The track? On the island? I was hoping for a castle for the night.

Re - Loch an Eilein, it is on my list for next year. Hammock possible?

I'm getting a tiny (1 metre) kids/toy inflatable dinghy £15. This summer I will be doing some swimming tours, towing it with my camping gear. Was supposed to do it in Corfu last year but.....

Okay. That is nippy. Loch Morlich was always about 5°C colder than other lochs I swam in, like Arkaig. I now do a lot of squats and box jumps before getting undressed. Works a treat. Also bought Wim Hof's book, but it doesn't say much, other than the basics. I'm amazed how my body has adapted. Walki...

What temps have you got up there now? Morlich was 3°C when I left last month. I'm swimming in 3-5°C. Getting really easy now. Just hot thumbs for a half hour after.

3 little owls on my evening walk back from a swim. Always take my binos now.

Long tailed tits arrived at 2pm this alvo. First time.

Re the fat balls. If you hang the holder so it swings freely, it prevents the larger birds getting at it.

SMD Lunar Solo is quite long if you use the end tie outs with poles. I just find sticks each night or use the handlebars for the head end. Maybe up to 6'4".
Hilleberg Akto. But sitting headroom is poor.

I have both and I'm tall.

If you want to have fun with the kids, make a wigwam. These are made with a very cheap but strong plastic tarp. Have a look at videos made by bushcrafters. They don't call them wigwams though, usually some trendy, macho name like Finnish hunter's tent (made that up). If made properly, they are serio...

I take it you live in the countryside?

Maybe Donald Dumbasfuck lives in a city with no outdoor space. Maybe the virus has cost him his job, wife, house.....

Maybe D D is screaming at the walls. Maybe DD is going to top himself........?

Bump!

I'd rather talk about maggots than bikes.

I've just finished reading The Running Hare by John Lewis-Stempel. It's not about birds but has a lot of bird stuff in it. He explains why we are losing birds in the UK. A good read if you like nature. You can buy mealworms on Amazon, meant for pub snacks. They are dehydrated though. Popular with pe...

I did some research this year to try to get robins to eat from my hand. Though I didn't complete the task. Maybe someone can confirm - Mealworms are vegetarians. Maggots are carnivores. Cheap budget mealworms are maggots in disguise. Badly raised maggots introduce nasty diseases to the birds. Covid ...

But I'm not going unless you post some pics

Are you in the sea up there? :shock: I think that warming up afterwards is the secret to enjoying a cold water swim. At least for me. Lots of 'talk' about getting into a warm car being the slowest way. ie warming from the outside to in. Exercise and a pot noodle being the quickest. Running hill spri...

Verena wrote: ↑Sun Dec 13, 2020 11:56 pm Absolutely not related to bikepacking

It is
I plan my routes to get in as many swims as I can. I nearly always take my trunks on a ride. Just in case the rain and mud don't get me wet and cold enough.

Looks like Loch Morlich. If it is, I was in there last week. It was my coldest swim ever. I think it was 5°C. I measure it with my appendage shrinkage. Morlich gave me a camel toe! :???: Luckily the other lochs in the area are a bit warmer 8-10°C. Thinking about getting a swim wetsuit, but they are ...

If you need someone to test the other one?

I have been paddling out to islands and camping with the hammock a few times last month. No bike though. Will be going again next week. Maybe the islands on Loch Morar or Loch Awe. With an inflatable canoe (Gumotex) not a packraft.

A couple of years ago I went to the 'shelter stone' in the Cairngorms. Just as it got dark, 3 lads turned up with sleeping bags. And a bottle of whisky each. Very friendly and offered to share. I chose to practice my night navigation out of there. But you can't beat a bad night's sleep than in an Al...

The bubble wrap is the windscreen shield I mentioned. If you look at my snow shelter post, you can see that not much extra gear is needed - assuming you are wearing most of it. This was a remote trip, not a local park. For the hammock, the only extra, is the quilt. 900g. Compressed to about 2ltrs. h...

I love the seriousness of the replies. Cracks me up.

Therein lies the problem: we'll post photos or quote weights for superlight kit but that's generally for summer. You can't get away with that in winter, stuff is just bulky if not necessarily heavy and you've more of it. It would be good to see some winter hammock setups at the end of this winter.

Thanks for the replies. I am going to try and get through the winter with the hammock. It'll be a good project - if I survive. I think I should clear up that I am not a hammock novice. Maybe, plus 150 nights, but mostly in jungles and without a bike. I probably hated all those nights as I turn aroun...

Did I mention black panthers? Not joking.

The problem with BPs is that the victim's body is rarely found. Which means insurance policies don't have to pay out.
Make sure you get a policy that covers black panthers.

I have finally got round to using an underquilt. OneTigris £35 off Amazon. There was another OneTigris for £45 but I couldn't see any difference except price and colour. It's getting colder obviously (Scotland). So I put my windscreen sun reflector (silver foil with bubbles) in between and then a li...

I hope this reply doesn't get misinterpreted or seen as scaremongering. :smile: I have been to Morocco 4 times. 2 of which were month long cycle trips in desert areas. Camping out most nights with an interest in wild living/bushcraft. See my trip report. I saw some videos of the last race which show...