As John was going to count his works shed as his bivvy for this weekend, can I count my campervan - even though it's in the driveway?

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Tue Jan 05, 2021 11:35 pm As John was going to count his works shed as his bivvy for this weekend, can I count my campervan - even though it's in the driveway?

This should have been the VWE but as we're locked down I'm now saving that for another day so this is an emergency rules garden BAM. Staring with a short local ride, I did go past one of my VWE GRs but I didn't stop for a 'substantial meal' and instead had coffee and pain au chocolate at a location a bit further on and lower down, decision made entirely on the basis that there's a bench there. I was fairly sure it existed but the further along the track I rode without it appearing the more I began to doubt myself, it did eventually appear out of the fog.



Then just the ride home which was uneventful. I did catch up with a young lady out for a run on a narrow downhill section, there's worse things to get stuck behind Unfortunately the recent heavy rain has washed the track out, it's has been worked on before by the council so now it's a 10 inch wide grove with bits of concrete and compacted stone, steps and protruding roots and rocks, so if I had diverted my gaze from where I was riding it would be a certain off so I had to concentrate on my line the whole way down.

Once home I put the bike away and went to my Mum's to cut some kindling. My BAM was resumed in a local bothie (the shed) for dinner. Using my BB 22g stove and my Toaks 550 ml ti pot which is probably my favorite combination out of all my pots/stoves.



In no time at all I had macaroni cheese and the water on for hot chocolate.



The home made pot cosy helps with the cooking and ensures it still hot when eaten. I've put the cosy in the wash as i noticed that it has enough past meals on it to have enough calories on it's own for dinner

I had put the tarp up earlier before it got dark to make it easier but even after 3 attempts I wasn't that happy with the pitch. I seem to get a better pitch if it's dark, raining and windy and I'm just throwing it up quick to get inside



I retired indoors for a bit to read The Ultimate Hang and drink Brew Dog Elvis Juice and then headed out at bedtime. I woke up at about 5 and was a bit chilly, I'd taken the 150 quilt with me in case so pulled that over me which helped. I was using my Thermarest NeoAir Xlite and Alpkit Pipedream 600 so I should have been more than warm enough as I think it only just got down to zero, there was no frost but the windows of the car were frozen in the morning. It did feel as if I was cold underneath but it should have been within the temperature range of the mat.

Ralph said he was more than warm enough but he had commandeered my Montane Prism hat so I hope he would be



I hadn't noticed there being any wind but there was no condensation in the morning so maybe the high front helped with that? All that's left now is to air the bags and pack the kit away. The draw cord on the hood of the Pipedream has pulled out of one side so I've got to thread that back in and sew the captive end, which will be interesting,

So thats 1/12 for my 2021 BAM and 10/12 for Ralph's Four Season Legion.

I had no intention of BaMing this year, but the combination of low moral fibre and a very snug bed led to lots of lie-ins over Christmas and no long, early rides .

I concluded the best way to avoid being trapped in a very comfortable bed was to avoid getting into it in the first place, so VWE gave the perfect excuse .

Saturday night ride was dark, muddy, very foggy and deserted, with more owls out-n-about than humans. Very eerie .

Down clothing and Buffalo Bag were snug, awaking to light frost.

By dawn the fog had lifted , to be replaced by low cloud accompanied by a brisk, icy headwind on the ride past the premier local & totally unauthorised watersports venue (complete with collapsing embankments and quicksand for added excitement ).

Festively-frosty flora completed the winter feel; followed by a return home for coffee over the fire. Brandy and croissants for brekkie were accompanied by some suitably-campfire music

A lovely little bimble .

https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ3JSgKFhqG ... vssefk5imw

sean_iow wrote: ↑Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:46 am I seem to get a better pitch if it's dark, raining and windy and I'm just throwing it up quick to get inside

Now that's something to ponder on .

RIP wrote: ↑Sun Jan 10, 2021 12:40 pm

sean_iow wrote: ↑Sun Jan 10, 2021 11:46 am I seem to get a better pitch if it's dark, raining and windy and I'm just throwing it up quick to get inside

Now that's something to ponder on .

I've been thinking about that, I wonder if it is a better pitch or maybe I'm just pleased to get out of the weather, and when the weather is good the pitch is no worse but I've got time to stand about looking at it? The pitch always looks good from inside with your eyes closed

My first BAM 2021 done. Made it part of the VWE... Slept a nice night in garden and it was the first use of my shiny new Tundra. It didn't fail to impress. One thing for some reason I can never get right is a taut pitch...

Pictures seem to be taking their time so I'll just highlight the BAM and add pics later if they decide to load. The night went nicely enough and in thr morning I used the facilities and the nearby residence for which I'd somehow ended up with the keys. Departed about 0900 for the riding...

