Bivvy a Month 2024

[RIP]

Mmm, one definitely doffs one's cap, J. Difficult to know whether to keep schtum, shove the earplugs in, stay low and ride it out. Can't beat a satisfying urban bivvy, but I think I'd've found that a mildly unnerving situation so compliments to you for handling it. Impressive stuff.

[gecko76]

A question regarding the rules: does forking out for a camping permit count as paid-for accommodation? Would not paying make it an illegal bivi?

https://www.lochlomond-trossachs.org/th ... -a-permit/

(It might be a moot point as Loch Tay doesn't appear to be affected, which I thought it was).

[RIP]

"Camping Management Zones". Blimey. Yes, paid for, so surely infringing our Rule #5? I reckon a "camping zone" is equivalent to a "camping site". How do they delineate the exact perimeters of the zones? You might be just outside one. And how does simply paying for a permit help to "protect our cherished loch shores"? Is there some sort of vetting procedure to exclude ne'er-do-wells? What's the criteria? I'm quite naughty sometimes so am I rejected?

No mention of bivvy bags or tarps . Usual daft questions that we have - What's camping? What's a shelter? What's a tent? Something with doors?

All down to adhering to the spirit of the thing really though?

"Not paying.... illegal bivvy".... any more or less than all the ones we already indulge in? Are some bivvies "more illegal" than others? Can't be, law is the law. So then you're left with your own moral code. I don't think I'd bivvy in one of these zones, but I might in, say, a bird hide in a nature reserve. But why? Where is The Line? Food for an introspective ponder there .

[fatbikephil]

Always nice to see a few urban bivvies creeping into the programme. Hmm. Slug or ned? what's worse!

Good question Justin, which I was contemplating as I pedaled through the Trossachs last weekend, watching all the groups of neds setting up camps (presumably with a permit) complete with stereos, fires etc.

When it first came in, I spoke to a LLTNP access officer about this as it's impossible to get a permit (or it was then) when you are on the hoof, so to speak. He noted that they aren't remotely interested in our form of 'wild camping' only the roadside campers. In other words, bash on.

The permit entitles you to nothing other than being able to camp in a large designated area with no facilities, so if you are being a fully responsible citizen and get one, it doesn't break the rules (see Regs boat bivvy and Judiths bivvy on a campsite without paying) but in the spirit of BAM, particularly this month, I'd not bother. All of the ranger checks are by vehicle so just find a place inaccessible by vehicle.

Oh and Loch Tay is outside the NP area so you will be fine in any case.

[RIP]

But they charge you £4.20? Rule #5. Jury retires to consider verdict .

Bit annoying you can't "book on the hoof" as you point out...

[gecko76]

Thanks chaps. Shame it's necessary but I can see why. Good to hear that wild camping in our sense of the term is fine though, or at least not the target. Also good to have it confirmed that Loch Tay is fine as I have a jaunt that way in mind.

Urban bivvies are great, though who's to say you can't have slugs and neds?

[RIP]

Urban bivvies are great, though who's to say you can't have slugs and neds?

Aye can't have too much of a good thing!

Re payments, you've got me thinking now (uh-oh).

Am very keen on pub-BaMs and have done a few in the past - in fact quite a large proportion of my BaMs have been pub-based: in pub gardens, in storage sheds surrounded by junk, in marquees outside, in some heated pods outside, in the car park, even once actually inside on the bar floor surrounded by all the drinks which was probably the absolute pinnacle of the genre!

There's a huge amount of entertainment to be had during the, often subtle and protracted, negotiating with the staff/owner. Once took me six hours of hedging and sparring (not SPAR-ing, that's a whole different game) around it, although admittedly that was on my first one before I'd honed and perfected the skills .

Anyway, point is money never changed hands in direct payment so all's above board. But then again, obviously the goodwill was obtained by paying for an evening's food and drink. So is that "a payment for a camping spot"? Hope not or Reg is seriously DQ'd! Hmm. Wish I hadn't raised it now .

[gecko76]

Nah, I'd say you're fine. Travelling to areas one otherwise wouldn't is partly the point, and adding money to the local economy seems only fair. The rule only says that accommodation is not to be paid for, which you're not.

[Bearlegged]

Given the warm weather, I took it as an opportunity to see how little kit I could go with, left the bike at home, and ran out to the Peak District.
Happy to report I could get all the essentials (beer, cheese, Smidge), plus a few luxury items (sleeping kit, toothbrush) into a 15L backpack. The extra weight didn't seem to cramp my (already not fast) running style too much. Gorgeous light as I reached the aid station*.
A warm evening in the woods, refuelling and watching the local bats flit between the trees, before a decent night's kip.
Cows were up early, and mooing across the valley at 5am, but jamming some ear plugs in meant I could get a few more winks before heading down the hill and foraging** some breakfast.

