Weekend away in the Lake District

We've just got back from a long weekend in the Lake District so thought I'd update my blog with some photos. We stayed in a camping pod at the National Trust campsite in Wasdale. We took our mountain bikes with us and invested in an inflatable kayak too.

The car (Subaru Impreza WRX Sportwagon) was well suited to the conditions on day 1. It was raining like there was no tomorrow so road surfaces were covered in mud, gravel and sheep crap. The permanent 4 wheel drive system proved very useful and the power came in handy too! Days 2 and 3 were brilliant weather-wise but the last day was grim, with plenty of wind and rain around!

We got a Sevylor Adventure kayak. I would really like a rigid kayak, but they are pretty expensive. I managed to pick this one up from Decathlon at a bargain price and it performed really well. It came with a keg/fin for the underside, which helps keep the kayak tracking straight. The entire kayak is covered in a canvas-like cover which makes it more hard wearing than some of the cheaper models, which look little more than posh lilo's!

I know these have 4 wheels but here's an update on my cars....

I swapped jobs from shift work to Monday to Friday, 9-5  in my last few months at Wincanton, meaning that I was having to commute more often. The Subaru was costing a small fortune to run and my insurance renewal was ridiculous so it had to go :o/

We ended up with a Toyota MR2 hairdresser mobile but were stung as it had engine issues. I ended up selling it on, shortly after buying it but it was a fun little go-kart while it lasted

We then bought a BMW 328i convertible, which was great, cheap to insure and a little cheaper than the Subaru in terms of fuel.

I then got my job at Dematic in Rochdale and worked Monday - Friday for the first few months, meaning that my weekly commute was adding up to over 300 miles a week. The 328i was a good car but the miles per gallon let it down so I decided to keep an eye out for a nice diesel with plenty of poke. After looking at all sorts of cars I ended up going for a BMW 525D SE. I'd owned a 528i a long time ago and loved it. That was modified and ended up featured in a magazine but the 525D was a bit more 'pipe and slippers'. I fitted a nice set of wheels to the car and was surprised with the performance coupled with 43mpg average which was great when compared with the 20odd mpg of the 328i.

 

And then..... The boy racer inside me fought itself out! My latest car, after watching the Top Gear Africa Special and missing my last one since the minute it was driven away by it's new owner, I got hold of a nice Subaru Impreza WRX Sportwagon. It has the Prodrive exhaust and a HKS dump valve (not to everyone's taste, but the boy racer in my likes it!). I work shifts again now so I'm not commuting quite so often and using the bike when the weather is OK, so mpg's aren't quite so important any more.

 

 

I had to replace the radiator as it had actually split along the top. They top and bottom are plastic and tend to get brittle over time. The car is 11 years old, so it's not done too badly really. It also needs a new clutch, but is only showing the early signs of slipping so this is a job for after my next pay day!

 

HKS dump valve

 

New radiator and silicon hose (bottom hose replaced too) 

 

 

A new bike for Gemma

I did a load of overtime in work and decided to surprise Gemma with her own bike. It's no superbike but it's such a clean, tidy example I couldn't resit. It's a 1991 H-reg Suzuki GS500E. It's what a lot of training schools used for Direct Access courses, only the colour scheme of this one is a bit different to the usual blue.

The only modification so far is a set of Renthal bars for a more comfortable riding position...

The only other planned modification is to fit a louder exhaust at some point as it does seem a bit stealthy when riding in traffic.