That's brilliant Ben - I'm always convinced you must be making these escapades up . Hats off to you, definitely November's winner of "Two-Wheeled Tramp of The Month"

("A chaos filled, but mainly irrelevant backstory" - exactly what we want to hear about! Well I do anyway )

Decided to get this month's bivy in early

Having persuaded Cath that she needed to ride her fat bike more to get the new tubeless tyres properly sorted we saddled up and set off from Buckden. The first climb was the steepest and most technical. I have cleaned this once but with a loaded bike and with damp limestone rocks I needed a couple of dabs this time.



We went over Stake Moss, basically the route of the YD300 and part of the way back from last year's Yorkshire winter bivy, but rather than follow the YD300 route in to Wensleydale we cut right early on a BW I'd never done before that cut through to Thornton Rust. Probably the last chance this season to do it as it looks as if it would be very boggy normally but the effects of the dry summer still linger and while there was surface water it wasn't muddy. The fat bikes made short work of it and there were just a few ditches that were unrideable.





After afternoon tea in Aysgarth it was over to Carperby then up on to the bridleway leading back to Askrigg. A bit of road and we got to the pub in Bainbridge about forty minutes before they started serving food. This was the same pub where Richard G "stretched" the accommodation Back out in to the cold and we headed up the Roman Road until we found a flat spot for the tent. Only the fourth night in this, cue arty nighttime shot of lit tent ...



This is what it looked like in the morning.



Spot where the tent had been. Leave No Trace



Then another hill to start the day but a bit steadier this time up the rest of the Roman Road.



When we were up on the top the weather crapped out. We did the Yorkshire winter bivy route back to Buckden and by the time we got there we were both soaked and chilled so time to head to the cafe!

That's 11/11 for the year and 13 in a row so far.

Another local one here, this time with Dr Nick. I had a couple of half days riding planned that fitted in well around family life. With the obligatory faffing for us both completed off we duly trotted.
It's not particularly wild in my neck of the woods, but we dropped onto the first section of twisty singletrack after just half a mile. Bridleways and paths followed, with short road links and then into the small wood where I do a fair bit of riding. A lap round the fireroad and then another lap of the properly twisty singletrack that follows the edge of the woods. Recent rain had left a thin slimy, slippery layer of mud that made progress quite interesting. Slippy roots as well really did not help, especially when more rain arrived.
Dr Nick and his fat bike displayed annoying levels of grip and traction through all of this, just riding over and through stuff where I'd be slipping and sliding and dabbing. Harumph.
Obviously there's a cafe and pubs, we do have some standards.
We found ourselves a flat but grassy spot for the night, pitched up and settled down.

Nov 18 BaM by Richard Picton - Flickr2BBcode LITE
A short ride for a spot of brekkie, we then followed the canal out of town and then more byways for another loop before we finished up.
About 70 miles all in, which was plenty, with a pretty fair variety of tracks and paths. A good couple of days.

As Pickers wrote above, a top couple of half-days of riding, bivvying, talking rubbish and eating!

Pickers had planned an excellent and varied route.

Even the flat bits were a challenge due to the slime and gloop, even on the fattie.

I'll confess I really grovelled the last few miles.

I was also impressed with the Saturday night's pub's response to my answering the question 'ice cream or cream?' with a 'yes please' and both duely appeared!

A good bivvy spot, although the local ducks were bloody noisy at 1am!

Was also interesting to compare Picker's 'new and improved' luna solo with my original(?) older version. His is definitely less stealth as it's got more reflective stuff on it...

7/12 for me. (Jan-Jun and Nov).

Roll on Dec.

Got an early one in myself as well this month.
Drove up to friends in Speyside on Friday and was somewhat alarmed by the illuminated signs suggesting wind and rain weather warnings were in place..... There followed a fair bit of driving in torrential rain and wind with occaisions over the A93 and 939 where road, sky and verge all merged into one. Its weather like this that make cars quite useful things.

Anyway Saturday dawned clear and sunny so me and my mate Rob got our gear together (fat bikes ) and departed Dallas (no not that one!) at around 12, with a plan to rendevouz with Iona at Culbin forest around 3. Our route appeared to a mix of forest tracks, back roads and riverside single track - a straightforward prospect it seemed. (you know whats coming....). The first track lasted all of 200m before disappearing into a mass of broom, gorse and assorted tussocks. 30 mintues of manoeuvering later and we got to an easier trail heading west towards the River Findhorn. Rather than head straight there a diversion beckoned by (hopefully) another ace riverside trail. We found this after another easy forest track and this one lasted a mere 50m before landing us in a further woodland tangle. 800m took 45 minutes and further dubiety awaited with two substantial rivers requring crossing to go further (The Divvie and the Dorback). The map showed bridges but we are old hands so fully expected to have to reverse the above and try again via dull but easy estate roads. In the event a brand new bridge was in place and pleasant new paths took us to a very large house's back yard, through which we pedalled sharpish before the laird shouted at us. Thereafter there was more fine riverside riding....

