Bivvy a month 2020.

[fatbikephil]

Absolutely soggy and miserable and pouring down in the morning, so she wussed out of the bike ride and had a good breakfast instead

Your friend seems to have got the hang of it
Breakfast looks ace, puts my instant coffee and porridge to shame

I thought that. I think more elaborate breakfasts will be a goal for next years bam

[Raggedstone]

10/10 for2020
I had hoped to get out for another bivvy before the end of the month but it's not going to happen so I will have to fall back on my night out on the BB200 . Things didn't go according to plan as I got lost in the dark on Hay Bluff and ended up in the wrong valley but it was a very nice valley found a good spot for the night complete with a fireproof picnic bench/table so got set up ate some food and settled down for a restless night . Packed up breakfasted and away by dawn so no pictures which after last month's efforts is probably a good thing .
One of my favourite books is On the Black Hill and for that night I was one of the few that was and I will be back in the daylight next time .
The rest of the ride involved eating at every opportunity and a long but enjoyable ride back to the van .

Looks like there may be some panic bivvying going on in the next few days in order to avoid the garden experience again .

[RIP]

Looks like there may be some panic bivvying going on in the next few days in order to avoid the garden experience again .

Mmm. I must admit the cogs are beginning to turn. Although I would consider it to be a carefully considered and deliberate decision rather than a panic. Ahem.

Reg 'Corporal Jones' Perrin

[RIP]

Guess we'll have to apply to The Bosses for reinstatement of the EBRs though.

[ScotRoutes]

Overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed- including holidays in the UK and abroad.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-nationa ... 5-november?

[robbie]

Overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed- including holidays in the UK and abroad.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-nationa ... 5-november?

Is this for Scotland also Colin? Can't keep up with the 3 having their own rules.

[ScotRoutes]

Overnight stays and holidays away from primary residences will not be allowed- including holidays in the UK and abroad.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-nationa ... 5-november?

Is this for Scotland also Colin? Can't keep up with the 3 having their own rules.

England only at the moment. Could very well change to include the devolved administrations by Thursday due to variations in financing/support/furlough.

[fatbikephil]

Don't let that stop you, just get out there and bivvy - after all whose to know. We can develop a few euphemisms to enable people to report their bivvies in 'public'. I won't be doing my November or December bam in my back garden.

[Boab]

Popped out last night for a last gasp October bivy. I should've gone last Sunday night, but have been suffering from a severe case of can't be arsed. In an effort to enjoy myself, as I currently have clod, I took my reading glasses and a book, so I had something to do while necking a beer.



A terrible night's "sleep" then ensued. Knees up was nice and toasty, while knees down was chilly. Got woken up at 03:00 by pissing rain, then had a nightmare that involved a stolen laptop and The Donald, was then woken up by the wind.



As I was staying local and not planning on going far this morning, I didn't bother taking any breakfast or coffee. It still took around 50 minutes to extract myself from the sleeping bag and pack everything up. It was nice to see the moon, as I slipped and slithered my way down a bridleway, one foot unclipped as the bike wanted to go in any direction other than the one I wanted.



Rather than continuing on the bridleway, I turned off and headed for some tarmac.



With the wind behind me, I glided through a few quiet villages, on pretty much empty roads.



Given the lack of sleep, and the clod, I decided not to extend the ride much further. Turning side on to the wind, was interesting with the fork bags on. The head wind after the last turn for home was brutal at times as well, with some of the gusts having my rapidly shifting down the gears, searching for forward momentum. The weather couldn't make up it's mind if it wanted to be sunny(ish), or just penetrating drizzle.



I'm currently sat on the sofa watching La Vuelta, feeling totally wiped out; lack of sleep and a head cold, what a winning combination. Really glad I made it out though, and interestingly didn't feel half as bad while on the bike, as I do now. Given yesterdays utterances from The Buffoon, I'm now considering going out again on Monday night, before, presumably, emergency rules are reinstated...

Fun breakdown: 70% type 1, 30% type 2
Strava: Distance: 45.49km; Moving time: 2:14:15; Elevation: 343m
2020 BaM: 10/10

[RIP]

Nice one at the eleventh hour .

I rather like those East Anglian landscape photos. Not everyone's cuppa but the 'flat, bleak, featureless' vibe has an appeal all of its own. And we know it's not those three things anyway. Shall we say it shyly guards its charms more than some areas of the UK . I've seen some very atmospheric black & white Winter fenland photos. In fact isn't there a book of them?

