The above picture is a fabulous greengage tart that The Lovely Fiona made a couple of weeks ago. It was lovely. The reason it appears here is because I have no other relevant pictures to accompany this post and it feels sort of wrong to have a post without pictures…
What this post is actually about is the small victory scored by writesofway the other day when he took the broken ruins of his Terra Nova (boo, hiss!) tent back to Cotswolds in Partick from whence it was purchased a couple of years back. Anyone who read the earlier posts about my Terra Nova (boo, hiss!) Voyager XL being blown into the sea on the lovely isle of Canna and the subsequent rubbish treatment I got from Terra Nova (boo, hiss!), will be glad to learn that the folk at Cotswold refunded my hard-won cash immediately.
The area manager happened to be in, he had a look at the tent and identified the torn out peg tape on the ground sheet as a failure in the manufacture of the tent. He was aghast that having ‘inspected’ the tent themselves, Terra Nova (boo, hiss!) failed to replace the tent, which was beyond repair. I’ve given Cotswold my extensive correspondence with Terra Nova (boo, hiss!) and they’ve said they’ll take the matter up with them. Thanks Cotswolds, that is good customer service.
We needed a replacement tent so we immediately reinvested our funds in a shiny new one. The criteria being that it had to be a spacious and robust 2-person(+1 Labrador) job. So we purchased a two entrance, 4-pole semi-geodesic number that you could drop a bomb on. It weighs a whole kilo more than the XL, but I’m happy to carry the weight, secure in the knowledge that this little beauty is going to stay put when pitched, even in a stiff wind. I think sometimes the whole lightweight thing can go a bit far, in fact I might start a new blog entitled ‘backpackingheavy’ or somesuch.
But actually I won’t, because from this day forth writesofway declares itself an officially ‘kit-free’ walking blog. Hurrah!
Writes of Way 
That really is good news, Pete. It’s always best to follow the money – Cotswold took your and are keen for you to spend again. TNF took Cotswold’s money and so are keen to look after them.
So – what did you end up with? (I know it’s a gear free zone, etc…..)
Pete – Well done sir. Now could you get me a new saddle out of Brooks of England. 8,000 miles and I am having a non Brooks posted to me. 92’f here today and kept awake last night by rowdy campers – got money back but so tired I feel slightly sick.
Howdy, Warren. I don’t understand why some manufacturers adopt such an unhelpful/belligerent stance with customers who’ve bought their products in good faith and then manifestly been let down. It’s actually not going to help their business in the long run I feel.
Sorry to hear abouy your disturbed night. Being kept awake by rowdy people is so much worse than just lying awake sleepless as you tend to be annoyed and stressed. You really need your rest when putting out as much effort as you are as well. I hope you get a better night tonight.
Pete – Can not blame last nights disturbance on anything than a much higher power. Big thunderstorm – biggest in my life. The tent shook with the clashes of thunder. Very glad we were not the highest object. Taking a motel this evening – it is labor day weekend and the locals are in high spirits on campgrounds.
oh, a bit of a lick o paint round here…the tart looks good too. Fine news bout tentage situation, never mind TN, overrated and overpriced….
A lovely looking tart that is. Good news on the tent front, shame that Terra Nova have such crap customer service. A big boo hoo and a rasberry to them.
A kit free blog? Surely there is nothing else for outdoor bloggers to write about……………
erm, yes, you may have a point…
I,m genuinely pleased for you Pete as you obviously felt it was a cause worth pursuing.I,m too soft , or so I,ve been told many times in the past..As a writer you have to be willing to fight your corner to survive.against the pack. .I know someone who was rejected for a job interview.He thought about it and said no, I,m not having that. Get Stuffed! He demanded a second interview and got one only to find it was a weeding out process.
He,s now running his own company.Best of luck.
Thanks Bob. I think Terra Nova hoped I’d just give up if they they dragged their heels and palmed me off with stuff about it being my fault for pitching the tent wrong etc. I could have saved a lot of work by just going straight back to Cotswolds though…