I had told myself that ice must be qvoided at all cost. This was going very smoothly until the first grid ref. Bit of ice and mud but nothing to write home about (except the chap with smooth 25c tires coming the other way downhill who obviously thought he should be riding over the ice... thankfully he had his helmet).

Then came the deacent to checkpoint 2 and just upin entering the small road towards the reservoir some senipr cyclists told me to be careful as there was ice at the bottom. Got to the bottom abd there it was. Took my pic of GR reseveroic and carried on slipping and sliding across the ice trying to find the best 'purchase'. Then came the uphill and walkers coming down were finding it difficult and naturally I walked.

About 3 miles later I finally got past all the ice roads which included some bridleway. Then, 20ish miles were up and I decided to head on home... Looking forward to nabbing the rest of the BAMs and watch this space for my little ones attempt also (once he convinces his mum which I've told him is his responsibility...).

Pics still no loading into Imgur but they're here
Check out my activity on Strava: https://strava.app.link/Q0L4a6i5Vcb (will add the rest of the pics there too and swap em out once Imgur starts working...

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Regards the pitch. Took me almost 30 mins to get it right. Garden is also on a alight slope so every so often I'd have to shuffle everything back up from me sliding into the bottom end of the tent. Might need to get some silicone or seam-seal on the Thermarest to stop me sliding...

First bivy of the year as part of the VWE. Hammock set up in the garden.

Started at about 0C and rose to 3C overnight. It was also pretty windy. A bit worrying in that you've a lot of airflow around a hammock and this can suck heat from you. As it turned out I was toasty warm all night. I was also a little damp, not worryingly so, but the snow melting meant the air was very humid and with the tarp flapping around meant the top quilt was slightly damp to the touch.

1/1 for the year.

Putting myself in for this year, my aims are primarily to get through to April (as by the looks of last year most people made it from there to the full 12) and also to tick the Brompton Bikepack Bivvi!

January entry was part of the VWE. Following my ride on Saturday I carefully washed the bike so as not to wet the lawn (small garden + fairly enthusiastic water pressure makes it tricky) before setting up my tarp. Forecast was down to -2 so used my summer synthetic quilt over the down bag for a cosy nights sleep. Fewer cars meant the road noise was much reduced

Coffee in the morning courtesy of my BB 22g stove, I think me and the stove are still getting to know each other a bit. At least I managed to put enough fuel in to boil a cup this time but I also managed to burn off the silicone band from the rim of my mug I think I need to play with my tin foil windshield a bit more.

I think I may also upgrade the tarp at some point to allow more pitching options as the one I’m using at the moment is from a hammock set up and as an asymmetrical diamond with no additional tie out points it doesn’t pitch too well. A good excuse to browse the BB Pole-a-bear range and convince myself that it’ll be an investment for the whole BaM year!

shutuplegs wrote: ↑Mon Jan 11, 2021 8:14 pm At least I managed to put enough fuel in to boil a cup this time

I take one of those little medical measuring plastic cup things you use to measure medicine, it's graduated up to 30ml. I use that to measure the fuel, I know that 20ml is right to boil 500ml in normal conditions. That way once you've worked out the amount to use it's easy to use the same amount each time.

Welcome aboard the BaM rollercoaster 'Legs! I've just marked three lines on my 60ml fuel bottle to help judge quantities. Sean's method is far more accurate . Re your tarp, did you read the recent discussions about grip clips? Fantastic bit of gear for summat so small: https://www.ultralightoutdoorgear.co.uk ... clips-p447. And yes a PoleABear or two are essential as well as being beautiful bits of engineering in their own right.
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redefined_cycles wrote: ↑Sun Jan 10, 2021 4:52 pm Regards the pitch. Took me almost 30 mins to get it right. Garden is also on a alight slope so every so often I'd have to shuffle everything back up from me sliding into the bottom end of the tent. Might need to get some silicone or seam-seal on the Thermarest to stop me sliding...

A couple of stripes or dots on both side of your kip mat make the world of difference.
Jealous of the pitch btw, can’t get mine right.

BAM 2021 is a goer. Per posts on the VWE threads, January was the VWE in my garden with a nice little fire. The photo was a late afternoon test firing of my fire anchor which went quite well. I suspect it's going to feature in a lot of my bivvy nights this year.

Thanks for the tip Sean and Reg, I reckon those clips could be a goer!

Decided to leave my (V)WE grid references for another time, but still wanted to get out and participate. I wanted to get out and back in daylight, so planned to leave the house around 14:00 and wobble around some local back roads, before sleeping in the garden, the doing another local loop on the Sunday. The household chores took slightly longer to complete than planned though, and by the time I'd set the tent up, it was 15:00. When I got to the shed, it was to discover a flat rear tyre, so that needed cleaning, then fixing.



