Bivvy a month 2023.

[Bearlegged]

Left it late.

[Retiredtester]

Me and pip snuck one in last night to make it 4 out of 4 so far. We found another spot just off the south downs way and had a very pleasant, warm and wind free night. Up and away before the dog walkers were out and treated to a descent off the downs into an Ouse valley full of sea mist.

[redefined_cycles]

Well done all you lovely folks who continue doing the impossible and getting out there every month for a night out

[Blackhound]

April done.

Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/cWqScu0orzb

I had to cancel WRT because of major works going on at home, damp course, kitchen, heating and rewire is currently been undertaken. Besides having work to get on with my knee started hurting after a ride last weekend and I went to see an osteopath on Friday. Although a little sore walking it feels OK with easy riding.

So, I decided to pack light and stay in some local woods a few miles from home. On arrival I discovered I had forgotten the poles to my tarp so just laid out on my mat and bivvy bag. It was a warm evening and I lay and read my book ( Parades End) until I felt sleepy. Putting my book down I could not sleep. About 3am I thought I felt a couple of spots of rain, lay a bit longer but was now wide awake. Got up and took ages to pack in the dark and headed to a McD's where I was too early for breakfast at about 0530. The lady on duty kindly sorted out a porridg and hot chocolate for me. After a bit more book reading I headed home for a bit of gardening and stripping wallpaper in the kitchen in readiness for a plasterer. I slept well last night.

4/12 and a run of 16 months

[Moder-dye]

Retiredtester looks like a nice trip with Pip

I keep trying to get my son (15) to come out with me, tempting him by offering him the ebike to use, but no. I thought with him doing the DoE at the moment he might be up for it, but no. Sad thing is that when he was little,and even too little to remember he came camping, kayak and sail camping (ok he had no choice). Hopefully one day he turns away from the computers occasionally...

[Retiredtester]

Thanks moder dye. Pip is 14 and about to turn 15, so I'm all too aware that this won't last for ever. He seems to genuinely enjoy it and I've promised myself (and my wife!) that I won't ever bully him into it. The lure of the screen is just so powerful and I feel your pain! Hopefully one day your boy will click and suddenly be able to see the attraction. Until then, enjoy not having to prep and pack two bikes before every trip!

[samwise]

4/12 - A dry but chilly night out on Wed 26th. Riding the Cairngorms Loop with two friends. We spend the first night near Drakes bothy

A few photos now added!

[Retiredtester]

Beautiful photos samwise! Apologies for hijacking, but looks like you've got an alpkit ordos and just wondered how you find it? I've got one too and seem to have a 50/50 success rate with getting the weird crucifix poles at the back end pitched properly.

[samwise]

Beautiful photos samwise! Apologies for hijacking, but looks like you've got an alpkit ordos and just wondered how you find it? I've got one too and seem to have a 50/50 success rate with getting the weird crucifix poles at the back end pitched properly.

I've had no issues with pitching as long as you give it some good tension. It's annoying it's not quite freestanding but I see they've changed this on the new version!

[Bearlegged]

Between Blackhound and myself, there's a fully functioning shelter somewhere. While I had tarp and pole, unfortunately I didn't have pegs.

I checked and double checked the forecast, crossed my fingers, and settled down for what would hopefully be a dry night.
A little after 3am, I woke to rather more rain than I'd bargained for, picked up my bed, and trudged a few hundred metres to a little barn, where I got a few hours sleep in before some migrating geese loudly honked their way across the sky, and car boots slamming heralded the early (dog) walking brigade. I got a brew going, and slowly packed up my damp kit.

