Bivvy a month 2019

TrepidExplorer · Post by **TrepidExplorer** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 5:43 pm

Februbivi. https://trepidexplorer.blogspot.com/201 ... ubivi.html

fatbikephil · Post by **fatbikephil** » Sat Feb 16, 2019 9:02 pm

Alan63 wrote:2/2. Rode in to Abyssinia bothy last night with Fraser (11). Went for a ride to Loch Sloy then the back of Ben Vane. A bit wet and miserable but had a good ride. Abyssinia bothy was only opened in 2017 and is a great wee place situated in the Arrochar Alps. Always loved going to the area since I was first taken there as a member of the BB. I remember walking past the place when it was a ruined cottage on my way to climb Ben Vane in 1987.

Good one - I noticed it on the MBA site when I was planning my October 18 bivvy starting at Lochgoilhead. In the end I went for a long ride and slept under the stars but must try and get to this one this year.

Asposium · Post by **Asposium** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 10:26 am

Feb BAM completed

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
Ready to leave for Feb's bivi-a-month; useful to test how little is actually needed for an overnight ride and camp
---

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
Random building
---

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
It is nice riding though the woods at dusk; no-one around
No mud

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
---

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
Overnight camp location.
Oddly the bridleway just stopped and became two footpaths

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
About to leave.
Surprisingly only discovered two ticks
Must be a record
---

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
On the way home
Windy, chilly, and cloudy; but nice to be out
---

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
Home
Bike isn't too muddy
---

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
First "proper" ride since going tubeless
Worked well with the Conti tyres and stans sealant
---

BAM Feb-2019 by Asposium, on Flickr
Route

ericrobo · Post by **ericrobo** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:54 pm

Had a night out Friday night, but no wild women and song

The infamous BAM for February....

Left home at 8:45pm, only one and a quarter miles to here:

Untitled by Eric Robinson, on Flickr

A famous spot from decades ago, first climbed here when I was twenty !! Legendary.... can you climbers name it...

And a very lumpy bivvy at the top of Max (that's a route)..... errmm Not exactly AT the top, but on top....

Untitled by Eric Robinson, on Flickr

Only allowed 26 more on Flickr but I have a Wordpress account, anybody know how to upload from there ?

Been riding the fatbike since November, over three and a half months...

I think I'll go ordinaryafter end Feb (29'er), life should be a bit easier if global warming dries things out a bit

whitestone · Post by **whitestone** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 6:59 pm

That'll be W***** One Quarry Eric.

At a guess on Wordpress if you right click on an image you should get a popup, one option will be "Copy Image address" or something like that. Select that then paste inside the img tags on here.

ericrobo · Post by **ericrobo** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:48 pm

Spot on Bob

The Prow

ootini · Post by **ootini** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 7:48 pm

BAM - Feburary - Done! Have a write up: https://bikepackingonabudget.wordpress. ... uary-2019/

And a picture

Escape Goat · Post by **Escape Goat** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 8:57 pm

ootini wrote:BAM - Feburary - Done! Have a write up: https://bikepackingonabudget.wordpress. ... uary-2019/

And a picture

Nice write up there!

ootini · Post by **ootini** » Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:22 pm

Cheers

Alan63 · Post by **Alan63** » Mon Feb 18, 2019 11:29 am

htrider wrote:
Alan63 wrote:2/2. Rode in to Abyssinia bothy last night with Fraser (11). Went for a ride to Loch Sloy then the back of Ben Vane. A bit wet and miserable but had a good ride. Abyssinia bothy was only opened in 2017 and is a great wee place situated in the Arrochar Alps. Always loved going to the area since I was first taken there as a member of the BB. I remember walking past the place when it was a ruined cottage on my way to climb Ben Vane in 1987.
Good one - I noticed it on the MBA site when I was planning my October 18 bivvy starting at Lochgoilhead. In the end I went for a long ride and slept under the stars but must try and get to this one this year.

Looked at combining Abyssinia with Mark. Would be a short day. Only drawback would be riding the A83. It's a good bothy to visit.

frogatthefarriers · Post by **frogatthefarriers** » Mon Feb 18, 2019 6:55 pm

BaM 2/12 Wenlock Edge.

