Bivvy a month 2014 thread.

[Mike]

A few more pics from the forest bivy


A quick coffee n biscuit break was had before we rode down to Bewdley for chips n beers


That took longer than expected so neil had to stay close due to his head torch being about as useful as a candle, that and me trying to take more photos nearly put me down the embankment just after this one

The morning came at 5am with a damp forest floor but no bugs to be seen anywhere!

[Slacker]

With my house roof waterproof ish, Bit hot for roofing really.


Quick drive to Anglesey to see family on holiday. Meal in the hotel and walk on the prom and family all tucked up in bed .
I walk into the night !!!!

Sorry a bit blurry phone cam struggling a bit.

Wake up a little too early in a nice place . Those Gulls do not seem to sleep.


Then spent next few hours paddling with kids.


Life is good

[Charliecres]

7/7 achieved with another quick jaunt into the Surrey hills. Our bivy spot was crawling with bugs and spiders when we arrived but they pretty much seemed to go to bed before we did, which was a relief. The forecast was so good I dispensed with the bivy bag and slept in a cheap one-season Karrimor sleeping bag and a T-shirt.

[composite]

Finally got this written up: http://www.composite-projects.co.uk/201 ... -pub-bivi/

[Mike]

Managed to get another bivy in last night up in a woodland outside Sheffield with wenchy and the posse. As it was late we decided to walk in which made a change. A great bivy spot was found by a stream. We got dinner on and the boy's got the fire going. I put my bivy out and set up the tarp in a new way to what I usually do. This worked well using two trees and a centre ridge line. I slept like a baby for a change!

[Ian]

July bivi in progress. In Haldon Woods overlooking Exeter. Quick lap of the red, then onto the blue trail as far as the wooden platform. Great spot. Beautiful start night.
http://instagram.com/p/rF4KdXPE4Y/

[Ian]

7/7 done in the nick of time

Mid-week bivi's are great. Enjoying a cup of coffee while watching the sun come up, then roll down the hill to work.

http://instagram.com/p/rGmDqtvE79/

http://instagram.com/p/rGm51gvE82/

Also, think this is the first bivi I've had with 3G internets. You can tell I'm not in Wales.

[Blackhound]

7/7

This was a walking one, my first in 20+ years and harder than I expected. The back story is that I had to abandon the TdF bivy due to falling and breaking my elbow on the first day. I am back on the bike but I am not liking bumps to much and do not want to fall on it again just yet. My plan was to walk a chunk of the Gritstone way between Edale and Derby.

I had walked run / walked the GW in October 1981 as training for the Karrimor Mountain Marathon and made it to Beeley the first day. In subsequent years I regularly used the Edale to Grindleford section (Mam Tor / Hollins Cross / Lose Hill / Win Hill / Burbage / Padley Gorge to Grindleford) before getting home for tea.
Arriving at 11am it took me 8.5 hours to get to Grindleford. I felt fine, even if running was beyond me, but the descent into Grindlefod I really struggled. I ventured into the local woods and cowboy camped as it was quite warm:

P7301460 by blackhound59, on Flickr

The next day I was up at 5am and walked up onto Froggatt and Curbar edges walking onto Wellington's Monument and dropped to Baslow where I found a Spar and over indulged. My legs found the descent hard and I seemed to be crawling on the flat section through Chatsworth. I went to a cafe for some hot food and coffee and then limped to Rowsley on the A6 to get a bus and train back to Derby and a 2 mile walk home.

One thing I noticed was how quick it was to pack up when everything was just dropped into an OMM sack compared to the palaver when on a bike.

View from Curbar edge at ~7am:

P7301461 by blackhound59, on Flickr

[Chew]

6/6 (Just getting around to posting)

Havent had a big trip since getting back from America last year.

New job and the year was rolling on and summer was here, so i needed to get away. It was a bit last minute and being inspired by the HTR and the Highlands Audax I packed my CX and headed up to Glasgow where i could safely leave my car for a few weeks. A few beers catching up with old friends and then it was time to hit the road and make my way over to catch the ferry across to Arran.

