What are you all up to

I know that many Members take their bikes on tour with them so I am asking for a bit of advice.  I recently had a very senior moment and bought myself a Brompton folding electric bike. I need a strong, gold standard D lock but there are so many to choose from (and price is not always a measure of how good a product is) and I am also thinking of buying an electronic alarm as well. Any advice would be appreciated.

Val 

Ruffs,

Son just told me that a chap named David N turned up at the cricket club and he had also been at HMS Mercury.  Was it by chance you or maybe an old comrade

We carry two electric bikes on our MH, expensive ones, so we invested in some serious bike locks. We use three locks to bolt the bikes onto the MH frame when travelling and if stored overnight on a site. We have two chain type locks and a U shaped one that goes through both frames to lock the bikes together. we use two personal attack alarms threaded through as well overnight, fine line is hard to spot, but would give a sneak thief a bit of a surprise. Thankfully never had any issues travelling around.

We always take at least one chain with us, unless we know we aren’t going to leave them anywhere when out for a ride. We seldom leave them without one of us keeping an eye on things. 

At home, the two bikes we keep in garage (alarmed) are shackled to a concreted in motorbike post, and shackled with motorbike quality locks. There are another six bikes (I kid you not🤣) up in bedrooms and attic, 

Keep an eye out in terms of site reviews around know bike theft hotspots. Clumber Park is notorious, the Club have invested in some good secure lock up facilities, and we always use them, but you do need to take your own securing chains and locks. Ferry meadows is another know cycle theft hotspot. On CLs, we usually have a word with owners, and if needed, most owners are very good about putting bikes away if you go out for day.

Dont forget to add your bike to House insurance, take some photos, and keep all receipts. We have lots of add ons to our bikes, special pedals, special seats, computers, etc….. so remove anything small if you leave your bike anywhere. Keep these receipts as well. Pedalsure is a good company.

There have been reports of really bad weather over this side of the country, with very heavy rainfall this morning and strong winds through the night. The road through Dumfries and Galloway was blocked which entailed an 80 mile detour, towing a caravan, to get to New England Bay as reported in FB. Thankfully the worst of it bypassed us at home and we have had a sunny and quite warm day. I was able to get the car washed again, after our last trip, and hope to do the same with the van tomorrow. We have just now had a belter of a thunderstorm however, and although the rain was heavy and the thunder exceedingly loud it didn't last very long.

We have had our most significant rain in almost a month today. The garden was in desperate need of it. Typical of course that it arrives on a Bank Holiday weekend!!! Difficult to believe the kids have only another week of their holidays left. We have some guys coming on Tuesday to put in some decking for us on part of the ground the motorhome used to be parked on. 

David

“We have some guys coming on Tuesday to put in some decking for us on part of the ground the motorhome used to be parked on. ”

I imagine you’ll have mixed feelings about that, or are you being philosophical about it?

Well - every cloud has a silver lining.  After the diabolical winds on Friday, the orchard in the CS we are on was literally covered in apples and plums.  Lots of free fruit - courtesy of the owner of course, who is too busy on the farm to bother with them and most usually end up being fed to the horses in the equestrian centre. 

One of the huge trees at the side of the farm came down in the winds and partially blocked the road outside and Andrew and his son spent all day chopping it up and removing it. Would you believe that car drivers were removing the cones he had put across the road and attempting to drive underneath it.  Can't believe how stupid some people can be especially as there was a simple detour around it.

Not sure about mixed feelings but certainly lots of memories and ghosts of several caravans and two motorhomes! I suppose in a way its being proactive in setting one part of our life behind us and starting a new project? We don't have a large garden and over the years it has been configured to accommodate either the caravans or motorhomes. So with them no longer in the garden it looks a bit strange. We don't have a large back garden so a paved area of some 10 x 35 feet looks a bit odd. The idea is to have a decked area so that we can have a permanent Gazebo on it to provide some height which is missing since the motorhome left.

David

How quickly the seasons roll on and with them the years. We are about to go on our last so called ‘Summer’ holiday of the season but to be honest the weather is distinctly Autumnal, wind, rain, chilly and how those nights are now drawing in. Longer evenings spent inside the motorhome I’d suppose but at least the grand children won’t be with us so books, films and cosy evenings at the pub are to be looked forward to. North Yorkshire Moors here we come.