Seemingly trivial things that intrigue you

First.Aspect

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

pblakeney said:

I think it is as much to do with card payment being prevalent these days.
There is no need for a petrol station to be manned apart from the shop section.

Ish. The NC500 is a poison chalice though. Locals other than shop and b&b owners detest it. When we went around that area in the height of summer 15 years ago we'd see one car an hour for long stretches. Now you see 20 motorbikes and 10 rented supercars in that time. They all buy petrol.

Elsewhere, it is still very primitive in places. Try the ardnamuchan for example, or south of Oban in the don't stray off the path region.

Been there. The lighthouse is only 58 miles from Fort William.
Quiet but hardly remote.

It is very remote. Once on the single lane A road from Strontian all of the shops are 9-5 only and possibly Saturday mornings. That includes the tiny filling stations. You can get up and around to Mallaig, but that's another 2 hours from Salen.

I grant you it's not Knoydart but if it is 6 pm and you are hungry and low on petrol it may as well be.

pblakeney

I guess being raised without 24/7 service has it's benefits.
Forethought and planning being two. 😉

First.Aspect

pblakeney said:

I guess being raised without 24/7 service has it's benefits.
Forethought and planning being two. 😉

Yes well it is still more or less the same year as when you were born in those parts.

We were there a couple of weeks ago and I can confirm that Tesco will do home delivery to Castle Tioram. So some things have moved on.

elbowloh

First.Aspect said:

pblakeney said:

I think it is as much to do with card payment being prevalent these days.
There is no need for a petrol station to be manned apart from the shop section.

Ish. The NC500 is a poison chalice though. Locals other than shop and b&b owners detest it. When we went around that area in the height of summer 15 years ago we'd see one car an hour for long stretches. Now you see 20 motorbikes and 10 rented supercars in that time. They all buy petrol.

Elsewhere, it is still very primitive in places. Try the ardnamuchan for example, or south of Oban in the don't stray off the path region.

Articles over the summer in the papers about many, many more camper vans on the route, parking up in random places, defecating where they shouldn't and dumping rubbish all over the place.

pblakeney

First.Aspect said:

pblakeney said:

I guess being raised without 24/7 service has it's benefits.
Forethought and planning being two. 😉

Yes well it is still more or less the same year as when you were born in those parts.

You say that as if it's a bad thing. 😉
Also, welcome to Brexit Britain.

pinno

First.Aspect said:

Elsewhere, it is still very primitive in places. Try the ardnamuchan for example, or south of Oban in the don't stray off the path region.

I was on holiday last year west of FW, 45 miles along mostly single track road. What a trek to get fuel. Sheilfoot, near Acharacle.
Is that wooden shack/petrol station/corner shop place still there near Oban, heading East?

monkimark

Try getting petrol in Dorking on a Tuesday afternoon, now that is remote

First.Aspect said:

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

pblakeney said:

I think it is as much to do with card payment being prevalent these days.
There is no need for a petrol station to be manned apart from the shop section.

Ish. The NC500 is a poison chalice though. Locals other than shop and b&b owners detest it. When we went around that area in the height of summer 15 years ago we'd see one car an hour for long stretches. Now you see 20 motorbikes and 10 rented supercars in that time. They all buy petrol.

Elsewhere, it is still very primitive in places. Try the ardnamuchan for example, or south of Oban in the don't stray off the path region.

Been there. The lighthouse is only 58 miles from Fort William.
Quiet but hardly remote.

It is very remote. Once on the single lane A road from Strontian all of the shops are 9-5 only and possibly Saturday mornings. That includes the tiny filling stations. You can get up and around to Mallaig, but that's another 2 hours from Salen.

I grant you it's not Knoydart but if it is 6 pm and you are hungry and low on petrol it may as well be.

elbowloh

monkimark said:

Try getting petrol in Dorking on a Tuesday afternoon, now that is remote

First.Aspect said:

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

pblakeney said:

I think it is as much to do with card payment being prevalent these days.
There is no need for a petrol station to be manned apart from the shop section.

Ish. The NC500 is a poison chalice though. Locals other than shop and b&b owners detest it. When we went around that area in the height of summer 15 years ago we'd see one car an hour for long stretches. Now you see 20 motorbikes and 10 rented supercars in that time. They all buy petrol.

Elsewhere, it is still very primitive in places. Try the ardnamuchan for example, or south of Oban in the don't stray off the path region.

Been there. The lighthouse is only 58 miles from Fort William.
Quiet but hardly remote.

It is very remote. Once on the single lane A road from Strontian all of the shops are 9-5 only and possibly Saturday mornings. That includes the tiny filling stations. You can get up and around to Mallaig, but that's another 2 hours from Salen.

I grant you it's not Knoydart but if it is 6 pm and you are hungry and low on petrol it may as well be.

Ah, my hometown!

First.Aspect

pinno said:

First.Aspect said:

Elsewhere, it is still very primitive in places. Try the ardnamuchan for example, or south of Oban in the don't stray off the path region.

I was on holiday last year west of FW, 45 miles along mostly single track road. What a trek to get fuel. Sheilfoot, near Acharacle.
Is that wooden shack/petrol station/corner shop place still there near Oban, heading East?

Not sure about the one near Oban. If you mean somewhere in the lanes directly east, very possibly. Last there in 2018 but I do dimly remember a wooden shack passing as a grocery store.

