Chew wrote:13/13 for me

show-off!

surely the clock's re-set and you're 1/1 like the rest of us???

otherwise it's no-fair!

flatfishy wrote:Are we carrying on with numbers?

Not sure. Getting it up to a stupid number does have a bit of an appeal.

Right... I'll have to give this a go this year. Just missed the El'an Back due to work constraints but might have a go at my planned route later this week. How were the tracks? Has it got icy under wheel yet?
If I manage this I'll 2/2 so some catching up to do here! Cheers, Mark

Mark - there was a bit of ice around on Sunday morning - lead to a couple of exciting moments on 32mm tyres, but generally speaking it wasn't too bad.

Nant Rhys bothy for me this month: 1/1

1/1 for me, bivi'd in Hafren Forest in the end. Still and cold resulted in condensated sleeping bag :(

I also got the first bivi of the year out of the way in Hafren Forest, snuggled up between Crewlie, 1.5km to the East and FLV (and others) somewhere out towards the West. Blimey, the forest wasn't half crowded that night!


Bivi @ Afon Biga by Slugwash, on Flickr

Ian - cheers for that - I saw you were out on drop bars and narrow tyres... would have loved to see a photo of your bike next to the fat bike Slugwash posted a pic of!

I think that was someone else's bike Mark. Ian was still out in the wilds when that snap was taken.

Well that was cold, my first bivy in for Jan. LLyn Barfog Tuesday night minus 4 most enjoyable, pics to follow if i can work it out..
Here's to Feb!!! :D

Well that was cold, my first bivy in for Jan. LLyn Barfog Tuesday night minus 4 most enjoyable

You found it okay then ?

would have loved to see a photo of your bike next to the fat bike Slugwash posted a pic of!

Re-reading this I think I probably misunderstood what you meant in your post. You see, in the fat bike picture there's a bit of a thin tyred, 29er wheel showing and I thought you meant.....

....oh sod it, never mind ;-)

Yes had a night cold night under the tarp, started in dolgellau rode down the estuary to Arthog then had the worst climb up a lane ever!! Ill remember that for future ref then headed around back of Cadair on the byway following the C2C route to Tywyn ( the track down the coast is shut off due to works on new bridge -they wont let u pass ) headed into Bryncrug then up the byway. The descent was icey and snow covered which made it interesting as it was dark too, after the big climb i finally got to the lake. The night was eventful, i think i spent most of my day today riding back via dovey forest talking to police officers. Where will Feb take me??

P1150022 by mjc_226,

P1160049 by mjc_226,

Brrrr....that looks cold!

heres mine from el an back

Decided that i'd do a bivi a month this year (minimum) and started a thread over on singletrack.

Flatfish directed me here! Good to find people who don't consider this sort of caper to be madness.

I'm packed for a trip out to bivi somewhere around Derwent edge this evening.

Will report back!

Have fun and report back. :D

ianfitz wrote:Flatfish directed me here! Good to find people who don't consider this sort of caper to be madness.

I'm packed for a trip out to bivi somewhere around Derwent edge this evening.

Welcome!

I've camped up/around Derwent Edge loads of times - there's some nice riding around there (especially if one were to be less than 100% vigilant about accidentally utilising a sniff of footpath here and there - not that I would ever do that!).

Enjoy.....

Thanks gairym.

I too have heard similar things about some 'off piste' riding round those parts. I think I, erm, over heard some shifty looking types talking about it in a pub once ;-)

anyway onto the report -

Got the train to bamford and rode out round ladybower then up the moscar/grindle clough path to bivi near hurking stones. It was pretty windy but I'd kicked out a space under the tarp and built up a small snow wall on the windy side and also the bottom of the tarp too. So it was nice a sheltered, had a good nights sleep. Must have been pretty chilly over night as my water bottle froze completely solid. Had to melt snow for my morning brew.
Came home via a mates house in north Sheffield. Got quite sidetracked by his open fire and some cups of tea. Great fun!

No photos; was too dark when I arrived and too cold and windy when I was leaving! I have geeky informstion about kitlists and weight if anyone requires it...

kitlists are always good.

Had to melt snow for my morning brew.

Proper Alpine-style 8-)

Decided to get in a school-night Chilterns trip for Jan since the weather looked rubbish over the weekend. Out just after 5pm, rode out for 6hrs and got a load of fun cheeky trails in, noodles followed by Talisker for dinner, 4hrs sleep-doze and then the 'sht, late again' route home. Got back just as it started to get light. Had 20 mins to shower, change and grab food before the train to work )
Cheers for the motivation BBB


About to crash out - then an odd dream of waiting to start a bike race with some mates, us all lying around in the snow?!


Thawing out an early brekkie, before 5am


I was there

Oh, kit.. 7.3lbs inc bags, lighting and food, plus my std camelback with hipflask, water and tools / spares and a windproof. Beer can stove, 50ml meths.

flatfishy wrote:kitlists are always good.

Ok then

Food: bars, crisps, first trial of dehydrated homemade daal all in frame bag (el-cheap off eBay type)

Cook: 8g hexi stove, hexi blocks cut in quaters, homemade wind shield, ti pan, redbush tea bags and green tea.

Shelter: MLD cuben tarp, PHD light bivi bag, polycro ground cloth

Sleep: PHD minimus, PHD custom bag, neoair full length

Clothes: Sythetic jacket, merino long johns and long sleeved top, on one merino arm warmers,
All the above in terra nova 20l Sac

Tools, haglofs oz, pertex bottoms and PHD down jacket in saddlebag.

And yes there is a lot of high end kit there. I was given some cash following the death of my granddad and told in no uncertain terms to spend it on 'stuff that you want but don't need' so for once in my life I did what I was told!

Too much snow and ice round here to ride the bike so threw everything in a rucksack last night and walked off into the local Eildon hills. The snow low down was too deep to pitch a tent so I decided to walk to the top of the middle hill - 395m



The ground was so frozen that getting the pegs in very far was really hard! I finally managed to pitch up and cook some noodles.



During the night the wind really picked up and the temp rose a few degrees meaning that at 6 this morning the pegs were coming out and the tent was in trouble so I packed up a bit earlier than I would normally and walked back down by half moonlight / half dawn which was amazing.

The wind was all a bit too much for the tent in such an exposed spot to be honest and was blowing straight under and through it.

It was the first outing for my Go-lite rs3 synthetic quilt which was warm enough and comfy and also my new exped synmat Ul which has to be the best mat I've ever laid on :)