As someone who lives in one, absolutely NO.

As already mentioned above they aren’t really parks at all, they are working, living landscapes which just happen to have some additional planning protection. Charging people to come here is just going to make it even more difficult for locals to make a living in what are generally fairly low income areas with artificially high property prices.

I’d argue against increased car parking charges for the same reason – it’s already happened in the town where I live and local businesses have suffered badly as a result.

With regard to farming I don’t dispute there are some wealthy landowners coining the system but equally there are a lot of smaller farms which are struggling – particularly hill farms which in a lot of ways have the biggest potential impact in terms of water management issues and landscape stewardship.

There is no doubt that the way in which farm subsidies are paid needs to change – the SFP system in particular is deeply flawed. A lot of farmers would agree with this but they are stuck in the system.

I don’t neccessarily agree with all of it but George Monbiot’s article on this subject is worth a read if you haven’t already:

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/georgemonbiot/2013/may/22/britain-uplands-farming-subsidies

The national parks are ours – we’ve already paid for them. The idea that they can be reduced to a commodity to be repackaged and resold back to us actually makes me very depressed, and there is a genuine fear that TTIP could make it an even scarier prospect.

You don’t want to hear this but when they are really young it’s a lot easier than when they get older, like 2-6yrs.
+1

Sorry. It gets worse before it gets better.

+1 …sorry!

When our boy was really little we used to take it in turns to head out for a ride / run while he was napping. My riding really dropped off between 2 and 4 but am starting to get out more now, and the best bit is he is now riding with me!

You will have to make some compromises but FWIW, my top tips are:

1. Your riding time is precious so don’t faff. Have everything ready to go at a moments notice. Low maintenance bike is a good idea (I was converted to the way of the singlespeed partly for this reason).

2. Embrace the local loop. Quick rides from the front door are the ticket. You don’t want to be wasting time driving anywhere if you can help it. Also if you can fit in some riding around the commute then all to the good.

3. Invest in a really good bike seat so they can ride with you at the earliest opportunity. Mine was out from about 7 months on a front mounted seat and absolutely loved it. Your local climbs will take on a new perspective with a giggling, wriggling cargo.

4. Holidays – look at places where you can fit in some riding around family stuff. We took ours on a camping tour through Wales at about 8 months and it was great. We were able to go on the steam trains, took him up a few hills in a backpack and he even did the family trail at Coed Y Brenin in his seat.

5. As above try and agree a rough schedule with your partner of when you get some time to do sports and get some personal time etc. You may not stick with it every week but it’s good to have a plan.

Here’s another couple for you:

Pretty basic but good location in the heart of the moor – away from it all but still walking distance to a couple of pubs, decent walking and riding from the door)

http://www.runnagecampingbarns.co.uk/

Also have a google for Cockingford farm near Widecombe – no website but is in cool camping and gets decent reviews. Again quite basic but a great location.

You can also camp in the fields at our local Sports centre in Moretonhampstead. Good central location – easy to get to most places in Devon. It’s fairly cheap and you get the use of facilities in the centre – it’s just a short walk to shops, pubs etc up in town, and there is some great walking and cycling locally. Local outdoor pool will be opening at the end of the month.

http://www.moretonhampstead-devon.co.uk/camping.php

When you say intial train assist, where do you mean to?

For the North Downs route to the sea I outlined above, there is a station at Otford which you can get to from Victoria or St Pancras. Generally OK to take a bike on board outside peak commuter times.

Navigation for that is actually pretty easy – the Pilgrims way is pretty well waymarked and pretty much sticks close to the ridge of the North Downs all the way to the coast.

Recount at Bradford West. Gorgeous George could be in trouble.

Milliband Googlebox on Ch 4 now.

Why?

Has Farage lost in Thanet?

Back on BBC1. Christ, Grayson Perry has let himself go…

Gogglebox of Milliband interview on later. Is this Paxo’s way of telling us he’s had it with the Beeb?

<On the whisky now. This can’t end well>

Gogglebox Election Special on Ch 4 Now.

“Do you go to food banks you fat faced tory toff..?”

Two beers, a (large) gin and now a rum. Think this will be my last.

Steady on there fella. The exit polls might be wrong.

As an aside, just how much is it acceptable to drink on an election night…which is also a school night? I’m on my 3rd large glass of red already and eyeing up the whisky bottle.

Quaint village hall here. Stopped off on bike on way back from school run.

Looked to be a decent turnout – 10 minute wait to vote not helped by the numpty ahead of me accidentally spoiling his ballot and having to get a new one (to their credit they sent him to the back of the queue).

Local council election was a bit baffling as it was up to 12 choices out of field of 14! A few of them I knew others were a complete mystery.

