Well that's a first for me... (see what I did there ?) - September BAM on 1st September, in the Forest of Dean.

Lovely spot there, with a bright moon shining down for much of the night.

IMG_20230902_065946 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

IMG_20230903_223115 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

But, wait a minute.... I seem to have company....

IMG_20230902_070008 by Verena Zimmer, on Flickr

(to be continued on a thread near you....)

9/12

As per Wye Not.....

9/9, 9/12, 93/93

gecko76 wrote: ↑Sun Sep 03, 2023 8:12 am

She makes a good flask of hot chocolate. Anyway she's up for going further next time, and we might get her sister out too (though that means three sleeping bags etc. We'll see).

Love this, Gecko. I always find it very uplifting when I see Boners taking their youngsters out, fair play to you.

Cheers Reg. The tarp was strung in such a way that it would be easy to flip over her if it did rain. Truth be told I didn't get much sleep being on high dad-alert but that's what you get for kipping in a local park, albeit a quiet corner. Arrived in the dark and of course found a spot that would have been even better the next morning.

Anyway realised it's a bit odd to have posted a pic of offspring number one without revealing my ugly mug, so here's one from July, mid-Forth.

Live bivvy in progress. In the woods above pitlochry night 4! No tarp!! More later....

This is a placeholder for September's BaM in case I don't manage to find out how to post pictures from my phone. So, a BaM not far from home, and at a place I've been to several times now, but still...

I'd kicked around doing jobs around the house all day, with no intention to bivvy until I started to have misgivings about bivvying in Spain. The upshot was, at 6 o'clock, I stuffed enough things onto the bike and pedalled off to the Ellesmere canal, calling at a chippy in the town before bivvying on the viewing platform. I was there not so long ago when I went looking for the cranberry beds. I'd found 'em but they were nowhere near ready at the time.

This time they were...


.... so I picked a few to go with the Christmas turkey...


On, and around, passing this amusing tableau...


...to the other side of the Moss, along the disused railway line to what was ...


Bettisfield train station. I only call it that to tweak Reg's tail just a little.

Oh!, I nearly forgot. The bivvy photo...


I didn't sleep too well. The sound of rain on tarp woke me a couple of times, like-wise geese honking randomly through the night.

Oh well! the pressure's off for September at least..

That's 9 of 12 for 2023.

September done early!
3 nights out but I'll log this one....



Lazy Well on an old road between Tarland and Donside.

More on the other thread (for those who are interested...)

Sneaked in an extra backup BaM this month, courtesy of Bob W. Despite the bad omen can of beer (see Cheery Friday) I'm pleased to say Bob was alive and well.

Nice train ride round Morecambe Bay from Lancaster to Grange Over Sands, and if you reckoned you were having a Cheery Friday spare a thought for those lucky people going all the way to the train's delightful destination. To be honest I was sorely tempted to stay aboard.



In the event I bailed as planned. September is normally when apparently Reg The Rain God is at his most powerful, but the month so far has been dry as a very dry thing. I did my best this weekend but the spell went slightly wrong and it teed with rain just before I arrived, deluge in fact.

Hence why R70 to the pub was under 6" of water for several hundred yards. Sod it, I carried on anyway, resulting in my feet just dipping the water and soaking my BBB socks.



A pleasant evening with Bob in the Derby Arms, with the obligatory STP:



Then off up a very limestoney track to our spot. Not a bad night, apart from sleeping on a camber and the deer kicking off in the small hours.



Bob took us past an interesting old quarry where they'd simply taken the scree away from a slope leaving an amazing bedding plane and some towering cliffs





These Lakes people do take their pleasures from the simplest of occasions



Churches, graveyards, tarns, clapper bridges... but what was nice is this is quite an overlooked area of the Lakes with almost nobody around...







As you know I'm all for unusual bivvy spots but I think this one might need a bit of work before we move in...





And to finish off a very interesting viewing of Bob's latest handiwork at the farm. I wouldn't even know where to start.



Many thanks to Bob for showing me round the area. Windermere was just over the hill but you'd never have guessed from the solitude we enjoyed all day.

