Bivvy a month 2023.

[Leerowe76]

Nice Lee

Sunrises are the best bit.

Pretty nice for zero degrees to be honest

[KernowSteve]

2/12 completed, although not quite as planned. Had a good spot lined up on Dartmoor for this month (within the new camping map recently updated), however my Wife decided to dislocate and break her right shoulder on Thursday meaning another fairly local spot was needed. Out to Penlee Point between Cawsand and Rame Head on the SWCP, I knew of a possible spot just down from the C19th gun battery. Of I went about 8ish last night to have a look and hope it was suitable. Arriving in the dark meant a quick look around with my headtorch to find a good flat spot were I quickly rolled out my bivvy bag, blew up the Alpkit cloudbase and pillow and climbed in. Still warm from the ride out I was fine until the usual 2am toilet break whereupon I realised it was pretty chilly last night! Lay awake for half hour or so stargazing at the perfect clear skies and then suffered the disadvantage of clear skies as it got progressively colder as it approached dawn. Very cold hands struggling to make coffee and porridge and even more of a struggle getting the bivvy and bag in its compression sack with completely numb fingers, before heading home. Bitterly cold North/North Easterly was behind me heading along the old military road across Whitsand Bay thankfully, and the Sun made a welcome and warming appearance too! Wife had remembered to take her key out of the door this time, so a nice easy arrival home before unpacking and investigating a noisy rear wheel bearing sound!

[Wotsits]

Plans didn’t work out for Sat, so did a local one instead last night

2/2

https://i.imgur.com/zOHwEnq.jpeg

[JimmyG]

As usual, it’s taken me a good few days to get round to writing it up but last Wednesday I headed west for a change, to Beecraigs Country Park, near Linlithgow in West Lothian. I know the place well, having played around on the MTB trails there quite often over the years. In order to get a few more miles in, I opted to follow a more circuitous route along the Union Canal rather than taking the more direct route along the coast then heading inland.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

After a 31 mile ride in, I arrived just as darkness was falling and went to the loch to fill up my water bladder. The pic below doesn't really do it justice but at this point hundreds of crows were circulating overhead in a noisy, starling-esque ‘murmuration’ prior to settling down to roost for the night. They were making some racket and I daresay my presence wasn’t helping.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Water bag full, I rode further into the woods and then walked into the centre of a forestry block where I reckoned I’d be much less likely to be disturbed by early morning dog walkers. First things first, I emptied out the stuff sack containing my tarp … only to see my hammock fall to the floor. Eh?! Too late, I then remembered I’d rehashed my various stuff sacks and contents just before January’s BAM. Oh well… no overhead cover was going to be the order of the day/night and at least I had my bivvy bag. The forecast was for a dry night with clear skies anyway so I wasn’t unduly worried.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

In the event, the forecast proved accurate. The temperature was also predicted to fall to -1 and they got that right, too, but I did manage to have a decent night’s sleep.

Error No2! I clean forgot to take any pics of my bivvy setup. The one below, showing just a corner of my bivvy bag, will have to serve as ‘proof’ that I did actually camp out!

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Staring at the ceiling by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Once fed and watered, I packed up and followed a similar route back along the canal, taking me straight into the city and home along the network of urban cycle paths.

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

Untitled by Jimmy G, on Flickr

That’s 2 from 2 and a run of 62 consecutive BAMs.

[redefined_cycles]

In progress. My grid ref for the Alternate Winter Event Thingie (or just, Thingie) is where I'm kipping...





Hope they don't need the entrance way!!

[redefined_cycles]

Feb BAM done. Report here viewtopic.php?f=10&t=23119&p=304644#p304644

1 of 1 (11 remaining)

[samwise]

February 2/12

I headed out after dinner to meet a friend on a hill in North Essex. We enjoyed clear skies with views over the M11 and some whiskey hot chocolates in a hedgerow.



We made the decision around 10.30pm (just as we were about to get the bivvys out) to move to a new spot due to questionable activities in a nearby lay-by. A quick 5 minute spin on bikes and we found ourselves another hedgerow!



It was a chilly night with a good ground frost and frozen water bottles in the morning! Plenty warm enough with double quilts.





Packed up by 7am and rolled into work for a shower and some breakfast.

[RIP]

Proxy post on behalf of MuddyPete who did his February bivvy in the local woods.

The Mummy Returns......





Not entirely sure what's going on here. Some sort of bikepacking voodoo?

[Boab]

Had been stressing for a few days about where to go for my February bivvy. With the temperatures dropping again, it would mean the big bag, which means no space for anything else. Not being a fan of using a bivvy bag at the best of times, using one without a tarp, out in the open, really didn't appeal. I'd been racking my brains trying to think of outbuildings, shed, barns, hides and what not, that I could use; the proviso being that I hadn't used them before. I even ended up looking through old bivvy photographs, just to see how I'd transported everything when using the big bag before; had totally forgotten about the dry bags attached to cages strapped to the front forks.

