Good effort Blair. Fairly sure you passed me and the missus out walking that day. I remember wondering why one one of you was carrying any gear.

Took a circuitous route via the chippy that was shut to the 'bithy' that Meraid used late last year. It was proper windy with gusts of 40mph+ on the exposed coastal trail but good kit meant we all got a pretty decent amount of kip. My new Wildcat frame bag got its first proper run out and we were plotting for Feb whilst scoffing a full English in the village cafe after. 1/1 then so far for 2016!
Phil

Left Sheffield at 2pm and rode out to edale. Currently (shockingly!) using my phone on the free wifi! Sorry Stu...

About to venture out after several pints to find a suitable bivy spot. Tis V windy here.

Will be fine.

ianfitz wrote:Left Sheffield at 2pm and rode out to edale. Currently (shockingly!) using my phone on the free wifi! Sorry Stu...

About to venture out after several pints to find a suitable bivy spot. Tis V windy here.

Will be fine.

Have fun pal. I know you know al the spots round there.

Sleep Dry.

Crap! Just realised two things:

1. My last overnighter was between Christmas and New Year and not in January as I'd thought.

2. We're fast running out of January!!!

Plans now afoot for a swift out-camp-back mission tomorrow.

It's supposed to snow too which might make things interesting.

I'm determined to do the challenge this year!!!

gairym wrote:2. We're fast running out of January!!!

Plans now afoot for a swift out-camp-back mission tomorrow.

But would that count towards January or February or both?

1/1

A short bimble into Sherwood Forest far enough away from the furries and doggers to be kept awake by wind and rain instead.

FLV wrote:

ianfitz wrote:Left Sheffield at 2pm and rode out to edale. Currently (shockingly!) using my phone on the free wifi! Sorry Stu...

About to venture out after several pints to find a suitable bivy spot. Tis V windy here.

Will be fine.

Have fun pal. I know you know al the spots round there.

Sleep Dry.

We had a good evening in the nags head and a good if blustery night in the hollow above the jagger clough quarry. It rained, snowed and hailed overnight and we didn't get up very early as planned. Don struggled a bit (a lot!) on the saturday so we had an early second breakfast and he headed back via road while I did an extra loop and headed home for teatime. It started snowing just before dark and was pretty heavy at times for the last 2 hours. After dark was like continuously making the jump to light speed!

Just over a 100km and nearly 3000m on the garmin. Interestingly strava down graded that to 2205m which seems a bit stingy. Just as well that I ride 'cos I love it rather than for strava!

1/12 Just off the Beacon's Way.

After experiencing my first bivvy overnighter last year during a week bike packing around Cornwall, which one day I may actually get around to writing about I decided I'd give the once a month challenge a go.

To break the missus and I in gently I planned a short trip starting from a pub!

So on Saturday we checked the weather and packed accordingly, we headed to the Ancient Brition for a couple of pints and some food to fill our stomachs. Leaving the car park around 8pm we set off into a very cold but dry evening. We walked for an hour to a very cheeky location.

The spot I had choosen meant that I didn't have to set up the tarp unless it started raining, and the wind was blowing the wrong direction.

It was amazing being able to gaze at the stars without a care in the world whilst wrapped up snug and warm.

I was woken around 2am due to a deflated sleeping mat and the sound of falling rain but luckly the wind for once was in our favour. I drifted back off to sleep listening to the rain.

Unfortunately the alarm clock went off at 6.30 as we had kids to pick up so we packed up and headed back to the car.

Lesson's learnt: Don't pack so much, replace sleeping mat when you know it has a slow puncture and get someone to look after the kids for longer next time!

Can't wait for next month's adventure.

Jan - saw me pussy out and spend a night in a Bothy
Feb - A last min decision from Hux to ride out to the Brown Clee, so i decided to tag along. Very last min like i left my house at 7pm drove to a village in Shropshire then rode in from there. I found Hux in some woods up on the tops at around 930pm it was very dark and VERY windy n cold but well worth the effort to get out.
20160203_084030 by mjc_226, on Flickr
20160203_084253 by mjc_226, on Flickr
20160203_094459 by mjc_226, on Flickr
we were blessed with the sunshine finally this morning after waking at 3am for a pee to see the snow had selted on everything around. Cheers pal

Feb - a second installment this time saw me and Stuart heading to Snowdonia National Park area for 3 days of bikepacking CX style. A few thousand meters of climbing and 115miles of trails and high mtn roads. Heres a few pics
P2250122 by mjc_226, on Flickr
P2250133 by mjc_226, on Flickr
P2260139 by mjc_226, on Flickr
P2260141 by mjc_226, on Flickr
P2270151 by mjc_226, on Flickr

March - Me and I headed out into the cold for a short ride over to the Strines for some warm food and a beer before riding upto some woods for the first bivy this month :0)
20160306_070829 by mjc_226, on Flickr
20160306_085633 by mjc_226, on Flickr
20160306_070817 by mjc_226, on Flickr

March - second outing for me solo. 3 days in Snowdonia roughing it in the mountains
20160311_064045 by mjc_226, on Flickr
20160311_064110 by mjc_226, on Flickr
20160311_175422 by mjc_226, on Flickr
20160312_182747 by mjc_226, on Flickr

Well that didn't last long!

2016.....

0/1!

