Ah cheers Stu - some of Stu's mum's cake is a top idea! I'm taking the masochist approach - there's snow on top so I'm heading for that. Madness.

RIP wrote:...and the rubber coming off the end of my favourite pencil.

That is just the worst...
Keep the rolling news feeds coming Reg. We need all the news, all the time, from everywhere.

2/2 Last chance saloon.

Depart yesterday afternoon in sunshine, but with clouds rolling in. 15 miles and 2200 ft climbing saw me at Worlds End near LLangollen. This was not my first choice for this months bivvy but the strength and direction of the wind excluded the first. Worlds End is a secluded corner sheltered from winds from 3 sides and a favourite spot for family picnics for many years until some rich, "gerroff my land" git bought it, fenced it off and threatened fire and brimstone on trespassers. And incidentally re-routed the lane for a good half mile so people couldn't drive past his house.

But I digress:- I had intended to camp on the ground but the only suitable (flat, dry) spot was too close to the road


So I pushed up into the woods,


and pitched up on a steep bank. While I was cooking my dinner a car stopped on the lane and someone, presumably who'd seen my head torch, flashed me with a blue laser then drove off. Hmm.
Anyway, dinner done and "So to bed", to quote Samuel Pepys. I got cold in the night and had to reach for my cloud-cover quilt extender and was toasty after that. 'S funny, I've bivvied out on colder nights yet slept warmer.

Whoever thought it would be nice to fall asleep by a babbling brook probably hadn't tried it. The noise kept waking me up all through the night. Eventually at just after six o'clock I gave up and packed up for home.

I was surprised to see it had snowed a little in the night.



I reversed my usual route over the mountain along the "LLangollen Round" path. Type 2 fun this, with stinging, freezing, horizontal snow.


Home by lunch time.

I've been putting off the Feb bivvy (& trying out my new bag) because for the last few weeks I've had a cold/virus that has neither came to full on manflu or gone away. It's not in my chest, and the forecast looks the best it's been this year, so I'm away out shortly to see if a kip in a ditch can force it either way. If nothing else it should help chase the black dog since when I'm ill it always seems to pile on too.

Last night saw me make a decision - cold or wet - I chose cold.

Headed out to kip in some woods I often pass on my commute to work. As it's a nature reserve with an active woodland management group I thought it would be great; grassy spots, cleared areas and well made paths. After an hour of pushing and riding through swamp and mud I found a cleared area, and whilst clearing a spot for my bivvy counted a number of dog eggs, so thought better of it, and headed over to a local hill. Burton Dassett is a local spot where supposedly King Charles watched his lot get defeated at the Battle of Edge Hill. It's popular during the day with dog walkers, remote controlled gliders, kids etc, but at night (midweek) it is deserted. Weekends see the boy racers turn up which makes a bivvy there unnerving.....

Last night was quiet, and I found a spot out of the wind and pitched up. The stars were out, as was the resident barn owl, and at 12:01am I was tucked up in my bag. -3 degrees this morning, and it was a cold ride into work, but warm shower and porridge later and I am ready for work.

2/2 complete, and on leaving the office tonight the weather was really crap, so it was a good decision to go last night.

Well that was character-building. (Hi Pete btw, yeah I was just thinking a sort of 'live feed' report is quite a fun way of doing things. Remember The Day Today? Chris Morris, brilliant - 'now fact me til I fart'.). Anyway, Macc Forest was fairly mad with a foot of snow on the top and minimal visibility. Topped up my water bottle at Buxton spring and as luck would have it my bike bottle is a 500ml Buxton Water bottle from home, so nice counterpoint there. Currently esconced in the RL at L, bit of dinner and a few pints of Absolution, putting off the evil moment. -2 out there at the moment. Bumped into all sorts of people here including a bloke who built Coedybrenin GoApe and used to live in Doogaloo and knows my son's boss at the Welsh Govt really well. 'Small world' and all that. I really am putting off the evil moment though....

Too many Absolutions to try a photo but let's give it a go....

@slarge

I'm curious as to what spot you bivvied, I know those hills and used to live not far away

RIP wrote:Too many Absolutions to try a photo but let's give it a go....