R

[Boab]

Shall we say it shyly guards its charms more than some areas of the UK .

It does that...

I've seen some very atmospheric black & white Winter fenland photos. In fact isn't there a book of them?

Yes! There's probably more than one, but there's a chap called Paul Hart whose produced some utterly stunning fen imagery. Made the national press and everything...

[TrepidExplorer]

Well, October came and went.

This is about as close as I got to my bivi for October. Still, all packed, 35 minutes in a bus stop and an open air sleep on a grit bin in broad daylight count right?

Full report. https://trepidexplorer.blogspot.com/2020/10/t ... dging.html

The closest to photographic evidence.

[RIP]

Yes! There's probably more than one, but there's a chap called Paul Hart whose produced some utterly stunning fen imagery. Made the national press and everything...

Marvellous! That must have been the ones, ta. Will go and enjoy them with a brew.

[RIP]

This is about as close as I got to my bivi for October. Still, all packed, 35 minutes in a bus stop and an open air sleep on a grit bin in broad daylight count right?

It certainly does! What I like about you Trep is that most of us seem to be either tramps or 'racers' (ok, not quite that clear-cut but..) but you effortlessly and seamlessly combine the two .

[Boab]

Popped out last night to nab Novembers BaM, before Lockdown II. After finishing work, and having dinner with the family, I packed the bike and headed out into the dark. Rather than pottering straight to my chosen bivy area, via the road, I took a slightly longer meandering route, which took in three byways. I picked these mainly as they're all hard pack gravel, and they were all fine, apart for a short section though a farm yard.



I knew roughly where I wanted to bivy, a stand of trees just off one of the byways, but I wasn't hundred percent sure about how to get to it. I sneaked through a hedgerow and jumped a ditch, but the wind was fairly whistling through. A couple of hundred metres further down the byway though, there was a marked footpath heading in the direction I was after, it even had a couple of handy board bridges over the ditches.



I stopped at the first passable spot and unloaded the bike. Unfortunately, before I even go the Tyvek down, I realised the ground was covered in bramble shoots, and other protuberances. Another twenty or so metres down the footpath, there was a much better spot, and totally shielded from the wind, so I set up the tent and got out the cold. I was soon wrapped up in my bag, with a beer and my book.



I set my alarm for 05:30, as I wanted a bit of a ride before getting home in time for work. While there was rain forecast for the morning, the percentage chance of it early was low, so I was expecting to get wet near the end of the ride. Leaving earlier would mean I would stay dryer for longer...



While putting all the bags back on the bike, I noticed that the front tyre was completely flat. I put this down to running it over all the brambles when arriving, so I swapped out the inner tube for spare, rather than patching it. I couldn't open the valve on the, well used, spare tube and struggled to get it closed again, but the tyre was up and at a good pressure. While I'd been sorting the inner tube out, it started raining, a good couple of hours earlier than I'd hoped. There wasn't even a bit of light rain to ease in with, it was straight to torrential downpour. So I scrubbed the planned 50km morning bimble and headed straight home.

I hadn't even made it off the byway, when I heard what sounded like one of the tyres going pop. Sure enough, the front had lost about half of what I'd put in, but was still rideable. As it was coming down in stair rods, I decided to ride it as far as I could, and try and find a bus stop to shelter in while trying to sort it out. Turns out there's no bus shelters in the villages between my bivy site and home. I did stop in the porch of a pub though and stick a bit more air into the tyre, this thankfully lasted till got home, but the drag was something rotten. I was totally drookit when I finally rolled back into the drive, so the bike went into the shed, the clothes into the washing machine and me into a hot shower.



I'm glad I went out, I felt less anxious about getting caught this time, so felt like I slept a bit better. Although the twany owl that decided to give it full beans twit twoos in the tree above the tent, could've waited a few more hours. Roll on later in the week, when new tyres, inner tubes and mudguards will arrive.

Fun breakdown: 70% type 1, 30% type 2
Strava: Distance: 41.20km; Moving time: 1:59:38; Elevation: 310m
2020 BaM: 11/11

P.S. I would've proffered to go out this evening, clear skies and a predicted 2°C, but I have to be somewhere early doors tomorrow...

[Verena]

Was going to go out tonight, what with last night being a beautifully crisp clear night with a full moon, first snow on the Brecon Beacons this morning, and another dry night forecast, but now it's not happening... raining that cold probably 5 degrees rain which is horrible. Aiming for Thursday night. Maybe if I say it out loud here it means I have to do it...

