Bivvy a Month 2017.

[Borderer]

Did your milk defrost? Is it really necessary to carry it frozen in this weather?

Edit - we carry one of these with us for temperature info. It serves very little practical purpose - just satisfies curiosity.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Floureon-RC- ... SwQQ5Zv5DW

[fatbikephil]

I'm in for next year so this is my first Bam by way of some practice, accompanied by Blair512. He pedaled across to a Sunny West Fife from Falkirk and met me just down the road from the house. Then followed a meandering route around the north of Dunfermline, past the 'landscape art' by the M90 a late lunch in the seething metropolis that is Kelty then a monster climb over Benarty hill, a leisurely pedal round Loch leven, scran and Bitter and Twisted in the Balgeddie Toll Inn. Neither of us fancied a cold and breezy Glen Vale (Lomond Hills) as a bivvy spot but fortunately Blair found us a 5 star alternative. Wigwams, a wooden gazzebo with a wood burner, composting loo and lots of dry flat ground in the trees.

Day 2 started with two hard climbs over the Lomonds in the sun. The ground was frozen solid Lunch in the RSPB cafe at Loch Leven and then a leisurely pedal on back roads to my place leaving Blair to do the last 12 miles to Falkirk. I did 70 miles in total but Blair reckonned he would hit the century!

Weather was stunning

[RIP]

Looks a top outing there HT and Blair. Intrigued by the bikepacking 'city'.

Borderer, that's a cute little gizmo, smaller than one would have imagined. Weight? I must resist, I must resist....

PS, milk, frozen by force of habit I think. By morning it was a sort of milk slush puppie .

[Borderer]

Just 40g
Would fit in a pocket

[RIP]

Arg...

[Blair512]

I'm in for next year so this is my first Bam by way of some practice, accompanied by Blair512. He pedaled across to a Sunny West Fife from Falkirk and met me just down the road from the house. Then followed a meandering route around the north of Dunfermline, past the 'landscape art' by the M90 a late lunch in the seething metropolis that is Kelty then a monster climb over Benarty hill, a leisurely pedal round Loch leven, scran and Bitter and Twisted in the Balgeddie Toll Inn. Neither of us fancied a cold and breezy Glen Vale (Lomond Hills) as a bivvy spot but fortunately Blair found us a 5 star alternative. Wigwams, a wooden gazzebo with a wood burner, composting loo and lots of dry flat ground in the trees.

Day 2 started with two hard climbs over the Lomonds in the sun. The ground was frozen solid Lunch in the RSPB cafe at Loch Leven and then a leisurely pedal on back roads to my place leaving Blair to do the last 12 miles to Falkirk. I did 70 miles in total but Blair reckonned he would hit the century!

Weather was stunning

Thanks for a cracking weekend Phil, legs are feeling it today! I'll post up some pics when I get home tonight.

I did indeed clock 102 miles by the time I got home, does it count as a century if I had a kip in the middle? As predicted strava downed my climbing, Garmin said 9250 feet but strava only says 6800, I'm going with what Garmin says!

[benp1]

Yep Ben it all went into the tardis bag somehow. No backpack. At the risk of a 'kitlist' post I think it was: left pocket: 650 mug containing 22g + 60ml bioeth + windshield + old porage pot + spork + porage + ovaltine; 175ml frozen milk. Right pocket: 500ml water; sheep; can/bottle opener; keys. Front pocket: chewbars. Main: 9×7 tarp; poles etc; tyvek gsheet; Winterlite; pillow+pump; U/L drybag with workshop n spares; U/L drybag with bathroom n 1st aid; 8L drybag with Hispar400 and downhat. Normally have sbag in 13L for loft but 8L fitted Brom bag. And I know you're gonna ask about fleece pockets . They had light battery pack and cash and Rezillos ticket :).

My Brom is a basic 3 gears job so fairly highly geared - I could do with more lower ones. They flog a smaller chainring so I might get one of those. As mentioned the slick 100psi tyres are obv not ideal on bridleways, and I had a number of stops to de-clag all the mudbergs (copyright: your good self Ben ).

As I've bored you all endlessly with, yes I believe bike+train is an ideal combo for 'utility' and leisure for all sorts of reasons. So, look forward to hearing about a similar adventure Ben .

Very impressive Reg. I love a kit list so seeing what you packed and now knowing you put that in your front bag is even more so. I have the 'Game Bag' which does look really nice and is a good day to day brommie bag but isn't particularly big so I'd struggle with that.

I've been pondering using my Carradice SQR Slim bag (which works really well and I leave the SQR mount permanently attached, combined with the Game Bag - for a full set of cotton canvas wonderment.

