC tyre and less of an aggressive cornering tyre isn’t it? I’ve got a 2.25 and don’t mind it for general XC stuff but wouldn’t put it on for anything more fun, or for wet or loose or steep stuff by preference.

Pretty much my benchmark for a “meh, it’ll do” tyre. My technique is far from perfect too though!

I’ve had a Decathlon one (Kalenji) for a few years now and I’ve been really impressed. It’s an older version of this one…£7! Obviously not a high tech breathable fabric, but it is insanely light and I’m quite a sweaty runner.

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/run-wind-mens-jacket-id_8394758.html

Think there’s a posh one for £20, too…