Bivvy a month 2022

Boab · Post by **Boab** » Mon Jul 04, 2022 12:00 pm

Headed out later than planned on Saturday afternoon, got back mid Sunday afternoon. For a change I decided to record this ride via the medium of YouTube Shorts, so if you have trouble sleeping, or are just a sucker for punishment, you can watch them all here →https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlS0 ... 6IPigpc-OY

I may write some words at some point too.

2022: 4 / 12
Total: 27
Streak: 4

Johnallan · Post by **Johnallan** » Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:41 pm

Getting this one in early, although ideally I'll get a more leisurely trip in before the month is out.

YD300. It was definitely a night out involving bikes and sleep was a feature, briefly.

8:00am start from Skipton, slightly rough weather for summer but and managed to get to Dales Bike Center for a brew and cake before they closed at 5pm. That was the only real stop, I carried all the other food from the start.

By 4:00am I'd had enough of the hills, wind, rain and cold. A sub 24hr time wasn't looking likely so plan B was deployed at Malham visitors center. BAM 7/12. Helmet off, primaloft jacket on, lay on the most uncomfortable looking (but surprising comfortable) bench with my phone/alarm as a pillow, out like a light!

30 minutes deep sleep before the alarm was enough to see me through to the finish with a more positive mindset.

And I scraped inside 24hrs (just). Plenty of positives to take away from a very difficult day on the bike. Lots of dark moments, some of them lasted longer than I recall dealing with previously but happy to have stuck it out.

I bought a nice YD300 tee from Stuart at the finish, along with some freshly roasted and ground coffee. Wearing the tee for breakfast this morning with the fresh coffee in hand, my cup was brimming

Cheeky Monkey · Post by **Cheeky Monkey** » Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:36 am

Some lovely images

That sunset one - wow

edwellz · Post by **edwellz** » Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:26 pm

July's BaM ticked off early on the WalesDuro. After getting off the train in Bangor the first bivi was just over the Menai Bridge, but I forgot to photograph it! A brutal but epic weekend of riding with a great atmosphere. Saturday's highlight was definitely the switchback descent through the slate quarry - many tyres fell victim to sidewall slashes but I got through ok. Great to arrive at the halfway camp spot near Ysbyty Cynfyn to a bowl of hot Cawl, sticky toffee pudding and endless cups of tea. Two big hike a bike sections on the Sunday but once over the Gap it was all down hill to a well needed beer in Cardiff!

Boab · Post by **Boab** » Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:40 pm

edwellz wrote: ↑Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:26 pm

Phwoar!

Johnallan · Post by **Johnallan** » Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:51 pm

That looks beltin'

Cheeky Monkey · Post by **Cheeky Monkey** » Wed Jul 06, 2022 9:46 am

There's often good images on this site but recently there seem to have been even more (IMO) crackers. That one in the quarries is bob-on

SR · Post by SR » Sat Jul 09, 2022 8:34 pm

Headed out last night for quick overnight . After a week of way too much grown up admin. Paused to help a fellow cyclist on the way up having way too much drama.Picked a new spot that have seen before but never used. Up early for for the run home timing so the tunnel was open for a flatter run home. Plus more grown up things need to get sorted. But great to fit in a trip out on such a lovely evening.

robsmuddygloves · Post by **robsmuddygloves** » Sat Jul 09, 2022 10:17 pm

Boab wrote: ↑Mon Jul 04, 2022 12:00 pm Headed out later than planned on Saturday afternoon, got back mid Sunday afternoon. For a change I decided to record this ride via the medium of YouTube Shorts, so if you have trouble sleeping, or are just a sucker for punishment, you can watch them all here →https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlS0 ... 6IPigpc-OY

I may write some words at some point too.

2022: 4 / 12
Total: 27
Streak: 4

Just watched all the videos, wonderful! Nice to see some bits nearish to me. Goes to show fun can be had in the fens. The bridleways are like day of the triffids at the moment round these parts.

frogatthefarriers · Post by **frogatthefarriers** » Mon Jul 11, 2022 9:09 pm

Aaaand another one bites the dust! BaM for July - 7/12 for 2022.

It was my daughters' birthday yesterday (Sunday) and we went out for lunch to celebrate. On the way home, at around 4:30pm, it suddenly occurred to me that with the clear blue skies likely to last until Monday it would be a good time to find an open spot with low light pollution to lie out in my bivvy bag and fall asleep looking at myriads of stars. Our local mountain wouldn't do - too many lights from Wrexham - so I quickly packed and pedalled to the station to catch a train to Church Stretton. Or I would have done if I hadn't found my back tyre had gone soft. This left me with not enough time to get the train I wanted, if I went back to pump it up. Plan B, then. Pump tyre up, load bike on to car and drive to the station.

