Bivvy a month 2019

[Borderer]

Nice one Whitestone. Yes the ungritted roads were lethal around here too. We had to ride on the grit at the edge.

I forgot to post this link to all 12 of our BaM's. We did a fair few bothies as I was nursing a broken rib from a fall over the summer, but some winter ones before that too. Somehow bothies feel a bit like cheating to me as privation is fairly limited. They comply with the rules I guess but whether they are really in the spirit of the thing is a different matter. I would like to complete this challenge without using bothies sometime.

https://www.weirdosonbikes.com/2019/06/ ... hn7sKB5__8

[metalheart]

11/11, 13th consecutive. It was a bit of a bugger summoning up the motivation for this month.

Having gone to all the bother of loading up the car and driving to Findhorn (figured it would be 'warmer' at the coast) I did head out to the Roseisle after tea at the Kimberley Inn.

Tested my 'new' (bought ages ago but never tested) MHW Spark sleeping bag supplemented with my new Alpkit CLoud Cover quilt... and I was pretty toasty. No cold feed, think I actually woke up sweating at one point... There was a fair bit of moisture in the bivy bag, guess I must've.

There was very little cycling but its done.





Ironically I have a possible three bivvy's lined up for December.

[RIP]

A trio of corking BaMs there, B+B2's in particular looked ace. And obviously congrats to Joe - not many youngsters'd've stuck with that challenge! Big compliments to B for extended treading of that exceptionally narrow tightrope of teen encouragement/chivvying .

[Borderer]

A trio of corking BaMs there, B+B2's in particular looked ace. And obviously congrats to Joe - not many youngsters'd've stuck with that challenge! Big compliments to B for extended treading of that exceptionally narrow tightrope of teen encouragement/chivvying .

Thanks Reg. I think now that the motivation of 'being the youngest' has gone he won't be persuadable any more, sadly. But hey, we had fun while it lasted.

[RIP]

Just noticed the photo of the exceptionally commodious accommodation - almost yurt-like! I reckon you could cut a hole in the top and have a nice fire without any ill effects .

What next for Joe I wonder. How about a bit of gigpacking - that'd be a teen thing surely . He could come and see the Rezillos on Feb 21st at Northampton with me. Although I'm sure they must be playing a borders town at some point next year .

[Borderer]

Just noticed the photo of the exceptionally commodious accommodation - almost yurt-like! I reckon you could cut a hole in the top and have a nice fire without any ill effects .

What next for Joe I wonder. How about a bit of gigpacking - that'd be a teen thing surely . He could come and see the Rezillos on Feb 21st at Northampton with me. Although I'm sure they must be playing a borders town at some point next year .

It's just a 3man tent - I think the photo makes it look a lot bigger than it is!

Unfortunately he is into "young people's" music.

[RIP]

"young people's music" - I'm old fartish enough to think that's an oxymoron there . Still, what do I know, I've just played The Toy Dolls 'Silly Billy' about ten times in a row, but only the fantastic Joe Meek-esque guitar break in the middle!

[slarge]

As I always try and fail at BaM, 2020 might see me try to do a bivvy a month in 6 bivvies for the year.... Is that cheating?

Ah, in case you've misunderstood, bivvying out the night of 30th November only counts as one month. You'd have to do 2 nights to count as 2 months.

Ah no, bubble burst! I thought bivvying on the last day of the month counted as 2 months.......

Respect to everyone who's completing theirs - some good trips up there!

[Landslide]

As promised, a slightly more detailed account of Novembivvy.

I'd hoped to get out earlier in the month, but work and illness got in the way rather. So with the weekend approaching, loins were girded, resolve was steeled, and *all the warm things* were packed. Trepid Explorer joined me and the family for a spot of macaroni cheese, then we pootled up the hill in search of hot chocolate, beer and shelter. Crunching across icy puddles sounded worryingly close to riding over glass, but we made it to our chosen spot without any unplanned deflation events.
I'd promised Trep an old hut for the night, and she was slightly concerned as a series of rather dilapidated lumps of stone loomed out of the night, but we eventually reached our objective, complete with walls, a solid roof and a dry floor.
A rather tasty nightcap of Tiny Rebel's Imperial Stay Puft Irish Cream Porter (all the more surprising in that it overcame my usual aversion to Bailey's*).

Having not turned into ice lollies overnight, we greeted a very frosty dawn:


A quick brew and some porridge later, we were rolling down the hill in search of second breakfast:


The rest of the day was spent bimbling around the White Peak, enjoying some new tracks, occasional outbreaks of sunshine, pie and chips, and enough fog to completely obscure Stanage Edge.

2019 BAM 11/11
2019 total bivvies 13
Current streak (months) 12 Please may I have a badge now?

*Top tip: Don't drink half a bottle of Bailey's, then follow it up with two pints of cider.

