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Anyway, do we really reckon they'll go for it? Tricky half hour before lunch when they really can't lose a wicket to stand a chance. I think they'll be too cautious at first, give it some welly after lunch, get chastened by the loss of too many wickets, then just about scrape a draw by close of play.

There you go. New ball, Jimmy Anderson, last wicket falls. Didn't take a tactical genius to work that out. Braindead indeed.

Pisspoor tactics from Stokes here. Get the new cherry and give Anderson a couple of overs with it. Might actually give us a sight of how it'll behave when we do get a bat as well.

I think they've got enough already. This last wicket partnership is just making it even less likely England can carve out a win.

That actually looks fine. It's just a question of whether the angle of the stem is too flat, but if I can see the screen OK, it's a bargain.

I did think about the quadlock, but they don't do a dedicated case for my phone, so I'd have to get one of those adhesive things and stick it to the back of my own phone case. Which I'm sure is fine, but it does seem rather a lot of money and faff for something that might not be as secure/useful as I'd want it to be for that price.

Guess if I'm doing it on the cheap, a stem bag would be the way to go. Or some other generic phone mount thing.

This is exactly what I needed to hear, i.e. works for fairly short days and idiot proof. Do you use some kind of bar mount for the phone or just have it in your pocket in case you need it? If the former, how do you get around the issue of screen glare?

Finely poised. Gut feeling is they'll eke out another 40 or 50 tomorrow morning and we'll stutter to 150-odd for 4 before trying to shut up shop. May need a rearguard action and a last-wicket stand to save the game.

Oh, that OsmAnd app looks great. Cheers for the link. I'll install and give it a whirl this weekend. Thanks.

Hahaha. Colossal blunder there. But I still reckon they'll set 280 plus with Mitchell still there.

Pitch looks like it's getting livelier. Reckon 250+ is going to be tricky to chase.

Haven't found anything on this yet, but realise it may have been covered so excuse me if I'm going over well-trodden ground. What do people use for navigation round here? Dedicated GPS unit? Or some kind of app/smartphone combo? If the former, which one? Garmin Edge 530? Something else? If the latter, which app do you use? Looking to get something for the forthcoming N.France tour and wondering whether I really need to shell out or whether I can get by with Google maps or similar. Cheers.

No idea. The reason they withdrew the service in the first place was Covid-19, or so they say. Quite how bikes that would be subject to the same security checks as normal luggage would present a security issue is anyone's guess. And customs issues sounds like horseshit, unless they reckon people are going to flock to France to buy bikes and 'import' them back. And I can't see that being remotely worth it.

'Security and customs issues...'

Hmmm.

It's off Gumtree now and back on here for one last time before it traipses off to 'The Bay'. Offered it on the Wanted section for £700, so seems only reasonable to have it at that price here.

No worries. Good luck with the search.

I've got a Viner Maxima Ultralight with 11-speed SRAM Rival drivetrain (except the chainset, which is their S500 50/34t compact). Rim brakes, Vision 35 wheels, Selcof finishing kit. It's 'Large' and measures in at 60cm C-T, which may be too big for you (I'm 5'9" and it's a bit on the large side, but it's only an issue for me as I have shortarse legs).

Details here. I'd let it go for £700.

Awesome. PM incoming, @HarryK

Already booked my ticket for this time and it had to be Calais as I wanted to head along the Calais-St Omer canal. Much prefer smaller ports too and have done the Newhaven-Dieppe trip on a bike before, which was particularly hassle-free. Thankfully heading back from Dunkerque, which I'm hoping will be an easier experience.

Loving the €14 for as much coffee/juice/pastries as you can eat/stash, though. Great tip.

No biggie. Just sticking down a marker in case.

Dibs on Marathon plus pair if crossedthread's Fam doesn't want them.

Apparently, they're going to start allowing foot passengers again this year. Or so the website says. I think the main issue is the total lack of infrastructure for foot passengers any more. Used to be easy to, for example, get off the ferry and straight on to a train, but now thanks to Eurostar, people no longer get the 'boat train' from London to Paris via Dover-Calais, so it looks like they've removed it all.

In fairness, it's only one hotel that's insisting on that. And typically, it's the one that I paid for up front rather than opting for the 'Free cancellation' rate, so that's a lesson learned. I reckon if they knew I had the option of cancelling, they'd have found somewhere indoors. We'll see. They may relent when I get there, but it's a small place that's mainly a restaurant with a few rooms, so the garden might be the best I can hope for.

Nothing too strenuous. Calais to St Omer along the Calais-St Omer Canal for the first day. Then St Omer to Cassel via the Thiriez brewery in Esquelbecq. Third day heading in to Belgium (via St Bernardus Brewery and Westvleteren Brewery) before staying overnight in Ypres. Then back to France for a night in Bergues before heading to Dunkirque and back to Dover.

This is a 'see if I like it' precursor to a much longer trip along Eurovelo 19. Already miffed most hotels don't let you take your bike to your room (one is making me leave it in the garden) and French laws saying you need lights/a bell/reflectors on your bike. That aside, I'm looking forward to it, the brewery bits particularly.

Ah great. Thanks. Looks fine and avoids the N road. Brilliant.