[Closed] Inspire me - What did you get for your 40th Birthday?

I think I get what some are trying to say about red letter days - a bit like Argos catalogue of days out, bit impersonal.
But do agree that an experience is good idea- but should be something you value but wouldn't usually do for yourself.

If it wasn't for covid, I'd say as a runner something like a major marathon entry and maybe hotel- maybe something like Berlin.
But now maybe one of the smaller niche ones that might be less affected by social distancing, scandi ice one or midnight sun race. Or hold off about a year. A lot of "experiences" aren't going to be quite the same during covid.

Got a new garden shed for my 40th.

Back in Uni, I lost my St Christopher pendant. Looking for something a bit different to wear around my neck I bought a pair of cheap earings (about £5) and repurposed one of them. It's a stylised pewter frog with a bit of blue plastic in the middle. Over the years I became quite attached to it, wore it all the time and quite often got comments on it. It's quite small, about 2 cm high.

For my 40th, Ms Beej had it copied in white gold and blue topaz.

I bought a VW California a couple of months before so sacked off any other pressies bar any special birthday treats 😉 So try a campervan.

Can someone say they got an emtb so I can send my missus/family a link to this thread for ideas? Thanks!

PADI course

Another who can't really remember. Seems like a lifetime ago due to 1 x toddler + 1 x 3yo, but was only 5 years. It was supposed to be a standout but I didn't know what I wanted, it wasn't known what to get me. Ah, I did get a waterproof MTB jacket from my parents, an expensive gift by our standards. Didn't do anything with friends because we'd drifted apart although I didn't want to admit it. We quite often say we're going to do things but don't because daily mundane run of the mill life...

Reading this thread, maybe I'll try and get myself something to do for my 50th. Probably try and arrange a holiday somewhere... if we've not managed a family holiday to Scotland (only been once, and that was a weekend) I'll try for that, or maybe the Alps (again, been once, but got sick after a couple of days) or somewhere we generally only dream of going.

Riding with good friends at Whistler bike park. Definitely a day to remember...

As Cougar says, experiences rather than gifts. For my 50th, me and the family stayed in Sitges and popped into Barcelona a couple of times. Great memories of both locations.

For my wife's 50th we went to Copenhagen. Very expensive but such a beautiful city.

Do a weekend away for the money even if you have to add to it.

Marlin Cyrene titanium road bike. It was stolen a few years later a work of art that I enjoyed riding hugely. And a family party in Devon with friends I’d know since school. Bank holiday on August with sun, a hotel we’ve used many times, a pool and a lovely day. It was just wonderful.

My mother staged my 40th and my twin sister played football with my two sons. Neither lived to my 50th and I laid on a party on a Thames steamer for 50 friends and family after racing the UCI Masters World Championships which fell over my 50th weekend.

A new fly rod, a copy of fly fishing by jr hartley and a new Welcome skateboard deck... I was pretty stoked

40th Party was at Castell Carreg Cennen and then a solo bikepacking trip across Iceland. Both of which were 'kin amazing.

Same again when I was 50, this time with a 4x4 instead of a MTB. Again, amazing.

I got an e-bike which is the only present available that shows that a 40yr old mountain biker is loved and appreciated.

And a trip to York, including two nights in the northern version of Fawlty Towers and two days of visiting all the attractions my children liked the look of.

Honestly can’t remember, it was a quarter century ago...

I got a snapped achilles tendon for my 40th.

I got 4 Lego characters in a frame with a nice message

I got a ‘Full-on’ long weekend in that there London to watch LCD Soundsystem, on a truly Freddie Mercury/Motley Crue level of Drug-fuelled debauchery.

It was ace! Took me about a month to recover 😃

I have already told my wife that if there’s a party I will walk out of it.
There will be a small gathering of maybe 10 people at the local pub and no more.

On the Red Letter Day Thing, they just don’t appeal. If I wanted to sky dive I’d go and do it myself (in fact, I have), and I don’t want to spend £400 on driving a car round a track for the morning. Spa days are fine, but again, we do those from time to time anyway.

Ah, I think I now understand your dilemma.

