Bivvy a Month 2024

[samwise]

Februarys bivvy saw 3 of us spending the night on another field edge on the Cambs/Essex border.

An uneventful night but plenty of deer barking, owl hooting and the sound of some night time surface dressing on the B1383.



First night out using the little SwitchBot thermometer! Temps down to around zero but not quite cold enough for a frosty bivvy in the morning.

@fieldoffice heating up some stroopwafel for breakfast.

[Johnallan]

Glad that I have someone willing to look after my kids and that I have the kit to travel, so I can appreciate the great outdoors in this way

It's easy to forget sometimes that most folk will never experience this simple pleasure. Admittedly, most folk probably wouldn't want to

[Lazarus]

Indeed the two most common questions are surely
1. Are you mad?
2. Why?

Weds night for me in my always do it last minute ( but next month's is Saturday so 2 in a week for me and finally an early, in the month, one)

[Bearlegged]

What's your state of mind this morming Bear?

Mildly peeved at my mat deflating (I think it was a valve issue that was easily sorted once home, but less so in the cold and dark). Beautiful dawn chorus and sunrise though, a mug of hot chocolate in bed, and then down the hill to the Danish bakery. I stocked up on pastries, a hot dog roll, and bread, then made it the rest of the way home with a nice warm back due to the fresh out of the oven loaf in my rucksack).

I've had mine for nearly 5 years yet somehow your first [Deschutes] pitch appears to be better than any I've managed in that time

Was it dark when you pitched it? I seem to get better results when I'm rushing and cant see

Second attempt. I tried at first with my pole in its short setting (115cm-ish), but got a better result with my pole extender added on (123cm-ish). Initial impressions are promising, feels waaay roomier than my Gatewood. Going to do some practice with the shorter pole setting, see if I can get it nicely set but closer to the ground.

Evening pics: https://www.instagram.com/p/C32VwUJsfQU/

Morning pics: https://www.instagram.com/p/C32bpmlMzHR/

2024 BAM 2/12
2024 total bivvies 2
Current streak (months) 63

Looking forward to March, in which I hope to play a supporting role in a glorious epic...

[RIP]

1. Are you mad?

I usually get a less questioning statement: "You are mad". To which the obvious response is "Thanks for the compliment, accepted!".

[whitestone]

Apparently it was "International thingymijg" or something at the weekend so in a mad moment of joining in we headed south picking up the Pennine Bridleway.

If you weren't on rocky tracks then the going was very soft and slow. We were aiming for a bivy spot that Cath had been told about close to the Packhorse Inn up near Gorple reservoir. The aim had been to get there before dark to scope it out in case the spot wasn't as good as described. However the slow going meant we didn't get down there until around the last of the light so we headed straight for the pub.

I wasn't sure if that was open at first (would have been interesting if not as we were relying on it for our tea!) but fortunately it was, just Friday, Saturday and Sunday through the winter. A nice fire and some good food plus a couple of beers (Goose Eye brewery something or other) and we headed back out. It were already freezing. That might be a problem as our intended spot was down in the small valley below the pub so could well be a frost hollow. Hmm.

Back along the road to follow the Pennine Way down to the spot. A tight bridge, footpath remember, led to some flat ground. The best spot was right next to the confluence of two becks and very noisy so we pitched up a little further away. Cath was using the Gatewood and I was using the DCF tarp.

Let's just say the night was cold A lot colder than the forecast 0/-1C. Not helped by a really thick heavy mist rolling in through the night. Somehow about a third of the inside of my bivy bag was damp. It was the outer side so possibly I wasn't quite as far under the tarp as needed.

Come the morning there was a heavy frost on everything, shaking the tarp I ended up with enough frost/snow to make a decent snowball! A quick breakfast and we were on our way.

We managed to find just about every soft, slow going track in the area! A café stop at Bingley Five Rise and we got home just 24hrs after leaving.

I've a couple of shots on the phone that I'll update this post with when I get things hooked up.

[Lazarus]

I usually get a less questioning statement: "You are mad"

Even the people here think you are mad so normals are bound to think it

[MuddyPete]

Is that a "Rate My Bivi" app on your watch?

Bivi quality = "fair".
"Rain" or "Time spent in pub" = "shorter than ideal".
"Plenty of deep..." ...Tussocks? Mud?

Technology, eh?

[RIP]

Bivi quality = "fair".
"Rain" or "Time spent in pub" = "shorter than ideal".
"Plenty of deep..." ...Tussocks? Mud?

Or stature? "Shorter than ideal"..... therefore ending up in "Plenty of deep" cowpats etc?

[samwise]

Is that a "Rate My Bivi" app on your watch?