We eventually rolled out into the freezing fog at 15:45, so any ideas of a longish ride went out the window. Within a couple of kilometres, my glasses had frozen up, with a layer of ice on the lenses. A few kilometres after that, I had ice build up on various items of clothing and the rear derailleur, which interfered with changing gear.



While it was cold, miserable and getting dark, I wasn't cold. I wasn't wearing any more clothing that I had while doing the #Festive500, but all my fingers and toes were fine. I can only put this down to not riding fasted, as I'd consumed both breakfast and lunch before heading out.



Back at the house, I removed myself from my frozen outer layers, before heading for a warm shower. The rest of the evening was taken with a family dinner and a Bond film with my son. When I headed out to the tent, it was to find frost on both the inside and outside of the flysheet, so I was quite glad I'd left the sleeping bag and mat in the house till the last minute.



Worried about getting chilly in the night with the predicted -2°C, I put my old Expedition Karrimat underneath my Exped mat, and had a fleece inner bag on standby. Once into the bag, all the drawstrings were drawn, and I snuggled down to wait for the impending chill. Instead, after five minutes, I had to undo everything as I was overheating at an alarming rate. I spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, alternating between my head and neck being too warm, or too cold.



When I extracted myself from my bag and headed back into the house, it was to find frozen flysheet fabric on the tent door. The slabs in the back garden were also doing a great impersonation of an ice rink, so I decided to plonk myself on the sofa and wait for it to thaw. I maybe waited slightly too long, as I didn't get back out for the second ride until 14:00.



The sun had come out though, and it was really nice to ride around with a shadow for a change. Obviously the sun didn't last for long, and the dull dismal weather returned for the end of the ride.



I would've posted this on Sunday evening, but to be utterly honest, I've spent the last week wallowing a deep pit of despair. It took six weeks for similar feelings of pointlessness to emerge during the first lockdown. I was hoping I'd get through this one relatively unscathed, I certainly didn't expect it to hit after just six days. Feeling slightly less depressed today, so here's the write up.

2021 BaM: 1/1
Streak: 13
Strava:
https://www.strava.com/activities/4593541553
https://www.strava.com/activities/4599359264

Lovely photos as usual, particularly that second one. Quite a difference between that and the sixth one .

Sorry you feel down in the dumps. It creeps up on you surreptitiously in this sort of situation, then when you finally notice...bang, too late to stop it. I always find coming Here and burbling away, or listening to other ravings, helps a bit. I also keep trying to cook up "moments of ridiculousness" to counter-attack the general air of unreality and insanity.

Reg - and you do such a FABULOUS job of it!

K1100T - I was similarly unmotivated over Christmas. It was the smell of fresh coffee and woodsmoke at BaM brekkie last Sunday that perked me up. Must make it a regular feature .

MuddyPete wrote: ↑Thu Jan 14, 2021 11:32 pm Reg - and you do such a FABULOUS job of it!

Ta. Very magnanimous under the circumstances since you frequently suffer the fallout .

Last night before the more strict rules come into place. It's my 50th consecutive month out and I'd planned to make it a bit special with my own Burns Night (Robert Burns, Scottish bàrd. Your local hospital probably has a unit named after him).

So, escape earlier, short ride, braved the sheet ice, got to a very sheltered spot under an old pine and surrounded by birch trees so I can hear the winds but not really feeling them. Hopefully the old pine will also keep most of the forecast snow off.

Haggis, neeps and tatties al fresco. Washed down with a malt. Of course.



I'll not claim it until I've had a sleep though. I know the rules

Nice I wish I could get haggis this far south, I really like it.

Nice tent as well, pulling out all the stops.

Dessert course

Excellent!

"Burns Unit" - .

Awake before dawn. Actual sunrise is very late in these parts - latitude and some mountains get in the way.



Sheltered site with the big old pine keeping the snow off the ground. This gets overgrown with nettles in the summer.



Packed and ready to roll back home



Some significant snow higher up but the lower paths and tracks are now hella icy.



That's January done then. I suspect February will be in the garden, probably March too.
50th consecutive month and somewhere between 75 and 80 of the last 97 months (I must go back through some old photos).

Congrats on your 'Golden Jubilee' there Colin! My Golden was last March in the garden, having missed my Welsh gold mines ("see what I did there" ) plan by two days cos of lockdown. This month is my Diamond. Not many UK diamond mines and I'll be in the garden anyway. I'm trying to find a tin of Double Diamond beer instead cos apparently they've started making it again(Prince Phil's fave beer he says..).