Bivvy a month 2018.

[TheBrownDog]

2/2 for me with a night in a wood near Penn. First use of my Lunar Solo. Love it. I will be tying out the ends in future though to give me a bit extra head and foot room when Im lying down. It got down to -3 and I expected heaps of condensation and frost everywhere in the morning, but everything was dry and dandy. After breakfast I pulled stumps and rode over to Woodrow High House, a community venture that offers outdoorsy activities to London kids. They're recently put in an MTB obstacle and skills course, and invited us to try it out for our kids' coaching programme. We had a great session with no injuries (very rare) and the only mildly annoying thing was that by 1230 when I was heading home, all the trails had thawed and it was a real slog through classic Chilterns crud.

[ScotRoutes]

Yeah - depending on wind direction, using at least one of the mid-panel tie-outs will give you a bot of additional space. I often just attach one to the end of my handlebars (assuming the bike is lying down). I've only once had an issue with condensation and that was a beach site where everything was damp in the morning due to the sea mist. The main trick seems to be not tying the sides down too tightly, ensuring a decent flow of air.

[In Reverse]

2/12 Boners in Borrowdale

[Mike]

You guys look like uve been upto no good! what with Jase looking shady and u looking smug. Had you just stollen the salt n pepper pots

[In Reverse]

We'd just stopped to "recharge our batteries"

[Ray Young]

Heading out for my Feb BAM. Gonna be -4, fleece liner, thermal longs, thermal top and fluffy socks added to set up.

[Loki]

Did number two last night for BAM 2018, a write up here https://lostonthetrails.blogspot.co.uk/ ... welve.html A cold one for sure, but thoroughly enjoyed.

[jaminb]

2/2 The Leith Hill Edition

As usual last minute dot com to squeeze a bivvy in before the end of Feb. Unusually, I got a lift to Dorking and set off from there rather than treking through suburbia on the way my from house. This meant I had time to have a pint at the Plough on my up to Leith Hil, but it was so cold I couldn't hang around. A bivvy under the tower has always been an ambition but the wind was strong and cold meaning I couldn't find shelter with a view so settled on the warmer option. Very cold night, bordering on uncomfortable, which meant I woke numerous times but was rewarded with blue skies and the sun rising above the tower when I finally surfaced. I managed to shake out enough ice from my water bottles to make porridge and coffee before cycling home, with a minor stop for a very pleasant unexpected surprise.

I hope the pictures do the Surrey Hills justice.

[JoseMcTavish]

Managed to get my 2/12 in last weekend, but am only just getting round to posting it now. After the usual drill of getting the kids to bed and then packing, I set out from Banchory at 10pm amidst the throngs of boy racers down by the park and headed into Scolty Forest. Tracks varied from dry to wet to a couple of inches of icy snow. I bumped on through and then made my way towards the back of Glen Tanar on a mix of on and off road as the mood took me, before turning off for a hard slog up the bottom section of the Fungle and then up towards Black Craig.



Eventually, the lack of a fatbike got to me and I settled in for the night at about 1am on the open moor. Up about 7 o'clock at -3 and melted myself a cup of tea, which promptly fell over so I only got half!





Rather than carrying on into deeper snow, I packed up and had a fun snow/ice slalom all the was back down to Bridge o' Ess.





More roadiness followed through to Dinnet and over to the West of Tarland where I got back offroad and made my way to the top of the Tarland trails, where I had a quick whizz down the Orange.







Next, I followed the frozen track along the Tarland Burn all the way to Aboyne before joining the Deeside way to Kincardine o' Neil.



Finally, I left the Deeside Way to head towards Brathens where I made my way through the forest on sun-dappled singletrack to pop into the North of Banchory and back home for lunch.

[RIP]

Very solid effort that in those conditions Jose, looked fun too . Commiserations with the tea disaster .

[Ray Young]

