https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitn ... ing-craze/

Grr

"Why bikepacking is becoming the latest cycling craze" ... well, where the f*ck are they all then?

In the instance above, 'tis simply another attempt to flog a book.

Tiso have a nice big picture of 2 blokes sat round a fire as part of their window display.

I spotted MTBSnowdonia are pushing their bikepacking courses for next year on FB and of course ... there's a few pictures of fires.

3 examples of nobbery in a week and I'm sure there's countless others. I'm beginning to get a bit fed up of it. Perhaps I excpect too much from people? Maybe I should give them the benefit of the doubt or maybe they should just f*ck off and go back to doing whatever it was they were doing before this sh*t supposedly became the latest cycling craze - w@nkers.

that bit of fluff made me almost as angry as the boss

How do you get caught by the landowner so often you know that nine times out of ten you can pay them?

Sounds like he just picks bad spots to me - or perhaps all the fires alert the owners to his illegal activity

As I had a fire for my August bivvy on the beach with my lad last week, I am now frowned upon and should I now do one?

on the beach

Perfect - nothing to set alight and the ideal place where it's easy to leave no trace of it ever having being there.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:

on the beach

Perfect - nothing to set alight and the ideal place where it's easy to leave no trace of it ever having being there.

Good but for a moment I thought a fire on the beach would have had me strung up!

Good but for a moment I thought a fire on the beach would have had me strung up!

Although this place is probably an exception, I'm sure that generally, taking a no fires / LNT stance opens you up to more flak than than not doing.

Frankly the more the mainstream media publish stuff like this the less I have to explain to people when I tell them I sleep in the woods. No one I know who straps stuff to their bike does so because they read something in the Telegraph, so bring it on.

Bikepacking is a fusion of mountain biking, cycle touring and lightweight camping.

And, if it ever required one, this explanation of bikepacking is as neat and succinct as I've ever seen. The word "fusion" grates with me a bit. Yes, a proper word and used correctly, but it's all a bit hipster for me. I put it in the same box as "collaboration" and "colourway".

So the front title page is "Wood fires and fat tyres - Bikepacking", so contrary to TBD's comment (sorry mate), that's a fairly poo summary of BP in my opinion . On previous issues it said "Mountain camping adventures" - why the change? And the connection between fires and fat tyres is...?

Looked like a pretty rubbish spot too - unless the photo's fibbing they're on a hell of a slope. Still, I suppose it could be quite fun going to sleep in one place and waking up in a completely different one. Bit like a stag night prank.

It's not really "crammed with insight on gear, laws...", it's more of a "I turned left by the tree, I turned right by the bush" set of route descriptions. I prefer "Wild Camping" by Stephen Neale for the legal stuff. Someone can have my McJannet if they want it.

"Fusion" - apologies for using that in another thread TBD, I'll feebly plea that it was in an ironic way .

Yep, paid-for puff piece?

Yes, Stu, mildly depressed about it all here too. Ah well, it's Cheery Friday tomorrow. Apparently.

I've heard tell that there's a wayyyyy more interesting booky thing in the pipeline.....

Didn't we have the same round of arguments and comments 2 or 3 years ago on this - the article is from 2016. The points made here still stand though, no argument there.

"Didn't we have the same round of arguments and comments 2 or 3 years ago " - yeah we did, and a year ago, and 6 months ago and probably last week, but hey it keeps us off the streets (*) .

(*) well obviously we're already off the street, why would anyone want to ride a bike on the street when they could ride on a tussocky, wet, misty, Welsh mountain?

I imagine it's a topic that will crop up again and again or at least until there's no need to have it again ... Educating stupid takes time.

Bearbonesnorm wrote:I imagine it's a topic that will crop up again and again or at least until there's no need to have it again ... Educating stupid takes time.

As they say Stu you can't teach stupid

Bearbonesnorm wrote:I imagine it's a topic that will crop up again and again or at least until there's no need to have it again ... Educating stupid takes time.

The problem Stu is that you are in a big lecture room full of people going "Oooh!", "Aaah!" at the pretty pictures being shown and the lecturer is studiously ignoring you sticking your hand up and saying "excuse me".

The problem Stu is that you are in a big lecture room full of people going "Oooh!", "Aaah!" at the pretty pictures being shown and the lecturer is studiously ignoring you sticking your hand up and saying "excuse me".

Very true Bob but not a good enough excuse to give up

Good on you for keeping up the fight. I had considered going to the Bivi event at the Isle of Wight Cycle fest which simon72 went to until I saw the description on the website

A night of bikepacking adventure in the company of the ’12 Nights Till Christmas’ MTB bikepacking group. Bring a bike and tent and after the trails, open a drink and burn your dinner over an open camp fire before retiring into your tenting palace for the night.

I was going to email the organisers about it but I just don't have the enthusiasm to keep saying the same thing. I'd hope it was on private land and they had permission. I think I recognise the spot they were at so I might ride by and have a look.

https://www.facebook.com/15433691157501 ... =3&theater

Those chairs and pallets must take some carrying Sean

I suppose that I'm hoping that given (a) enough time and (b) enough drum banging, people might actually start to take pride in their ability to leave no trace, be it the remains of a fire or what they've eaten in its various forms. Hopefully these pics on social media will slowly be replaced with pics that still inspire but perhaps with a different focus - less pissed up round a fire and more, WOW look at that.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: Hopefully these pics on social media will slowly be replaced with pics that still inspire but perhaps with a different focus - less pissed up round a fire and more, WOW look at that.

We can only hope Stu.... we can only hope...

Si

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Hopefully these pics on social media will slowly be replaced with pics that still inspire but perhaps with a different focus - less pissed up round a fire and more, WOW look at that.

Maybe time for those of us on social media to start posting such pictures (and have others comment positively). Sometimes the carrot works better than the stick.

"tenting palace" - what's one of those then I wonder? I'd quite like to try one. Purely for informational purposes.

RIP wrote:"tenting palace" - what's one of those then I wonder? I'd quite like to try one. Purely for informational purposes.

Reg mate, you're welcome to borrow mine anytime you like ...

There's something not quite right there Tim, I can't quite put my finger on it but.... hmm... no, maybe after all I'd get away with it next time I'm in Arthog woods. It'd be fairly inconspicuous in the trees I guess. Ish. Just need something beefy to haul it up that Ffordd Ddu track from Cregennen... I doubt my P7'd be up to that job...... NO DO NOT POST THAT PHOTOGRAPH .

Reg. You're gibbering. You. Need. A. Caravan. Admit it, and move on. It won't make you less of a bikepacker, a camper, or a man .......

Ohhhhh, go on then you've talked me into it. Just hope my bid succeeds in time for the Winter Bivi....

RIP wrote:Ohhhhh, go on then you've talked me into it. Just hope my bid succeeds in time for the Winter Bivi....

Where you get a picture of my home