So Singletrack just landed through the letterbox and....

[Matt]

it's has an article on Bikepacking with kids..





&

[Bearbonesnorm]

[Matt]

it does beg the question.......






..... where on the bike did they store a 4ft toasting fork?

[Mart]

telescopic toasting fork?

[Ray Young]

Fire pit rocks obviously taken from the dry stone wall. What absolute dickheads.

[Bearbonesnorm]

Can anyone explain why "a bit warm" deserves intital caps? Does ABW means something I'm unaware of, bit like ACAB?

[restlessshawn]

How can you start a sentence with And and Or?

[restlessshawn]

Fire pit rocks obviously taken from the dry stone wall. What absolute dickheads.

It's not even a good firepit

[Bearbonesnorm]

It's not even a good firepit

Are you sure? Ray says it rocks

[gairym]

I was sort of going to attempt to defend the article a tiny little bit by saying that they most likely didn't tear down the wall themselves or make the 'fire pit' and likely just came across it and utilised it but.....

Looking at how little the stones and surrounding earth are scorched and blackened I now think that they probably did.

Dicks!!!

[mechanicaldope]

Fire pit rocks obviously taken from the dry stone wall. What absolute dickheads.

It's not even a good firepit

To be fair, I think that they probably found it that way rather than tore down the wall themselves (grass growing between the rocks). It is a sub standard pit though.

[Matt]

it does say in the article it was an abandoned quarry so probably a few stones kicking about

[middleagedmadness]

Can anyone explain why "a bit warm" deserves intital caps? Does ABW means something I'm unaware of, bit like ACAB?

Absolute Bollox W@nkers my best teretts explanation

[SteveM]

The least surprising thing about this is the amount of assumptions being made here, its a bloke taking his kids out for the night for fucks sake, the bloke (Barney) is a good friend of mine and well versed in bikepacking etiquette etc.

Anyone who thinks that he would tear down a dry stone wall to make a fire pit is absolutely wrong and clearly demonstrating their own willingness to jump to conclusions.

[Matt]

its a bloke taking his kids out for the night for fucks sake, the bloke (Barney) is a good friend of mine and well versed in bikepacking etiquette etc.

I think the irony is the back running argument of why do the media constantly have to show "a fire" as an essential part of Bikepacking. The fire photo is the biggest photo in the whole article. It was hot, it was dry, he said 'Leave no trace'.

So wether or not he's the most standup chap in the whole world that article suggests that lighting a fire while wild camping is okay. I don't think it is, I wouldn't do it even if it had been raining, nevermind during the hottest summer ever when several moors and forrest have been alight due either to carelessness or malice.

The media have a responsibility to set an example and lighting a fire is a piss poor example.

[SteveM]

I absolutely agree about the fire issue, its naive at best

[Dave Barter]

well versed in bikepacking etiquette etc.

Narrative talks of roasting burgers and marshmallows over flames so I suspect a little bit of further education may not go amiss.

[Ray Young]

Anyone who thinks that he would tear down a dry stone wall to make a fire pit is absolutely wrong and clearly demonstrating their own willingness to jump to conclusions.

Dry stone wall in the background, same rocks around the fire. What conclusion should I arrive at. If I can come to that conclusion then so can others who may think it is ok to use rocks from a wall to make their fire safe.

[SteveM]

well you could conclude that someone other than the man with the kids had built the fire pit before they arrived there ?

[In Reverse]

well you could conclude that someone other than the man with the kids had built the fire pit before they arrived there ?

Would that make using it acceptable then Steve? And then publishing it as being acceptable - is that OK too?

[SteveM]

No, I’m clear on that point about the fire, however the accusations of tearing down a dry stone wall are unfounded and frankly childish

[Matt]

however the accusations of tearing down a dry stone wall are unfounded and frankly childish

As pointed out above if you read the article he says it's an abandoned quarry, usually plenty of stone kicking round in them so I always thought the wall was in safe hands.

I assume he didn't venture too far out of 'fax though.

https://www.halifaxcourier.co.uk/news/e ... -1-9130823

Between October 1 and April 15 some controlled burning by landowners takes place, but a fire started outside of these dates is a wildfire and any person caught starting one can be prosecuted for arson.

Wasn't intended to be a Witch hunt just highlighting another example of the media showing inappropriate fires

[Bearbonesnorm]

'Tis just another example of the media ignoring any responsibility and choosing to paint the picture with the greatest appeal to their readership ... some of whom will be clued up, sensible and act in a way that is considerate to others. Some will be clueless dicks, who take seeing a picture like this one as a licence to follow suit. Say whatever you like in text but it'll largely be ignored in favour of the nice picture which contains a scene they aspire to. The sooner magzines, advertisers and everyone else stops pandering to peoples romantic notion of 'camp life' the better.

[fatbikephil]

Abandoned quarry my backside - That's the grassy area next to the Tarf Water suspension bridge on the glen tilt route. I passed that guy and his two kids on my May BAM as he was cooking on his fire (I recall the wee lassie in the pink jacket). I think I even made reference to it in my write up and debated having a word with them but didn't given that the two kids may be put off by a grumpy old man moaning at them. When I went passed last month I chucked the rocks in the river, scuffed away all the ashes and filled in the hole with muck taken from the river bank, in the vane hope that others may not use it again....

[ScotRoutes]

Damn you and your facts!