The All New Megathread

[garynortheast]

Montford Parish Hall, montford bridge. 10-3pm.

Excellent, thanks John. I shall jump on the bike and go along for that I think.

[admin]

Excellent, thanks John. I shall jump on the bike and go along for that I think.

https://i.postimg.cc/HxK2TgrF/Messenger-creation-84-DAE1-AF-769-E-4819-BDE6-404-B95-A57308.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[garynortheast]

Good stuff. I might even nip round to the Montford Bridge Cafe afterwards to see what it's like.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Up and about early this morning. I'm heading out with a friend and the dogs for an early morning walk. We had some very welcome rain last night although I don't know how much. I'll go and check the water butts in a minute which should give me some idea.

Have a good day everyone.

[Sir Trev]

We only had a splash of rain last night, judging on the drops still on my car this morning. Might get some more this afternoon (I hope) as we really need it. As I'm stuck in the study all day building a report of FM spend vs budget for my very difficult customer it would be a nice distraction.

[Luckypants]

Not much rain here either by the look of things this morning. The deck was wet but the roads and grassy areas were dry. We heard about 10 minutes of heavy rain as we went to bed, but we had hoped it carried on lighter and unheard....

Like everywhere, we are desperate for it here.

[garynortheast]

We had a very big storm here about an hour ago. Lots of thunder and lightning and a heavy downpour that lasted about 15 minutes. There may be a little more rain to come but it doesn't look like there's going to be anything like as much as we need.

[Sir Trev]

Plenty of dark clouds and distant rumbles here around 4pm, but nothing more than a few spits and spots of light rain unfortunately. Some is better than none I guess.

[DarrenSV650S]

Clear blue sky up here today!
Thunder and lightning is so awesome, hardly ever get any though.


I've booked a couple of weeks off in June, can't wait :D

[garynortheast]

Clear blue sky up here today!
Thunder and lightning is so awesome, hardly ever get any though.


I've booked a couple of weeks off in June, can't wait :D

Are you heading anywhere in particular for your two weeks off Darren?

[Luckypants]

We had a very big storm here about an hour ago. Lots of thunder and lightning and a heavy downpour that lasted about 15 minutes. There may be a little more rain to come but it doesn't look like there's going to be anything like as much as we need.
We had the same about 5pm yesterday. Really heavy rain which cleared all the loose moss off my roof! My rainwater interceptor thingy's filter was stuffed with it! ;)

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Back to the sunshine again for the next week by the look of it. Despite the dramatic storm yesterday we didn't really have enough rain to make a real difference.

We had the same about 5pm yesterday. Really heavy rain which cleared all the loose moss off my roof! My rainwater interceptor thingy's filter was stuffed with it! ;)

Did any of the rainwater make it through into the water butt Mike?

I'm off out for a short walk with Mabel soon. We won't go too far as it's too warm for her to do any distance really. I'm going to take a ride across to Bala this afternoon to see a friend who's just had a new knee. He's not very mobile yet so I have a big bundle of old Ride magazines I'm taking over to keep him entertained for a while.

Hope the week is shaping up ok for everyone.

[Luckypants]

Did any of the rainwater make it through into the water butt Mike?

Some of it, but not nearly as much as could have. I'm happy the filter did its job as that's a load of moss not in my soakaway or water butt. If my soakaway clogged its a tough fix as its now under the shed base, which is 6" thick concrete.

[DarrenSV650S]

Are you heading anywhere in particular for your two weeks off Darren?

Nothing planned at the moment. I'll need to have a think :)

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Another day of sunshine here. Just been out with Mabel for a walk in the hills, nice and fresh at this time of the day.
Off to the dentist this morning for my annual visit. Hopefully nothing more than a check up.

Anybody up to anything exciting today?

[Craig380]

Just back from a lovely spin down the Snake Pass and back via Monsal Head and the Cat & Fiddle. Saw some lapwings doing their sky-dance, which is always a nice thing :)

[Luckypants]

Are the fires all damped down on Cat & Fiddle now?

