Bivvy a month 2019

[BigdummySteve]

Live BAM in progress After a 40 mile ride I ended up in the local woods 2 miles from home, already pissing it down 23mm forecast overnight

[JohnClimber]

Live BAM in progress After a 40 mile ride I ended up in the local woods 2 miles from home, already pissing it down 23mm forecast overnight

The tip I've learnt from my BAM's......
Never leave your BAM to the last weekend in the month.....
Enjoy the rain Steve, did you buy a pack raft last weekend? If so can't you sleep in that just in case?

[BigdummySteve]

I didn’t buy a raft mainly because of limited funds (brought a Brompton) my lad and I loved the MRS two man, my boy was quite taken with it, much faster than the other two man we tried. We really enjoyed the weekend, thanks John, I think my plan of attack will be a decathlon two man inflatable kayak for some father/son trips. It’s too heavy for bikepacking but we could do some camping trips with it.
A raft is definitely in my future, I’m currently bivvied next to the river Cherwell and next year I’m going to mix it up I bit

As for leaving the BAM until the last weekend, it’s just family stuff. My wife works weekends sometimes and one weekend spent at Bala messing about in boats
It’s swings and roundabouts, in May I bivvied out for roughly a third of the days, WRT and Spain, I’ve spent 24 hours on the bike this month so can’t complain.

[BigdummySteve]

BAM update... I’ve had visitors.
I’d quite forgotten that this secluded site happens to be next to a railway signal, I waved at the confused passengers
Many years ago while courting the current Mrs D we became very fatigued here and needed a lay down.....I waved

[TrepidExplorer]

Poor photo, just remembered after I had taken down the tent - but shows that I was there !

Glad it's not just me that does(n't) do this.

[BigdummySteve]

9/12 33. Months in a row

VERY wet night as forecast, back home after a short ride.

[RIP]

9/9, 9/12, 44/44 as per other thread

R

[ChrisF]

I planned to ride from work on Friday for a Peak bivvy. Sat in the office next to a 3m high window with the rain lashing outside all day dampened my spirits somewhat...
I set off in the afternoon, got a proper soaking, and found that my handlebars turned for home, there was no stopping them
So that leaves me with tonight as my last chance for September, it’ll have to be a short local one as I have stuff on during the day. I think it might be damp
Moral of the story, don’t leave the bivvy until the last weekend of the month boys and girls.

[RIP]

'last chance' - nothing like the last day of the month for concentrating the mind . In fact it's very liberating, whatever is going on out there makes no difference at all. You just have to get on with it and take what you're given . It happened to me a couple of February's ago. Woke up and realised it was 28th. Rode to the station, snowing, bought random ticket to Macclesfield and one of the best couple of days of my life, including my first barmaid-recommended graveyard bivvy.

So, apologies for being contrary, DO leave it deliberately until the last day and see what happens. I've added it to my bucket list, thanks!

Good luck - but make your own luck!

[ChrisF]

Cheers Reg, will be busy making my own luck later. Have just had a couple of hours walk over Higgar Tor with my son, plenty of rain and all the paths are mini rivers.

[BigdummySteve]

After the 1” plus if rain last night I feel for anyone out in it especially 3 days of it!

[ChrisF]

Am out doing my Sept BaM now. It’s a pleasant evening and forecast to stay dry. Fingers crossed.

[Zippy]

Looks like tonight is make or break as I haven't done a September Bivvy yet...
Forecast is torrential rain

[Borderer]

Meh - it's only a yellow warning.

[darbeze]

September BAM done. I was planning to go out on Saturday night, but torrential rain and high winds did rather dampen (haha) my enthusiasm, so I postponed until last night. Despite it being a school night the weather was very obliging so off I went.

Another very local spot on a cliff top overlooking the bay. Spent about an hour sat on a bench at one end of my nearest beach deciding whether to kip down at the view point or to move on to somewhere a little more isolated. Plumped for option 2 and toddled off to the more isolated option with an uninterrupted sea view. I say view... It was dark when I got there so I only had starlight to see it by. Wonderful clear skies until the early hours when it clouded over a bit. Remarkably mild night and very peaceful too...