Dodgy bridges, back tracking, other peoples back gardens, more nice trails and finally our rendevouz an hour and a half late. So the three of us pedalled a short distance through Culbin forest to my July BAM site. There followed a pleasant evening drinking beer, eating MOD food (free, don't ask) and chewing the fat. light then heavy rain eventually drove us into our shelters and a three hour deluge followed. The morning brought more sun and another MOD breakfast.

Once again I forgot to photo my Bivvy

Fatbeachpacking (TM)
Thereafter it was some easy beach riding, none easy dragging of bikes through dunes, more easy beach riding, nearly getting swept out to sea and finally some easy trails back to the van.

I'm on the home straight!

PS yet another free image hosting site has gone TU so all my previous photos have gone

"A local bivi for local people" this time - couple of quick halves with MuddyPete then rode back to his place and kipped in his garden. Back to the tarp again thank goodness after the tenting softness last month. Summer Minim-K bag sufficed which was a bit weird. Lot of condensation around though. There's no rabbits in the run next to my tarp because I stuffed them into my sleeping bag to keep my toes warm. There was a complex story about how Pete rocketed his Christmas lights up into and around that tree. Very illuminating way of getting off to sleep anyway. 11/11, 34/34

Using flickr now for photos. Little popups appear and today's was "Herding Pandas" which I thought was rather appropriate. I'd be obliged if someone could tell me how I upload on my Android phone because I can't find an "upload" button unlike on the "desktop" version. Maybe you have to be "Pro" to upload from phones - ridiculous if so.

20181115_001158

Always a pleasure, Reg. The rabbits were warm, but startled

Only another 3,000 lights to put up before the firework party...

I use flickr on my iPhone, I’ve installed the app and it automatically uploads when open and connected to WiFi.

11 from 11 for the year...nice night out with Mike and Hux last night...visiting various establishments in the Corve dale for food and tasty beer. Hux couldn't ride, so did the van camp thing but me 'n Mike finally made our way up Clee Burf and pitched up by around 2am this morning. Very windy up on the tops - enough so that I had to keep the storm doors down lest my Solplex got lifted outta Kansas and into Oz. I can almost taste my 4SL badge.

Greetz

S.

ta Steve - don't really want auto tbh, just selected ones. Any further help by PM much appreciated, or when see you in Dec.

RIP wrote:
Using flickr now for photos. Little popups appear and today's was "Herding Pandas" which I thought was rather appropriate. I'd be obliged if someone could tell me how I upload on my Android phone because I can't find an "upload" button unlike on the "desktop" version.

I'm currently using a Samsung. The photo app is called Gallery. If I open a photo in that, I get a "Share" option. Flickr comes up as one of the ways I can Share it (as well as Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, Gmail etc).

Or, I open the Flickr app, click on the Camera icon at the top right, then (when the Camera opens) I get an option bottom left to see the photos I've already taken. Click on that then find the photo(s) I want to Upload to Flickr. I get a series of options about Filters, Captions, I can put it in a specific Folder etc. then just hit Share.

Thanks 'Routes. Flickr doesn't appear as a Gallery share option, and I accessed Flickr in a Chrome tab rather than via any app - so I'll try the app I think...

EDIT: bit of a palaver with all those options etc but it works - so long as one also installs Flickr2BBCODE - thanks.

RIP wrote:Thanks 'Routes. Flickr doesn't appear as a Gallery share option, and I accessed Flickr in a Chrome tab rather than via any app - so I'll try the app I think...

EDIT: bit of a palaver with all those options etc but it works - so long as one also installs Flickr2BBCODE - thanks.

Ah yes - Flickr2BBCODE gets you the code for sharing it from Flickr to here.

11/11 and 23/23 with what was a truly hilarious night out with Rich, Pete, Ben and Adam. At one point, heading out from the pub after dinner, Rich laughed so hard he toppled gracefully off his bike. Something about grandmothers ,,,,

About six hours earlier we'd met up at the Chalfont St Giles duck pond as planned, but eschewed the 25 mile route I'd intended for something about half the length (and time) to get us to the Harte & Magpies pub for our 7pm rendezvous with Adam who was cycling over from Hazelmere. Apart from all the lifting over gates, it was a nice little ride. We ate great food, drank nice beers and laughed our arses off. Thanks again to Simon, the landlord, who provided several free jugs from the bottom of the barrel of Chilterns Ale. It was a little hoppy, but by the time we got to it we were past caring.

We wobbled out around 11pm and headed into the woods. The bivvy spot was right where I left it about six months ago and we all set out our various interpretations of shelter by around midnight. My hammock was as comfortable as ever and I slept like a baby. Apparently I may have snored. I don't know. I was asleep. Someone will be along shortly to tell us why men snore when we sleep on our backs.

Our wake up alarm came at 6.30am courtesy of a 4x4 clearing a path through a herd of cows in the field next to the woods. This was the first of the shooters heading up for their Saturday morning clay pigeon session. That was our cue to move, so we all brewed up, packed up, said goodbye to Adam who was heading in the other direction, and made our way down for breakfast at The Deli back at Chalfont St Giles.