[Craig380]

Yes, they were burning for 2 days and a night, I think. The actual burned area isn't that large - I'd say less than a square mile - but the column of smoke from it was large.

There'll probably be more fires as the ground is so parched and the grass etc is like tinder.

[Luckypants]

Agreed. Everywhere is desperate for rain.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Well, still no sign of any rain, and wall to wall sunshine forecast for the next week. The tops of the hills are starting to brown off here now, especially the ones with too many sheep on them. I can see a lot more wildfires in the offing unless we get a decent amount of precipitation very soon. All a bit of a worry really.

I'm off out to do a little gardening job for someone today, then back to do a bit in my own garden this afternoon.

Hope you all have a good day.

[Craig380]

It's the same here, Gary. Riding round the Derbs Dales the other day, there was a strong, warm herbal scent that reminded me a little of being in Greece: hot earth and dry brush.

[Sir Trev]

Just kicking off the fun process of hiring someone to decorate Trev Towers. I hate decorating and have been putting it off for ages but it needs doing. The first guy came round today and kept saying how long it was likely to take, which I took as code for "get ready for an eye watering estimate"...

[DarrenSV650S]

Anyone else getting logged out of this forum all the time recently?

[garynortheast]

Been ok here Darren.

[admin]

Same here.

[DarrenSV650S]

Must be an issue at my end

[garynortheast]

Morning all. More sunshine and dry weather here. My linked water butts are nearly empty and the single water butt has just been filled from the outside tap. It'll stand for a few days to allow the chemical content to at least partly evaporate off. I watered the veg beds first thing today before it got too hot, and now I shall have a walk with Mabel up to a local area of woodland where it should be cool enough for her to have a run around without overheating.

Have a good day all.

[Sir Trev]

Second decorator came round today. Took no notes and was gone in less than half the time as yesterday's. Family company of a dozen employees instead of a one man band but even so. Third one tomorrow then breath holding time until the quotes come in.

Lovely evening here. Might go for a walk round the park later to let the fresh air waft away the stench of this week's work.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. More sunshine here and with it, the weekend traffic, so the bike will be staying put till it's quieter. I think I'll probably get on with a few garden jobs today after going for a walk with Mabel.

What's everyone else got planned?

[redtrummy]

more gardening after a week away

[Craig380]

Just back from a good spin out to Ruthin via the Horseshoe & Nant-y-Garth passes. Was chatting to the owner of a gorgeous Aprilia RS250 which had Lomas spannies. He hasn't had to do an engine rebuild ... yet ;)

What a glorious racket it made when he fired it up.

[Sir Trev]

Jealous of that Craig. Lovely sound that takes me back.

Had too many chores for a ride out this weekend unfortunately. Met up with old friends from the Suzuki OC for lunch yesterday, ordered a new carpet for one of the bedrooms as part of our refurb, put up the four new wall lights in the living room (refurb again), cut the lawn, planted out most of the pot-grown veg from the greenhouse and potted-on the rest of it. Sowed my runners in pots and lightly worked in more compost from the bins to the veg areas that will have the beans and pumpkins. Utterly knackered now...

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Cloudy and cooler here at the moment but good walking weather. I'm out walking with Mabel at a gorgeous piece of woodland called Coed Caeau Gwynedd. Currently sat on the bench by the woodsheds with a flask of tea, listening to the birds singing their heads off, and a cuckoo calling not far away. Feels like a good way to start the day.

Hope you all have a good day.

[Craig380]

I haven't heard a cuckoo for AGES. I recently downloaded the Merlin app, which identifies different bird songs, which is interesting when out on walks.

[Luckypants]

There has been a noticeable increase in cuckoo song around here this year. I hope it marks the beginning a recovery for the species in the UK.