Mrs Bearlegged had suggested meeting somewhere in the Peak for breakfast (good), but it was a while yet until the cafe would open (not so good). To fill in the intervening period, I made use of the local visitor centre and its toilets, then meandered my way up dale and down hill, sharing the views with Curlews, a hunting Kestrel, and a cheery lady waving from the boot of her car as she tended to her camping kettle. Despite taking a circuitous route and dawdling as.much as possible, I still arrived in Hope nearly an hour early to meet the family. Thankfully, there's another cafe that opens early, so I nursed a rather decadent hot chocolate for a while.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CrsU0KUsogX/

2023 BAM 4/12
2023 total bivvies 4
Current streak (months) 53

[Retiredtester]

I've had no issues with pitching as long as you give it some good tension. It's annoying it's not quite freestanding but I see they've changed this on the new version!

Thanks, that's good to hear. I think mine is an Ordos 2, so presumably that is the newer version. The problems only really seem to happen when I try and pitch it fly first, using the footprint, so maybe I'll just stick to pitching inner first.

[RIP]

As per WRT - middle of nowhere in Welsh Wales

4/4, 4/12, 88/88

[josh]

(This is a delayed post for April's BAM I did on the 28th.)

I've lost count of the number of times this month's BAM got pushed back. I'd originally planned to sneak off and sleep in the hills near to our Airbnb while in Wales on a family holiday early in the month, but I wasn't ready for the level of faff it took to sort out six adults and three children and I didn't feel like I could disappear off. I also picked up a cold or something, so that made me less keen to spend a night outside.

That cold took a while to recover from, so it wasn't until the 28th that I felt any kind of motivation to get out.



It was another local one this time, about 12km away from home, going really slowly the whole way through mud & puddles because I couldn't be bothered to deal with getting wet & muddy.

My first choice of bivvy spot was a no go – I'd decided that given the choice I wouldn't climb a fence, go through a closed gate (not on a right of way) or go past a no entry/private sign. And the gate which had always previously been open was now closed, so I continued on to my second choice and first ever wild camp/BAM spot only another 10 minutes away.



I stopped for dinner midway to the backup bivvy spot, using a handy bench to make matters quite civilised. Packet mash and some blocks of cheese is filling and easy (I normally add some cured meat chunks too but didn't have it this time).


Not pictured: the better view behind me

Wildlife was plentiful once I arrived, with bats, deer, various birds, rabbits and many other unseen, but heard, visitors joining me.




The night was colder than expected and this was on of the 1/2 nights my thermarest decided to stop holding air so I slept pretty cold despite the actual temperature not being that low.

I'm getting used to deciding that I'm comfortable with the sounds and weirdness of just laying down in a random field and switching off to sleep.

The rest was pretty uneventful, I woke at a reasonable time and packed up and made it home in time to marshal at our local Parkrun in the morning.

[frogatthefarriers]

April - Done. On the WRT.

Bivvy 1...



See the slope under my Hammock? Well in the night I got the most god-awful cramps in both legs. I was in agony. To try and ease them I had to get out of the hammock but got tangled and fell onto the ground then rolled down a couple of rotations with my feet stuck in the quilt, ending up a few feet out from under my tarp gasping in pain. I don't ever want to have that happen again; I blame the Statins the quack has got me on..

D'you think he's trying to tell us to keep away?...


We were hard-pressed to find somewhere to sleep after Tywyn, eventually landing some 8 miles further than we would have liked but finally finding a spot in beech woods within sight of the new Mach bridge and sound of the Mach comedy festival.

Bivvy 2...


Alfresco breakfast in Mach...


And finally, this made me laugh...


A sheep had dropped a turd with extreme precision and speared it on a dried bracken stalk, like a poo lolly.

Back to the towers then, for very welcome tea and cake and de-brief.

To Stu and Dee, my eternal thanks.

A major BaM marker for me this - 4/12 for 2023 and 100 consecutive BaMs since January 2015. Thanks to Blackhound for thinking of it and to Bearbones for putting it my way. What fun it's been.

[Wotsits]

4/4

Managed to get a couple of overnighters in April

First was a pleasant evening spent up in Gregs Bothy with Mr Fargoist, they've done a great job of the recent new roof..