A pleasant ferry crossing and then an undulating ride around the southern part of the island lead me to my stop for the night



Leisurely start the day and a 10 mile journey to the ferry terminal back to the mainland. Just timed the ferry to perfection and beat it in by 2 mins. Up through Tarbet (the best chicken pate i've ever had, or i was very hungry) and then up to Oban to catch the ferry across to Mull to stop for the night.

Great views on Mull and scorching weather as i climbed up into the hills.



The heat was relentless, food was getting scarce and the usual shop/cafe/hotel every 20 miles wasn't appearing so instead of continuing around the eastern part of the island i decided to cut across to Tobermory to settle in the YHA and have a good wash and cool down.

In the morning the sea mist had rolled in as we crossed back over to the mainland. The Southern part of Moidart is very pleasant, gentle rolling hills in the trees, until you hit the bigger hills going across to Mallaig. Another ferry across to Skye and then to pay my respects at the Patron Saint of Knackered Knees.



A great meal in Broadford before settling down of the night.



Time to make my way up the eastern side of Skye in search of food. 'Shop 5 miles ahead', great. So i get my head down to find its only open in the morning FFS! Theres this eccentric bookshop next door, so i was hopeful if i turned on the charm i might be able to get a cuppa. Ended up with a lot more, of a huge cheese platter which kept me going for many more miles.

Finally main my way to the top of the island to stop of the night. Not a bad spot, i've slept in worse.



In the morning it was time to hit the road again



And make my way down to the southern part of the island



Back onto the mainland up and over to Lochcarron and over to the base of the climb over to Applecross. This is where the scenery starts to get serious. It was like some kind of scene out of Jurassic Park (my photo doesnt do it justice)



The climb up and over in the morning was steady away (ok i pushed part of the middle section) before the fast decent down to Applecross and then making my may around the coast and then to the YHA in Torridon for another wash.

Its Scotland so the rains going to come at some point. Low level clouds and drizzle across Torridon & Fisherfield so the views werent as good as hoped, but that leaves a good excuse to go again.

I pushed on over the tops and the huge climb over towards Ullapool in search of more shelter and a promise of changing weather conditions after a couple of days of rain.

The weather was as promised and the next morning the wind had dropped and the rain had passed.



Then it was time to go properly north. The scenery didnt disappoint. Beaches and montains anyone?



The section past Loch Lurgainn up to Lochinver as very scenic and the Lochinver Larder didnt disappoint. Shall we say that the road north was a bit steep. Up towards Unapool for the most expensive can of coke in the world. I'm sure this sight may be familiar to a few.



Another night in the wilds before continuing further upwards to visit the most northern Spar in the country* in Durness. The skys were clear and the winds were picking up and strong, but unfortunately for me, they were in my face. A bit of a head down and get on with it across what seemed like the edge of the world over to Tongue. I had planned to head to the bothy at Achnanclach hoping there may be a reasonable track out to there. Unfortuantly arriving it seemed like a couple of miles of Deathmarch to find it may have been locked, but found this place out of the wind. No idea what it was.



*this may/may not be true


7/7
Tour d' Yorkshire

[Bearbonesnorm]

That looks great ... only a bit jelous.

Patron Saint of Knackered Knees

My knee started to ache just looking at that picture

[Pickers]

Can I join the party please?
Having recently bought a few new bits and bobs, some from Stu, I thought I'd better go and try them out with a trip out after work.
Cue rather more faffing about than I'd foreseen getting everything fitted to the bike, I eventually got away around 8ish last night. Now I'm not blessed with miles of lush singletrack near home, but there are enough bridleways and towpaths for a worthwhile rattle test. A loop of just under 20 miles got me into the local woods just as darkness fell. It was a lovely warm dry evening, so I didn't even try out the tarp or Stu's unexpectedly lurid guylines! Bivvy bag, mat and bag out and had a decent kip.
Up with the sun this morning I managed to get a pic that at least proves the bike was there! A short ride and a quick stop for brekkie and then home for work this morning. Looking forward to the next one.

Not very tidy.jpg

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[Bearbonesnorm]

unexpectedly lurid guylines

You wouldn't want anyone tripping up over them would you?

[Blackhound]

Lovely photo's Chew.