Nic the local potter was in the queue next to me wearing a bright red “Hell Yes, I’m Voting Labour” T shirt. I’m guessing the lady in the blue rosette doing the exit poll didn’t bother to trouble him.

I think it may be a generational thing – most of it is for the tourists these days and it’s completely tacky and overblown but if you go back a bit there is still a lot of local pride in the 60s music scene from those who were there at the time.

My family are from Liverpool. Mum worked in the centre of town and used to go to the Cavern in her lunch hour. Dad was a CID officer working the clubland beat. Both were massive Beatles fans who were involved in “the scene” and I was brought up with their music – I think my Dad cried when John Lennon was shot!

I have a memory of walking down Church St with my Dad when I was about 16 and him bumping into someone he knew and stopping for an extended chat – this happened quite often and it was generally either a fellow ex-copper or someone he’d banged up for armed robbery or suchlike in the sixties. This one turned out to be neither – it was Alan Williams, the Beatles’ first manager who at that point was involved in negotiations to auction a pair of John’s leather trousers!

Like any other big city Liverpool has it’s share of problems but it’s been transformed in recent years. I think it’s a great city and we always enjoy our visits to family.

So’s Sheppey, feels like the end of the world, but in different way (actualy there are some nice bits, I have Bivi’d there).

Sheppey deservedly gets a bit of a bad rep but the bit down the South East corner of the island between Harty Ferry and Shell Ness is quite lovely. Last time we were there we spent hours watching some hares leaping about the place.

Hoo peninsular is a good shout. Places like St Marys Bay and Halstow Marshes are probably as properly remote as you can get in the South East.

Not my photo but have been here several times – bizarrely reminded me of some beaches in the Western Isles… albeit spoiled by the view of Canvey Island in the distance!

With an initial train-assist you could put together a route from SE london / Kent borders down to the coast via the Kent end of the North Downs Way and Pilgrims Way – this would be on a combination of bridleways and quiet lanes.

It would go something like Otford > Cuxton via North Downs / Pilgrims Way then swing South over the Medway bridges to pick up the North Downs Way again the other side. Keep on following the Pilgrims Way south via Charing / Wye etc (option here for a side trip to Canterbury / Whitstable). Eventually you’ll hit the edge of Folkestone. From there turn West towards Hythe (Sustrans 2 I think?). Divert out to Dungeness (not conventionally beautiful but interesting all the same – it’s Britain’s only desert – Pilot Inn is a great pub) before heading over for some fat bike fun in the dunes at Camber Sands. Rye would be a good overnight spot (lovely medieval town with some cracking pubs) before pushing on via Winchelsea, Pett Level and Fairlight to Hastings. Train back to London from there.

I’ve ridden most of the above in short stages when I lived down that way – PM me if you want further info. Kent and Sussex have some lovely areas and loads of bridleways – much underrated for biking.

I now live in Devon though, which I have to say knocks pretty much anywhere in the SE into a cocked hat as far as coastal scenery is concerned!

I’ve got some Conti Race Kings which I use for the summer which do the same thing – have tried everything but still got a wobble. I thought it was just me…

I’ve used ebay successfully for my last few car sales -in each case got way more than I would have on trade in or from webuyanycar… I’d recommend it.

FWIW my tips are:

Honest description and photos of any defects. Also refer to service history if you have it.

Set the starting bid for the lowest you’d reasonably take for it. BIN for the list price (check Parkers / motoring.co.uk or just have a gander at similar models / mileage on autotrader).

Don’t put your mobile number on the listing – contact only through ebay. Only give your personal contact details to people you’ve sussed out as genuine buyers.

Make it clear in your listing that you won’t accept offers outside of ebay and that anyone doing so is wasting their time – you’ll still get the odd message with silly offers but just ignore them.

Say you want deposit on completion of sale, balance cash / draft on collection.

Anyone messes you about just relist it and don’t be shy of reporting anyone who stitches you up to ebay.

Some great photos here.

How a dog can be so intelligent and yet utterly stupid at the same time I don’t know.

Video proof that intelligence and sheer looniness are not mutually exclusive…

Any excuse to post puppy pics. Here’s one of our Lucas from this morning’s walk and some from a few weeks back. He’s 7 months and another Springer / Lab cross but I suspect with a bit more springer in the mix than sandwicheater’s pooch. As above I think it’s a great combination – energy and agility of a springer, lab temperament and training aptitude. Great with kids, keen as mustard – loads of energy but also fine being left for a couple of hours each day provided he gets a decent walk beforehand.

I have to be honest, I’d personally think twice about having a dog in a flat in the city – even one with a garden, but if it suits your personal circumstances and you are confident you are able to exercise it regularly, go for it!

Great pics. Can I play too?