The one near Acharacle is defo still the same. And the owner still doesn't look up when you go in and pay. Just another tourist (keeping you afloat)...

pblakeney

First.Aspect said:

The one near Acharacle is defo still the same. And the owner still doesn't look up when you go in and pay. Just another tourist (keeping you afloat)...

Isn't this a mutually beneficial situation? They'd be finished without you, you'd be stuck without them. Costs nothing to be polite though.

FWIW, I filled up at Fort William on the way out and back. A full tank did me the week and no need for searching. Same for groceries. Pubs and restaurants are another matter though...

First.Aspect

Fuel supplu seems to be normal here now. But even so I'm still inclined to head away from the city

pblakeney said:

First.Aspect said:

The one near Acharacle is defo still the same. And the owner still doesn't look up when you go in and pay. Just another tourist (keeping you afloat)...

Isn't this a mutually beneficial situation? They'd be finished without you, you'd be stuck without them. Costs nothing to be polite though.

FWIW, I filled up at Fort William on the way out and back. A full tank did me the week and no need for searching. Same for groceries. Pubs and restaurants are another matter though...

Fort William is short on fine dining restaurants, that is true. Haggis, yes. Haggis bon bons on a celeriac puree, no.

briantrumpet

Is there something about middle-age and older women and Facebook? These are the stats for my FB Page of my (predominantly) French cycling fun...

Maybe all the older French blokes are on the Arrête de Gateau section of Radar de Vélo.

rjsterry

briantrumpet said:

Is there something about middle-age and older women and Facebook? These are the stats for my FB Page of my (predominantly) French cycling fun...

Maybe all the older French blokes are on the Arrête de Gateau section of Radar de Vélo.

We should definitely rename this place Arrête de Gateau

rjsterry

I quite like that a bad translation would be Cake Arrest.

pinno

briantrumpet said:

Is there something about middle-age and older women and Facebook? These are the stats for my FB Page of my (predominantly) French cycling fun...

Maybe all the older French blokes are on the Arrête de Gateau section of Radar de Vélo.

You'll definitely pull.

pinno

...something.

pinno

First.Aspect said:

...Just another tourist (keeping you afloat)...

pblakeney said:

...Isn't this a mutually beneficial situation?

Joined up thinking, Now there's a thing.

mully79

Thought my dad was getting shorter in his 70's but turns out im getting taller. Im almost 6ft 1 now which is an inch taller in the last 10 years (mid 40's)

briantrumpet

mully79 said:

Thought my dad was getting shorter in his 70's but turns out im getting taller. Im almost 6ft 1 now which is an inch taller in the last 10 years (mid 40's)

Maybe it's a #brexitbonus of de-metrification.

mrb123

mully79 said:

Thought my dad was getting shorter in his 70's but turns out im getting taller. Im almost 6ft 1 now which is an inch taller in the last 10 years (mid 40's)

Do you sleep hanging upside down??

pinno

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

First.Aspect

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

pblakeney

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

I presume you've checked the home contents options?
Added about £20 extra for me to get all bikes covered worldwide.

If you know someone that insures a 911 for £20 let me know. 😉

verylonglegs

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

Is it a brag about owning a Porsche or lots of expensive bikes?

briantrumpet

verylonglegs said:

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

Is it a brag about owning a Porsche or lots of expensive bikes?

Can't be the Porsche, as that's just a VW Beetle in disguise.

First.Aspect

verylonglegs said:

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

Is it a brag about owning a Porsche or lots of expensive bikes?

Porsche.

There will probably be a post on the trivial things that annoy you thread about how hard it is to mount a bike rack on it, to drive to the second home in Cornwall.

elbowloh

First.Aspect said:

verylonglegs said:

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

Is it a brag about owning a Porsche or lots of expensive bikes?

Porsche.

There will probably be a post on the trivial things that annoy you thread about how hard it is to mount a bike rack on it, to drive to the second home in Cornwall.

Apparently these are quite useful in those situations

SeaSucker

First.Aspect

elbowloh said:

First.Aspect said:

verylonglegs said:

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

Is it a brag about owning a Porsche or lots of expensive bikes?

Porsche.

There will probably be a post on the trivial things that annoy you thread about how hard it is to mount a bike rack on it, to drive to the second home in Cornwall.

Apparently these are quite useful in those situations

SeaSucker

I have a roof bar version of one of those. If installed correctly I think it's probably capable of ripping the roof off. You need to be careful with placement or the body panels pop in and out.

rjsterry

elbowloh said:

First.Aspect said:

verylonglegs said:

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

Is it a brag about owning a Porsche or lots of expensive bikes?

Porsche.

There will probably be a post on the trivial things that annoy you thread about how hard it is to mount a bike rack on it, to drive to the second home in Cornwall.

Apparently these are quite useful in those situations

SeaSucker

Is it not cheaper to just buy a conventional front wheel for the bike?

pblakeney

rjsterry said:

elbowloh said:

First.Aspect said:

verylonglegs said:

First.Aspect said:

pinno said:

Cycle insurance costing much more than it is to insure my 911.

Humblebrag

Is it a brag about owning a Porsche or lots of expensive bikes?

Porsche.

There will probably be a post on the trivial things that annoy you thread about how hard it is to mount a bike rack on it, to drive to the second home in Cornwall.

Apparently these are quite useful in those situations

SeaSucker

Is it not cheaper to just buy a conventional front wheel for the bike?

Explains some Strava KOMs though. 😉