Amazing photos on here. Mine is not that great as a photo, but for me probably my favourite for this year, as such a happy memory.
2020-12-17_01-49-03 by
Verena Zimmer, on Flickr
This was the view from my bivvy bag on a Thursday night in July, at the end of a proper week of two halves. This has really been my first proper year of bikepacking, so still a newby and learning lots. Up until this day I think, looking back, I was trying to push myself, and yes, maybe prove something... During lockdown I had had some great longer days out on the bike, but obviously no bivvying "out out". And, again with the value of hindsight, had read so much on instagram from thirty-something year old blokes doing stuff like the TCR etc. that I temporarily lost sight of who I am and what I am capable of

. Anyway, I had taken a week off work, and planned a multiday bikepacking trip around sort of mid west south Wales. I set off on the first day, and went off too hard, too soon, in pissing rain most of the time, and broke my etrex in the mix; I did my biggest bike ride ever at that point, 139k or something and 2200m climbing, which I am still chuffed about, especially dropping up and over Gospel Pass in dense fog and nearly dark before finding a lovely ditch just below, that was great, but I felt absolutely flocked the next morning, and with no navigation didn't feel I could have carried on anyway, so I headed home a scenic 60k way, to dry off, rest up and eat heaps of humble pie and have a few words with myself.
Having done that, I decided to go for a part 2, but this time take it easy and focus on enjoying myself. So I did route 4 from Haverfordwest to Swansea over two days, and it was absolutely glorious - warm and sunny, one of the first days when people were tentatively out and about again enjoying summer holidays, and there was just such a happy feel in the air everywhere. I had aimed for a Pendine sands bivvy, and on the way from Llanstephan to Pendine (village), I did a spontaneous left turn where I saw a sing for the coast path. I asked a lady outside her house if it was possible to get to the beach that way, and she said yes, but it would be about a 5 mile ride (I think it was more like 5k), all through the MOD range/ testing zone, "when you get to the gate, just make sure you turn left". Well this was quite the adventure in its own right, riding past all the fences, gates, warning signs and buildings, I would never have been brave enough to go there had she not said it was ok. Eventually I arrived right at the tip of this vast beach, right where it turns the corner into the estuary. There was a camper van and a few dog walkers on and off during the evening, but otherwise just wonderful glorious solitude, and I just sat, then lay there watching it slowly get dark, with what sounded like hundreds of curlews all around me, singing all night. So that's what I think of when I look at this photo...