Jings...that looks right chilly Reg, rather you than me. I'm glad I got mine in early in the month when it was "warm"!

Blimey that worked. Hey, this 'last chance saloon' is turning out to be pretty crowded after all! Quite high brow too, I'm learning all about Sam Pepys and King Charles and all sorts of stuff :). Like a kind of 'virtual bothy' really with 'bollocks' being the lingua franca as ever. Chatting to the bar lady and she spontaneously mentions my cheeky bivi spot!! Turns out she's a bit of a closet bikepacker too! Have pointed her in the direction of this manor and tried to recommend a Stu Stove :). Was gonna tarp it but she's pointed out that the onsite shed is probably a goer too, nobody's likely to roll up too early - people don't tend to be buried at 6am . Will keep my options (like my bowels) open and play it by ear later...

Oh look my rather toothsome sticky toffee pudding with Bradwells proper ice cream has arrived... must dash :)

Top job Blair choosing a warm period.. but you probably have plenty of a commodity that's in short supply with Reg - common sense :). Anyway must stop now and let someone else get a word in edgeways - not good etiquette to monopolise the conversation in the BBB Last Chance Saloon :). Sleep well brethren....

Piemonster wrote:@slarge

I'm curious as to what spot you bivvied, I know those hills and used to live not far away

Over by the Fox Covert woody bit. It's out of the wind, and away from the car parks. There's a sunken part (ancient quarry area) but I find it acts like a wind funnel, so I kipped just beyond that. Avoiding the sheep muck is the tricky bit.....

Whereabouts did you live? It's a nice part of the world.

Oh look my rather toothsome sticky toffee pudding with Bradwells proper ice cream has arrived... must dash :)

You've got to be so careful when you're carrying that into the frozen wilderness

RIP wrote:Too many Absolutions to try a photo but let's give it a go....

A solutions again the beer of that name? It's strong stuff if I remember correctly. I'm surprised you can even operate your thumbs to post that, never mind a bicycle.

My new PT has asked me to take things easy for a couple of weeks (actual words were closer to please don't go doing silly stuff on your bike), so it's game over for me, for the moment.

Greetz

S.

Scattamah wrote:My new PT has asked me to take things easy for a couple of weeks (actual words were closer to please don't go doing silly stuff on your bike), so it's game over for me, for the moment.

Greetz

S.

They said that?

Find another one ;-)

@Ian - Find me one that will do work for free in exchange for fixing their IT *and* comes to me - then you're on.

It was my first session last week and it's kinda thrown me sideways, but there's improvement on one of the two sites I requested the work on (knees/shoulders - knees are responding, shoulders still grind/pop/click).

I suspect I'll end up on the end of a keyhole surgery for the shoulders. Time will tell I guess.

Greetz

S.

2/2 from me - but not strictly to the rules in post 1 as I was on foot - so I'm in on my own terms at least.

The last weekend of Feb we spent at Moel Prysgau, got thoroughly wet through and some serious bog/tussok trotting. Had Moel Prysgau to ourselves, a bit of type 2 fun thrown in too!

A few snaps: https://flic.kr/s/aHskPYwaGF


P1050314 by Chris Reeves, on Flickr


P1050329 by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

I was going to go out and bivvy on my bike late last night to abide by the rules, but I didn't get home till about 8pm, so by the time I was ready to start packing etc. it was too late and I was exhausted anyways.

Managed to get out last night. Quick ride through the Rothiemurchus forest and a swing bye Ryvoan Bothy. A couple of guys in there so kept going over to Bynack stables. Pretty cold, managed to find a spot out of the wind. Woke up to snow, lovely light too. Got a couple of photos on the phone but can't get them uploaded as photobucket is being stupid. Some pics with the new camera too, but Ned to get home to download those. Pictures to follow. 2/2.

deft punk wrote:I've been putting off the Feb bivvy (& trying out my new bag) because for the last few weeks I've had a cold/virus that has neither came to full on manflu or gone away. It's not in my chest, and the forecast looks the best it's been this year, so I'm away out shortly to see if a kip in a ditch can force it either way. If nothing else it should help chase the black dog since when I'm ill it always seems to pile on too.

