Had the bike all packed and ready for the last few days and have been stuck in such a midwinter SAD funk that I haveny been able to motivate myself to make use of the sunshine.

And so it begins! Great stuff!

Verena wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 9:04 pm Does anyone else love bare winter trees silhouetted against the sky by the way?

Yup, me too!

Verena wrote: ↑Wed Jan 05, 2022 9:04 pm ...the burning cooker tumbled down practically into my lap, in the process spilling most of my tea water

I hate it when this happens. Even more annoying if it's the meths stove rather than gas.

WE, cheeky disused office building, Dyfi forest, nicely found by Bearlegged's finely-tuned spot radar.

1/1, 1/12, 72/72

I think I will have a go at this for 2022.

KO'd in good fashion with a trip to Scotland. Intention was to go round the outer Cairngorm loop, in reality it didnt play out like that.

Set off down Glen Gaick and into the river crossing - COLD. After a night in the woods outside Feshiebridge the weather had turned and we decided to go to Glenmore for breakfast, over the past Ryvoan and then turned left instead of right. The snow wasnt that deep but our moving speed and requirement to only be out one more night meant it was the right choice. We spun the day away with food and snow all the way back over Drumochter and to the same woods off the A9 cycle path. The usual search for soft enough ground for pegs and some sort of shelter from the howling wind ensued and we hid behind the Arial buildings.

Last day could have been straight back, but a bit of route wrangling by Mark took us over some more hills and wood south including a bit of bog stomping

Glad I was still able to go as a broken bike nearly scuppered proceedings...

So, January in the bag. 11 to go





Oh, my first time using Pogies loaned to me by Mark. Game changer, as much so as Primaloft vests.

Currently self isolating until Saturday. I'm planning to head out then to tick January off. Quite bored at being at home.

1/1 done in a bird hide at Nant yr Arian. Hopefully they get warmer from now on.

Dave Barter wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:43 pm 1/1 done in a bird hide at Nant yr Arian. Hopefully they get warmer from now on.

Did you get brekkie at the visitor centre? I've always used the Red Kite caff but nice to have an alternative.

RIP wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 3:30 pm

Dave Barter wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 2:43 pm 1/1 done in a bird hide at Nant yr Arian. Hopefully they get warmer from now on.

Did you get brekkie at the visitor centre? I've always used the Red Kite caff but nice to have an alternative.

Red Kite shut and visitor centre cafe only opens at 10am. So we had coffee in the garage down the road and bravely soldiered on with just rehydrated porridge in us.

Shame (the cafes not the porridge). Same with us at Cafe Maengwyn Mach. Luckily the White Lion saved our bacon (*).

(*) literally as well as figuratively. Although saved our glamorgan sausages in Bear and my cases .

Ooh, the lead mine centre down the road (opposite the old Red Kite cafe) now has their own cafe. Dee and myself called in just before Christmas - fairly basic menu (yes they do breakfast) but all home made and the chap was lovely and couldn't be more welcoming / accommodating.

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 4:56 pm Ooh, the lead mine centre down the road (opposite the old Red Kite cafe) now has their own cafe. Dee and myself called in just before Christmas - fairly basic menu (yes they do breakfast) but all home made and the chap was lovely and couldn't be more welcoming / accommodating.

Twas shut as well

Valuable intel for WRT though .

I've been a bit discombobulated over the weekend with various little changes that are adding up to make quite a big difference to future visits for me. Y Star no longer a pub so not that keen staying there now; Hafren bunkhouse very welcoming but likes block bookings of 16 especially on a bank holiday (WRT) and even then they're not that keen because other bank hol visitors would probably book all weekend not just the Friday like us; Wynnstay is probably going to go yuppie with new owners; my favourite Dyfi Forest pub didn't do food this weekend and when I said "see you at WRT" he said he thinks he's stopped doing food for good, which has totally traumatised me; and finally the alternative Dyfi pub does nice food but has a miserable old baggage in charge now so that's knackered too.

In that last case all I said to Stu when I got back was "they've gone and painted the inside walls etc grey". I knew he'd immediately twig the problem from that simple statement . To compound the mess they've replaced the giant fireplace with a tiddly woodburner and put loads of 'high rise' tables with stools in!! Looks utterly ridiculous in an old slate miners' boozer - would look fine in some hipster central London joint.

Generally change is regenerative and can lead to better things but this is too many at once for poor old Reg!

Maybe we should all decamp that that luxury wooden place the other lot had a fire in, with BYOB.

Reg, in the words of the Macc Lads ... 'they said we'll change bar round, paint walls brown, it's gonna look reet. Then a penguin grabbed me for throw me out, you gotta dress like a tw@t fer get in now" etc etc

Bearbonesnorm wrote: ↑Mon Jan 10, 2022 7:26 pm Reg, in the words of the Macc Lads ... 'they said we'll change bar round, paint walls brown, it's gonna look reet. Then a penguin grabbed me for throw me out, you gotta dress like a tw@t fer get in now" etc etc

Aye I'd forgotten that one!

Maybe Myfanwy the stuffed red dragon toy (*) on my head coloured her view of me somewhat. At least she served us at all, unlike every establishment in Rhayader on the Cafe Racer, so I suppose I should be grateful.

(*) I like to buy a mascot on each visit to Nick at Staylittle Stores. All he had on display this time were little pottery nicknacks which I wasn't sure about having on my head, so he had to go and rummage in his stash round the back. Luckily Myfanwy, as I named her, was hiding alone on a shelf. I think she was pleased to be let out and taken on a tour of the upper Dyfi valleys.