Here’s our Lucas, 6 months Springer / black lab cross. Cheeky as a barrel of monkeys but great fun.

I’ve got some lightweight Salomon approach shoes which I bought about 6 years ago which I’ve used for everything from coastal path walking to running and riding and which are still going strong. Really well made and very comfy but not as grippy on the pedals as other shoes with softer soles.

I had a pair of Five Ten insights which were great on the bike and loads more grippy but they soles fell to bits after 2 years. Same with a pair of Merrells.

I wanted something waterproof so bought a pair of Scarpa Nitros a few months back at a silly price from Rock and Run (on the basis that my last pair of Scarpa boots have lasted about 10 years). Early days yet but they also seem be really well made:

http://www.rockrun.com/mountain-walking/approach-shoes/scarpa-nitro-gtx

Slightly leftfield option but if you have some spare bits around you could probably build up a nice Stooge for that sort of money

Framesets + Geometry

Ignore if you want suspension or are aiming to do it thru C2W obviously…

We had our first trip up there over Easter. Really enjoyed it. Most of our highlights have already been mentioned above:

Holy Island / Lindisfarne – if you can, try and stay over the tide – I was put off the place a bit by the crowds when we first arrived but once the causeway is covered, the place becomes deserted and is really magical once most of the visitors have left for the day. The castle is really interesting. Crown and Anchor was good for food but make sure you book! Try to return across the causeway at sunset. Stunning. Also worth checking out the beaches on the North side of the island.

Lower Newton – lovely beach, and the Ship is great for a drink but again you need to book for food. Walk to the end of the beach for a great view of Dunstanburgh castle.

Cragside was a great day out – lovely gardens and loads of interest for kids of all ages, particularly if you have an interest in engineering.

Dunstanburgh – Craster was rammed so we parked at Dunstan Steads and walked from there along the beach, which I’d also recommend.

Low tide walk from Seahouses to Bamburgh was lovely – some great rockpools en route.

Boat trip to Farne Islands was great – we were a bit early for puffins but loads of kittiwakes, shags and guillemots and umpteen seals.

We really liked The Old Ship in Seahouses – some may find it a bit tacky as it’s crammed full of nautical stuff, but good fun nonetheless. The beer garden there has lovely view of the harbour and Farnes.

Admittedly we were there over Easter but I was genuinely surprised how busy everywhere was and how difficult it was to eat out without booking – we live in Devon, so are used to crowds in the summer around the coastal resorts here and over the Tamar but some places we visited were even more rammed than we are used to down here.

Another happy Midge user here but if I was being pernickety they could do with being a touch longer in the drops. The recommended setup for off road riding is to have the bottom of the drops at roughly the same heigh as you’d have your flat bars – as above the idea being that you are in the drops most of the time when riding offroad for better control.

As a fellow 100 kilo sweaty bloke may I recommend the following:

Howies Helium @ £49

I’ve got the Dyfi which is similar and has been great.

http://www.howies.co.uk/helium.html

On-One core merino jersey @ £20

http://www.on-one.co.uk/i/q/CLOOMCELS/on-one-merino-core-element-long-sleeve-with-zip-200g

Had mine for about 12 months now – wearing really well.

We’ve had a spate of them down here recently – biggest was this one. Was called out at about 3pm – didn’t get home until 1am.

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid2276103648001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAB42LPmE~,rulI1GcI29MG3fBNbe4bwdMAXmvYFxzB&bctid=4138126762001

I’m in there somewhere around the 2 minute mark. Drone buzzing us was a bit freaky.

For campsites things like ukcampsite.co.uk, coolcamping and pitchup are the main go-to sites.

Not just saying it because I work in the industry but the main advantage of going with an agency for the holiday let is that you are getting their expertise on online / traditional marketing, SEO etc together with income insurance and the payment and booking management side. Given time, you can do all that yourself of course but there are economies of scale.

We do cover Somerset – see how you go and get in touch if you need any info. Our property managers should be able to give you a rough idea of rental income from the estate agent details.

I work for a self catering agency in the South West with around 750 properties on our books. We aim for around 30 weeks occupancy but this is based on an agreed limit on the number of weeks the homeowner takes out themselves at peak times (if they exceed this then they pay our commission). Our standard commission is 25%. Location is really important but as mentioned above so is the quality of the property, particularly if it’s in a less desirable area for holidaymakers. We expect the property to be maintained to a high standard and apply our own star rating. We also have an open feedback / review process which means we publish all customer feedback (good and bad) which tends to mean any problems are picked up and dealt with fairly quickly!

We don’t provide a cleaning service but have links with agencies and individuals who do provide the service – if the area you’re considering is a popular one then it’s worth looking at this at an early stage as you may find it difficult to find someone on peak changeover days (Friday / Saturday).