Bivi quality = "fair".
"Rain" or "Time spent in pub" = "shorter than ideal".
"Plenty of deep..." ...Tussocks? Mud?

Technology, eh?

Nailed it.
Pub was closed on Mondays. Plenty of deep mud.

[fatbikephil]

My latest Deschutes pitching experiments have led me to do it like the flat tarp in an A config - peg out the two rear corners, in with the pole and peg out the pole guy, peg the rest out - works every time!

[whitestone]

My latest Deschutes pitching experiments have led me to do it like the flat tarp in an A config - peg out the two rear corners, in with the pole and peg out the pole guy, peg the rest out - works every time!

That's pretty much how I do the Gatewood which is essentially the same design. I've found using the bike's handlebars as an endpoint for one of the riser tie-outs helps create a bit more internal space.

[Verena]

For my February BAM, I made my way to a google map pin drop sent to me, at the appointed hour, which turned out to be in the middle of some random suburban street, as the sun was setting... Whereupon I was soon met by around 8 men, some strangers, some just strange , who beckoned me to follow them deep into Formby woods...which by that time were rather eerie looking under a full moon...two of the men were carrying rolled up body bags strapped to their handlebars (fact!)...

I was relieved to find myself emerging, unscathed, into a village, where we met another two or three not-long-to-be-strangers, and filled first our bags with snacks and beers at the local Spar, then our bellies with loads of pub grub and a few pints (making the former completely surplus to requirements )

There was that moment which thank goodness experience has by now taught me to deal with, when you nip outside the pub to get something, realize it is bl@@dy freezing, and it seems a bit mad to be going outside to sleep...

I should probably have started at the beginning and say that this was all part of a bit of a road trip adventure long weekend for me with my daughter and girlfriend, starting in Snowdonia, then Liverpool from where I had ridden in, and finishing off with Manchester afterwards - very nice trip too!

And that it was International Bivvy Bag day - seemed like a perfect excuse!

Anyway, out we went into the night, moon so bright it cast shadows, and we didn't really need any head torches.

Had a bit of fun clambering up steep dunes in search of the perfect bivvy spot - Sam left us struggle on for a while before pointing out the near level path through that we had missed

It was a cold but gorgeous night, with frost on the bivvy bags, views out over the lights of wind turbines, an oil bicycle, and (very exciting!) Blackpool Tower in the distance.

The usual restless night, cold feet, middle of the night comfort snacking, followed by eventually dropping off after 4am, to be awoken by a stunning sunrise, friendly good mornings, coffee, and a short ride to the nearby cafe.

Brilliant.

Thanks to JC as always for gathering together a great gang of likeminded people

2/12

IMG_20240224_155201 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20240224_160844 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20240224_165142 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20240224_221143 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20240225_065215 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20240225_073728 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

[gecko76]

'an oil bicycle' - that caught me out too recently

[Verena]

'an oil bicycle' - that caught me out too recently

WTF?!?! spell checker??

[Bearlegged]

Swear filter.
Rig = bicycle.

[gecko76]

How did you get it to write r-i-g?

A-w-e-s-o-m-e gets rendered as 'vaguely exciting' which is vaguely exciting.

How many others?

[sean_iow]

How did you get it to write r-i-g?
How many others?

If you click to reply with quote you'll be able to see what they've written.

Microadventure is another one = short ride.

[RIP]

How did you get it to write r-i-g?

Trick of the trade: set the colour of a few letters of the word to "black" (using the font colour button) .

How many others?

Give it a try

[GoneCaving]

A bit more planning than usual went into my BaM this month. The missus had treated me to a weekend in Derry, so I took that as an excuse to bring the bike and make my own way home. I've not explored my of counties Donegal or Tyrone before, so I spend a few hours sticking together a route based loosely on the Wild Atlantic Way race route to start, and then something back through Tyrone to get me home. She dropped me off at Gartan Lough on a cold Sunday morning.



From there it was a nice steady climb on a quiet mountain road up to a walking track that descended into Glenveagh. Then back on the road, and another climb up past Muckish, and out to the coast at Falcarragh. The route then sticks to the coast, though what should be very scenic countryside is often ruined by poor planning regulations and a blight of holiday home.



The route then cuts inland, passing some nice forestry and lakes, before heading back to the coast at Dungloe, and my bivvy for the night, next to a slipway miles from anywhere near Falchorrib. Just shy of 100km for the first day.



Up early the next morning, and set off after insufficient breakfast (coke and a mars bar). I did wonder if I might have taken a wrong turn the previous night after seeing this statue, or maybe it was hallucinations after not enough food??



