A bit knackered

I’m a bit knackered. We’ve been busy, whilst staying put. The campsite by the Severn has filled up and emptied again and we’ve watched the world go by. It is a fabulous spot and if you don’t mind climbing, either on foot or by bike, there are some fabulous walks, runs and cycles. And that’s what we’ve been up to.

oh look, a dam

We did the motte and bailey castle walk, which was fab. And then we cycled up to the local reservoir, which was quite a climb, but on top of the moorland, as beautiful as you like. It’s fascinating to find places which are reasonably close to us, but so unpopulated and deserted – like much of northern Scotland. It was a surprise and, with Mrs Sun peeking out from behind clouds and with a northerly wind to cool us down, it was one of our nicest bike rides, for sure.

We then had a day off (I did run a mile and a bit, straight up) by walking into town, which is lovely (Llanidloes). And then today we cycled up to a local forest for a picnic. The OS Map showed a ‘blue bike’ by a picnic site and, typically, as we pottered up on our e-bikes, we were met up and down by hardened cyclist who immediately looked down on us. But, in fairness to us, we were knackered at the top … and it wasn’t until we got down down and I checked our route that we realised we’d done 450 metres of climb in 8 miles (up). So well done us!

tireder than we look

And that neatly brings me onto the bikes. I know I’ve gone on and on about them since I started penning this blog over 7 years ago, but they are fab. It’s fair to say that when we reached the forest picnic site today, C was a bit tired and emotional but, if it wasn’t for the fact that I had left the keys in the door of the van (well, that’s where we thought they might be), the views at the top and the ride there was special. With our new(ish) batteries – 20 AHr each – we’ve done 32 miles of very hilly cycling in the past few days and we still have half a battery left. That’s quite something, I think. If you are thinking about buying one, don’t be shy about dropping me a comment and I will help out where I can. They have been a game changer for us … and they’re working well after 8 years ownership.

The keys, BTW, were in Doris’s door where I’d left them. My bad. 

trees and a lake

Doris has been put through her paces this time round. We’re on our fifth night without electric, which is a big thing, if you think about it. The two roof solar panels (200 watts in all) have been charging the lithium ion batteries without fuss. At one point we were drawing 15 amps into the batteries by way of recharge, which is no mean feat. Because the sun is high and the clouds infrequent, I haven’t deployed our 50 watt stand-alone panel, because there has been no need. And we have been using the inverter to boil water, rather than use gas. The kettle draws 60 amps, but only for a few minutes, and the sun (or the alternator, if we’re driving) quickly replenishes that. Ineterstingly I think our crux is going to be gas. We’ve left the heater on overnight whilcst we’ve been here and the fridge continues to suck gas. I reckon on two (refillable) 11kg cylinders we could probably manage two weeks in this sort of weather before we’d have to refill. Electric? Forever, I reckon.

However, one bit of bad news is the self-seeking satellite dish has broken. The on board box wouldn’t speak to the top box and, until I manually sorted it, it was lowering the dish out of position, which was in danger of breaking things on the roof and/or getting blown off if we were to drive away with it at an odd angle. I have two choices. The first is to have a go at fixing it when we get home … which I will. If that doesn’t work, and I don’t think it will, I’ll have to get a replacement. How much? £2,200 fitted. Possibly £1,800 if I fit it myself. I’ll keep you updated. I could get a reconditioned one for just over £1,000, but there’s no warranty, so going ne is likely to be the answer. 

Other than that, we’re fine. We’re heading back into England tomorrow and will stop somewhere for a few nights before we get home – readying ourselves for the Bex and Henry bonanza – on Friday. It’s going to be great.

And, you’ll be pleased to hear … no politics today. Just keep safe everyone.      

you gotta luv this photo