[garynortheast]

Right, time to get some bike kit on and head out. I'm going on a recce today, up to Croesor to make sure the little car park there will be suitable for leaving vehicles overnight. A few of us are heading out from there next month, to the abandoned slate village at Rhosydd. We're going to hike out, wildcamp there overnight, then hike back to Croesor the following morning via Moelwyn Mawr and possibly the dam at Stwlan.
An excuse for a nice little ride out too. :-)

[Craig380]

Looks like proper goat-track territory up there!

[garynortheast]

It absolutely was Craig, very gnarly and with 5 gates along the length of the track to Croesor. Some great views too.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. I have a trip into Shrewsbury today for a mooch about, and to get a couple of items. I'll probably stop for lunch at a great little vegan street food café called Okra on the High Street. I'll get the train in. Return ticket is just under £4, and it saves the cost and hassle of parking.

What are you all up to?

[garynortheast]

Well, it's not often I have a day as lazy as this! Mabel and I got the train into town, walk along the river as far as the quarry, tea supplies collected from Aroma, lunch at Okra, and now sitting in Ginger & Co with a coffee and a large slab of vegan carrot cake. I really don't feel at all guilty about it either. :-D

[Craig380]

Can't whack a slab of cake ;-)

Daughter visiting today, just back from a good walk in the sun. Waiting for the ice-cream van to come!

[Luckypants]

Its called enjoying retirement and I don't blame you. Hope you've dodged the rain until home, its a good rain here now. Everyone glad of it.

[garynortheast]

No rain here in Shrewsbury so far today Mike. We had some in Llanfyllin last night though, and I wouldn't be sorry to see some more.

Enjoy the ice cream Craig.

[Sir Trev]

Retirement. Jealous. Not long to go...

[garynortheast]

Its called enjoying retirement and I don't blame you.

Retirement. Jealous. Not long to go...

To be honest, I'm astonished I made it to retirement, given my...aah..."lifestyle" for the last 10 years I was in Medway and up to the age of 31. Back then I fully expected to be either dead or in prison by the age of 40! Fortunately I managed to escape that particularly sordid and nihilistic scene with the move up here 40 years ago. :-o

[garynortheast]

Morning all. We had a bit of rain overnight, which has saved me having to water the veg beds this morning. There's no more predicted now till Saturday though, so I may be back to the watering again by tomorrow.
A day of online meetings and phone calls to chase up stuff that should be happening but isn't. Hopefully I'll get into the garden too, lots to do there.

What's in store for everyone else?

[Craig380]

Quiet day today, shattered after a longer-than-expected walk with daughter yesterday. It used a spoon or two too many, I think

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Sunny again here today until this evening, then a few days of rain forecast. Well, it is a bank holiday weekend after all! I shall be glad not to have to be lugging watering cans about any further than the greenhouse for a while.

Busy day gardening for someone yesterday. I finished emptying and sieving one of their compost bays and bagging the compost for them to use, then turned the adjacent bay of compost. Quieter day today. Just a meeting with the Powys RoW officer in preparation for me starting to survey local footpaths and reporting on their condition. There are a lot locally which need sorting with blockages, broken stiles, falling down gates etc.

Quiet day today, shattered after a longer-than-expected walk with daughter yesterday. It used a spoon or two too many, I think

Hope you're a bit recovered now Craig.

What's everyone up to this weekend?

[redtrummy]

setting beetroot now and other gardening jobs before it rains (whats rain)

[garynortheast]

A useful day so far. Meeting went well and I followed it up with some time spent planting stuff in the garden. Just been to look at my pond and as well as a Large Red damselfly, there is now a Common Blue damselfly whizzing about there. :-)

[Craig380]

Just back from a nice long spin out in what looks to be the last of the dry weather, for a few days at least.

Saw a C130 Hercules going overhead at around 200 feet near Ruthin, quite impressive! It was heading down towards Barmouth, so I'm guessing there may be a lot of activity around the Mach loop today.

[Luckypants]

It was an Airbus A400M flew over Ruthin area today and one was seen on the Mach loop according to reports. There hasn't been a lot happening on the loop this week. Hercules was retired from RAF service in 2023, so likely you saw the very similar A400M?

