Firstly, congratulations to all who attempted and to those who completed Bivvy a month in 2017.

Can all those people who did complete BaM in accordance with the guidelines set out on page one of this thread, please make themselves known.

Ta.

So after having a sub standard Christmas, Hot water tank ruptured around 3-4K to fix and being proper unwell over the festive period I really didn’t think this was gonna happen.

But as with all things my mate said he’d come with me on the Thursday of Xmas week… only dun duuuun dun he bailed on Wednesday morning!!!

So laying in bed Wednesday feeling sorry for myself possibly dying with a new strain of Ebola mixed with the Black Death I popped a few pills and a small bottle of festive whisky and at around 1530 thought it would be a good idea to F off on my own and get it done.

So bags already packed it was a case of strapping on … fnarr fnarr and choosing some suitable riding gear, I was on the road in the dark around 1630.

I had a end point in mind around 8 miles away on the coast, I had spotted a stand of pine trees near the salt march.

After nav’ing my way to where I thought it was I pushed the fatty and my fat bike up behind the sand dunes to the pine trees.

Head torch on in ultra covert Red mode I set up the hammock and tarp in under ten minutes, chucked the kip mat and doss bag in draped my down blanket over the top and looked at my watch …. 1755!! It was going to be a long night!

But I had prepared, thanks to the Tesco ( other supermarkets are available ) I had spent all my hard earned Tesco money back vouchers for the year on a variety of very nice Single Malts and as on other trips I normally drink it dry this trip I brought with me to 8oz flasks.

So hip flask one was a Very nice Highland Park Viking Honour and Flask numero 2 was a cheeky drop of Ardmore Legacy

Needless to say not much is recalled past hip flask number two and I nodded off with my single malt jacket on.

I awoke late around 9amish!! With a wee bit of a sore head and some odd noises rousing me from my drunken stupor!

I bravely opened one eye peered out and there was a couple with a very excitable springer spaniel looking at me

Them: “ um are you ok”

Me: “depends on what day it is?”

Them: “ Can we get you anything?”

Bless them, they hadn’t spotted my bike and after chatting at first thought I was homeless, their dog had run off and found me and they in turn were led to me!

After explaining what I was doing they both looked a bit perplexed wished me well and carried on with their walk.

Not a nice experience being bumped like that, first time it has happened to me.

On getting up I also realized how close to the sewage plant I was, no smell but could see the guys working down there flushing all the Christmas dinners away.

So I can’t say I felt elated at completing my BAM, I had a hangover from hell and still felt like sub standard from my newly diagnosed strain of ebola/black death man flu and it was proper cold.

I packed up pretty sharpish keeping ducked down below the ridge line in case I get spotted by the turd mechanics, but have to say I really liked this spot I don’t think I would have been bumped had it not been for the dog and I’ll prob use that spot again.

So roll on 2017 I plan to keep going with the BAM, with enough whisky to sink a ship and I’ll add in some salty snacks for good measure

Happy new year everyone

Bivi spot behind me


Not bad considering i set up in the dark and it was the longest string id done


A cosy spot when the wind is right


Not wanting to move less i shake my brain to bits


Glad i brought the dark shades

Bearbonesnorm wrote:Firstly, congratulations to all who attempted and to those who completed Bivvy a month in 2017.

Can all those people who did complete BaM in accordance with the guidelines set out on page one of this thread, please make themselves known.

Ta.

I completed mine, 12/12 this year and 25 months straight so far. Looking forward to 2018

12/12 here too


And here are the 12 I'm counting (there were a few others too).

Interesting to look at the geographical spread - or lack of it. The poor Borders area has seen no action, nor has most of the West Highlands this year. Next years plans must take me a bit further afield.

BAM2017 by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

12/12 for me too.

Yep. A fantastic journey of [self] discovery[ies], thanks to Stu's guiding light.

I only got 10/12 this year but actually managed 26 bike based bivvies/camping during the year.

I only got 3/12 Jan, Feb and Dec....

12/12 for me too, I actually enjoyed the winter ones. Cold clear nights cocooned in down, crystal clear skies, storm Brian was fun too, nice sheltered spot in some pines, wine and pot noodle for tea . My longest bivy ride was about 60miles down the ridgeway.

Next year I’m hoping to put in more long rides both in distance and nights out,

January... Arenig Fawr bothy
February ...Worlds End, Esclusham Mountain
March ... Dylyn bothy
April ... WRT Nantsyddion
May ... Claerddu & Monks Trod
June ... Glynceiriog
July ... Forest by Lake Vyrnwy
August ... Ellesmere canal
September ... Coed y Brenin
October ... Betws Gwerfyll Goch
November ... Model Famau
December ... Llandegla Forest

So yeah, 12/12 for me too. This completes my 3rd year of BAM, though the previous years weren't all done by bike.