[summittoppler]

Chew, vaguely exciting ride there. Brought back memories of my last two tours up that way.
Stunning scenery

[summittoppler]

Just about made it 7/7 for me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFGHczq ... SKht099rPQ

[Ian]

Nice one Jeff, enjoyed that
Those tracks in the first half - are they the "footpaths" between the top of the Sychnant Pass and the east end of the Roman Road?

Bivvy spot looked good too.

[summittoppler]

Nice one Jeff, enjoyed that
Those tracks in the first half - are they the "footpaths" between the top of the Sychnant Pass and the east end of the Roman Road?

Bivvy spot looked good too.

Cheers for the feedback
They are indeed Ian, I know what you're thinking *you can get to Capel Curig using them* beats riding on the road to Trefiew

[Ian]

I know what you're thinking *you can get to Capel Curig using them* beats riding on the road to Trefiew

I have a dilemma of whether or not to include these trails in my Welsh C2C. Although classified as footpaths in parts, they are well ridden trails and the chance of annoying grumpy walkers is reasonably slim. As a local, what do you reckon?

[summittoppler]

As a local, what do you reckon?

Tbh Ian, in over 20 years of mtbing round those parts I've never had any verbal of any walkers. The area between Sychnant Pass and the eastern end of the Roman Road is well used by bikers and horse riders let alone the walkers. It drains extremely well so its not like we are causing harm to the tracks either. I've even seen the farmers up there tending to the sheep and they've never said anything. Conwy mtn is very similar as well, although as the tracks area a bit narrower you do have to be courteous to any walkers you meet. but once again I've never had any run ins there either.

If you need any other info give me a shout

[Ian]

If you need any other info give me a shout

If you can PM me your email, I'd like to send you a GPX over for comment

[ScotRoutes]

A late report...

Julys BaM was squeezed in during a holiday with the Mrs on North Uist. I had the fatbike with me so escaped to bivvy out on a little spit of land surrounded by around 325 degrees of water.


I was strafed by a couple of large owls soon after I'd got settled. I was actually waving my hands and clapping to try to scare them off. I've never seen them behave like that before and I don't know of it was me they were interested in or whether there were lots of insects flying around just above me. Either way, I eventually just hunkered down in the bivvy bag and they seemed to lose interest after a while.

I got a fairly good nights sleep and awoke just before dawn to catch a magnificent sunrise over Harris.



FWIW, I'd taken the bivvy gear but not the frame/bar bags and just rode with a small rucksack. I have to say, it was just fine for the distance involved.

Some more photos from the holiday over here... http://www.blog.scotroutes.com/2014/08/ ... -easy.html

[composite]

Just about made it 7/7 for me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFGHczq ... SKht099rPQ

I enjoyed that, I think it's the best one of your videos yet. Interesting that in the first half the majority of shots are of you riding away from camera and the second half riding towards camera. Gives a subtle feel of going away and then coming back again. Good stuff.

[summittoppler]

Just about made it 7/7 for me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFGHczq ... SKht099rPQ

I enjoyed that, I think it's the best one of your videos yet. Interesting that in the first half the majority of shots are of you riding away from camera and the second half riding towards camera. Gives a subtle feel of going away and then coming back again. Good stuff.

Cheers bud, I was pretty pleased with it myself tbh. I've got a home made cable cam to try out for the next one

[Mike]

Enjoyed that vid here to. It then was followed up by ur may ride vid that was great also. I need to explore more of that area you have some great trails on your doorstep Jeff!! tried working out ur may route as I did recognise some of the trails. What camera/tripod do u use tar. Vid quality is fantastic

[summittoppler]

Cheers Mike, the camera that I use is the GoPro hero 2 and I won a Garmin Virb on FB a few weeks back so the footage on the bike is that one. As for the tripod, its just one of those small 4" jobbies which does the trick. I just use movie maker for the editing as well, would love to get my hands on something better though, I feel that I've used it to its max at the mo.
And yes luckily I have some great trails on my doorstep, I never get bored of riding these Its a shame as I'm off work for about 5 weeks (apart from the odd day) and I'd love to get out more but I've got the mini me's as the Mrs is at work