The station parking is not free and the parking machine doesn't take cards - coins only and it doesn't give change. I had no coins, only £10 and £20 notes, so had no way to pay. Parking for a day is £4.50. I sought to pay the parking by telephone and a helpful notice explained that I'd have to download an app. Time was running short and my internet connection was slow and I was starting to panic. I left the car and got on the train (with no bike space booked) and tried to download the app, but my phone was playing silly beggars until I gave up and cycled the power. (turned it off and back on again).

Phew!

Got off the train at 7:40 and headed off for the Long Mynd via Little Stretton, where a pint of HPA was had at the Ragleth pub, then through Minton, Hamperley and Priors Holt before starting to climb through the forestry up to the Gliding field. Bivvy near Pole Bank.

The bivvy

I got my stuff set up just as the stars were coming out:- first Cassiopea, then the Plough, then Cygnus, then I ran out of names of constellations I know..

There was a three-quarter moon that caused more light pollution than Wrexham would have done. When I woke for a "comfort break" some time in the night the moon had gone and there were the stars. Too late - I went back to sleep.

On the OS maps this is marked as "Pole Cottage". There used to be a tea room here, way back when, well before my time.

The last time I had been here the shed was much bigger and the floor was inches deep in sheep poo. This new one is still a work in progress by the looks of it with a stack of corrugated sheets waiting to be nailed on. I had some breakfast here before climbing to Pole Bank ...

..and down the other side to Bridges that were open...

..or not!

Then around a bit and over the Portway and down to Carding mill Valley - two sausage baps and a cup of tea, £11.50

Back to Church Stretton and home..

fatbikephil · Post by **fatbikephil** » Mon Jul 11, 2022 9:40 pm

Live bivvy in progress but downloading pics from phone to here is beyond me so you'll have to take my word for it! Currently in bag on the side of wild boar fell on edge of yorkshire Dales- second night out of a small tour. More later!

RIP · Post by **RIP** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 8:47 am

Nice little 'emergency' trip there Lu, with some tense moments

. Ragleth is definitely preferable to Bridges, a group of us invaded the latter during the infamous winter bivvy and they didn't seem very pleased to see us

.

Chrisps · Post by **Chrisps** » Sat Jul 16, 2022 10:22 am

Another double BAM post from me!

June
Just went out for a fairly local BAM in June. I don't tend to sleep in woods, but fancied waking up to the birdsong. So plotted a route from the front door that went to a wood that I thought would be fairly protected from the wind (seems to have been never ending wind the last few years).

Nice night, apart from being woken up by a barking deer quite literally right by my bivy!

Had a good long loop round a load of local downhill trails the next morning. Its impressive how you quite literally forget you have a load of camping gear with you when using a Tailfin; its just so stable.

20220625_210100 by chrisp455, on Flickr

July
Did a nice ride from Plymouth based on the bikepacking.com West Country Way, but with some changes and then going round the coast and Quantocks back to Bridgewater.

I blasted through Dartmoor faster than I was expecting (I only set off around 1300), but found an absolutely superb spot to cowboy camp around 8/9pm. The picture below really doesn't do it justice; it was a stunning spot above a gorge with great views of the sunset over the rolling Devon terrain. Probably one of my favourite camp spots I've found in a while, but would only work on a perfect evening like I had. If there had been any indication of rain (and therefore a need to rock out the bivy), I would have been screwed, as the silnylon floor of the bivy would have had me slipping down the slight slope and over the cliff into the river during the night!

Next day, I cycled across the rest of Devon with a few stops at lovely little rivers and dells and camped just off the SW Coastal Path overlooking the sea. I had forgotten how much I missed the sea.

Final day was a relaxed cruise round the coast and over the Quantocks, and home for tea.... where my family very kindly gave me a welcome home present of covid

20220704_214235 by chrisp455, on Flickr

Blackhound · Post by **Blackhound** » Sun Jul 17, 2022 5:39 pm

I got out Friday night for July's bam. With all the hot weather forecast I decided to get an evening train out to Matlock and ride into the cool of the evening. It was not particularly hot and almost cold in the evening. I recalled a bench up a steep hill out of Rowsley that I could reach along the new cycle track parallel to the A6 which would give a good sunset view over Bakewell. I used the track loads in the past but rarely in the last decade and when I got there I could not find the seat or the view. I wandered around for a bit but could not find anywhere else I liked up there and i suspect the bench has gone.

