Bivvy a Month 2016.

[Scattamah]

After missing June, it's 6/7 for me and the end of a streak running back to mid 2014. A good night, albeit a touch chilly up on Long Mynd. Co-conspirator was Burty.

TIL: mat + bivvy bag + down jacket = too many cold spots. Perhaps if the mat was outside the bivvy bag it wouldn't have been so bad, but hey ho. Sometimes you have to experiment with what you have. Could do with inserting a zip down the side of the Hunka. Would make it much more usable.

Greetz

S.

[whitestone]

I found the Hunka sized bivy bags to be too small to get a sleeping mat, sleeping bag and me inside. The Hunka XL does have enough room though

[Scattamah]

I had to let quite a bit of air out of the Neoair in order to get the Hunka a touch looser. Once I found the right combo (down jacket from waist to knee and Featherlite smock on over the top of a merino tee) it was a bit better. The air release allowed the Hunka to sit above just enough the down would loft. I think a silk liner would go a long way in situations like that. The jacket and smock could act as a pillow then.

Greetz

S.

[Bearbonesnorm]

I've seen a Merino bag liner I like the look of ... not cheap mind.

[Scattamah]

At double the price of a silk liner (at least the ones I've just seen in a very brief search), it would want to be good! :)
My other thought about the silk liner was it would make it easier to turn inside the bivvy. That inside coating in the Hunka is somewhat grippy.

Greetz

S.

[burty]

I on the other hand took my matt and 150 quilt ,
so as scott was cold
I had to undo the quilt as I was a tad to warm .

[TheBrownDog]

I escaped to the woods with my new hammock on Saturday night. Didnt leave the house till 8pm so only rode 5 miles. Found an ideal spot, slung the hammock up in quick time and put the tarp up quite high as there was no chance of rain. Slept like a baby, so am a quick and ready hammock convert, though I'll be getting some lighter and less involved bits to hang it up.

[Blair512]

Another foray into Fife after work on Friday got me 7/7 and the maiden bikepacking voyage for my old Rockhopper which is now fully working again and performed admirably. I headed across the Kincardine bridge, through Devilla forest and onto the old railway line cycle path towards Dunfermline for dinner. From there I struggled to get going again across the hill to Scotlandwell so I decided to stop for a couple of pints and then turned in for the night on the lower slopes of the bishop hill. After the best night's sleep I've ever had outdoors I set off up and over the lomonds into Falkland where some friends kindly made me bacon rolls and let me use their bog before I set off on my travels again. A quick stop into Leslie Bike Shop for some brake pads then I headed for Fife Coastal Path at West Wemyss and followed it back home to Falkirk from there.

165km and over 4000ft of climbing is far bigger than anything I've done on a loaded bike and it nearly killed me yet I still found myself lying in the bath less than an hour after I got home thinking about doing 200km, I mean whats another 35km when you've done all of that anyway?

This forum will be the death of me!

WP_20160722_21_12_07_Pro by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

WP_20160723_07_06_18_Pro by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

WP_20160723_12_52_31_Pro by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

[GregV]

7/7 Mid week peaks. Lovely warm & dry ride (& long push) from home onto Kinder. Up at 4.30am for a very wet ride home, breakfast & a weary day in work. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
IMG_8469 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr
IMG_8474 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr
IMG_8480 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr

[Taylor]

Out in the Mendips tonight for 7/7.

[GregV]

8/8 A wet & windy night in the lakes.
IMG_8560 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr
IMG_8545 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr
IMG_8559 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr

[macinblack]

That last picture is a cracker - Very moody.

[Chew]

8/8

A proper ride out to test out a few things before Turin, mainly how the 40c tyres cope with the rough stuff.

Elected to pick up Greg's gROVL route which has a good mixture of gravel roads, tarmac and some rougher stuff.

Another crack at getting up the Buttress (failed) and then up to Heptonstall, with some old dear shouting 'Faster, Faster, Faster....' as encouragement over the cobbles. I some times wonder why I a bother living here.......