Church Stretton and the Long Mynd give some good riding and I've been there quite a few times, but I've often wondered what it's like on the other, Wenlock, side. For Februarys' bivvy I thought I'd find out. Left the car in the Carding Mill Valley (note to self:- must make time to have a look at the waterfall one day) and headed off across the A49. At the start of the trail that runs along the bottom of the Lawley, my eye was caught by movement in a large puddle in the track, which turned out to be frogs "making" frogspawn. "Blimey", I thought, "That's early", but of course, it's not - spring is coming and no mistake.
My first port of call was to Langley Chapel. My curiosity had been aroused when I saw it in the map, then checked on 't internet.

That it's still standing, from the 13th century, is remarkable enough but for it not to have been turned into a barn or byre or some-such is almost miraculous. I'm so glad I went to look. (Oh dear, does that make me a tourist?)

I had intended to get a pub meal in Wistanstow and bivvy on the Onny Trail, but with a fairly strong wind blowing I was afraid I'd not find a sheltered enough site (with the right sort of trees). When one presented itself still on the "Edge" I couldn't pass it by. Never mind, I've got a couple of packets of noodles - I'll be OK. Not! Forgot the meths. Doh! So choose, go to bed hungry, or light a fire. Fire it was - no contest. A tiny stick fire on a hole in the ground just big enough to boil some water.

The bivvy..

No cuppa in the morning

On the Edge..

Back across the A49 and along the Onny Trail. Just as well I'd camped where I did. I guess I could have found somewhere to doss on the ground but not in my comfy hammock. Ha!
On the Onny..

An hour-long slog up the Jack Mytton Way up the Long Mynd, then up to the Pole Bank trig-point, before dropping back down to the cafe at Carding Mill. Never did a bacon & egg bap taste so good...

metalheart · Post by **metalheart** » Tue Feb 19, 2019 7:43 am

My first actual post (Scotroutes documented January's bivvy at Culben).

As I've been frequenting Glen Feshie a lot this month I thought I'd better get Februaries bivvy ticked while the weather was playing ball so Saturday saw me back.

Car park at Achlean was rammed for 4.30pm on a saturday (until I realised it was 'midterm' weekend...).

If the car park was rammed, so was the bothy. About a dozen tents pitched outside/immediate surrounds (and as bikes...). I kept going...

Last outing had Scotroutes pointing out a bivvy spot about 15-20 minutes past the bothy but I struggled to find it solo in the dark (note to self: remember and check head torch is charged and working before setting off...).

The wind was getting up but I found a relatively sheltered spot and pitched up.

Wind turned a bit over night and kept catching the tarp, pulled a peg several times (but I could repeg without getting up).

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2eJRAPU]

It was a bit blowy so decided not to brew up. took about 50 minutes to get back to the car park. Last time I manage to batter my hand off a sapling at the end of the single track by the river, did exactly the same again this this time, duh.

This is my 4th in a row (if I hadn't missed October I'd be 'celebrating' my first consecutive 12 in a row. Arse).

gallowayboy · Post by **gallowayboy** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 8:56 am

Managed to get Februarys bivvy in on a clear balmy night - perfect for the cave i've been eyeing up for years. Left home at nine, reached the cave at half past, happily cocooned by ten, reading and sipping a warm drink. Moonrise straight through the cave (more of a howff formed by a perched slab of Gritstone) mouth , with a cacophony of owls. Woke at four thirty, dozed until just after six, packed up and home for breakfast. I think March needs a bigger trip, time to venture out of the calder valley!

Zippy · Post by **Zippy** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 11:39 am

I’m expecting a flurry of people reporting their Bivvy a month for February in the next few days. Currently I only have 12 totted up for Feb (and one of those is ootini who started in Feb), so that’s of the 40 people who have signed up to have a go for the 2019 calendar year January to December, there are 29 people remaining! (Well 28, I’ll report my Feb bivvy below!)

