As mentioned previously, not going anywhere and not spending any money has meant both the funds and fantasies of adventure have been slowly building up. I've tried not to buy new gear indiscriminately - apart from anything, I refitted the Shift with (what little) needed updating back in February, long before the implications of the plague became clear, including a replacement for the worn drivetrain and (finally!) a decent saddle.

These have served me well over the decent distances which I've racked up on day rides. The Brooks in particular has been no trouble at all, never being particularly uncomfortable and requiring very little fussing with (despite my initial neuroticism about water exposure). The mudguards are excellent - while they certainly don't reduce from the weight, they do an amazing job of staying out the way even as I cycle down singletrack paths or over fields.

But one thing that I'd forgotten about: my excellent, long-serving tent - the Wild Country Duolite - had essentially worn itself out in the Czech Republic last year. Despite some ... challenging conditions, it had actually performed really well, keeping me essentially dry even during an all-night intense thunderstorm that turned my tent pitch into a small pool. But by the end, it was clear that the waterproofing on the thin groundsheet was giving up - pressing against the ground, I could feel water coming through. More seriously, one of the only three vital pegging points for main tent had almost come off in Plzen, and I had had to perform an emergency rescue (using, of all things, a mini hotel sewing kit).

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Somewhat miraculously, it had held out for another week until the end of the tour, but it was clear I either needed a replacement or a serious fix up. Every few days I would browse the usual outlets, only to be rather quickly repulsed by the astronomical prices (I think I was a little spoiled here, picking up the Duolite for something under £100 barely used).

So it was seeing a bargain quite unexpectedly while idly surfing ebay in the ten minutes before dinner that lead me to make what is a very unusual purchase for me: an unplanned last-minute ebay bidding war! With 10 minutes to go on the auction, it was a hardly used Terra Nova Voyager - for just over £200. Some frantic research, and I determined that this was a very good price indeed. Seller seemed legit. Some frantic clicking later and I had myself a new tent.

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Terra Nova is the premium mark for which Wild Country is the discount. Since I'd had such a good experience with the Duolite, but would never normally be able to justify £500+ on a full Wild Country, this looks to be a good purchase. It's actually the "superlite" version, which means it comes in at only 1.5kg (having titanium pegs and amazingly light material) - while still being very much a 3 season tent. (The "two man" bit I'm more sceptical about, but that's the case for pretty much all tents. I mean sure, you could fit two people inside it, but you'd have to really like the other person to sleep so tightly packed together).

The only thing I was a little concerned about was the gossamer-like thinness of the groundsheet. But the seller had that covered as well - in the price was included an official footprint (which would have originally cost £50 alone).

Now I just needed an opportunity to try it out...