Over the top to Widdop and through a light shower


Went to put it in the big ring, but the bike had other ideas. The cobbles must have had other ideas and the bolt worked its way loose. Fortunately the offending bolt was laying in the middle of the trail, so easily fixed.


Through the delights of Colne and up the steep cobbled roads. Running low on water and on the search of a tap without any luck, until i dropped onto the oasis of Booths. Hopefully their too posh to steal the bike


Bedded down for the night and wanted to try out the inner I have for the Lair.
Works well giving me some inside space and surprisingly keeps the wind out on a damp night. It doesnt pack down too small, but the extra space comfort it provides, means it'll be comming with me.


Set off in the morning and my gps doesnt want to work or load the route (forgot to compress it before I left home), so it was a case of make it up to get myself home. Pedaling through Burnley on the road and over to Todmorden for second breakfast, before heading home.

[wingnut]

7/7 Mid week peaks. Lovely warm & dry ride (& long push) from home onto Kinder. Up at 4.30am for a very wet ride home, breakfast & a weary day in work. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
IMG_8469 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr
IMG_8474 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr
IMG_8480 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr

What tent is that Greg ?

[GregMay]

Chew - nice to see you've rode some of the route! Made some amendments and working on some more for next year :)

Decided to take the wife out for her first bivi experience at the weekend - she's been bugging me for a while and now that I'm post TD training duties I've been enjoying riding for fun and with no real aim again. As she has no MTB it was a CX bike trip so I packed up the Escapade and used it as a chance to check out the Rambler tyres I have on test - quite nice.

DSC01121.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr

Wandered out of Hebden along the canal for a few kilometers before taking the gravel tracks up to London Road on the Pennine Bridleway. Few bits of walking, but not too much, mostly being entertained by overly interested sheep. At this stage we've noticed it's starting to blow pretty hard so we turn into the wind and start to tick along. No chance of building up a sweat as it's warm, but not too warm either.

DSC01107.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr

DSC01109.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr

I always forget how much fun some of the descents can be around here on a CX bike so I may have been having a bit too much fun for the tyres I was on. Either way, fun is fun. Decided to not stop off in the pub and pushed on up some slabs and trails to get to the tops before heading out towards the side of the damn where I hoped the wind would be lower. It wasn't. Pitched the Silwing low to the ground and as we're getting in a group of 12 or so yoofs turn up, look amazed that we're here, then bumble around before asking do we mind if we share with them. It's 10:30, I'm in bed, there is room for maybe two tents... I just sort of stare and they get the point and wander off to the other side of the damn where there is way more space. (we pass them the next morning at 8:30am and they are still in tents with rubbish strewn outside - pisses me off)

DSC01112.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr
DSC01116.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr
DSC01113.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr

Next morning it's still blowing, some rain as we pack and walk along the damn in the wind. Small bit of bog traversing on stone before we get to the gravel paths and down to Cragg Vale before taking some nice high farm tracks to get back to town for coffee + sausage rolls.

DSC01118.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr
DSC01120.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr
DSC01122.jpg by Greg.May, on Flickr

Despite some rain, crap wind, and not great nights sleep my wife loved it. May have been helped by the rum and coke I brought along...

[Teetosugars]

Been looking at Tarp poles... What are you using there Greg?

[GregMay]

Split down an old set of Easton alu. poles from a tent that finally died after 15 years of use. Remove the bungie and you have instantly adjustable poles.

[ctznsmith]

Can I find my last post on this to know my current score? Can I heck.

However June was Sweden, July was Finland (although mainly used campsites...does that count?) and then August in France.