It was already 0920 so I returned to the lower bridleway and joined up with the Monsal Trail and cycled that almost to the end and found a spot in an old limekiln which I used about 4 years ago. I was cold all night and could not sleep. I had taken a jacket and half sleeping bag and lay on my mat and bivvy bag but the cold was coming from below. About 0300 I needed a pee so after that I put a bit more air into my mat and got into the bivvy bag and I may have briefly nodded off.

About an hour later so it was getting light so I packed up andcycled back along the trail to a toilet bock with tables for breakfast. For some reason my little match / lighter thing would not work and neither would a regular lighter - I always like to take two sources in case one does not work! No coffee or porridge for me then.

I was headed back to Matlock by a slightly different route and knew the McDonalds opened at 6am so aimed for that. As I headed towards Bakewell through one of the tunnels I saw someone lying just the the side of a railing on the edge of a viaduct. I was moving well but did not spot a bike, maybe he was walking. I think that is the first time I have seen someone else bivvying when I have been out myself - aside from specific events.

I got to Matlock at 0640 had a porridge, pancakes and coffee and was n the 0711 train back to Derby and home before 8am. And Saturday was not that hot either....

bam 7/7, 8 nights out. (I really think I can do this crazy thing again now, it is 10 years since my last completion)

Code: Select all

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgEOJv4MI2F/

RIP · Post by **RIP** » Sun Jul 17, 2022 7:07 pm

Blackhound wrote: ↑Sun Jul 17, 2022 5:39 pm an old limekiln

Been tempted by that one myself - White Peak spots aren't that easy to find are they? - but maybe it's slipped down the list a bit now

.

bivvying by.... a railing on the edge of a viaduct

Reminds me of, I think it was Chew's, creative bivvy spot actually inside one of the tunnels...

really think I can do this crazy thing again now

Bearlegged · Post by **Bearlegged** » Sun Jul 17, 2022 10:08 pm

Rode bikes with Trep.
Saw some excellent wildlife.*
Followed a line on map. At best, it was vague on the ground.
Still don't like porridge.

2022 BAM 7/12
2022 total bivvies 8
Current streak (months) 44

*See the wildlife thread.

TrepidExplorer · Post by **TrepidExplorer** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:35 am

Looks like I'm in under instruction till next May so here's our joint pitch pic, pretty flat with and excellent overhang which was welcome due to 4am scattered showers. We're still in England y'know!

The lightest pack I've ever done - including my swimming kit, which didn't get used due to the late hour and changes in plan.

Blackhound · Post by **Blackhound** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:48 am

Reg, Having used it once before it was nice to know it was there to use and the nearby toilet block is nice. A little quarry near there as well a bunch of us used some years ago.

I have thought about the tunnels but I don’t like being found and prefer to be hidden.

White Peak can be busy but I know a couple of spots from a few years of wandering.

Verena · Post by **Verena** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 8:34 pm

@Trep, snap about the lightest pack ever including not used swim kit due to change of plans

I was still recovering from covid and of course it's hot, so I fancied something nice and steady (do I ever do anything else?!?!) for July's BAM.
As I've mentioned on here, I'm currently (still!) reading Alexander Cordell's book Rape of the Fair Country, all set around life in the ironworks and coal mines in the South Wales valleys in the 1800s, so I thought why not have a ride based around some of the places in the book, and other assorted industrial history.
I started of course by passing Brecon barracks, which is mentioned several times in the book as the base for the redcoats who were used by the ironmasters against striking miners. Rode past twice, forgot to take a photo twice

From Talybont I took the Brynoyre tramroad up past Talybont reservoir and onto the open hillside.

IMG_20220716_144119 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20220716_150433 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20220716_153934 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
By now it was getting to the hot middle of the afternoon, and starting to feel a bit more like a "proper" bike ride than maybe I had originally intended, but it was just gorgeous up there!
Got overtaken by, and chatting to, a guy on an e-mountain bike, on his way back to the valleys having ridden over the Gap.
Over open mountain now, over towards where I've been wanting to get to for a couple of years now: Trefil quarries!!

IMG_20220716_161049 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Soon enough they came into view in all their splendour, and I went over for a proper close look at those amazing structures.