[Zippy]

So with time for a bivvy rapidly running out in November, I worked out a good way to do fit it in would be after work on Friday, as there was a work social going on. I eyed up some bivvy spots on my commute, however the days preceding the night out a lot of water fell from the sky, and it was so wet underfoot that most places were pretty waterlogged. I came up with the genius plan of using the another person’s garden trick. I have a friend who lives in the outskirts of town, about a 20 minute ride from the office, with a pagado!

Friday night we went to an escape room, had a meal out, and many drinks later I stumbled back to the office (I have a 24 hour access fob!), got changed and wobbled my way to my friends house at somewhere around 0115 - it took me 30 minutes to ride in my merry state! Now it turns out it was freezing temperatures that night, so the wet ground would have been frozen, but anyhow the stumbling to the pagoda made perfect sense! Some earplugs to block out the roar of the A14 and I nodded straight off.

I woke up around 0745 or so, my friend had to leave early, but had left me a hot flask of tea in the morning without waking me! I then cycled back home with a bit of a headache, but it was a lovely clear morning with ice and frost everywhere.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2902285321



I may have had a cat nap later that day too!

11/11. Hopefully Yorkshire Winter Bivvy for December!

[sean_iow]

I have a friend who lives in the outskirts of town, about a 20 minute ride from the office, with a pagado!

That's creative It's funny how to us sleeping in someones garden in late November seems a perfectly reasonable and sensible thing to do, but if you explained it to a 'normal' person they would just give you a look of confusion.

When I was chatting to some friends Saturday morning and mentioned my work night bivi I could see them trying to rationalise it but not able to work out quite why I'd chosen to sleep outside, the confusion in their expression was priceless

Out of interest, what bivi bag is that you're using? Borah of some sort?

[Zippy]

Out of interest, what bivi bag is that you're using? Borah of some sort?

That’s a borah bivvy, silnyon bottom and moment m90 top (breathable and water resistant, but not waterproof), it’s a fair few years old now. It is a bit slippy when not on a flat surface, and I keep meaning to try painting some silicone bobbles on the bottom, but I think I’ve got better at picking pitches now and it hasn’t been an issue for a while.

Whilst we’re at it, rest of the kit is thermarest neoair – regular size, er with the crinkle stuff in it, again getting on a bit, and my sleeping bag is a 2004 alpkit pipedream 400.

That's creative It's funny how to us sleeping in someones garden in late November seems a perfectly reasonable and sensible thing to do, but if you explained it to a 'normal' person they would just give you a look of confusion.

Yeah, my girlfriend thought nothing of it, and I stayed at her friends – who thought I was a bit mad, but completely understood. My boss who was on the night out didn’t really question it actually (he was going to hitch hike home after he discovered the 2230 bus no longer exists and so his transport option homes were limited to hitch hiking or a stupidly expensive taxi!). Meanwhile everyone else just couldn’t comprehend it!

I’ll do a tot up of Bivvies at the end of the week, but so far I have counted 21 in November I think…

[ScotRoutes]

I’ll do a tot up of Bivvies at the end of the week, but so far I have counted 21 in November I think…

LOL. When I first read that, I thought that was how many YOU had done!

[javatime]

Late post - November done, 10/12 for me as I started in February this year

Sorry no photos yet, imgur is just crawling this evening...

I did a large part of The Cotswold Loop, that is based on the more down to earth west end of the Cotswolds (Dursley/Nailsworth/ Wooton under Edge) where they used to make bicycles and diesel engines, as opposed to the other end where Clarkson and cronies hang out, at the weekends at least.

Took the train to Cam and Dursley train station, not shown on my 1990 OS map and straight onto the trail via a very muddy track before getting up to the hill forts of Cam Long Down, Hetty Peglers Tump and beyond. Nice tracks through glorious autumn woods, a good community shop with a hot kettle at Avening and open fields and parkland too.

A bit spooky in the dark woods at 5.00pm as the pheasants took flight, and the big iron gates at Ozleworth opened as if by magic for me as I wondered what to do. Empty lanes along to Wortley, found a nice pitch in a copse above Wooton then down the holloway for a pint and peanuts at The Star.

A bit grey, very cold and raining the following morning so cut my losses after a bit more mud plugging across to the A4135, then all downhill to the train.

A good day, hadn't really explored it by bike before so will be plotting some more, and just a few minutes up the line from Filton Abbey Wood.

[Escape Goat]

12/12

So that's me, I've been bikepacking for a year now and managed to get 12 in a row, as I was sick last December it started from Jan, but it would have been 14 in a row...never mind.