One thing to bear in mind is that the fact there is a campsite on the same site may actually have an adverse impact on your self catering bookings as it could put some people off – you may be better to look at two separate locations – they are quite different business propositions really.

PM me if you need any more advice – I’d gladly put you in touch with one of our property managers.

@ Sue_W – Scotroutes may have a different route but we joined the Machair road near the arrow on the attached map. Basically follow the minor road which goes straight on when the “main road” from the ferry terminal bears north and then follow your nose. See arrow on map link below.

http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=73260&y=821154&z=120&sv=73260,821154&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=794&ax=73260&ay=821154&lm=0

We were on MTBs with touring tyres and were able to ride the first bit of the coast on the beach on the hard packed sand on the receding tide.

Genuinely one of my favourite places on the planet.

We went from South Uist up to Harris (very leisurely) and then back down to Barra / Vatersay for a couple of days.

We loved North Uist – particularly Balranald and the north coast. Beaches on South Uist were lovely and we were able to do most of the route up there either riding on the beach or machair. Harris is all stunning as above – the Golden Road route from Tarbert down to Leverburgh was a real highlight.

My top tip is to stay off the main route and explore some of the dead end roads and machair tracks.

Another +1 for the Islabike Beinn 29

Any idea where to get them on the scheme?

Halfords can order in most stuff on special if your voucher is valid there. I bought a Cotic Roadrat through them a few years back on C2W.

Undecided voter here. I did the voteforpolicies survey and it gave me an exact 3 way split between Labour, Greens and Lib Dem…. which wasn’t entirely useful as far as choosing a candidate is concerned, but I guess useful in showing the significant overlap that now exists in a lot of policies on the part of the parties concerned… that must, in part, be to do with the Green’s getting more votes and thus influencing policies in the political mainstream.

Vote. Informed.

Used to live over there. As above, red light district and the tat around Dam square loses it’s appeal fairly rapidly… but it’s a lovely city which bears exploration.

I’d recommend a stroll or bike ride around the Jordaan area – some of the prettiest buildings and canals and some brilliant cafe’s and bars. The southern bit is less touristy and quieter. Noordermarkt is great to have a look around.

Cafe De Prins is good. I also like De Wildeman. Cafe T Smalle near the Anne Frank House is also well worth a visit.

I’d also recommend doing one of the boat tours – bit touristy but good for getting a sense of the geography. Best done in the early evening when it’s less busy and you get the best views of the lights on the water.

Not been for a while but Sunday brunch at the Krasnapolsky hotel was always a bit of a local institution and nice for a special occasion.

Hope you have a great trip!

As Jam Bo, says, most pubs around here do a range of local brews – mainly Dartmoor Ales or Teignworthy. Rugglestone in Widecombe is worth a visit. If you get over this side of the moor, the Bridford Inn has a decent range of real ales normally. The Union Inn in Moretonhampstead has beer brewed by Red Rock. The Horse in Moreton is also starting to dabble in craft beers and is very good for food.

Thanks all. We may try to do it in one go but not ideal with 5 year old and puppy in car. Ripon and Masham both good shouts. Was also looking at a place near Matlock. Off to have a Google…

I’ve just had a brainwave (or a really dumn idea). I could fit the spare Pace RC31 forks to the 1X1 frame (they have moveable V brake mounts), fit the 29er wheels. Use it fixed so I don’t need the rear brake and jobs a good one. What could go wrong…………….:)

That should work just dandy – I’d say give it a go! Don’t forget to post pics!

I own a T4 but drive Defenders for work fairly regularly – an early 90 for the day job and a 130 for the fire service.

The van is great to drive, comfy on long journeys, and really practical (the T5 will probably be even better). I love it and would be heartbroken to get rid of it.

The landies by comparison are cramped, wander all over the road, leak in wet weather and squeak, rattle and roll and generally have the road manners and refinement of a greased donkey in a scrapyard.

But… I’d still have a Defender in a heartbeat if funds allowed, particularly if I could stretch to as newer one. I’m clearly one of those people.

If it was my money, was mainly doing shortish journeys and had the opportunity to use the off road and towing capability I’d have the 110 all the way.

If doing longer journeys regularly, the T5 is definitely the better choice… get the 4-motion version if you need some extra off road capability. Not sure whether the T5 is an improvement but my T4 is rubbish in mud although decent tyres help.

@Simon_g – we also used to have one of those. Great vehicle until it crapped it’s engine 2 months ago :(

And some more…

http://forums.mtbr.com/singlespeed/surly-1×1-29er-clearance-846356.html

…as per my post on the earlier thread, having played with this myself I suspect front clearance will be the issue with the standard fork. There is plenty of room out back.