A nice weekend out at BBWE and saw no one really - three riders shot across a junction I was maybe 200m from. A bit cold which sirprised me as god for -17 and I was wearing clthes. Been sick since coming home. My breakfast porridge was ransacked by a beastie, when I picked up the bag was in it all spilt out - it was double bagged as well. Had a couple of flapjacks and coffee and headed back to base. 1/12

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYhgXQVsWAc/

Kicking off a new BaM year at the 2022 WE. 1/12.




Reg's picture, not mine.


The weather was kind-ish - we didn't get even moderately wet - as was the wind (and gravity), which helped us home. All-day breakfast at the White Lion was first class and served by a nice friendly lady, but by the time we'd finished it was almost beer o'clock and it was touch and go whether we'd manage to get back out and finish the ride.

After having packed the bike several times and failed to leave the house over the last few weeks, I finally pulled my finger out and took advantage of the fine weather. An 80 mile loop from home, southeast over the Trent to camp in a spot off a rail trail I've used half a dozen times.
Heavy going across the fields and lots of mud on many of the lanes saw me cutting 25 miles off the original route. The upside being I could spend longer in the tent drinking coffee. So that's my first ever BAM completed

https://www.instagram.com/p/CYreDeRM9BK ... =copy_link

I’m sure Storm Arwen back in late November is still fresh in everyone’s memories. As elsewhere, it caused a great deal of destruction among most of the wooded areas along the East Lothian coast. One such place was John Muir Country Park not far from Dunbar. A pal and I have enjoyed numerous fat bike sessions there in recent years, both on its network of trails and the adjacent beaches. I’d heard about serious damage to the forest via local media sources but it wasn’t until somebody posted a video showing his drone footage* that the sheer scale of the destruction became apparent. Literally hundreds of were trees felled due a combination of the extremely high winds and relatively shallow tree roots in the sandy soil.

Curious to see for myself, I decided to head down that way on Tuesday for my first BAM of the year. This entailed 32 miles on a mix of road and gravel trails.

On arrival in the general area I soon began to see plenty of fallen trees. Once I reached the edge of the forest I saw that a path I’d normally take was completely blocked. A parallel track took me along the edge of a large children’s play park that features miscellaneous funfair activities as well as a collection of animals (including llamas, emu-like rheas and wallabies). Miraculously, none of the fallen trees had breached the rather flimsy perimeter fence or the local deer, etc. might have had some new pals to play with!

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

It soon became clear that all of my favourite trails had been obliterated. Such a shame that this lovely spot has now been ruined and visitors are essentially limited just to walking/riding around the perimeter trail. Hopefully in time the local authorities will get round to ensuring that at least some of the main tracks are cleared so the forest can be more fully enjoyed. It would be a lengthy and expensive undertaking, though, so who knows.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

As forecast, the westerly wind had picked up considerably. However, I eventually found a fully sheltered site behind a fallen pine tree. I spent much of the evening listening to a couple of tall trees creaking ominously in the wind but reasoned that if one or other of them should fall the already downed trees around me would provide enough of a standoff to prevent me (or my bike ) being squashed.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

I dropped off eventually and enjoyed a reasonable night’s sleep despite the incessant wind. In the morning after a basic breakfast of coffee and a couple of muesli bars I lingered over packing up, well aware that my trudge homewards against the strong westerly was not going to be enjoyable. And indeed it wasn’t! Anyway, it’s consigned to the past already and I’m looking forward to cracking on with the rest of this year’s BAMs in due course.

* For anyone who might be interested, here’s a link to the drone footage. Credit must go to local resident, Rob McDougall. The power of nature indeed… https://vimeo.com/651063559?ref=fb-shar ... 29NUYPx2Z8

It's an ill wind.....

Indeed!

Great seeing peoples trips. I've been sussing out my new area a bit and noting a few locations for a close to home ones. Family circumstances mean I'm going to be tight getting in one for January, new location and house, trying to settle son in new school, and wife working out her notice up in Shetland. My son's 14 and safe to leave over night, so we'll see if I can fit a quicky in. I've already asked him if he wants to come, sadly no

Jimmyg we're in Angus and I've been pretty shocked at the scenes of devastation in the local woods and lanes with hundreds of trees down and lots of big old beeches lost.

Moder-dye wrote: ↑Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:34 am Jimmyg we're in Angus and I've been pretty shocked at the scenes of devastation in the local woods and lanes with hundreds of trees down and lots of big old beeches lost.

Very sad isn’t it and it’s hard to imagine the sheer scale of the damage until you see it in person.

Hey all, my first post having lurked here for a few months. I decided that this was the year I'd have a crack at the BaM, and set off for a spin after work last night. I'd set myself the goal of a long ride out and mostly back home before stopping for the night. The route was mostly flatish, but with a sting in the tail for the final 20km. It was cold, but dry for most of the ride, but sods law dictated mist and a little light rain towards the end. I was slower than I'd hoped due to a minor mechanical, and later getting close to the forest where I'd planned to camp, and the bivvy spot was far from ideal, with hard stoney ground making it tough to finds spots to get the pegs in. Don't give me grief on the state the the tent in the photo, I'm well aware that it looks rough; I've still plenty to learn about this lark. I got a couple of hours of sleep, but woke up cold and needing a pee at 4:30am, and decided that was probably a good reason to pack up and head for home. One down, eleven to go. It gets easier right???

Excellent. Welcome to the game.

Easier? Not if you keep making it more difficult