A brief visual summary: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9o2wYquQc2/

2024 BAM 7/12
2024 total bivvies 7
Current streak (months) 68

*Pub
**Buying a coffee and a sausage roll from the lovely folks Kringle

[Bearlegged]

But! I hear you cry, "What about Rule 4???"

Well, as has already been well documented, bivvying provides all manner of opportunities to engage the locals in conversation. Sometimes these natters may be precursors to kipping behind the pub, sometimes they may draw on local knowledge for the best local cake stops, and sometimes they may go along the lines of, "Please may I sit on your bike, and you take a picture of me for evidential purposes?"
Very obliging member of the 7 Hills cycling club
Rule 4 satisfied

[RIP]

Hmmmm!! We-e-e-e-llllll.......

[Bearlegged]

[fatbikephil]

Note to self, come September tally, include award for 'BAM rule bender extraordinaire'

What; are we getting bored with sticking religiously to the rules or something?

To be clear, next year it's going to be strict interpretation of the rules only!

[RIP]

Well I think you've been very lucky there Legs me old sparrow. Phil must be in a good mood or summat. I think it only got through because #4 says "bike must be involved" not "riding a bike must be involved". Bit of tightening up of the rules needed here I reckon.

Tch, honestly.

And raising my completely above-board narrowboat jape again is definitely below the belt. In fact it must actually be a strong contender for the prize of Bed Moved Furthest While Off The Bike. I think that was won a while ago by someone's bed sliding a few feet down a slope until it came up against a lucky hedge. Mine actually ended up several miles away from its initial laying out point.

[dorsetshirelad]

July Bivvy

A couple of Chinooks swept low, waking me from my brief attempt at sleep, before veering off towards Bovington. There were night manoeuvres in progress and I could hear rumblings of heavy military vehicles in the distance. At this time of year it’s still not dark until after 10pm, so they were just getting going, with no consideration for the errand bike-packer in Wareham Forest. It continued until midnight.
Leaving home, I took various woodland tracks to West Moors, and the Castlemain Trail toward Upton House. Minor local roads and lanes then brought me to my bivvy destination, one of the limited pockets of the once extensive southern lowland heath land.
I was loaded with cooking equipment and food. Luckily, the route was level and only about 25 miles from home.
On the menu was Lemon Chicken with rice, mushrooms, and courgettes. It was supposed to be cooked in the oven, but I was hoping to do it in the pan. After a lot of plate spinning, I was pleased with the result, one of the tastiest bivvy meals I’ve cooked from scratch.
I rose from a disturbed slumber before dawn, serenaded by the sounds of an incessant natterjack toad echoing across the misty moor below. Before having coffee and a cooked breakfast, I watched the sunrise through the trees.
I took the Stour Valley Way back home, making a stop at Upton House for some more refreshments.

Lemon Chicken Video
https://youtu.be/H7QeCzX41YM

[sean_iow]

Wareham forest is on my list for an off Island BAM at some point as it's within rideable distance from home.

Don't think I'd be cooking quite such an extravagant dinner, top marks for yours

[fatbikephil]

More culinary excellence there DL. I think the midges up here would preclude spending such an amount of time outside of a tent, sadly.

[frogatthefarriers]

July Bivvy

Lemon Chicken Video
https://youtu.be/H7QeCzX41YM

Respect! You’re a man after my own heart. It just goes to show that bikepacking meals don’t have to be “add-water-to-a-packet-of -summat-dehydrated”. And it gives you something to do in the evening before bed-time.

[dorsetshirelad]

Well within striking distance of the IOW with a smaller payload.
Luckily, the wind kept the midges at bay until tucked up under my bug net. And they didn’t get too annoying in the morning!
Being a weak cyclist, I enjoy playing to my strengths. And eating is undoubtedly one of them.

[Mrs Polisherman]

The weekend before last I did a long, non-stop ride in the Lakes. Having noticed that there seems to be some leeway for one slightly dodgy rule bending bivvy a year (e.g not paying on a campsite; not actually using a bike to get to the bivvy spot etc. ), I thought I'd see if my 5 minute lie down in the grass with my eyes closed at 1am might count as my July BAM. However, on second thoughts, I decided that I might need to play this card later on in the year when things get desperate in the autumn or winter.

So I duly set out last Sunday to bank a decent, fully rule compliant bivvy (although I did go on my e-bike which I feel might be slightly cheating ). I have discovered that I can fit all I need into a 20l rucksack which makes it really quick and easy to set out on a last minute bivvy whim. The forecast was dry for the evening with rain coming in overnight, but crucially a good breeze to keep the midges at bay. I rode up to Broadstones, a local trigpoint with excellent views over Saddleworth and Manchester, and was tucked up snugly in my Lanshan an hour after leaving home.