Bum

gairym wrote:Well that didn't last long!

2016.....

0/1!

Bum

Doesn't mean you can't do 11/12, it's only an incentive to get out. Go for it gairym .

Damn right!

I'll not let it stop me getting out but this is the 4th year (maybe even 5th?) of attempting this little challenge and it's a tad demoralising to have fallen at the first hurdle.

Work meant that my only option was to stay local and just pop out in the late evening of the 31st but I then let the weather disuede me.

There's snow on the ground but it was absolutely hammering it down with rain. This meant that it was just rivers of water running over and forming big puddles on icy snow - not ideal camping conditions.

Anyway, it is what it is.

Onwards and upwards.....

Much kudos to those of you who braved the elements and got yourselves out there in January.

1/1





At a balmy -16.4 °C. Glad I quickly made an isolation pad before I left to put the alcohol stove on.
That was under the week, not far from where I work.

2/1

Friday a fortnight ago. Had two deers nibbly on bark in the morning, just a dozen meters off.

3/1

Saturday a fortnight ago. Full moon. Absolutely no lights required
-21.2 °C at ten at night. Fell another 4 °C come morning. Was a personal low temperature record for my girlfriend. And she still loves me

That first picture makes you look like something out of The Jetsons I wondered what the "aerials" were for for a moment until I realised they were zip ties

-21C, good effort!

The Valentine's Day Bivy

With fine weather forecast but with strong north easterly winds we headed for a shooter's dinner hut on the moor. Getting there was several Km uphill into the wind but as soon as we turned on to the track across the moor the wind was on our backs and the temperature felt reasonable but was belied by the increasingly crunchy nature of the puddles. Destination reached it was duvets on then get a brew and the sleeping kit laid out.



Lots of cheese and biscuits, chocolate and (not enough) whisky later we turned in for the night. The morning was pretty crisp and the wind was still strong.




The first bit of BW across the moor is nice in either direction though I'd never done it this way before. A bit of care was needed with icy patches and we chickened out of riding through the largest beck as it has hidden rocks and you need to get the right line.



Nice fast descent to the valley, then it was wander round bridleways, lanes and canal tow paths to get back home.


2/2 for 2016

whitestone wrote:The Valentine's Day Bivy

With fine weather forecast but with strong north easterly winds we headed for a shooter's dinner hut on the moor. Getting there was several Km uphill into the wind but as soon as we turned on to the track across the moor the wind was on our backs and the temperature felt reasonable but was belied by the increasingly crunchy nature of the puddles. Destination reached it was duvets on then get a brew and the sleeping kit laid out.



Lots of cheese and biscuits, chocolate and (not enough) whisky later we turned in for the night. The morning was pretty crisp and the wind was still strong.




The first bit of BW across the moor is nice in either direction though I'd never done it this way before. A bit of care was needed with icy patches and we chickened out of riding through the largest beck as it has hidden rocks and you need to get the right line.



Nice fast descent to the valley, then it was wander round bridleways, lanes and canal tow paths to get back home.


2/2 for 2016

Looks like another good trip Bob

Is that the shooters hut which is on the new section of the YD300? Looks like a useful place to know about.

No, it's close to last year's route (and the new route) and also last year's YD200 went close to it so I think you'll have seen it

whitestone wrote:No, it's close to last year's route (and the new route) and also last year's YD200 went close to it so I think you'll have seen it

Could you let me know more specifically? Looks a great spot for winter

Excellent bivvy spot.
Was up there on my Jan. B.A.M. We got snowed out and a very cold evening. great time though. Like you say, great decent in the morning and a good cafe in Bolton Abbey.
If you're local, give us a shout. That's one of my regular haunts.
Adam.

Artie Fufkin wrote:Excellent bivvy spot.
Was up there on my Jan. B.A.M. We got snowed out and a very cold evening. great time though. Like you say, great decent in the morning and a good cafe in Bolton Abbey.
If you're local, give us a shout. That's one of my regular haunts.
Adam.

I think a trip there next friday is on the cards (thanks Bob!)

2/2 15km with 400m of ascent! Stunning morning.

IMG_7963 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr

IMG_7975 by Green Vegetables, on Flickr

2/12
This month:~ Kershope Bothy England /Scotland Border
Pictures below Last month Haughton Green bothy

Cheers
Tim

PS
Sorry about stupid picture editing
It's taken me an hour to get them the right way up and now I've go that daft scroll down thingy....

2/2 - rode down to Burton Dassett and bivvy'd round the back of the hills, dry all night despite the forecast, and tried my new pole out with the tarp - makes things much more roomy and the bike was still in one piece in the morning. Rode back over some trails by Edge Hill that I haven't ridden for years, then headed for home, only to meet the OH out for a run/walk with the dogs.

Does sleeping in a friends van count? Was gonna bivvy after the wedding I was at...but someone pinched my car keys during the course of the wedding...so I couldn't get to my bivvy kit. Had an uncomfortable night in a van instead...with bits of furniture sneaked out of the wedding venue!

That would make 2/2 for 2016, with number one being the BB winter event.

(p.s. Managed to get hold of my car keys eventually..., but not until the morning afterwards and harassing lots of wedding guests!)


Oh, 2015, I think I managed about 9 or 10 out of 12 in the end... but more than 12 times out, so I'd say that was vaguely successful in the grander scheme of things.