I suddenly realised there was somewhere quite local that I could use with just a bivvy bag and be under cover, so plans for a further a field bivvy went out the window. The old RAB bag went into the saddle bag, everything else went into a rucsac, which meant I didn't have to fiddle with moving the lights and computer to an extension bar and what not.



After trying, and on probability, failing to spot the Northern Lights, I headed off on a shot loop to my chosen location. I arrived to find that some of it had been packed out with hay bales, which was unexpected, but meant I could hide away out of sight behind them. I didn't fancy climbing up, just in case I rolled over in my sleep and plummeted to my death.



After a few minutes in the bag, I noticed that my arse cheeks were getting chilly. This also happened on last months BaM, so I'm wondering if the down in the Exped mat has migrated to either end; might be time to get a synthetic one where the filling doesn't move about. My arse wasn't getting cold enough to keep me awake, but the occasional puff of cold breeze over my face was. So a bit of fiddling with various cords, I managed to eliminate that enough for me to drop into the land of nod.

I had a much better nights sleep than expected, especially given the tossing and turning; which is why I don't like being trapped in a bag. I was up just before six and quickly into my cycle kit and out into a frost covered winter wonderland for a wee. Then it was just a short spin home, with the plan to dump the bivvy gear and head of on a longer loop. After a paltry 2KM though, I couldn't feel my fingers, painfully couldn't feel them; that was with liner gloves, Assos Winter Gloves EVO and Assos RSR Thermo Rain Shell Gloves on, over priced carp, I've not been impressed.



When I got into the house, all thoughts of continuing went out the window, especially once I got a coffee on.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8634359329
2023: 2 / 12
Total: 30
Streak: 2

[redefined_cycles]

Proxy post on behalf of MuddyPete who did his February bivvy in the local woods.

The Mummy Returns......





Not entirely sure what's going on here. Some sort of bikepacking voodoo?

Oh shucks... That coffee makig thing. Does it actually make a full cuppa (does anyone know). I want one..

[Boab]

Oh shucks... That coffee makig thing. Does it actually make a full cuppa (does anyone know). I want one..

It's a moka pot, they come in all sorts of sizes and shapes. So yes, you can get one that will make a whole cup.

[Moder-dye]

Great to see people's range of locations and experiences

I've an idea for a bird hide in the area for my next one, but I'd better remember some ears plugs as it is on the Montrose basin with 10s of thousands of geese

[RIP]

Whatever it is you could probably use it to drive a small portable steam turbine to recharge all your electronics while you were brewing up. Or maybe it's all part of that voodoo ceremony with the trouser(s).

[redefined_cycles]

Thanks Bob... Yes, Moka... I was meaning that does that particular one make a full cuppa. But I guess MuddyPete isn't about to answer. Maybe I shoudjust stick to my grind and teabag thingie (well, coffee bag mesh).

[RIP]

Proxy post on behalf of MuddyPete

Oh, and obviously Reg knows his place

[redefined_cycles]

Bob, you mentioned Northern Lights... Could this be linked. Seen yesterday at the bottom end of Huddersfield.

[Boab]

I'm no expert Shaf, but I'd say it's doubtful. Probably an industrial site of some kind. The Guardian had a gallery of images from Sunday night and I'm kicking myself as that was my original night for going out...

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... n-pictures

[redefined_cycles]

I'm no expert Shaf, but I'd say it's doubtful. Probably an industrial site of some kind. The Guardian had a gallery of images from Sunday night and I'm kicking myself as that was my original night for going out...

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesig ... n-pictures

Thanks Bob. I just knew that the light looked amazing last night. Didn't know we would actually be able to see the northern lights. Will check out the guardian pics ta...

[redefined_cycles]

Edit... They look amazing (Alhamdulillah).

[Lazarus]

Last minute Lazarus heading out for his now regular last day of the month i need to get it done BAM
This one will have actual evidence as nowhere near as rushed as last time [ and I am out this weekend [NAWE}so next months will be unseasonably early]

[Leerowe76]

Well done all on getting out for Feb roll on March

[Blackhound]

Last gasp effort for me. A few things conspired to give me limited time this month but I got out locally last night. A little rain overnight and struggled to sleep again.

https://www.strava.com/activities/8640465328

The Strava link has a couple of pics.

2/12, 14 consecutive months.

[Moder-dye]

i get content unavailable at that link

[Lazarus]

Left at a reasonable time [ 7:30] and the bivvy spot was only 4 miles a way bit decided to have a wee ride anyway and go up the big hill and then come back to it so 2 hours ish and 15 miles . It only rained twice just as I was setting up and just as i was packing
In my haste to get set up without getting wet i managed to find the only lump in flat spot and do a shonky pitch- despite this slept well and was woken by my alarm at 07:30.
Packed in rush and quite poorly and set off home [ all down hill] to be immediately passed by two deer who after jumping the hedge stayed pretty close - will post up the pictures later

[Boab]

i get content unavailable at that link

Take the

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value and append it to

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

- https://www.strava.com/activities/8640465328