As I'm now starting to get the lurgy, I didn't want to fail my attempt of BAM - with sore throat and stupid tickly cough, snotty nose and a trumpy bum I went for a 2 day bimble around Kielder - (which got shortened this morning to just one day jaunt)

Got to Kielder about 9.30pm, in the rain...

1 by Escape Goat, on Flickr


I was going to follow the route...then thought there'd be a better way across the burn, but instead almost lost the bike in 4ft of water

Screen Shot 2019-12-08 at 21.41.39 by Escape Goat, on Flickr


After flashing* at two people already in bed at 10.30pm I went into the other room in Wainhope

3 by Escape Goat, on Flickr

I planned beer, curry, fire, The Office on downloaded Prime and multiple trips, sing song to music, multiple visits outside to piddle in the rain and the wind, I opted to sneak around, hold it in all night, and tried not to cough or fart too loud.

2 by Escape Goat, on Flickr

I chanced this picture as it was a little blowy and I imagined that the wind may have taken my bike off the bridge. I'd say this picture wasn't even worth the effort.

5 by Escape Goat, on Flickr

So in Jan it all starts again. I've learned rather a bit from folk on this forum, I've accomplished more than I even planned this time last year...I still have so much to learn, much more to accomplish and many more of you all to meet. Thank you for all your support whilst I asked stupid questions, done stupid things, faffed too much and slowed people down at the start. I will continue to ask stupid questions, do stupid things, and faff too, it's just in my blood.





*my head torch



Screen Shot 2019-12-08 at 21.45.03 by Escape Goat, on Flickr
#BPABB

[RIP]

Frame bag contents... always a difficult choice.... bottle of bourbon... or bag of bourbons...

Congrats on your first dozen (BaMs not bourbons) .

[Escape Goat]

Haha, cheers! Maybe there should be a thread, bourbon a month...

[MuddyPete]

December done, 12/12 so that's me complete. . How may I obtain a badge?

A topical return to the country park Christmas tree, including a breakfast of frozen chocolate baubles and HOT berry and honey tea Tuesday morning.

Most of my BaMs have been local and solo: I think I'll forgo a formal BaM 2020, but opt for less-frequent-but-more-sociable bivis (which may be once a month, or more, or less).

Trying to squeeze it in amongst work/home/6-hour meetings/work driving is becoming a bit of a struggle

A worthwhile experience, not least as it rekindled my enthusiasm for my Buffalo bag and PHD down clothing

And it's prompted me and a mate to do a "seaside snorkel a month".

[ChrisF]

A bit of a late write up for November's bivvy. It was a proper last minute one on Saturday 30th. I had some food at home and left the family all looking very snug with the log burner going, it was very tempting to not bother going... Anyhow, I had a short ride up to Mellor Cross and the bivvy spot in a copse of trees next to the neolithic burial cairn.
It's an interesting and atmospheric place, the cairn has been excavated and they found 13 sets of cremated bones and a few artefacts including an intricate amber necklace that the archaeologists think is from the Whitby area. Because of this one find they have dubbed the owner as a 'prehistoric princess'.
I had a quiet but cold night, no prehistoric ghosts or other happenings, unless I slept through the lot. I was up before dawn, and the Garmin said it was -6C. I didn't think it was quite that cold. Bike was a bit frosty:
BaM Nov. Mellor Cross by Chris Farley, on Flickr
Heading off from the hill top I got a view of a shadowy Kinder Scout at dawn:
BaM Nov. Mellor Cross by Chris Farley, on Flickr
I trundled back to New Mills and got a nice view of Swizzels sweet factory in the early light:
BaM Nov. Mellor Cross by Chris Farley, on Flickr

So that's 11 out of 11. My plans for December have been scuppered by getting 'flu for the past week... will have to squeeze the last one in when I feel better, fingers crossed!

[FLV]

Chris, we should get out for a ride. I'm in Glossop and will going for the BAM next year.

[ChrisF]

Yes we should FLV, we’ve probably passed each other on the trails at some point.
I have been a proper bivvy-no-mates on BaM this year.

[metalheart]

It felt a bit like touching the void (a trudge over the Burma Road pushing a fully loaded bike through inches of snow and drifts just to do exactly the same but in reverse this morning) but bivvy #12 of 12 (14 in a row) completed.



First bothy as a BaM.





This felt a bit like type 5 enjoyment. When you’re dead and thinking, at least I’m not pushing the fecking bike up the fecking Burma road in the fecking snow....

[Landslide]

Joined the Paneer.cc crew for a Christmas curry ride to Hathersage, then stopped out for the night. All good apart from the wind blowing rain in through the window...



2019 BAM 12/12
2019 total bivvies 14
Current streak (months) 13

[Escape Goat]

Looks familiar that shelter

Great work.

[Landslide]