The only slight deviation from the plan was that when I was packing up the bike in readiness, I had the BB200 in mind (which I don't stop on normally), so I don't take my sleeping mat... You guessed it, As I was sorting out my kit at the bivvi spot, no sleeping mat. Doh!! Still managed to get a reasonable nights sleep considering. Good to know I can sleep directly on the ground should the need ever arise.

Alarm at 5am, off home to get the ovens on and bake the day's bread, which I then delivered by bike.

Now sat at the day job feeling a little tired!

9/9

Si

[whitestone]

Not forgotten a mat but have forgotten the sleeping bags (once!) when camping.

There's a hysteresis or lag in ground temperature compared to air temperature across the seasons - the ground takes a while to heat up but by the same means stays relatively warm as the air temperature begins to drop at this time of year. It also depends on the type of soil - clay or sand - and how wet things are. Sea and lake temperatures show the same but the lag's a different timescale.

[darbeze]

Not forgotten a mat but have forgotten the sleeping bags (once!) when camping.

There's a hysteresis or lag in ground temperature compared to air temperature across the seasons - the ground takes a while to heat up but by the same means stays relatively warm as the air temperature begins to drop at this time of year. It also depends on the type of soil - clay or sand - and how wet things are. Sea and lake temperatures show the same but the lag's a different timescale.

My wife is a keen sea swimmer and swims in the bay almost every day, all year around. She knows the sea temperature lag very well!

[ChrisF]

September done on Sunday night. Squeezed this one in a bit last minute and didn't have much spare time so it was out from home at about 6pm, short ride up onto Chinley Churn and found a nice spot overlooking the valley. It was dark by the time I put the tent up so only one picture.

September bivvy a month Chinley Churn by Chris Farley, on Flickr

The bats were out in force, feasting on a surplus of daddy long legs'. Not sure why there were so many of them, quite a few joined me in the tent. A dry and still night, and a very misty early morning saw me back home for first light, breakfast and work.

9/9

[Zippy]

Looks like tonight is make or break as I haven't done a September Bivvy yet...
Forecast is torrential rain

Made it. I didn't fancy going out Sunday evening, if I'd gone out then, it would have been for the sake of getting Bivvy a Month which isn't really the point. This left the last day of september to go out and the torrential rain with it.

https://www.strava.com/activities/2756440271

It started well when I went to pump up my tyres and the valve core exploded.... Unscrewed the remains and replaced it, half the valve core is still rattling round the inside of my wheel
Cycled about 10-15 minutes to a church I pass on my way into work, and snuck in to seek sanctuary from the weather, I'd let the heaviest of the torrential rain pass, but it was still pretty wet.
An uneventful night later, I set off in the morning to continue the journey to work, stopping by a maccers to grab breakfast. My rear wheel started to feel a bit wobbly and as I eased the pressure onto the wheel, it went "clunk" and the rear wheel started rubbing on the frame....I initially wondered if my wheel bearings had collapsed, but turns out it was the frame. That's three crosslight frames I've cracked now!

[RIP]

I'm no metalwork expert but that bit of tube looks superthin for the job expected of it?

"quite a few joined me in the tent" - what, bats?! That must have made for an entertaining night Chris

[gallowayboy]

A Church...that's great Zippy, I fancy a night in a church....most if not all round here are locked though, so i'd have to look further afield. Actually church porches can be quite accommodating too...

[fatbikephil]

Funny reading this months trips (I've failed again as I'm off the bike for 6 weeks to give my knees a chance to recover) I think we need to award some prizes at the end of the year - most horrible weather, deepest river crossing, most inappropriate / dodgy place to bivvy, most slugs eaten, best all round trip etc. Reg and MaM et al would win quite a few....

[Wotsits]

9/9 Bivi part way up Col delle Finestre, at the side of the empty building with the water tap. Those who've been will know where i mean!

[middleagedmadness]

Funny reading this months trips (I've failed again as I'm off the bike for 6 weeks to give my knees a chance to recover) I think we need to award some prizes at the end of the year - most horrible weather, deepest river crossing, most inappropriate / dodgy place to bivvy, most slugs eaten, best all round trip etc. Reg and MaM et al would win quite a few....

We do tend to pick our trips to coincide with sh1te Weather Phil

[Bearlegged]

Coming to you live, from somewhere in the Peak.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3NhwUrFwBj

https://www.instagram.com/p/B3Ni4KFFUmf