Roll on 2018.

12/12 For me! But only just made it. I had planned my last bivi for the Wednesday before Christmas, set out with the loaded bike and a slight sore throat. Abandoned that ride and made it home exhausted after only 52 miles and now with the flu/bad cold So I spent Christmas mainly lounging on the sofa and cancelled all the festivities which included two lots of Christmas dinner for my family and the in-laws and also taking my mum out for her 80th Birthday

Fast forward 10 days and although I'm not fully well I wasn't going to miss out on BAM 2017 after all the work during the year. The kit was still packed since the cancelled ride so I set out last night to the nearest bit of woodland to my house which was a ride of only 1.3 miles. The bottom end of my mum's garden joins onto the woods (her garden is an acre with the bottom half being woodland) so I sneaked under the fence and set up the tarp. I didn't tell her I was doing this as she'd of said I was still too ill and talked me out of it. It rained all night and the wind was pretty strong (forecast at 50mph) but I still slept well and was toasty in my winter bag

It was still raining in the morning so getting going was slow but I did eventually drag myself from my warm bag and get packed up. Rode home a slightly shorter way so the total ride was 2.3 miles with a moving time of 19 minutes, so my shortest ride of year let alone shortest bivi

Stu, Do I need to recap all the trips this year to qualify? They are all in this thread somewhere.

Stu, Do I need to recap all the trips this year to qualify?

No need. I'm a firm believer in honour and will readily take things / people at face value until proved otherwise

Completed 2017 but qualified under 2 for 1 offer rule no. 2, April/May

Looking forward to 2018

Hi all,
Thanks for the above post Stu saves me going back through my log which is currently missing. I do have some photo's of a couple to post but at the moment I'm on a tablet so maybe next week sometime.
Last BAM was night before last it was cold
So on the positive side that's BAM 2017 completed.
On the (sort of ) negative (there is often a positive in there somewhere) were:
Probably least number of nights out of doors (in a year) since I was sixteen, rather a long time ago so thanks to BAM all is not lost (see my post on fatfighters thread for contributory factors).
Too many didn't meet the standard I set myself in that too much of a dash to bivvy and dash home again, not my preferred modus operandi.
All were solo, once the long nights started creeping in motivation was hard to find (hence the dash to bivvy).

For 2018?
Well we've moved so more interesting and varied bivvy opportunities
I may well try to acquire one of these modern electro thingies like and e reader or something for podcasts to make the nights a little less draggy.
First year in a long time absolutely no bothy visits. Perhaps next year I'll try a wee bothy to bothy bikepacking trip to make up for that.
All the best to everyone for 2018
Peter
Edit to add:. Thanks to the BB forum for introducing me to the ultralight weight bivvy. Was always a tent man, this year only one 'bivvy' in a tent, was frightened of midges

12/12...but re reading the rules, it looks like my May one doesn’t count. There was a bike involved in that it was with me and that I was on the way to ride it, but it was in the back of the van at the time. Also I don’t think I posted every month...I blame moving house up to an internet challenged island.
Oh well, it was still fun

Better late than never? Here are a few pics of my July bivvy which I have just managed to upload to Flickr. Elsewhere Scotroutes post had drawn my attention to the Moray Way which I like the look of. Having kayaked and canoed the Spey and ran the Seyside Way (a long time ago) it seemed apropriate to cycle it too.

River Spey
DSCN1808 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

Univega Alpina 504
DSCN1810 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

Blacksboat Station
. by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

A wee bit dreich
DSCN1821 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

Moray Firth from slopes of Ben Aigan?
. by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

I had intended to camp at Craigellachie but it was really busy and the wee pub across the river was shut so pressed on finally camping adjacent to the cricket grounds in Fochabers. Had the tent as I was expecting midgies in the Gorms but they weren't a problem here.
DSCN1830 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

End of the Speyside way at Spey Bay
. by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

That Way...storm beach on the way to Lossiemouth
. by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

Near the summit of the Dava Way.
. by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

The Halfway Hut on the Dava Way. Rain the day before, a beautiful morning but by lunchtime the clouds and drizzle came rolling in.
DSCN1866 by Peter Cairns, on Flickr

Finishing back at Granton I was a bit tired so the lure of hot showers and pubs nearby was too great a temptation to miss, must admit I did feel a bit out of place
. by Peter Cairns, on Flickr