[fatbikephil]

I've done a quick tally of who are still in from January (apologies to those who started late) until October
As follows:-
Benconnoli
jimmy G
RIP
Frog
Trepid
Htrider
Scotroutes
K1100T
Ericrobo
Landslide
Raggedstone

Further apologies if I've missed anybody.
Come on folks only two to go

[sean_iow]

.... (apologies to those who started late).....

Apology accepted I started in March with no intention of doing the year but Reg put me on the list for March's bivis so I felt obliged to carry on. We had the first frost of the winter this morning so I'd better take the warmer sleeping bag from now on.

[RIP]

0degC predicted here this evening. Time to get out there and Feel The Freeze I reckon:-bd

but Reg put me on the list for March's bivis so I felt obliged to carry on

^ Worse than the US elections in here! (arg, sorry, "I mentioned it once but I think we got away with it")

[sean_iow]

When it comes to the bam thread your word is law Reg so I had to keep going as I didn't know what the consequences of failing would be

It gets worse, Ralph stated in April and I feel I'd be letting him down if I stopped now

[RIP]

When it comes to the bam thread your word is law Reg so I had to keep going as I didn't know what the consequences of failing would be

It gets worse, Ralph stated in April and I feel I'd be letting him down if I stopped now

"law" - there's a Higher Authority, I'm just one of his angels (think Aziraphale /Michael Sheen in Good Omens...) .

Feeling a bit under the weather today so probably just a quick ride round and an Eddie Waring 'early bath'.

[RIP]

Managed to get out for a ride with MuddyPete. It really was quite parky. The idea was to wander up to the woods and set off a few sparklers for our own firework show, and have a little LNT bonfire in the honey stove. No guy to chuck on top though, maybe we could have used a little Lego character or something.





We had a nice chat and a couple of drinks, but I was still feeling under the weather and eventually I was overcome by fatigue and realised it would be dangerous to ride back along the canal in the dark. Probably best to have a nap and recover properly before attempting that. By chance, I had my bikepacking bags on and loaded - it's often the case I haven't taken them off after the previous outing, or they're there "just in case" - so luckily it was a simple matter of choosing a low-hanging fir tree and rolling out the mat and bag.

I think there must be something wrong with my metabolism these days. Perfectly comfy but I stayed cold most of the night. Admittedly it was hovering around 0degC but I was lying on a Winterlite mat, in a -9degC bag, wearing two pairs of socks, bamboo leggings, bamboo top, a very thick fleece, a bamboo balaclava AND a ridiculous down balaclava. Still, the moon and the owls made it all worth it. MuddyPete was much more hardcore than me - he was "testing how far his summer gear would go". Best let him explain how that went himself . Annoyingly my battery packed up before I could snap the bivvy tree. It was a typical November morning: cold and a lot of dew around. Porridge and ovaltine and back home in time for toast. A wise decision not to try and return the previous night I think.





11/11, 11/12, 58/58

[MuddyPete]

Cheers Reg, it's always good to chat to the backdrop of a firework display.
I wasn't expecting to stay out, so was astonished when all my lights went out and I suddenly became disorientated in the woods. Best to stay put, rather than walk over a hidden cliff edge .

With just my autumn cycling gear, down socks/trousers/jacket, bivi bag and Karrimat I was warm enough until 03.30, then warmed-up with some star jumps and sprints. A clear sky and bright moon gave the scene the appearance of being in a B&W film. With me jumping around dressed in black I must have looked like some sort of chubby ninja .

Sufficiently warmed to remain comfortable I rested until 06.30, when it was light enough to bimble home.

Next time I'll probably unleash the Buffalo Bag, which I'll probably be using until March. Good to know I don't need to invest in a down bag. Mission accomplished .

Reg - did you eat before you went out? Perhaps some more fat in the diet, or advice from the Dr would help.

[RIP]

Best to stay put.

Sound advice that.

some star jumps and sprints. A clear sky and bright moon gave the scene the appearance of being in a B&W film. With me jumping around dressed in black I must have looked like some sort of chubby ninja .

I did wonder what was going on. I thought I was dreaming in black & white.

Reg - did you eat before you went out? Perhaps some more fat in the diet, or advice from the Dr would help.

I once had a go with a "bioelectric impedance analysis" or something or other at a fete. Sounds like mumbo jumbo. Supposed to measure your body fat. They thought the machine was broken because it just kept showing "0" on the dial. I am literally a bag of [bear?] bones.

Need to get the Viz T-shirt.....

[Bearlegged]

But are you not happy, Reg? I'm not sure it's lard that you need.