And I thought I'd weigh everything before departure. Yes.... we've not had one for a while... it's...... gratuitous kit list time

Reginald (63000g) (give or take a gramme or two)
Orange P7 (12700g)

BARS:
Cabletie bar harness (10)
Alpkit LS21 10L bar bag & 2 straps (90)
Exped HL mat (365)
S2S Aeros pillow (57)
Exped pump (47)
Tyvek g’sheet (86)
S2S Nano inner net & 6 BBB carbon pegs (130)
Trekkertent 9x7 DCF tarp (195)
Lines & 6 Ti Y pegs (70)
110cm BBB poles x 2 (120)
= 1161

MAPDECK:
Map (98)

STEM 1:
Cabletie/gaffertape bottle harness (13)
Bottle (10)
500ml water (500)
= 523

STEM 2:
Alpkit LS21 cell (35)
Mini lock (80)
Minimorph pump (152)
Trailshot filter (150)
= 417

GASTANK:
Alpkit LS21 tank (35)
Phone (277)
Charger (80)
Cash + cards (15)
= 407

HALF FRAME BAG:
Wildcat LS21 10L frame bag (196)
1st Aid (128)
Bathroom (67)
Workshop (325)
Inner tube (125)
Backpack (65)
Kitchen incl 22g BBB stove & 2 breakfasts (295)
= 1201

SEATPACK:
Wildcat LS21 harness (183)
Wildcat drybag (65)
PHD Minim K sleeping bag (394)
MH Ghost Whisperer down jacket (210)
Montane down hat (45)
Night undies (55)
=952

CLOTHES:
Sandals (687)
BBB socks (42)
Shorts (335)
Bamboo base top (175)
Fleece (325)
BBB jersey & pandas (250)
Silk gloves (27)
BBB buff (32)
Skullcap (20)
Marmot Bantam raincoat (153)
Helmet & Joystick (440)
= 2486

Total bags+gear = 4759
Clothes = 2486
Bike = 12700
Reg = 63000

Food excluded – a few snacks in stemcell

Total: 82945

RIP wrote: ↑Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:47 pm And I thought I'd weigh everything before departure. Yes.... we've not had one for a while... it's...... gratuitous kit list time :-

Total: 82945

83kg i weigh more than that in my birthday suit, never mind the kit...

RIP wrote: ↑Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:47 pm And I thought I'd weigh everything before departure. Yes.... we've not had one for a while... it's...... gratuitous kit list time


PHD Minim K sleeping bag (394)

Sandals (687)

Sandals weigh almost 300g more than sleeping bag

frogatthefarriers wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 6:41 pm

RIP wrote: ↑Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:47 pm And I thought I'd weigh everything before departure. Yes.... we've not had one for a while... it's...... gratuitous kit list time :-

Total: 82945

83kg i weigh more than that in my birthday suit, never mind the kit...

AND the bike! Not that I'm rubbing it in or owt . I'm a bag of bones me....

ssnowman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 23, 2023 7:51 pm

RIP wrote: ↑Sat Sep 16, 2023 9:47 pm And I thought I'd weigh everything before departure. Yes.... we've not had one for a while... it's...... gratuitous kit list time


PHD Minim K sleeping bag (394)

Sandals (687)

Sandals weigh almost 300g more than sleeping bag

Yeah, bit weird. Perhaps I should wear sleeping bags on my feet instead :).

I included the clothes because most people show some pretty lightweight gear but omit what they're wearing - which still needs 'carrying' of course. And indeed, possibly surprisingly, clothes seem to weigh far more than the gear. Those sandals do seem a tad on the heavy side for sandals. Might have to invest in some of them there Five Fingers jobbies. Even Reg draws the line at flipflops. Oh, I dunno though... hmm... .