[Craig380]

It was an Airbus A400M flew over Ruthin area today and one was seen on the Mach loop according to reports. There hasn't been a lot happening on the loop this week. Hercules was retired from RAF service in 2023, so likely you saw the very similar A400M?

Ah yes, definitely an A400M, it had the high tail. Need to brush up on my plane-spotting!

[garynortheast]

Need to brush up on my plane-spotting!

You'll have to buy an anorak Craig. :smt046

[Sir Trev]

Bank holiday - thank flip. Three days away from my boss endlessly asking why Customer Services headcount volumes change between x random date and the budget. HOWEVER, due to a busy upcoming few weeks diarywise I am off to see mother tomorrow. I vowed not to do that long journey on a bank holiday again after so many awful journeys home, but I have little choice. Wish me luck.

[Craig380]

You'll have to buy an anorak Craig. :smt046

What makes you think I don't have one? ;-)

[Sir Trev]

Thank flip (ironically) for rain on a bank holiday. Despite it being a BH and the start of half term, my trip both way to Norfolk was fine. The damp weather kept the day trippers at home. Result.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Up and about early this morning so I can get a decent walk in before the rain arrives later today. Not sure what I'll be doing for the rest of the day, probably some time spent potting on a load of seedlings waiting to be done.

What's everyone else up to this bank holiday Monday?

[Craig380]

No plans really for today ... maybe a bit of routine maintenance and catching up on some TV. Not started raining here yet but it's looking ominous!

[redtrummy]

Just attacked my last compost heap. No sign of the field voles or the large toad from last year but I unknowingly put the fork through a wasps nest! Thats a problem, I would normally leave a nest undisturbed but I need the compost and I have wrecked the nest anyway. I have now backed away from it and will see how things develop, it started raining anyway

[Sir Trev]

It threatened rain all day here and finally started to lightly fall around 5. It meant I had time to plant out the pumpkins and the last of the indoor sown carrots. The bean poles are now up and cross-braced, ready for those to go out next weekend (probably), and my growbags and cane supports are in place in the greenhouse as the tomato seedlings are almost ready to be planted out. That will just leave the leeks which are almost big enough to be planted out too. I like this time of year.

[garynortheast]

Good morning all. It's looking like rain here before much longer, which means the bike is going to get dirty as I need to go into town for some shopping and the car is out of action till later in the week.

I walked down to Station Garage here in Llanfyllin earlier, and spoke with the chap there about the car. He didn't seem too alarmed when I told him what I'd done and is coming tomorrow or Thursday to pick it up. Fingers crossed it hasn't wrecked the fuel pump. 🤞

Have a good day everyone.

[admin]

Raining here in Shrewsbury. Looks like a damp week ahead.

[Craig380]

Fingers crossed it hasn't wrecked the fuel pump.

Hopefully it'll be OK, Gary. As mentioned earlier, worth chucking some Millers diesel additive in the next few tanks to add a bit extra lubrication.

[garynortheast]

Hopefully it'll be OK, Gary. As mentioned earlier, worth chucking some Millers diesel additive in the next few tanks to add a bit extra lubrication.

Just dropped the car key off with Brian at Station Garage. He doesn't think there will be a problem with it. He'll pump out the tank, fit a new fuel filter, drain the injection system, and has some of the lubricity additive which he'll put in the tank with some fresh diesel. He's going to save the petrol for me as it's got very little diesel in it, and I'll run it, bit by bit through the bike.

I said I felt a bit of an idiot putting petrol in the tank, and he showed me a stack of plastic fuel drums outside. He said they were all from people who had done exactly the same thing. He runs the fuel through his car without any problem, so I won't have wasted £40 on fuel as it will go in the bike tank.

Feeling a bit more cheerful about the situation now.

[garynortheast]

It's looking like rain here before much longer, which means the bike is going to get dirty as I need to go into town for some shopping.

I've decided against riding into town as it's precipitating down and I don't fancy a ride in this amount of rain!

[Craig380]

Sounds positive, Gary. Fingers crossed.