2/12, 50 miles and a shepherds hut at minus 4°.
This is the first time I've attempted bam in an effort to improve my fitness and well, just get out more.
I was really glad of the low temperatures and the frozen ground otherwise I'd have been struggling to be honest. Peebles back to Edinburgh was the plan with a stop in a shepherds hut for the night after 30 miles. I was also checking out the start of the new Borders 220 as I'd not done it previously and I'm very happy with it. I'm beginning to think the 220 will be a cracker with some very fast times.
I arrived near to West Linton just as it was getting dark and could probably have done with getting some more supplies. I had pasta n sauce for the evening and porridge for breakfast along with some jelly babies and some Tunnocks wafers. I knew that if I'd gone to the shop I would have come away with alcohol of some sort and as I'm making a serious attemp at cutting down I decided against it. What food I had would have to do. The last few miles flew over on the frozen ground and I arrived at the hut at 6.30pm. I'd visited here once before to check it out and found a small wooden building starting to go to ruin. A leaky roof above the back right side, rotten floorboards beneath that, daylight visible through several places in one wall and a double door that wouldn't shut property. In the daylight it felt very depressing but it was now night time and very cold so it actually felt quite homely. I changed into dry thermals and my down jacket. I then set about moving the furniture to make a little more floorspace, sorted out the sleeping arrangements then cooked some pasta followed by two cups of hot chocolate and some Tunnocks wafers.
I was in my bag by 9pm. I was insulated from the floor by my exped down mat, I kept on the full length thermals and dry heat holder socks, then into a fleece liner, then into my vango venom 400 sleeping bag which itself was in a bivi bag. Lastly I put my down jacket over me, I was toasty but not so hot as to be sweating and could probably cope with lower temperatures still. I slept till 7.30.
Porridge and coffee for breakfast then pack the bike and take a few pictures. I chose a different route home from the one planned. Caulstone Slap to Little Vantage is a nice ride in the right conditions. Normally a sodden mass it's only pleasurable after a long dry spell or, like today, frozen solid so I chose to do it and loved it. After that it was road then an old railway line all the way home.
The hut.
IMG_20180226_090109 by youngray50, on Flickr

Daylight through the wall.
IMG_20180226_080054 by youngray50, on Flickr

The table and rotting floor under the leaking roof.
IMG_20180226_080551 by youngray50, on Flickr
IMG_20180226_080325 by youngray50, on Flickr

The only way to shut the door from the inside, close it as much as possible then insert broom into coathooks.
IMG_20180226_080417 by youngray50, on Flickr

I've heard of the hot seat but this is something else.
IMG_20180226_080239 by youngray50, on Flickr

Thieves Road, Southern Pentlands.
IMG_20180226_092944 by youngray50, on Flickr

I've passed this way three times before and never noticed this, middle of nowhere, nothing around it. I think E.W. Co is Edinburgh Water Company.
IMG_20180226_100503 by youngray50, on Flickr

[Mbnut]

[imghttps://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb15648049/p5pb15648049.jpg][/img]

[imghttps://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb15648050/p5pb15648050.jpg][/img]

Ok, that didn't work.... hold on hold on....

[https://ep1.pinkbike.org/p5pb15648050/ ... 648049.jpg

Well I have no idea how to get pictures on here from my phone... not a lot to see to be fair...

So it dawned on me yesterday evening as I was about to light the log burner that I'd missed my chance of BAM as February was pretty much over and I had no chance to get out. I'd got January care of the Winter Ride thingy so it seemed a shame for it to end in failure so early on in the year.

It then dawned on me that now was the time... it was snowing hard and bloody freezing. Perfect conditions to not be able to drive to work in the morning! So I pulled out the bike packing bike... a flat tyre and a rusty chain etc meant that was a no goer.

So out came the bouncer, on went the handle bar roll that houses my canp/sleeping kit. I chucked the gas stove in a backpack and headed out. It was 22.15

I didn't mess about, straight up the hill and along the top... 6 miles.

Found some flat ground to avoid unintentional tobogganing and threw the tarp etc out. While my super handy little pump was inflating my mat I got some water on and had a mug of steaming hot chocolate on the go in the time it would take a less well equipped person to blow up their mat.

It was a good experiment.

It was -5, the coldest I've been out with the current set up.

I was wearing 2 pairs of lightweight socks, one if which was knee length. 3/4 bibshorts, standard summer type one's. A base layer and a cycling jersey over it and my lightweight down jacket. A normal Willy type hat on the Swede.

The Neoair x lite was fine but I wouldn't want to go much lower. My EE quilt was snug and comfortable, the biggest bivy bag definitely helps.

A shift in the breeze saw me shrinking further under my tarp and pulling the bivybag over my head.

Overall, a good experiment and a much needed break from being normal.

I will pop a crappy pic or 2 up if I can work it out.

Boilers on the blink now... who needs a hot shower anyway??

2/2... just.

[RIP]

Nice one Nige,

"being normal" - a highly overrated state to be in of course .

"A normal Willy type hat on the Swede". Can only assume this is some form of cockney rhyming slang .

[Mbnut]

Written on my phone and not read back.... knew someone would be along to point that one out.

Very kind of you not to assume I'm a dickhead.

[Dr Nick]

I was just wondering...


If rule 4 says:

4/ A bike must be involved - it's bikepacking, the clue's in the name

Does it still count if it's on a unicycle....?

[Zippy]

It got down to -3 and I expected heaps of condensation and frost everywhere in the morning, but everything was dry and dandy.

