First, it emerged that telecoms regulator Ofcom was considering a broadband consumer watchdog to monitor potential mis-selling and other dubious practices. But this rate includes a 0.75 per cent bonus that runs out after a year, and the maximum you can pay in is £2,000 a month.Elsewhere, Northern Rock pays 4.9 per cent on its Silver Savings 30 account – with no bonus – but requires a minimum balance of £5,000, with 30 days’ notice needed for withdrawals; anybody over 50 years old qualifies.Ms Hannums suggests an easy access account from Saga paying 4.25 per cent, with a guarantee of no less than 0.25 per cent below the Bank of England base rate for balances of £1,000.”While not a best buy, this account offers a consistently good rate.”However, the golden rule is that older savers can get similar or better rates by looking at the same deals available to everyone else.For the growing number of internet-savvy “silver surfers”, Bradford & Bingley pays 4.85 per cent on a minimum of £1,000, adds Ms Hannums.If you are happy to run your account by phone or post, Anglo Irish bank offers 4.8 per cent on its instant access account for balances of £500.. The aim was to attract those with substantial savings looking to supplement their pension income, or wishing to keep a rainy-day fund.The two accounts had never promised more than “limited availability”, claim spokesmen for Portman and Stroud & Swindon, and customers who took up the offers could still add new savings at those rates.Before we mourn the passing of these products, it’s worth remembering that accounts aimed specifically at older audiences are usually a triumph of marketing.Sue Hannums from independent financial adviser Chase de Vere warns that they are not immune to the usual caveats, such as temporary bonus rates and restrictions on how often customers can make withdrawals.They also tend to be “notice” accounts, so if you need your cash now, you will have to pay a penalty.The highest-paying deal for the over-60s is Coventry building society’s Sixty-Plus Saver (issue 2) instant access account, paying 5.25 per cent on balances of £500. Portman building society’s 50+, a 75-day notice account paying 5 per cent, and Stroud & Swindon building society’s instant access Diamond account, paying 4.85 per cent, were closed to new business.
Both were launched in October last year as part of a new trend among financial institutions to target the over-50s. Kirroughtree: The singletrack of Black Craig makes the journey to the west coast worth it Also plenty of family trails.

Mabie: Features the Kona Dark Side, the most difficult man-made trail in the UK – rated double-black diamond. Newcastleton: Family-friendly trails with walking routes for those not into two-wheeled travel. Further information: www.7stanes.gov.uk; www.redbullhelterskelter.co.uk; www.thehubintheforest.co.uk. Two high-interest savings account offers targeting older or “silver” customers were withdrawn last week. Dalbeattie: The Slab, a steeply sloping granite rock, is the highlight here.

Glentress:The mother of all mountain-bike centres, with the best range of trails in Scotland; do the V-Trail at least once. Refuel at the friendly Hub caf?Glentrool: Natural trails attract families rather than thrill-seekers. Innerleithen: The XC route is a slog, but the last section down Caddon Bank to the visitor centre is the best man-made downhill in the country. As Bart-lett points out, the Government have realised that people want more out of forests than just trees. Robin Barton travelled across Scotland in an Ace Roma (01482 847 332, swiftleisure. Hire bikes were lined up as guides led out small groups of wobbly-looking cyclists. Kirroughtree, the most remote 7Stanes, has as much to offer the experienced biker as the beginner, though, and is Bartlett’s favourite trail: “It reflects everything we’ve learned about trail building from all over the world,” he says.