Sorry, No

 

My understanding is that the RNLI would like to return to their still very serviceable launching station: it's the safe access to it, for their volunteer crews, that is the issue.

As a charity, they cannot write an effectively 'blank cheque' to provide that.

 

That had occurred to me too.  I understand that historically they have already made some contribution to the purchase of the island.  Quite how it might pan out remains to be seen.  I can see why they would find it easier to be able to launch from the island again.

 
 I'm going to have a stab Gourock .

 
I have a vague memory from many moons back that the White Horse was "converted" into a stallion !

 
I do know where it is, and PhilW has said I can answer, but I'll let others have a chance.

 

I am tempted to say that ads in auto-trader do not accurately represent the nationwide split between manual and automatic transmissions.

Motoringresearch.com states (14 March 2025) that auto cars have risen by 118% in a decade...............and.......... "1 in 3 cars on UK roads is now an automatic", OR........ to put it another way 2 in 3 are manuals = 66% (my highlighting). I believe these figures are from Insurance companies.  This aligns nicely with the original quote of 25% of tests being for autos.

To paraphrase Mark Twain..........."reports of manual death have been greatly exaggerated"

I have all those wonderful "auto" gizmos on my car - but I got a manual gearbox. It was cheaper and I get a lot more miles per gallon...................and I like it !

 

Some of mine are a bit like that. 

 

If it helps, CalMac do operate from here - or so the CIS on the platform says!

 
Blimey! 

I should have let Finn answer, after all. 

 
I took one driving test, in the early 1980s, on manual cars. Passed.

That has covered me for all of my driving since then - cars (manual and automatic) in the UK and overseas, provisional motor cycle, and grocery delivery vans.


Before I retired, I drove Mercedes Sprinter delivery vans - which were all manual. If there was snow, the fleet was grounded, for safety concerns. I remember one occasion, when I had offered to make the very last delivery of that evening to a remote customer, before the snow really arrived. I pulled out of a junction onto the A38 at the top of Redhill (very near Bristol Airport, which had already closed due to the weather) at walking speed - and the van slid sideways on the compacted snow and ice.

No problem: there was no other traffic - they couldn't get up Redhill in those conditions.  I was just laughing to myself in the cab that I'd managed to get a Mercedes Sprinter van to go sideways. 

 

Sorry Chris, you - along with JayMac earlier today - are actually incorrect! I'll be there later this week 

 
Due to its very distinctive architecture, it's got to be Wemyss Bay railway station.

The terminus of the Inverclyde Line, with a connection to the Caledonian MacBrayne ferry terminal.

(CalMac being one of my pet topics. )  CfN. 

 
...which is a neat trick for a CVT

 
Ok, I think I'm getting confused - when I said above:
thinking about it, it was a link to another site, not an attach.

Apologies - next time I'll just cross my fingers and post

 
The Yaris can be set into manual mode if needed and then use the select lever to shift up or down one ratio at a time

 
Attached images do not show in the preview. That's just how it is.

 
Sure, but presumably it would still be good to understand why the attach didn't work? Speaking as a software developer

 

Go ahead!  Finn is still recovering from being pampered at the cricket today 

 
Personally, I prefer to include a link to an image on an external site when I post an item.

It then appears, as an image, in context, within my post.  CfN. 

 
(Forgot to say that image size <2MB.)

 
yes because I did it as a link to an external hosting site in the end, as the attach didn't appear to be working.

 
I can see those pesky ducks

 
...in this post: https://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=29726.msg365715#msg365715

I did the Additional Options / Choose File, and the filename was displayed as the chosen file (a .png). But the picture didn't show up in the preview (unlike that one the other day that did appear in the preview but not in the posted post due to some software issue that Graham spotted).

I didn't want to risk posting it without the pic, so uploaded it elsewhere and supplied a link. But shouldn't the attach option have worked?

 

18:03 bus running very late ... so I caught the daily x69 to Bradford-on-Avon at 18:05. The 18:21 train from there to Trowbridge was 8 minutes late, so managed to catch that - at the venue just before 18:40. 

Getting home may be interesting - GWR say that they are running rail replacement buses, so we will see.

 

I recognize where you were - but I wondered whether Finn is still allowed to reply first?

CfN. 

 

...and even that got delayed...

 
Fair point, ChrisB.

I was never going to win this one, so I've now amended the heading of this topic, yet again.

That is my final answer. CfN.

 
Way back in the Summer of 2018, I purchased an 8 in 15 Freedom of Scotland rover and managed to travel over most of the rural (and not so rural) lines. I am currently north of the border again, attempting to travel over the rest (bar some of the Glasgow suburban lines)

Whilst enjoying the wonders of Wifi for the moment, I thought I'd post this now. I may not be so lucky over the next few days!

So, where was I today (17/09/25)?

Oh, by the way JayMac is barred from this as he and I have been messaging each other during the day!