Bivvy a month 2023.

[Wotsits]

6/6
17/17

Managed to get out at the death last night, local one..





Before i get lynched, thats a small Solo Stove, not a camp fire!

[RIP]

[Kev] And surely the idea has also been appropriated by a certain magazine after they spotted it Here? So you really started summat .

[Retiredtester]

Me and pip left it very late again and managed to squeeze one in on the 30th. Not much to write home about - a flat, clear spot in the middle of friston forest, more rain than the rest of may and June put together, an annoying midnight pee and a glow worm.

6/6 for me and the boy

[Blackhound]

Reg, yes, seen a couple of organisations doing something similar. I hope this wasn't the inspiration, although I do wonder. I worry about it getting out of hand with large numbers who may not respect the countryside, leave no trace etc, leading to banning what we shouldn't be doing anyway. Then I tell myself there are not that many odd people.

[fatbikephil]

Looks at watch, taps meaningfully!
Second quarter reports needed folks - if you don't post it, it didn't happen

[RIP]

Looks at watch, taps meaningfully!
Second quarter reports needed folks - if you don't post it, it didn't happen

Cup Winners Cup for me so far is Lu with his insanely dangerous water bed! Totally barking. Next month - same again, but over a slurry pit? Hugely jealous I hadn't thought of it first

[Bearlegged]

A few ideas for folk to have a go at...

• A hammock, suspended from a flock of seagulls

• A log cabin bothy, constructed from freshly felled trees and whittled with a multi tool

• Bed & Breakfast, sleeping on a bed of Weetabix which you then eat in the morning

• The moving target - waking up in a different location to where you fell asleep

• The feet-up-in-a-brewery - plenty of folk have charmed their way into kipping in a pub garden, this is the next level challenge

[RIP]

Bear, can I just quickly check what you've been drinking tonight? Just for the record you understand .

PS> Just get yerself down to the Old Poets Corner as per earlier.. sorry you couldn't make it with us at the time.... many ales to be supped....

The feet-up-in-a-brewery - plenty of folk have charmed their way into kipping in a pub garden, this is the next level challenge

Hmm... <thinks>.....

[Bearlegged]

Stone cold sober that lot of ideas. Maybe that's the problem?

[Verena]

I fancy the hammock one myself...do other birds count?

[fatbikephil]

Second Quarterly Report

I have the following people for full completions....

Sean_iow
Verena
jimmy G
RIP
Blackhound
Frog
Bearlegged
Raggedstone
FBPhil
Josh
Retired Tester
Pip
Gecko76
Stinginglip
Wotsits
Leerowe76
Kernowsteve
Boab
NeilA

Down four from last quarter. This is fairly common over the years as real life intrudes on peoples bivvies. There is always next year folks!

Anyone I've missed or hasn't got a report in yet (Jose!) let me know and I'll add you in.

Some excellent bivvies this quarter with the bivvy bag only crowd getting 'em in. Actually a fair few proper trips rather than the usual ride to a wood, sleep, return (like what I've done.) Which is fine of course but I'm looking for some more imagination here people!

Awards wise, I've not got many this time. I will award myself the most boring bivvy award by way of motivation to do something a bit more interesting.... Bearlegged's ideas duly noted.

That said, Verena gets the baddest wildlife encounter award. Whenever I hear about Wildboars I always think of Asterix the Gaul!
Reg et al get the poshest breakfast prize (June)
Frog gets the best overall bivvy meal prize with his June breakfast
Gecko currently in the lead for the best bike award, really liking these bamboo and wood bikes!
And obviously, Frog gets the best ever bivvy in the world award! Total class Frog, I can't see anyone one acing your waterbed

Right then, it's summer time and its pishing doon, back to normal then... Don't forget your lightning conductors and see you in September!
P

[RIP]

Nice one Phil

"real life intrudes on peoples bivvies" - minor correction: "bivvies ARE real life, the rest is just waiting for the next bivvy"

[fatbikephil]

I'm not so sure Reg, I suspect when Frog went to sleep on his waterbed he transcended to a higher plane of existence

[gecko76]

Gecko currently in the lead for the best bike award, really liking these bamboo and wood bikes

Thanks! It wasn't originally built for bikepacking but seems to be coping OK. Can totally recommend building one as a project.

[Leerowe76]

6 down 6 to go, Cheers for the report Phil

[Lazarus]

bivvies ARE real life, the rest is just waiting for the next bivvy"

.
Crashing bikes is real life and it interfered with my bivvying ( did last month as ribs OK now but not posting up as I know I am out )
Still lurking with interest.