[Sir Trev]

Feeling a bit more cheerful about the situation now.

Considering how many companies exist now that specialise in rescuing motorists who've done exactly the same thing, you really don't need to beat yourself up about something so easy to do.

[redtrummy]

The work mechanic told me up to 30% contamination should not be a problem (petrol where diesel should go. It might pop and splutter a bit. It drove fine. Been raining all afternoon, water butts full at last.

[garynortheast]

Evening all. Once the rain stopped this morning it turned into a very pleasant, sunny day. Mrs Dragonfly finally spread her wings and took off this morning. The poor thing spent all of last night clinging to one of the upright pond plants in the rain, but once the sun came out she dried off and took her leave. 😊
A quick computer job for someone kept me occupied this morning, and then after walking out with Mabel I got on the bike and did a shopping trip to Oswestry, and then Welshpool. Nice to be out on the bike in warm sun.

Hope everyone has had a good day.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Grey and drizzly here. I'm about to put some waterproofs on and head out for a walk in the hills with Mabel.
Hoping to get my car back today as I am supposed to be working at a Repair Café tomorrow, and I have too many tools to carry on the bike.

Hope you all have a good day.

[Craig380]

Hope all's OK with the wheels, Gary. Wet-weather programme here too.

A couple of days ago I looked back at the weather in our area up to last Saturday (when it finally rained) and we'd had 33 days of unbroken sunshine from late April, which is quite something.

[Sir Trev]

Bullseye is in for his first annual service. The guy two in front in the queue for the service desk was told very firmly "no, we cannot fit any other parts for you today, we're slammed. And we're not doing loan bikes today either." He left muttering a bit. Me and the guy in front of me were treated like old friends however and booked in without fuss, he saying his daughter could pick him up, and I was about to ask about a taxi to the train station when Roger interrupted me, saying "hang on both of you". Popped into the back and came back with keys, saying which one of you would like the Enfield Classic 650 and who wants the GSX8S?

Turns out the guy he was short with had half a dozen test rides and took up nearly four hours of the boss' time discussing payment plans and options over a couple of busy weekends before buying the Suzuki he wanted elsewhere for a couple of hundred quid less. Although the shop agreed to fit his Quadlock case, I hope they charge him top whack for what is a simple DIY job. I don't blame them for refusing a courtesy bike if he acts like that.

On the plus side, I got to take the long way home on an 8S. Same engine as Bullseye but in a much lighter, shorter and more nimble package. What a hoot! It is a really fun bike, the engine and chassis are very well matched and the suspension was pretty good. Not sure I could live with the seat for more than an hour though. I'll stick with the comfort of my Strom and hopefully I'll get a call soon to say he's ready for me to collect.

[garynortheast]

Picked up the car this morning and it's running perfectly. I also have two large containers of the fuel that came out of the tank. There was very little diesel in the tank when I put the petrol in on top and what's in the containers is almost entirely petrol, so I shall run it through the bike a bit at a time, mixed in with fresh petrol from the pump.

Worked at a repair café this morning, plenty to do there and certainly enough to keep me busy for 3 hours.

Back home now and I don't intend to do much for the rest of the day other than sitting by the pond, drinking tea, and reading the new edition of Ride magazine.

Hope you're all having a splendid day!

[Craig380]

Bullseye is in for his first annual service.

What's the warranty on the 800 Stroms? When I bought my 2017 SV from a local Suzi dealer, it still had 18 months of warranty left (it was an ex-demo bike) but for some reason I never considered having the dealer service the bike (although they did do a pre-sale oil & filter change).

Does the bike use the stupidly spenny NGK MR8E-9 spark plugs? Suzuki seems to be hell-bent on using these across all its bikes, and insists they need changing every 7,500 miles: my experience is that they easily run to 20K miles with zero issues in the Gen 3 SVs. Interested to see how they fare in the new motor.