I was going to Bivvy last Friday, and had my kit with me stashed at my girlfriends, but my bike that I was going to use decided to crack on the Tuesday…. So in turn I ended up on a late night out in Cambridge. Saturday I had pencilled in my calendar to see some uni friends in Bromsgrove, so I messaged Mike to see if he was around, and wanted to ride & bivvy. A plan came together, so I packed my trusty cotic and a rucksack, and pootled off to Mike’s after some catching up with my uni friends. Mike took me on a 25 mile route that took in huge amounts of clever local knowledge, a quick stop at a co-op petrol station for a snack, a pint at the pub and we ended up at the hut in the Wyre Forest. It was a lovely mild February, some mud, but not masses and it was double digits temperature! It was midnight when our heads hit the sack, and woke up to a lovely sunrise through the woods. We pedalled into Bewdley for breakfast, and this powered us for the 25 mile ride back to Mike’s taking in some different tracks. Arrived back at Mike’s around lunchtime, had a brew, and throughout the weather was lovely, good company and I really enjoyed myself, cheers Mike! I then shot off across to Stamford to help another friend rebuild his kitchen following a minor flooding incident!

Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/2160176163

I’ll update this post with a photo once I’ve got it off the camera!

048 (18-02-2019) by Chris Reeves, on Flickr

ScotRoutes · Post by **ScotRoutes** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:22 pm

I’m expecting a flurry of people reporting their Bivvy a month for February in the next few days. Currently I only have 12 totted up for Feb (and one of those is ootini who started in Feb), so that’s of the 40 people who have signed up to have a go for the 2019 calendar year January to December, there are 29 people remaining

Out tonight.

middleagedmadness · Post by **middleagedmadness** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:41 pm

Me too

ChrisF · Post by **ChrisF** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:33 pm

Ladybower for me tonight. Heading out from work shortly. Have packed a light quilt based on promised mild temps...

redefined_cycles · Post by **redefined_cycles** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:16 pm

ScotRoutes wrote:
I’m expecting a flurry of people reporting their Bivvy a month for February in the next few days. Currently I only have 12 totted up for Feb (and one of those is ootini who started in Feb), so that’s of the 40 people who have signed up to have a go for the 2019 calendar year January to December, there are 29 people remaining
Out tonight.

I'm hoping to get my first BAM for this year this month for this year and then attempt the rest of 2019 (put my name down

and hopefully once I've done all 11 I might able yo swaggle a badge

).. just to get over the fear factor (of woods in the dark) or find a decent spot/open field/shelter...

My above statement might strengthen my resolve

JimmyG · Post by **JimmyG** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:17 pm

The weather forecast was predicting strong westerly winds, so I decided to ride east to Dunbar over two days (18th and 19th Feb) and let the train take the strain back home from there! On a mix of roads and some of my regular off-road trails, I rode out to Gullane to spend the night. I’d decided on this latest bivvy site during a recce ride several weeks earlier and online research revealed it to be Saltcoats Castle, built in the late 16th Century. I set up camp in what had been the residence’s kitchen, chiefly because it had four intact walls and the floor was still fairly flat in places. The vaulted roof had partially collapsed at each end but was still solid enough and would provide decent protection against wind and rain.

A good night’s sleep was had but I could’ve done without the totally unexpected 5.30 a.m. ‘wake up call’. Cutting a long story short, some unidentified torch-bearing person(s) was evidently set on coming into my hooch but hastily withdrew when they heard me say ‘There’s someone in here already mate”. On smelling smoke from a fire close by some time later, curiosity got the better of me and I left the building to finally set eyes on the mystery visitor(s) - two males and a female in their early 20’s, all the worse for wear through drugs and/or alcohol. Whilst I was marvelling at how one guy’s trackie bottoms were managing to stay up with a bottle of wine stashed in his pocket, the other apologised for disturbing me and asked me if I smoked weed.* Unsure whether they’d run out and hoped I had some spare or whether he was just being generous, I answered in the negative.

The rest of the day proved to be much less eventful and I relished the tailwind propelling me eastwards on some excellent off-road trails via North Berwick to Dunbar. Two down, ten to go!

* Oh and, incidentally, I don't

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

RIP · Post by **RIP** » Fri Feb 22, 2019 9:43 pm

Excellent! A free night in a Scottish castle - hard to top that. Your 5.30am encounter certainly added to the experience. Maybe you could have offered some bikepacker's porridge in exchange for their generous gesture? That would have baffled them.

I find it really interesting hearing about non-tent/bivi/tarp spots. Been a few caves here recently, bird hides often get a look-in, and don't start me on graveyards.

