Went around some lanes near Ely on Saturday, some nice ones.

The connectors are XLR cables, possibly something to do with audio: Yamaha MY4DA Channel Output Analog Card | Musician's Friend

Do you write for Sniff Petrol? http://sniffpetrol.com/2012/08/23/asktotalprickfromforum/ :D

No problem - someone posted on that page that they had found a weird device attached to their car and it was identified as a tracking device used by the police - he tried to sell it on Craiglist but the government came back to collect it - news story here: Reddit user finds FBI tracking device...

Post it to WhatIsThisThing: A Reddit for the identification of mysterious... things They'll identify it in no time.

I have LED indicators, driving, brake, fog, work and reverse lights as well as an LED light bar but halogen headlamps. The light given out by the LED lightbar is bright for sure but completely unsuitable for headlamp use.

You're right, you need the iPad Wifi + 3G version.

No need for external dongles on the iPad

I have an iPad with an app called "Outdoors" on it - has OS maps and records my route along with loads of other data. Very easy to use.

Apparently at road-going speeds the contact patch is no different - with the main benefit that if you get a puncture you still have another tyre to get you home. It is also apparently brilliant in the wet as water is channeled through the middle rather than aquaplaning. They don't make them any...

You could have it in a Twintire set up like this with two motocross tyres:

I can't do paper maps, the cab of a Defender is crampt enough as it is without having to unfurl a document the size of a small tennis court in there as well :D

Sent you a PM with a map you can zoom in on, I think this route is the one where you drive across the golf course fairway which is always fun.

It's just a preference, I've used both setups before.

Yes I know about them, decent ones are relatively expensive still. Seems like overkill for a laptop that will get bashed around in a Land Rover. Tablets are easier to use on the move too.

Here is a route I did around your area:

I wouldn't recommend a laptop for this purpose. The read \ write head of the hard drive is held as close as 3 nano metres to the platters when spinning, the kind of bumps you experience when greenlaning could cause a catastrophic hard drive crash. A tablet is much better with solid state...

I know a place in Peterborough but it may be a bit far for you. You do need a specialist (for example Kwik Fit are right out) as most places won't have the equipment to mount and balance large tyres. Have you tried looking for places that deal with lorry tyres?

They probably find someone with 10 points driving around with a large tank of explosive gas on board is quite a high risk :D

Inflation and increasing personal injury claims are the main culprits however what MuddyFox says is correct also, a lot of insurers rely on complacency and people to lazy to change insurer and increase the price only to have it come down again if you ask for a new quote.