[RIP]

Having been recently deprived of our Snowdon caper (showboating I know, but the views are worth it) cos Pickers had a bit of an incident, I needed an emergency bivi replacement. Luckily had a bit of business in the Peaks and an overnight stay. Never understood the concept of “hotels”. “What, you mean I pay you so I can be asleep?”. However am always happy to fork over for vittles and ale – I guess I’m a paid-up member of the BBB Executive Bikepackers Subgroup, nice dinner and drinks but then the total contrast of a rough bivi spot. So a quick ride up from Matlock Bath station to the Barley Mow at Bonsall ensued. Proper pub: interesting beer, UFO sightings(!), World Hen Racing Championships, bookshelves, no phone signal, and the landlady is a mermaid, perfect:



Time to find a spot up on the moors, considerably aided by a full moon but hindered by millions of old lead mine shafts the bottom of which would be superbly sheltered but possibly hard to egress from in the morning. Flying-V tarp mode today, but a minor cockup resulted in lying along the 8’ not the 10’ side so my bag poked out into the dew in the night. No probs though thanks to Ultrashell. Looks like the morning but is actually 9.30pm and full moon:



Would never go back to a tent with tarp-pleasures such as this:




A chilly and misty night despite it being August, and I had to stick an extra layer on at 2am. In the morning tested out an improved russian-doll brewkit, now with everything inside the Ti pot. White bucket is porage mixing pot – porage + bit of milk from last night topped up with half of the boiling tea water. Now using porage decanted from 1kg box which is a tenth of the price of those ludicrous “instant” sachets.



My pal Lee rolled up at 8am and we had a quick morning spin round the area. Down through the woods (naughty, apologies) to Cromford and straight into the Arkwright Mill caff as the door opened at 9, for a second breakfast of tea and toast. Didn’t count the calories but it was obviously enough to power us up the evil Starkhomes hill to Riber with the reward of the scream down through Coumbs Wood to the footbridge over the river to the start of the High Peak Trail:



The challenge is to get up both inclines (under bridge in background, 1-in-8) to Middleton Top without stopping, hardly in the “everesting” league I know but the best us oldies can manage. Yet another tea break (horrible machine-made tea) at the Top and I took the opportunity to try and trade my bike for a considerably more sensible means of transport which the owner declined as he felt my bike apparently didn’t have enough wheels:



Nice flat bit of trail then peel off north down the farm track to Grange Mill and back up onto Bonsall Moor to try and find some UFOs, then round past Jug Holes and down the byway to Bonsall with its feature market cross:



Return to Matlock Bath station, bidding farewell to Lee at which point he announces he’s only just warmed up and is heading up the inclines again and going all the way to Parsley Hay (there’s a song title there somewhere, children) and back! I realise I’ve not had any lunch so pop round to Scarthin Books in Cromford – reputed to be the “sixth best bookshop in the world” – and slip through their secret revolving bookshelf into their cafe for a bit of soup with a couple of tasty books as well. Food for the brain as well as the tum.

7/8.

“Reg”

[Pickers]

Hi Reg, good to see you got a decent trip out. No rain this time?
Apologies about Snowdon, we'll have to reconvene at some point - I was looking forward to going up there again.

[RIP]

Yeah missed your company Rich - "get well soon" chap. I'm getting slightly concerned that my outings are now coinciding with full moons. When I got dressed this morning I'm sure I'm looking a lot hairier and my teeth are a bit longer as well.

[Blair512]

8/8

A trip to Mark bothy with the Mrs at the weekend got my bivvy in for August. A nice short cycle in, a few cans of lager, a couple of hip flasks and a big plate of chilli made a perfect night out and great first time in a bothy for Gill, she even said she would go again!

WP_20160821_10_22_30_Pro by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

WP_20160820_22_04_44_Pro by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

WP_20160820_22_03_44_Pro by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

WP_20160820_22_03_04_Pro by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

14102397_10157377963425204_1056839879277801834_n by Blair Caldwell, on Flickr

[frogatthefarriers]

8\8 River Dee

I usually only post Bikepacking bivvys, so thought this would make a change.

Paddled down from Bangor-on-Dee towards Farndon.


What, no hammock?


I forgot to take a groundsheet but the foam pads from the bottom of the canoe were better, especially with a neo-air on top.

[Mike]

Long mynd bivvy with scattamah Fri night.

[Mariner]

Mike

Is that the Moto bar on the Stooge?