It'll be interesting to see if the valve-gear of the 800 twin is as robust as on the SVs, too, in terms of not needing adjustment. Given the motor's strong midrange grunt (which means many riders won't be chasing the rev limiter), things may well not need adjustment for a long time: lower rpm means the valves aren't whacking the valve seats as often, and are also doing so with less force.

[Sir Trev]

Standard three year warranty Craig, as long as you keep up annual or 12k (?) servicing. No idea on the plugs - was not charged for any on this service per the receipt.

I was however charged for the loan bike... They didn't warn me about that! It was only a tenner but I was a smidge grumpy about it, especially as both mirrors folded in on the ride home and would not stay out. Quick tweak with a spanner once home and the ride back was less eventful. It was also more comfy as I also inflated both tyres to a sensible level, not 4 and 6 psi down. The chain was also a touch dry but I drew the line at using my own lube on it.

Getting back on Bullseye reminded me how comfy it is in comparison. That 8S seat was not an all-day one for me. However it also showed me how soft the suspension is - great for potholed nightmares but I may stiffen it up a bit next time I go out.

Now if you'll all excuse me, just like Gary I am going to sit near my pond (well, the patio which is right by the pond) and have a beer.

[Sir Trev]

Glad your car is OK Gary.

[garynortheast]

Strewth! That was a bit of a surprise ending to Doctor Who! :eek:

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Cloudy and breezy here with some rain forecast for later today. I shall put a couple of bits in my rucksack and head out for a good walk with Mabel, hopefully before the rain starts.
The weather is looking better tomorrow so I shall head out on the bike for a few hours then I think.

What's everyone up to today?

[Sir Trev]

Meant to be nice but a bit cooler here today, so our plan is to get the electric bicycles out and get some riding time in ahead of our holiday later in the year. It will help to break in my new saddle too.

[Luckypants]

We are meant to be doing Red Squirrel checks today, but delaying until this afternoon hoping the wind dies down. The forest is a bit unsafe in the wind these days after everything has been shaken by the winter storms.

[Craig380]

Standard three year warranty Craig, as long as you keep up annual or 12k (?) servicing. No idea on the plugs - was not charged for any on this service per the receipt.


From what I can find online, it seems to use Iridiums of some kind, so they're probably on a longer service interval.

[garynortheast]

Cracking ride out today. Went across to Bala to see a couple of friends and then carried on from there. Linked a load of my favourite roads together into one big loop. Link to a google map of the route here (https://maps.app.goo.gl/8KyYfwMJHkhXGbch6).

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Up and about early today. Been out with Mabel first thing, breakfast now and then a short meeting at 9.30. Off to Oswestry after that. The weather forecast isn't looking to bad for this afternoon, so I may snatch a couple of hours out on the bike then. 🏍️ :riding:

Hope you all have a good day.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Sunny start to the day here so I'm off to do my little gardening job which got postponed yesterday morning due to the weather.
Never made it out on the bike on Wednesday in the end, and the forecast for the next day or two isn't great so probably Monday now before I'm back out on two wheels.

How's the day looking for everyone else?

[Sir Trev]

So glad the working week is over. Month end and a customer flapping about a refreshed forecast, not a great mix.

Got outside after clocking off and planted out the last of the veg that were in pots in the greenhouse. Feels great to have it all in the ground now. Also nice to know that I've helped inspire the next generation - The Monkey and her other half are growing tomatoes and peppers again this year and are having a go at runner beans too.

Rubbish forecast here for tomorrow but Sunday is a possible for a ride. We'll see.

[admin]

Spent this morning fitting a new mixer tap to the kitchen sink. Not a job I was looking forward too.

[garynortheast]

Morning all. Bright and sunny here this morning. Mabel and I are heading out with a friend and his dog for a walk in the hills before the forecasted rain starts at around mid-day.

Last night I went to see one of the absolutely finest folk singers of these islands. Gwilym Bowen Rhys, one of the younger generation of Welsh folk musicians. If you haven't seen or heard him yet, it's really worth finding him on Bandcamp or better yet go and see him play.

Have a good day everybody.