Brilliant fun - thanks fellas.

Unlike me I managed to bag November's not on the last day of the month!

Snowdonia was on top form
IMG_20181117_102747_238 by Jeff Price, on Flickr

Didn't want to leave November too late but was suffering from lethargy or half a sore throat or something... tried for the 3 previous nights, but comfort and warmth got the better of me...
But Wednesday I got a good ride in, in the afternoon, and that brushed off the cobwebs...
so at 9:30pm off I went, but not very far... the other side of the cemetery, didn't bother putting the bike bags on, just threw everything into my rucsac.

The spot I had in mind looked alright in daylight, had passed it at the end of my afternoon's ride, though it was a bit of a slope, and covered in leaves...

BAM November 2018 by Eric Robinson, on Flickr

I decided to take my Trailstar, which I haven't used for a few months !
Had already developed a 'foolproof' (Ha !) method of getting it up, by tying a little piece of perlon on the back guy... I always start by pegging out the back guy first, then from there 2 of the pentagon sides...
Problem 1 - there was a pink piece of perlon AND on another guy a green piece of perlon !!! Which one is it ???
Whichever I chose it was the wrong one - not good, it's not going up right.. ok, start again, try the other one... Yes !
Problem 2 - Once I have 2 sides pegged I then (after slackening one side a bit) I then crawl under and put the pole up.
I have one of these tent mushroom thingies to spread the load.... It fell off as I was there on my knees meandering about. Took me a good 10 minutes of swearing to find it amidst all those leaves. (on Thursday I araldited it on !!)

And finally, after nearly an hour, I was in the sleeping bag, on the Klymit mat, BUT sliding to the wrong end because of the slope !

Quite an uncomfortable night. At least the Klymit stayed up (it's a new one, and this time I have the receipt, just in case)

I woke at 5 for another pee (bivvying always makes me pee a lot ), and thought sod it, I'll go home to bed...

So I dismantled everything very carefully because of all the leaves (if you drop something it may be gone forever), and was snug in bed for 6am
(I hope I didn't contravene any rules )

11/11 for 2018
32nd in a row*









* Planning to stop BAM and go out whenever I want to and not when the calendar tells me to after the Winter Event, or maybe on month 36 (March)

Bivvy-a-month #11 (feck You Sixty edition) in the (bivvy) bag.

Meet and greet at the OBI (with a lovely bottle of Spey Whisky from my awe-some friends), scran at Loch Insh Boathouse then an overnighter in Glen Feshie. Clear, clear night with starts aplenty, a meteor shower and ride back to Loch Insh for breakfast as the sun was finally rising over the hills.

P1050334 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050335_LI by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_0003 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_0002 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_0001 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

Here's my video from last weekend's bivvy a month trip near Snowdon.
https://youtu.be/uhM7wYPUHis

Nice one that Geoff, some good shots

ericrobo wrote:Nice one that Geoff, some good shots

Cheers

Short ride to Bivvy spot 10miles. Nice pleasant evening with a couple of friends, stories and putting the world to rights....again. A little bit chilly but a great cooked breakfast and a ride home with the rest of the day still to go. 11/11

November's was a trip down to Scott's to wish him adieu, started off as normal gentle bimble to the pub ,on the way we hopped a couple of Stiles and marched around the field to look at a bird hide,to get to it was a single track bridge with 3 rungs nailed to it making it quite difficult to get over with out bikes ,but we thought we'd give it ago later , anyhow as things normally go it was late when we left the pub and had trouble trying to ride in a straight line so it was decided as Scott had already got November's in it was back to his for whisky and I'd kip on the lawn (leaf out of regs book) ,all was good till about 4am when the winds and rain were battering me and my Bivi bag , finally decided to get up about 8 and pack away ,sleeping bag outer slightly damp maybe condensation but the way the wind was beating the rain into the Bivi I wouldn't be surprised if it was a touch of water too ,9/11 missed Jan and march
Photo to follow when I can get to pc

November done a few weeks back 11/11

Train on Friday afternoon to Yatton, then down the Strawberry Line and off towards Shipham - timed perfectly to meet the rural rush hour from Churchill School.
Pleasantly surprised to pass by The Cider Shed, Wilcox's HQ with the catchy strapline "Discover Somerset one sip at a time"



Good night in Rowberrow, then up through the forestry to the highest point at Blackdown, looking across to Wrington and Lulsgate above.



Down to Burrington Combe and Wrington, then the carriage road and bridlepath through the woods at the end of the runway to Fountain Timber. This can be very muddy but was glorious this time in the sunshine riding over the carpet of golden leaves.



Then familiar tracks through to Barrow Gurney / road to Long Ashton, up through Ashton Court and over the Suspension Bride to home for lunch. A great over night on a surprise sunny day.
Have a backlog from the rest of the year to write up with the photos. Will probabably drip feed them over the next couple of weeks !