In fairness, the dew point has been about -6 or so recently, notice how you haven't had to scrape ice off your windscreen recently despite silly low temps - crazy stuff!

[TheBrownDog]

Never understood the dew point thing other than it goes up or down depending on pressure and humidity. Be nice to be able to predict it .... can someone predict it? Gotta be an app, no?

[whitestone]

Never understood the dew point thing other than it goes up or down depending on pressure and humidity. Be nice to be able to predict it .... can someone predict it? Gotta be an app, no?

You just need two numbers: the temperature (T) and the relative humidity(Rh).

Dp = T - ((100 - Rh)/5)

Usual mathematical precedence takes place. So subtract the relative humidity from 100, then divide that by five then subtract that from the temperature. This is a rough approximation but is pretty accurate within the usual range of relative humidity you'll get in temperate climes.

Currently the BBC forecast for tonight is giving a temperature of -4C and a Rh of 59%, call it 60%

So the dew point = -4 - (100 - 60)/5 = -4 - 40/5 = -4 - 8 = -12C

[JohnClimber]

As well as carrying on my BAM into the 3rd year I'm also doing CAM

Jan CAM


Feb CAM


Yes I'm getting old and soft
CAM = Campervan A Month

[Dr Nick]

Realised I was running out of February so snuck out last night to my local nature reserve.

A clear and chilly night and I awoke to a light snow flurry.

Currently enjoying a cuppa and a bacon sarnie at my local station before the brief ride home....

[whitestone]

Realised I was running out of February so snuck out last night

Likewise

Decided to keep it very local so headed up the hill behind us, me on the fat bike, Cath on her plus wheeled Stooge. Cath rejected my first choice - locally known as "murder wood" after the body of a lady of ill repute was found there in the 1970s - no idea why she didn't fancy stopping there So we carried on and made our way to close to the top of the hill. For a hill in the Pennines it's actually quite prominent and separate from the rest of the chain so it's pretty exposed. However, there's some old, shallow, quarry pits here, I used them for a bivy a couple of years ago. The same spot I'd used before was out of the wind so up with the tarp.

It was only when we'd got bedded down and turned out the torches that we realised how bright the moon was (full moon in a couple of days) and with all the lying snow the whole area everything was well lit up. The main problem was that the pitch was on a very slight slope so we'd slowly slide out of the tarp! According to my thermometer it got to -7C while Cath's reckoned it was -8C, whatever, it was pretty nippy.

We were up at 0620 and packed away just as the first snow flurry hit. A bit of cheeky riding along the Pennine Way and then back home for 0730.

So that's 2/2 for us.

Edit: My setup of PHD Minim 200 with a Cumulus 150 quilt as wrapper just about coped - I was feeling a little on the chilly side when we got up. I was warm enough to get to sleep when it was -6C so that is probably the limit for me. Just wearing a light thermal layer with the above.

[darbeze]

Last proper night of February so had to nip out. Set off at 22.40 to discover a front puncture. Quick swap of bikes and set off to a local spot I had scouted out in the morning on the way to work.

Snuggled in my bag by about 23.30. Clear night to begin with, with a very bright moon, so no need for a torch/lamp.

Slept pretty well considering. Up at 06.10 and start to ride home. What's that? Another puncture??? Balls!! Fingers too cold to affect a repair or tube replacement so it was the cold push 2miles home.

Bugger...

Pleased to have snuck in my February bivvi though.

[summerwastin]

Sneaked out for my second BAM last night. -6 degrees was a bit of an eye-opener i.e. I didn't sleep loads, but I loved it. The snow and the calm night meant it was beautifully quiet. My feet got pretty cold by the end of the night and packing the gear back on the bike was a nightmare for the fingers, but after my ride the night before I had picked a spot that was only 10 minutes from my house(!). These last minute bivvys of mine count, but only just! Next month I want to go for a proper day ride either side of the camp. But still, I'm practicing and getting the kit right and I felt fairly hardcore today as even more snow came down. This is a great challenge/endeavour - thanks!


Bivvy A Month (feb) 1 by will lenton, on Flickr

Bivvy A Month (feb) 2 by will lenton, on Flickr

Bivvy A Month (feb) 3 by will lenton, on Flickr

Bivvy A Month (feb) 5 by will lenton, on Flickr

[Scattamah]

Nice one Will...but it was the sax that caught my eye :)

Greetz

S.

[summerwastin]

S.

Thanks, that's an old flickr account that I haven't used for years. I think this thread is set to highjack it somewhat. (even more exciting saxophone pics can be found here - www.mrwilsons.org.uk - its my current "day" job...)

now. back to bikes!