Cold/virus still cruelly mocking me, but my brain is being less of a nob now. Headed south & kipped in a shelter on [famous open golf course]. New bivvy is massive! No exciting wildlife incidents this month.

I reckon your snow trumps mine Gari, nice one.

Graveyard Shift

Obviously I'dve preferred the tarp but it would have been rude to reject the toolshed.....



A Stu Stove doing its stuff.....



Currently festering in Hope Adventure Cafe, pot of tea etc, after a second breakfast in Eeyore then over Bretton top, down through Hucklow, across the bleak-and-spooky as ever Bradwell Moor, Mam Tor, down the silly track off Hollins (well, silly if you dont have a dropper post handy), Jaggers and Hope Cross.

Good old Edale....

Great looking bivi spot that. Been years since I was in the Peak District ( like 25 maybe!)

2/2 Surrey Hills (again)

Late post, but I did manage to make it out for February's BAM. Poor planning, a lads snowboarding trip and work meant I was always cutting it fine but IT issues delayed my planned friday night excursion until saturday with a much more miserable forecast.

The weather was awful and fully tested my resolve. The new shiny xmas gear effect was non existent and I thought I had taken leave of my senses as I battled across Brooklands Park in horizontal rain. I seriously contemplated turning back and probably would if it wasn't for the BAM challenge and my Stop Being Soft sticker. I would definitely take January's cold over wet conditions any time.

The weather improved as I got further into the hills and by the time I found a suitable pitch I was faced with light drizzle but still strong winds. I resisted the temptation to return to the same spot as last month and was rewarded with a very sheltered dry pitch tucked under the low branches of an enormous tree. With dry Jan over I had a few sips of rum with my coffee and cous cous and was tucked up early. I woke a couple of times in the night as the pitch was more slopely than I had thought and I was sliding out from under the tarp.

I woke early, a quick porridge and a very enjoyable ride home made me feel pleased I had stuck to the challenge. I actually felt competent and like I may be able to call myself a proper bike packer sometime in the future. That said with the WRT looming I am sure that there will plenty of opportunity to test my resolve, ability and gear in the future.

https://www.flickr.com/gp/147112040@N05/EyQ02A

20170301_064027 by Nigel Garrood, on Flickr

So I managed to scrap in to make it 2/2.

True eleventh hour stuff as I got home from work at 23.10. The stars were out and a steady, somewhat chilly westerly breeze was keeping the wind chill around the 0 degrees.

A nasty bout of man flu had seen me pretty much relinquish any hope of getting out in February but in a moment of madness I quickly stuffed a basic sleep kit into my bar bag, knocked up a flask of coffee to wash down my protein bar breakfast and out the door I went.

Just a few miles later I arrived at a bivy spot that I think will work well for a group outing. The bright lights of Maidstone twinkled below, clouds began to scud across the sky, obscuring the slither of moon i'd looked forward to staring at as I dozed.

Still the weather was ok and the forecast had stated no rain, so all good.

I popped the bivy bag out onto my little groundsheet and settled in to listen to the drone of traffic from the main roads that can be heard from pretty much anywhere in Kent.

To say I was snug is an understatement, damn I love sleeping out.

02.30 and I wake as heavy rain is falling on my face, bugger, I have no tarp with me!

I pulled my Borah Bag up high and popped a down hat on and tucked in.... 3 hours of steady rain later and the rain was making its way through the bag and my quilt was getting wet.

This is great I thought, where better than 5 miles from home to test how my kit handles getting wet!

To be honest I was impressed. Though wet/damp my quilt keep me lovely and warm. I did however learn that the groundsheet I use to protect my bivy bag acts as a pond liner!

But a no nonsense get up and get moving approach saw me packed and riding in no time, even taking the long way home as I was just loving being out.

Roll on my March Bivy, hoping for something more akin to some of the above adventures.

It's fascinating, and not a little humbling, to read many of these Last Chance Saloon epics and such devotion to the cause, what a great bunch - I tips me 'at ter yez all honestly.

'Nut, there's a Chilterns Thing for March if you're available? Would be good to see Your Loon-ness again!

R

(Just spent the last 90 minutes sat next to a very refined lady on the train covered in mud and reeking of cowpats)

((ME not HER! :) )