Then 2 nights with loads of other lunatics on the WRT

[Leerowe76]

I had hoped of getting out before the WRT but in the end needed to use the Joker card on this months BAM which turned out to be another late one but the good news is it was also the WRT2023
It was superb as always and the thanks goes out to Stu & Dee and all the helpers for making it what it is and also great to see the new & the old faces getting out and having fun on bikes

processed-ed02db24-4f9b-46d8-945f-13874cf5940f_8IGTnknu by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Sunny shot here after lots of coat on coat off business with rain not knowing whether it was coming or going

processed-9ed185d8-b955-44b8-b26b-0c74bfff56a3_UvlPRopu by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Nice spot

processed-cef02ce7-5559-4622-ae5c-0f310aa736f8_nc2MN0M4 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Turned out not be a nice spot, woke up in a puddle

processed-0999210e-5daa-45a8-bacc-4972e1da1e1d_4E4rMmu7 by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Bikes parked for breakfast, great shot by Leigh

processed-caa5c6c6-ce20-4d52-ad61-3301abddb2f7_jwSmtLrP by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Steve with his breakfast basket

processed-130037b2-dac7-409e-8d44-6f7a088d1722_xtS5Z4Gf by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
2 days old and wasn't even Sram

processed-9da22dba-967b-462c-bd91-42a95b40b8e3_m6FAiZRQ by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Busted, but made it back after several more soakings from the rain gods

Much fun, much rain, not much dry clothes or camping kit so headed back to BB towers for Tea & Cake
I have the Joker card of the Jennride at the end of the month to play but will try and get out before then he says

April BAM complete - WRT Edition
4/12

[NeilA]

BAM April 29th as part of WRT 23
4 of 4, 16 of 16
See my report on 'WRT stories' thread
Camped by Penhros Isaf Bothy with Dave

[samwise]

Back in Essex for 5/12

A short spin to a local pub to meet Andy for a pint before we headed to find a spot for the night.





Warm enough to travel a bit lighter now!



Another classic Essex field edge, just shy of 100m asl so we event got a bit of a view.......



......and a nice sunrise!

[KernowSteve]

May 5/12 done, hopefully my more traditional touring bicycle is allowed? It's not my usual bikepacking style set up, but I've put together a more road orientated touring set up for a few trips planned later this year. It was a bivvy and a bike though!
Headed to the edge of Bodmin Moor last night, up near the TV mast at Caradon Hill. Found a nice bivvy spot although I had to try and remove the worst of the Gorse thorns from the area 1st for fear of a mattress puncture in the middle of the night! Day dawned quite bright and nice so I headed over to the North Coast to Padstow which is really just an old run down fishing village with some shops selling tourist tat. If it wasn't for the bloke who likes cooking fish most people wouldn't have heard of it! There was a brave old Northerly wind blowing in so I didn't stop long before heading for home via Wendford Bridge and the Snails Pace cafe which is well worth a visit if anyone's in the area ever. Back home along the A38 in places which was borderline suicidal so I think I'll go via the lanes next time despite the steep ups and downs that entails.

[Verena]

Looks lovely there....

May bivvies might be nicest ones of the year...

[Moder-dye]

No sure if I'll manage this month's BaM as I'm having a bit of a bad health run at the moment. Tomorrow night or the following Tuesday or Wednesday are my only options as we're away seeing family in-between. We'll see...

[josh]

This month's BAM was a little different to previous months.

I had an outdoor first aid course booked, so instead of driving down in the morning and back afterwards, I combined it with this month's BAM and rode down after work the night before the course.


Not impressive somewhere like Wales, but unexpected in Kent




Stopped pretty late, about 8pm, for dinner. I'm bad at stopping to eat.

The plan was to join the South Downs Way part way along its length and find a place to sleep. I'd massively overestimated how far I'd be able to ride after work and at nearly midnight (much later than planned) still 10km+ shy of my planned bivvy area along the SDW I decided to find the nearest spot and get some sleep.

This was my first time finding a spot both in the dark and in an unknown area. Well, I was in a woodland I'd seen on the map and had thought of as a potential spot, but wasn't planning to stop there.