I've generally avoided trains as the faff of booking a space, and being on the right train at the right time, has been more hassle than a car. The any-option-permissable approach of the Brompton, including buses etc, means I've been looking for a good option to give it a whirl.

I also find the Brompton to be challenging on anything too off road/muddy but it's fine on light gravel tracks and converted railway lines. Just need to find the right one! Something like the Bristol Bath railway path, only closer

Hmmm, I reckon there are enough members on here with folders to have a folder outing... Would need to involve a train and a bus to make it worthwhile though, like an uplift service

[RIP]

"folder outing" - now there's a good idea . Something for a 2018 BaM? Oh gawd, that's another new event for Stu to add to the panoply of BBB Events! The all-important bit is obviously the name of it ;-).

[benp1]

I forgot to say, my Brompton is also a 3 speed. I've had the gearing lowered as I use it for pootling and sometimes exploring, plus carrying a child using the IT chair (also know as the Milian Pere) so having lower gearing is much more practical

The shop I bought it from did it, I think they dropped a sprocket size rather than a chainring size

[Blair512]

Some pics below of this weekends trip in the Lomonds with Phil (htrider). That's me at 11/11 and my 24th bivvy in a row, looking forward to rounding the year out with some familiar faces on the Scottish Winter Bivvy next month, I'm all for cosy bothys and whisky drinking!



Dunno who the boy in the big tent next door was!



Spent a braw couple of hours in front of this stove the previous night talking bikes and supping whisky.



Cracking view on Sunday morning made the tough climbing worth it, was glad to get down off the tops and find some lunch though.

[fatbikephil]

[BigdummySteve]

Currently engaged in BAM 11/12 l, it’s cold

[Borderer]

Don't be soft

[RIP]

How's the toes Stevo?

[BigdummySteve]

How's the toes Stevo?

all intact, First ride on the Fargo, 11/12 a gentle 10 mile climb up to hinton airfield , a few beers with my old skydiving mates then off to an abandoned farm about a mile away, it was already cold enough that i had dificulty lighting the meths untill i warmed it on my UCO candle.
stayed toasty warm and rode back to the airfield for coffee and a bacon roll , watched a couple of lifts go up then home as Mrs BD had work.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/ZN9N7q]

[BigdummySteve]

Don't be soft

I View it as a positive dear chap, keeps the malt at an agreeable temperature

[Borderer]

In Scotland we say its 'bucking faltic'
Or something like that

[TheBrownDog]

11/11 for me

An absolutely freezing night in Penn Wood. I was giving my so-called winter hammock tarp a run - its has doors to keep out the wind and rain. I pitched very low to the ground so I could peg down the sides, but the wind made mincemeat of it and I froze my ass off. If Im going to keep hammocking in the winter Im going to need a much bigger underquilt. And that aint happening. And to top it off I couldn't get my stove lit in the morning - I forgot a lighter and all I had was my flint and no amount of swearing would get it going. Still, nobody died and with just the Chilterns Winter Bivvy to go on 16 Dec, Im in line for my first BAM and very pleased about it, Im am too.

[RIP]

nice one 'Dog. Re stoves yeah harder in winter as we know, Steve doing his pre-heating there, and I just stood around for 5 minutes with 22g stove in one armpit and fuel in the other armpit looking a bit silly. Then used extra long matches to keep the ignition going. Doggedly refused to use gas or mechanical ignition for all my BaMs, ridiculous really. But now Borderer's told us about her hardcore Honeystove capers I'm still a softie! So Honey and rubbing-2-sticks-together for me next year then!

[Bearbonesnorm]

Pour a small amount of meths round the outside of the stove and light that. It'll generally light easier than the fuel in the stove and warm everything through nicely ... please add a pinch of common sense if doing the above

[RIP]

Ta for the tip Stu, will have a go.

"common sense". Ah. Er.

[TheBrownDog]

Yep, that's a good tip Ive used before. The stove I'm using at the mo' is from storminstovesystems and came with the cone they make. It's a top burner with a very absorbent wick in it that just doesn't leak or spill, or tip out even if you shake it, as I did. It lasts two burns, so I don't tend to carry extra for over-nighters now - just what the stove holds. Next time I'll just keep the thing in my coat pocket to keep it warm.

[ScotRoutes]

Tonight's the night.....

Slightly milder than of late, it shouldn't drop below -2c, and before the next cold snap arrives.

[Taylor]

@browndog
An under quilt protector makes a big difference for me.

[ScotRoutes]