[garynortheast]

Good walk this morning. Made it back just as the rain was starting - bonus!

Mabel is now flat out, having spent most of the time in the woods chasing squirrels!

[Craig380]

Do you get any red squirls round your way, Gary? We only ever see greys (and plenty of them) round here.

I did spot a red kite the other day, which is the first I've ever seen round here (Cheshire / Derbs border). What a majestic bird they are. Not sure how they'll compete with the local buzzard population.

[Sir Trev]

Three hour round the houses trip to Sportsbikeshop in Milton Keynes this morning. I guessed they would not have any Schuberth spares (one of my chin vent covers has fallen off) but it was a good excuse for a ride.

This afternoon I have been walking up and down the grass applying Weedol Lawn. My knees are killing me now. It is a hair too windy so the nozzle has to stay near the grass tips to avoid drift, so I cannot cover as wide a swath on each pass as I'd like. Ah well. Nearly beer o'clock.

[garynortheast]

I haven't seen any here Craig. We need the pine martens here to get rid of some of the greys. There are pine martens at Llyn Efyrnwy now but I've not seen any here so far. Once the pine martens are established the reds are generally able to make a bit of a comeback.

[Craig380]

I'd love to see a pine marten in the wild, such beautiful creatures.

[garynortheast]

They have spread south of the Scottish border and down into Cumbria now and with them the red squirrels.

Just sorting kit for Sioned and me for the hike this weekend. Out from Croesor on Saturday, up and over Cnicht, then south to Rhosydd, the abandonded slate mining village. Wild camp there overnight, then south over Moelwyn Mawr before heading west back to Croesor. Hoping for good weather and slightly warmer overnight temperatures!

[garynortheast]

Morning all. A bit grey here but hopefully it'll not rain. I need to go up to the Alpkit shop in Betws y Coed to buy a different sleeping mat as the one I have is a bit too narrow for me and I keep sliding off it in my sleeping bag. Forecast is for it to stay dry so once I've walked Mabel I'll hop on the bike and ride up there.

How's the day looking for the rest of you?

[admin]

A week of bedlam here. National power are switching us from overhead power to underground delivery. I say us but it's our whole street. So lots of holes in the pavement and drives dug up :cry:

[Luckypants]

I haven't seen any here Craig. We need the pine martens here to get rid of some of the greys. There are pine martens at Llyn Efyrnwy now but I've not seen any here so far. Once the pine martens are established the reds are generally able to make a bit of a comeback.

We now have a confirmed pair of Pine Martens in Clocaenog, with photo evidence from the trail cams CRST have out for Red Squirrel monitoring. These arrived in spring last year. By observation rather than scientific monitoring, there seems to be less greys around this year.

[Sir Trev]

Perhaps there should be a release programme for Martens in the Chilterns, like they did with Red Kites 30 or so years ago. That worked pretty well (!) and from a central point they'd have a good chance of spreading out in every direction, instead of coming all the way down from Scotland. The greys make a mess of my bird feeders and dig holes in my lawn - if the reds do the same I'd be happy to let them.

[Luckypants]

Pine Martens are quite nomadic, so if they don't like where they get released they just go back where they came from. The two we know are settled in Clocaenog have travelled up from mid-Wales.

[garynortheast]

Nice little trip up to Betws y Coed to get the sleeping mat. Before I set off I already had 146 miles on the clock since I last filled up, so I pumped a couple of litres of the rescued fuel into the tank just to be on the safe side. Went through Bala thinking I was sure I'd seen a fuel station in Blaenau Ffestiniog but no! Argh! Set off over Bwlch y Gorddinan with 192 miles showing, thinking I was very glad I stuck the extra fuel in the tank. Made it to Betws y Coed without a problem though, and filled up with the expensive fuel at the Shell garage there.

Dry, but chilly journey out to Betws y Coed, and a little bit of light rain most of the way back until I came over the pass at Llangynog, when the rain stopped and it got noticeably warmer again. Lovely warm, soft Sir Drefaldwyn. :-)