Talking of buildings-bivis, BrownDog's our resident expert with those - how's it going tonight Timbo? Or is it tomorrow? Thinking of you while I'm stuck up here in Sheffield bivvying on daughter's floor. Well I suppose that's one version of a buildings-bivi come to think of it!

PS. 'cutting a long story short' - never do that, we need to hear all the sordid gory details

.

sean_iow · Post by **sean_iow** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 7:42 am

2/12 February has been a busy and a short month so to get my bivi done in time I kept it local. As I wasn't going very far at all I didn't even bother putting my luggage on the bike. Before I left home I put my silk liner in my sleeping bag, slid that into my bivi bag, rolled it up and slid it into a rucksack, mat and pillow in the lid pocket ready to inflate when I got there. Left home just after 10pm and even brushed my teeth before I left just like I would if I was going to bed, which I was but just had a short ride first. Off to a local woods, just over a mile away. There was a thick mist which meant there were drips from the trees so I had to adjust the opening on my bivi bag to stop them landing on my face, the bivi is myog and has a bug net section so not fully waterproof, I think I'll add a flap to cover that bit for similar future occasions. Up at 05:35 and home by 06:00. I was up early to be away before the first of the dog walkers but I still passed one as I rode out of the woods. He greeted me with "I though I was the only nutter here at this time of the morning" if only he knew what I'd been up to

His dog didn't say much, presumably it was wondering why they had to go walking when it was still dark. So I was only away from home for about 8 hours and I spent 7 of those tucked up warmly in my bag. As my trips go the ride to sleep ratio was at the sleep end of the scale

TheBrownDog · Post by **TheBrownDog** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:59 am

Talking of buildings-bivis, BrownDog's our resident expert with those - how's it going tonight Timbo? Or is it tomorrow? Thinking of you while I'm stuck up here in Sheffield bivvying on daughter's floor. Well I suppose that's one version of a buildings-bivi come to think of it!

Mate, I wouldn't say expert - your trip to Cumbria and nights in old hen houses and caravans marks you out for that one. But Im not adverse to kipping in old barns (the Cotswalds is littered with them, if not the Chilterns), stables and sheds. Such as the one we're inhabiting this evening. I dropped a load of wood there during the week (a few of my old floor boards that didn't go to the recycling centre) and very much looking forward to a pleasant evening. Will report back.

ScotRoutes · Post by **ScotRoutes** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 12:50 pm

Forecast was for a bit of a breeze so initial plans for Loch Eanaich were parked and we headed for Loch Mallachie instead (via the Boat of Garten hotel for a couple of pints of Cairngorm Buzz).

We managed to find a decent spot close to the main path that seemed pretty sheltered and set up camp. I use my meths stove outside for the first time (this is a big thing for me). It worked fine but if I was in more of a hurry I'd definitely start cooking/heating before getting the tarp etc organised).

It got windier as the night progressed and my compromise of the pitch having a decent view meant it stayed pretty "fresh" throughout. Still, not bad to be back to using the quilt in February.

Meths stove on again for morning coffee and managed to burn my finger and thumb picking it up off the stove (never been a problem with the gas). A reminder to wear gloves next time!!

Straightforward ride home on a beautiful morning more like April than February.

P1050560 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

P1050566 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_0013 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

DSC_0011 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

middleagedmadness · Post by **middleagedmadness** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 3:09 pm

Set out yesterday afternoon rode over to Cannock,met up with birthday boy paramart in the redmore a few pints and a bit of food ,asked if we could leave the pub at 10 as they wanted to close up

and then the shortest trip I've ever had to the Bivi spot less than 1/4 of a mile ,got up about 3 for my old man's duties and found the ground was frozen solid so quickly jumped back in my Bivi bag and quilt and mart woke me about 730 with a polite cough,then some breaky over the chase and a bit of history round the old RAF camp some new to me trails and back in to penkridge down the canal and home ,a very pleasant night and good company pictures later when I get to pc
:- forgot to add that's 11 in a row , nearly there for my badge

paramart · Post by **paramart** » Sat Feb 23, 2019 3:21 pm

I set off fri afternoon for a nice trip around the chase and met up with MAM at the pub did some long forgotten trails on my mooch around

Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019

Re: Bivvy a month 2019