IMG_20220716_161220 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20220716_162235 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20220716_162850 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
I then got, ermm, a tiny bit caught up in the warren of tracks, combined with my view being obstructed by all them tall walls of the quarry, at roundabout the same time as I was getting really quite hot, started feeling a bit knackered, and running bit low on water...but all good.... I headed down a big well used track to..... a dead end, albeit with a beautiful lake at the bottom, and a couple of guys with their dogs and a few bevvies and smokes.... I kind of casually pretended that I meant to have come down there to disturb their peace and quiet

, and asked for directions for "the way out of here"

IMG_20220716_163322 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Soon enough, after a bit of tussock hopping, I was on the the proper "main" road, which meant I was getting close to familiar territory. I managed not to get run over by any of the joy riding off roaders, and knew I was getting back to civilisation when I found myself passing the Naughty Stone.

IMG_20220716_164612 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Once in Trefil village, which I still think is one of the most curious places I've ever been to, especially when emerging from the lunar landscape of the quarries, I immediately dived into the conveniently located pub about a stone's throw after the barrier to the quarry road, for a cold drink and to top up my bottles. If you're ever passing, it's a sursprisingly nice pub, and look at the toilets, how cute is this:

IMG_20220716_171419 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
I then headed along the marvellous NCN route 46, feeling quite knackered by now, and running out of time to head on up to the Blaenavon area. Instead, I followed the cycle path down into the Clydach Gorge. The cold air coming out from the tunnels was amazingly refreshing!

IMG_20220716_182156 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
Conveniently, I have a friend in Clydach, who watered me, took me on a gentle stroll to the more haunted parts of the depths of the gorge, then fed me, and joined me for a bivvy on a nearby hilltop, which is an iron age hillfort which is in fact mentioned in the book. We had a very comfy, nicely warm, night overlooking the lights of the gorge and the A465 below, followed by a lovely sunny morning.

IMG_20220717_055105 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG-20220717-WA0005 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
We said our farewells, and I headed back up to Brynmawr, and then home from there via the lovely "balcony road" past the Llangattock escarpment, and then along the canal, which was lovely and lush and full of tourists wrestling with their hired canal boats.

IMG_20220717_094212 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20220717_095206 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20220717_102208 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
A very enjoyable mini adventure!

7/12

Raggedstone · Post by **Raggedstone** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 9:44 pm

I'm glad you got to the quarry V I have been going there for years and have never seen the lake or heard of the naughty stone so another reason to go again . I have a couple of friends heading along the canal to Brecon should arrive tomorrow so you will have passed them , probably recognisable from the bad language ! All in all looked like a great trip soon to be copied .

Verena · Post by **Verena** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 10:39 pm

Raggedstone wrote: ↑Mon Jul 18, 2022 9:44 pm I'm glad you got to the quarry V I have been going there for years and have never seen the lake or heard of the naughty stone so another reason to go again . I have a couple of friends heading along the canal to Brecon should arrive tomorrow so you will have passed them , probably recognisable from the bad language ! All in all looked like a great trip soon to be copied .

It's brilliant up there, I definitely want to go back there again, would be proper bleak in the winter too!

Have you been to the Aneurin Bevan stone though? I went there last time I was there, but couldn't be arsed this time...
Thought I found the Duke's Table but don't think it was the one...
Have you been to the Chartists Cave? Want to find that too...

So I'll look out for some foul mouthed bikepackers tomorrow then

Raggedstone · Post by **Raggedstone** » Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:18 pm

They are on a narrow boat they seemed to be having a bit of bother with the narrow bits of the canal

We went to the Bevon stone well at least I think it's the same thing on the rude place names tour , I would like to find the chartists cave as well there a couple of chartist settlements around here . I met a very interesting man on the old railway/ cycle path near Pontsticill and he told me about it and a lot of other things no tables involved though . We will have to get out on a voyage of discovery

Verena · Post by **Verena** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 6:36 am

Raggedstone wrote: ↑Mon Jul 18, 2022 11:18 pm They are on a narrow boat they seemed to be having a bit of bother with the narrow bits of the canal
We went to the Bevon stone well at least I think it's the same thing on the rude place names tour , I would like to find the chartists cave as well there a couple of chartist settlements around here . I met a very interesting man on the old railway/ cycle path near Pontsticill and he told me about it and a lot of other things no tables involved though . We will have to get out on a voyage of discovery

javatime · Post by **javatime** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 7:07 am

Great news on The Top House, Trefil. !

When it closed a few years back it seemed another remote pub would be gone forever. Must get back there and find the Chartist Cave soon.

Verena · Post by **Verena** » Tue Jul 19, 2022 7:11 am

Winter bivvy??? Top House, Trefil and Chartists Cave?

Bivvy a month 2022

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