I think that all this practice I am getting is paying off because I actually slept for a few hours this time - result! I woke at 5am to the sound of rain beating down on the nylon and knew that no more sleep would be had. I waited for a lull in the rain, swiftly packed away and rolled happily home for breakfast. I'm so impressed by those of you that take proper food to cook on your bivvies. I really must try harder in this respect.

[Bearlegged]

I did go on my e-bike which I feel might be slightly cheating

E bikes are not cheating, end of.

[riderdown]

I think that all this practice I am getting is paying off because I actually slept for a few hours this time - result

Decent earplugs make a big difference if you feel safe enough where you have stopped

Also very useful if the person you cuddle up to snores

[sean_iow]

Another school night bivi for me due to time constraints. I usually do a these on a Thursday as even though I sleep well it's nice to only have the Friday left at work and they're just the wind-down for the weekend anyway Unfortunately the forecast for Thursday night is rain so decided to get out whilst it's still dry, although I'm going to spend all day thinking it's Friday.

Packing was easy as I'd left some of the kit ready from earlier in the month when I'd had to cancel due to a family emergency. Left home at 8pm and it was nice that it was a bit cooler than it's been on the commute recently. Not much in the way of excitement on the ride out although I did climb up to the Tennyson trial using the same rocky and washed out route I'd used a few months back and actually cleaned it this time, but on the gravel bike when I'd failed on the MTB, and the MTB has lower gearing It can only be the extra miles in the legs from Scotland that has made the difference. Stopped to take a picture of the sun going down.



The sheep were making a racket so I moved the bike in case it was that upsetting them, there was another gate across the main track to lean it against.



As I looked down something caught my eye



Maybe that's what the sheep were trying to tell me? As I usually do, I picked up the rubbish left by others and tucked it safely in my frame bag Just as I was pleased with my good fortune I had a text from Barclaycard fraud prevention to say they'd blocked a payment of £12.5k for a watch and was I trying to buy one? Err no I'm not. So a bit of bad news to counter the good luck. I replied to the text and they said they'd call in the morning.

Stopped to check out the view west, Freshwater bay in the centre and the shape of the cliffs with Old Harry Rocks just visible to the left.



I rode on to the woods and planned to use the exact same spot I had last month (when I was cold in the night) with slightly tweaked gear to see if it was warmer. As I approached I could see the warning signs about forest operations and they have started to fell some of it Not my favourite spot! Luckily they are only cutting stuff useful for split oak fencing, the worked posts and rails were stacked up, so my spot is hopefully safe as it's a different type of planting, even if it's only some 100m away.

It was noticeable how much darker it was even though it's only 4 weeks since i was last here at a similar time. Hammock up and I sat with a beer and some chocolate before getting in and I was asleep in no time. I was much warmer than the last time, almost too warm. The thermometer said an overnight low of 15 degrees. Last month it had been 12 degrees and I was chilly. The main change was the UQ protector keeping the wind off, I think I'll take that every time I use the 3/4 UQ as there's minimal weight penalty. After a solid 8 hours sleep (only woke a couple of times) it was 06:00 and the alarm was going off. Snoozed until 06:10 then got up.



The tarp wasn't fully up, just strung up overhead in case the forecast was wrong. There's some loops of shockcord slid along it to keep it rolled up. I had the pegs in my ridge-line organiser ready just in case. Managed to get packed away in half an hour which is quick, but summer kit is minimal and I'm pretty oragnsed these days. No sign I'd ever been here.



There are no paths into this bit and I'm careful not to come in through the same bit of undergrowth each time to keep it that way. Headed off for the ride to work and bumped into another biker coming up the track. Stopped for a chat and turns out I know her through work but not sure we've met in person. Had a chat about bikepacking and then both headed off to work. It wouldn't be a local BAM without a post box picture



I recognise most of them but don't know who the little chap in the middle is?

I think that's 53 months in a row, 7/12 for the year and 28 nights out this year.

[Bearlegged]

So a bit of bad news to counter the good luck.

Surely bad news would have been an alert to say you'd just made a payment of £12.5k for a watch?

Anyhoo, looks like a nice night out that.

[sean_iow]

Surely bad news would have been an alert to say you'd just made a payment of £12.5k for a watch?

It's just the stress of having to deal with a call centre based abroad. Luckily all sorted now.

Anyhoo, looks like a nice night out that.

It was If I hadn't needed to get up for work I'd happily still be asleep there now.