You're a miserable git. HTH. Happy birthday. (-:

I got a Lionsteel "Barlow":

Not my photo, mine has ebonywood scales. They have a cool configurator on their website that you can play around with, fits in the "nice, but not silly money" category that's perfect for a gift, and the build quality is top notch.

I'd previously bought myself another nice classic pocket knife, with the intention of keeping it forever, but the build quality was just "ok". The lionsteel, on the other hand is absolutely 100% perfect, which makes me happy every time I use it.

Sorry - at work so can't post a link to a knife website

Food poisoning.
From drinking some dodgy coffee where the water hadn't been boiled when working away in far-forn parts.

I'm not reading 3 pages and I'm sure this has been done but my 40th is next year and I'm just planning on riding a load of famous/infamous Tour de France Alpine climbs for a week or so. Possibly with my mates, possibly with my wife (who wouldn't be doing any actual riding) or maybe even both I suppose.

All subject to the zombie apocalypse being over or at least out of the way, of course.

MrsbeanZ 40th , 5 days in new York - got to see the Stones play .
My 40th , I did a rally driving weekend in Welsh wales - fan bloody tastic.

long weekend surfing (well trying to...) and bodyboarding in newquay. flew down to avoid teh traffic. was bloody amazing.

There will be a small gathering of maybe 10 people at the local pub and no more.

*Calls the Covid police*

But seriously, I agree "red letter days" feel too much like commoditised exepriences, but isn't there somewhere you'd like to go and ride your bike? The money might pay the rental on some nice accomm somewhere cool - whether in the UK or abroad.

Unless you're one of those weird types who doesn't ride anymore but still hangs around here?

What I’d planned: Ultra marathon on Arran and the Dirty Kanza

When that got COVIDed I recklessly spent the money on a Salsa Stormchaser. Meh you’re only 40 once.

A 5k Giant Trance

Which was stolen from work when I went out for a family meal and left the bike INSIDE the office which was broken into.

So I used my insurance money and bought a 2020 Stumpjumper LT

Im 40 in April and really want a nice guided riding holiday somewhere a bit special.

trouble is that excludes any of my family and non-riding mates - but then again even my riding buddies are complaining it will cost too much and that we could fly drive, shack up in some hovel and self navigate - which is what we always do! which is why i want the 40th to be something more salubrious.

when i was in my twenties, i went on loads of 40th's down on the 'costa. even went to Vegas for one too. Now were all gonna be 40 next year and there will no doubt be a few of those jolly ups to attend... so im probably gonna go on my riding trip on me tod.

Porsche 911 (complete with Thule roof bars and bike carriers)

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so im probably gonna go on my riding trip on me tod.

I'm definitely going for a solo night or 2 away somewhere, likely The Peaks. 2 nights, a good country pub or 6, and lots of time in the hills.

There's no way I could organise a big group outing, my friends have a far to diverse range of interests and incomes to be able to do that successfully, hence the comment about a quiet pub and 10 of my best mates as a "party".

I went to Colombia and then Miami with a group of mates for my 40th. It was epic. We were going to do a days guided riding on the trails around Medellin but the company we were using got broken into and their bikes nicked a few days before. We went quad biking instead and it turned out to be in the middle of a thunderstorm whilst we were tearing through the jungle which was great fun.

Turned 40 a couple of years ago....

I definitely didn't want anything material as I pretty much have what I want (campervan, couple of quite nice bikes and I'm not really into flashy stuff).

I bloody hate parties.

The wife suggested a weekend away but as we had already booked flights to Orlando for the family (my kids were 8 and 10 at the time), I suggested we just do that "right", so we go a nice villa with a pool, Disney Tickets, Alligator spotting tour and lots of breakfasts out.

So basically I got pancakes, roller coasters and alligators for my 40th.  Wouldn't change it!

Nothing really, my missus booked a family holiday to Croatia as a "surprise" which would have been fun but was ubsequently cancelled because of the covids. Other than that not much else.

TBH I'm not particularly worried, it's just another birthday and I did say I didn't want anything because, well I'm 40, not 4 and I can buy myself things if I want now...