[Stinginglip]

7/12 North York Moors 300 was my plan for July's BaM. Rode with Mr Riley from Stoke who enjoyed his 1st ever night in a bivvy bag up on the Moor above Levisham with 113 miles in the bag.
Sunday started about 5am which worked well with shops and cafés being open for much needed resupply. The wind and rain spiced things up,slowing the mileage countdown considerably. Red sky bikes reached at 5.45pm just in time to sample the soup and a couple of coffees

[RIP]

A local ride for local people this time - MuddyPete, Mrs Muddy, Young Muddy, Reg.

WARNING: Viewers suffering from Strigiformophobia may wish to look away now or switch to another channel. This programme is rather heavy on the owls and some viewers may find some scenes disturbing.

We didn't feel very inspired but fancying a bit of mind-expanding world travel we decided to head for the, er, Globe pub (see what we did there?) in the neighbouring town. Sneaked out of town via the canal, then round the sand quarry lake, where we found an owl reclining upon the track in restful repose. He looked like he could do with a drink so we perched him on Pete's rack for the journey to the pub where he immediately hit it off with the pandas.



Up past Totternhoe quarry and into town. The pub's in a, shall we say, quite cosmopolitan part of town so I nipped in and asked if we could store the bikes in the yard. The bar chap said it was full but we were welcome to take them all into the bar, which was quite bizarre. Then again there was a photo on the wall of a bunch of motorbikes in the pub so I guess we were no trouble at all.





A pleasant evening of the usual rubbish-speaking ensued and our new-found nocturnally-inclined friend turned out to be quite the chatterbox. Well a bit like vampires they do come to life at night don't they. He was as impressed with the Chocolate Old Peculier as I was, it even had a panda on the pumpclip. He was quite the drinker too - look at those eyes. And he's looking pretty sozzled in that next photo.







Eventually Oswald (that was his name) started to get a bit rowdy and began hooting at everyone's jokes (what else would he do though?), so we took our leave. The MuddyPetes had decided not to bivvy so I had to switch my spot radar on straightaway. After a two-mile long 1-in-40 downhill along the old railway, I rejected the quarry, and a cricket pavilion, and my last-ditch attempt was... not a last ditch as would be customary for a Boner... but a rather salubrious apartment beside the road. Particularly airy and open-plan, the very epitome of modern living really. Oswald was intrigued by the Romanian and Ukrainian number plates next to his bed - perhaps some refugees had kipped here before us?





It was only in the cold hard light of day that I found out that the accommodation had fallen a little short of the promise - somewhat more airy than advertised in as much that parts of the place had collapsed completely right next to my bed .





Since you ask, Oswald is now enjoying his new home on top of our longcase clock at home, next to a cardboard cutout barn-owl, and a real barn-owl which I found by the road a while ago, totally unblemished other than being rather deceased (he's an ex-barn-owl, gone to meet his maker etc etc etc) and therefore I'd had him stuffed.... I don't think any poor rodents in our house will last long with them keeping their beady eyes open...



I wonder if I might request the "Most Ramshackle Shelter" prize this quarter please Phil?

'Reg'

7/7, 7/12, 91/91

[PaulB2]

Chocolate Old Peculier? Now I need to find some of that.

[RIP]

Chocolate Old Peculier? Now I need to find some of that.

Easy - The Globe in Dunstable

[PaulB2]

Chocolate Old Peculier? Now I need to find some of that.

Easy - The Globe in Dunstable

125 miles is a fair old distance to nip out for a pint

[MuddyPete]

Chocolate Old Peculier? Now I need to find some of that.

Easy - The Globe in Dunstable

125 miles is a fair old distance to nip out for a pint

Indeed! It's a day's ride out, bivi, then a day's ride home .
Leather armchairs and beer...

[MuddyPete]

Clearly, Oswald's first taste of fame has gone to his head...from delighted...to angry...drinking problem...falling over in public...then waking up in a derelict barn (here lies Oswald, the derelict barn owl).

I think he needs etiquette lessons from Ralph .

[MuddyPete]

The Globe was an unexpectedly convivial pub with a reassuring number of CAMRA awards, received over a long period of time.

Walls and ceiling painted in traditional Alfa Romeo dark red was a "highlight" for me, too .

[fatbikephil]

Good work as always Reg. I fear that a small child somewhere is crying over their lost owl though. I thing you should appeal for it's owner!

Shelter entry noted.