I wandered off the main path a little, and soon enough found a spot I was comfortable enough with. I often feel like I wake a lot during the night, but often wake up in the morning feeling well rested, so I'm not quite sure what's going on there.



At some point I did wake to the sound of a deer running (what felt like very) near by, and clapped a couple of times to scare it off.

I woke super early at around 5am and had to make alternative plans for breakfast, having run out of water the night before and being unable to make overnight oats. Oddly, I seemed to be in one of very few areas of the South East with basically no signal.

I spent a while searching for both water and somewhere to eat with very patchy signal, not wanting to get up and move without knowing what direction was best.

Eventually I found a cafe in an industrial estate near to where I'd slept, and to where the first aid course was and crucially would be open by the time I packed up and got there.

To my dismay, when I arrived at about ten past seven it wasn't open – it was meant to open at seven. Dehydrated and hungry I was annoyed to have to find somewhere else, but just as I started to search on my phone the door opened – relief!



If you're even in the area (unlikely but possible) Diplocks Cafe is a nice place to stop and get some food. As they were quiet they were absolutely fine with me bring my bike in and hanging around until it was time to leave for my course.

I left with what I thought was loads of time to spare to get to the Scout site that the course was being held at, but thanks to a main road between me and it, that proved difficult to cross safely I arrived only just in time.

The course was good, the acting even better, the scenarios that we did felt pretty real! I recommend https://www.elst.co.uk/ if you need some first aid training.

Soon enough I was on my way home again, trying to bash out 60km between 5pm and bed time, ready for work the next day.


About half the route was on an old railway, so it was nice to be able to blast straight along away from traffic

I pushed hard and basically didn't stop except to get some chips from a fish & chip van a happened to see, eating snacks while riding and got home at about half nine – slow for some, pretty good time for me while loaded up.



Another BAM done. Next month will be covered by doing King Alfred's Way (assuming the trains aren't completely screwed), so I'm looking forward to that.

[Tractionman]

lovely pics and account

[Lazarus]

Also enjoyed that

I often feel like I wake a lot during the night, but often wake up in the morning feeling well rested, so I'm not quite sure what's going on there.

Yes i get this as well i either sleep straight through if ridden all day or wake up tons if a local BAM

This thread make all areas of the Uk look like a place to visit, even the south
Weds for me probably or might sneak one Sunday night

[Bearlegged]

What a gorgeous evening. Warm, with a slight tailwind over the moors. Lambs, calves, lapwings, deer, buzzards all out enjoying it too. The light at this time of year is something else.
I made my camp, having first inflated my mat, and tried it out in a number of positions to account for flattish ground, and the ability to pitch my tarp against the predicted NNW winds. Alas, by the time I'd then added my tarp and bivvy bag, the mat was distinctly flat. Argh. A few goes at reinflating it (thanks, Tiny Pump!) eventually found the cause, a small puncture. But what to fix it with? A first rummage through my tool kit shower no puncture patches nor any glue. Instead, I used some of the emergency Gorilla tape wrapped around my pump, covered the hole, leant on it for a bit, then hoped for the best.

While I hoped, I settled down in the lee of a rock with some vittles. The day’s heat radiated back from the gritstone beneath me, just enough to take the chill off the night air.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Csjes0dsDhH/

It got chillier than expected overnight, down to a measly 4°C. This being the first outing of my summer bag made for a bit of a shivery half hour in the wee hours, but with a few extra items of clothing, I made it through to morning, when the early sun soon warmed things up. The Gorilla tape had done its job. Phew.
I packed up (carefully noting the repair kit attached to my mat's stuff sack , then headed for a brew with a view. The following gentle roll home saw more deer, squirrels and a very close buzzard.
I was a few minutes late to the day’s first meeting, and everyone immediately knew what I’d been up to. Priorities.

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

2023 BAM 5/12
2023 total bivvies 5
Current streak (months) 54