I rented a local tap room and had a pissup in a brewery. Probably 40 or 50 friends and family. It was great, although quite a bit of organising.

I also got to choose the holiday that year (it was near my birthday) so we had a week in the Alsace drinking really good fizz in the sun for €3 a glass.

Present-wise, MrsD got me a new camera to replace my ailing 10 year old jobbie. Just what I needed, although since I got COVID I've barely left the house to be able to use it :/

Porsche 911 (complete with Thule roof bars and bike carriers)

You got a bargain there for £500.

Can't remember my 40th.

50th - I paid for me and the MrsF to go to Prague in January (this year). Got some currency from my family that bought us a nice meal out. SIL didn't even get me a card (lives 1/2 a mile away) - wished me happy birthday on Facebook - I'm not on facebook ! MrsF bought me a super car spin on a local track - finally got this booked for October.

Our 25th wedding anniversary next week - and that's a quick night away this week in York, then a week at our caravan (lucky we have one, and it's only just recently re-opened due to Covid). Italy went out of the window.

A weekend at a lovely boutique hotel in Krakow and a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Definitely go for an experience and memories rather than a purchase. As you've said, this is what matters to you.

Krakow is fantastic and Auschwitz is certainly an experience. Tough, but I'm glad I went and it's had an effect on my outlook.

Seems like a good shout.

Mrs Pondo got me a taster flying lesson, which was mega - I've always wanted to fly, the chap did us a couple of short flips around Gloucester aerodrome and allowed me to "land" it second time round. Awesome, sort of thing I've always wanted to do and would never have arranged for myself, which is exactly what this kind of thing is all about. 🙂

My family bought me 40 laps drifting at Drift limits in herts for my 40th.

My mrs had a load of stuff lined up, a chef coming round to teach and cook a curry as well as a group trip to the crystal maze, none of which happened as Covid lockdown was the day it was all due.

I would do an experience before you get too old and decrepit for that shit

trouble is that excludes any of my family and non-riding mates – but then again even my riding buddies are complaining it will cost too much and that we could fly drive, shack up in some hovel and self navigate – which is what we always do! which is why i want the 40th to be something more salubrious.

a bit like the old stag do conundrum - it's a bit unfair to demand that all your mates splash the cash, just because you want to. Especially this year when everyone's shitting it about potential redundancy. Maybe do the cheaper option but do something special out there, like a fancy meal out one night?

One of my 50th gifts (1 of 50!!!) was an hour in a 737-800 flight sim at Virtual Aerospace in Bacup. It was absolute dog shit. And Mrs. S was gutted.

I had a first flying lesson for my 40th. Good experience but was a bit like your first driving lesson..... Just higher up.

I bought my parents a 40y/o bottle of port to celebrate their survival of 40yrs of my life.

had it delivered to their house, they mistakenly thought it was a present for me, so didnt open it and therefore didnt decant it and as a result didnt drink it on my birthday, doh! It was very nice, even if my birth year wasnt a 'classic'

I had a first flying lesson for my 40th. Good experience but was a bit like your first driving lesson….. Just higher up.

That made I laugh.

I'm such a cliche: trip of a lifetime to ride bikes in the desert, a divorce, a vintage bike, a King Cage bracelet. Some of these things I paid for myself!

Would a series of coaching or uplift days be too much of a 'not a thing'?

How about the kind of fancy pants lightweight tent it's difficult to justify buying yourself but that makes on the move adventures possible?

If there's really nothing you want or need, they could buy you warm feelings and a Buffalo Bike.

I had a first flying lesson for my 40th. Good experience but was a bit like your first driving lesson….. Just higher up

I’d imagine stalling was far more exciting

Don't remember what other people gave me.

I bought myself a 1984 Land Rover Pickup and put a soft top on it.

Paid of my mortgage.

Handed my notice in (worked for the company for over 20 years, last 3 years with my notice in my pocket, ready to hand in at a moments notice), very funny when they thought I was joking.

Gave myself a gap year and a bit, spent it getting up late, having a last sail with my Father, cycling between pubs in Suffolk and Essex.

I managed it because my only dependents ate cat food.