Then on round the coastline as far as Ardara, for a proper full breakfast, all the toast you want, and a nice mug of tea. Because I wanted to be home by Tuesday evening, I made a couple of detours from the WaW route at this point. Firstly, I cut straight South from Ardara, over the hills to Inver. I suspect I missed out on some lovely scenery by taking that shortcut. I also skipped the loop out to St Johns Point, and stuck with the busy road into Donegal. I should have fuelled up at this point (when will I ever learn). At this point my route turned East, with a nice country road climbing up to a big windfarm, and smashing views back to the coast (sorry, no photo). Followed by a nice descent through forestry and signs for the International Appalachian trail. Then onwards to as far as Newtownstewart and some food (fish supper since the village has nowhere to have a sit down meal, unless you count sitting on a wall outside the chip shop?). Finally, a climb up to Gorton forest where I'd planned to camp for the night. But as luck would have it I spotted a rundown house, and as I went to have a closer look, found a perfect old shed to get shelter for the night. Bonus!! No tent, and better shelter from the rain forecast for the following morning. 154km on day 2.



Tuesday morning saw the predicted rain, so I was slow to get started, and once again, not enough food to start the day. 50km to Cookstown was a bit of a drag, minor back roads, and lots of rolling hills. I did spot a nice spot for a bivvy, but it looked like it was full and with a queue outside.



Breakfast/lunch in Cookstown (just at the magic hour where the diner changed from breakfast to lunch, so I got my breakfast wrap at a bargain price!), and then more backroads South with views of Lough Neagh. The route passed by Drumcree and the Garvaghy Road, with no sign of anything that would recall the troubles of years past, and then into Portadown. At this point it was well familiar territory, and a 50km spin home, mostly on canal paths and greenways. Home in time for a hot bath, and a big meal. 138km for the day.

[Bearlegged]

I should have fuelled up at this point (when will I ever learn).

Always be snacking. Always.

Excellent shed find that for night 2.

[RIP]

found a perfect old shed to get shelter for the night.

Yes, superb shed work there Sir!

And the sheep shed a close runner-up for next time...

I usually get a less questioning statement: "You are mad"

Even the people here think you are mad so normals are bound to think it

Mmm... I feel I have to offer a defence.. if you possessed a "Madometer"... and I'll digress here already, do you remember Chris Morris's Black Eye "Madometer" with which he asked "Mad Frankie" Fraser how mad he was and Frankie showed that he was "as mad as a lorry"?... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G8cJ0U0eIuw... superb series that was.... anyway.. if you possessed a "Madometer", and in the middle it was labelled "SANE"... and off to the far right hand position it was labelled "MAD [as a lorry]"... I would say I was actually over at the far left hand position of the meter... through SANE and way out the other side... I have no idea what that would be labelled though.

In a similar vein, an "Intoxicationmeter" in my eyes doesn't have "sober" at one extreme, and "drunk [as a skunk?]" at the other extreme. "Sober" is in the middle, with "drunk" on one side.... and who knows what on the other... something far worse than drunk though.

I'm always intrigued by people who say things like "well I think you have a <whatever> characteristic" or "you're a <whatever>". I compliment them highly on being so impressively perceptive, when after 65 years of considerable self-analysis I myself am absolutely none the wiser about who I am and quite happy about that .

[javatime]

Ticked February last week. I have a reasonably regular Tuesday meet up with an old friend where we do loops on the Ashton Court trails, Leigh Woods, Flax Bourton lanes and hopefully end up at the Miners Rest for beer and Twiglets. He has a FS e-MTB, so I have added a Tongsheng unit to an ex gumtree Niner and can almost keep up on around the berms

With yellow weather warnings for rain and wind it seemed the perfect excuse to make a day (and night of it), so I left home with overnight kit cycled to his place, unloaded the bags and we did a few miles around Chew Valley instead, generally on tarmac with big views of the lake, and a lot of rain (and rivers where they are not meant to be.)

Lunch was soup at Salt and Malt restaurant - with frickles (that is a long-sliced then deep fried battered gherkin)

Back at base I reloaded the bags, cycled to Nailsea and caught the local train up to Severn Beach to scope a spot for my overnight - it had stopped raining and I found a dryish patch out of the wind at the end of the sea wall. Back on the bike then to Olveston and more socialising - pizza with an old work friend, then had hoped for a nightcap at the Boar, Aust (closed that night) but The Plough at Pilning was open.

A reasonable nights sleep and a dry night, but an early start just before the next horizontal rain storm swept across the Severn....shared the train back into town with the commuters. A great overnight with plenty of chat, and almost on my doorstep too, but would be good to be fully self propelled and a bit more rural in the woods for the next one.


Costa del Severn

[RIP]

Another cracker ^

frickles - that is a long-sliced then deep fried battered gherkin

[Bearlegged]

frickles

OMFG yes, get in my face.