September BAM inbetween my days and nights I had serious doubts over this one as I really couldn't be ar**d for some reason and especially after steak & chips for tea, but just after 9pm I sprung into action with a vague plan to get out and get it done seems the weather was playing ball and not having much time after my night shifts. The two spots I was aiming for was a church yard about half hour away, but turned out to be too well lit up and pretty close to a main road so I chalked that one off and kept pedalling for another half hour to Nercwys Crown Green Bowling Club which was super quiet and with houses opposite so had to be on my best behaviour as not to disturb anyone after arriving around 23:30, security lights kicking in and out of action so kipping under the over hang was out so a small bench and with some little cover from the wind would be good enough. Not a bad 4hrs sleep to be fair as all was quiet up for just after 4am and packed up and back on the road heading home for 5am, job done

pro-qhGub80j by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
10 o'clock show

pro-W19b94Du by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Red light district

pro-GW9WCgRx by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
A bridge over the A55

pro-1NCG5IDU by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Clear skies

pro-3kY3BbZI by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Shed bench bed

pro-NYAZiu2N by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Pic doesn't do the sky justice tbh

pro-w5hqaVih by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
04:15 Club

pro-1I3aBjok by Lee Rowe, on Flickr
Singletrack across Buckley Common

The hardest BAM to get done this year for sure

September BAM complete 9/12 - Crown Green Bowling Special

Excellent. At first I thought you were going to have the (bowling) balls to kip on the green itself! Surely the ultimate in spirit-level-flat spots.That metal seat looks a bit nippy though. Definitely an original venue .

I certainly didn't have the (bowling) balls to bed down on the green itself the security lights were very sensitive throughout the night and with houses just over the hedge I thought best stay out of view but did also remove the Tango can from under my bench and a few others from around the inside of the green. It wasn't to cold last night either but wouldn't want to do a winter one on a metal bench that's for sure

Another all tarmac (except for when I got into Bedgebury Forest) BAM this month, last Saturday. 30km-ish each way.

I decided not to bother taking cooking stuff with me, to try and get more used to the idea of not necessarily having a hot 'dinner' and instead just finding and eating anything with sufficient calories. Unexpectedly this somewhat backfired as I struggled to find enough ready to eat food that wasn't just crisps & sweets – cycling around Kent I expected much better resupply options. But it did prove that I wouldn't drop dead even if options were limited and don't always need to take the stove.



With sufficient calories eventually collected I rolled into Bedgebury Forest and was once again disorientated by coming in the 'back' way. A series of indirect fire roads got me to the visitor centre, where I sat to eat before heading back out among the trees to find a place to sleep.

I'd chosen to sleep at Bedgebury because I was volunteering at an event the next day, but it turned out the start/finish of the event was right next to my planned bivvy spot. I didn't fancy an early wake up if any staff turned up early to get stuff ready. So I continued on to find somewhere else.


Packed fairly light, but still brought a chair!

The evening and night were chillier than expected and after reading for a bit I shuffled into my bivvy. A bit of stargazing and a 3am wake up for a wee were followed by a 6am wake up and packing away. I regretted forgetting dry socks to sleep in as I had the odd sensation throughout the night of being slightly over warm but with cold feet.

Something I hadn't expected to do that morning was to chase a truck through the forest to my marshal point – some of the other volunteers were in the truck being taken out into the forest to their marshal points (including my wife and daughter) but due to a combination of not enough seats and me being on a bike, I had to pedal behind.

The next couple of hours were spent handing out water to and cheering on runners, before returning to the visitor centre for some lunch, saying bye to my family and riding home.

No river crossings, mountains, high winds, or anything approaching 'extreme', but two rides and a sleep outside I wouldn't have done if not for BAM and that can only be a good thing, however tame.


Not sure why there's a mini digger parked in the middle of this mostly drained lake, but it looked funny

Got out last night for September’s #bam. It should have happened on Traws Eryri last week but I had a bit of brake trouble and abandoned before Penrhos Isaf bothy. I am away this weekend so had to get out at short notice.

I wanted to get a couple of things sorted on my bike for the BB200 next weekend so it was a short test. Very warm night if a little windy. Derby missed the worst of storm Agnes so a pleasant little spin.

https://strava.app.link/6ifOruMQsDb

9/12 and 21 consecutive months

Well, it wasn't pretty, but September done.

I really should have got out earlier in the month, but life has been hectic. The older bairn started a new school, both of them are back playing Sunday league, Mrs Bearlegged has been snowed under and travelling loads for work... Last night was my last chance. I left very late in the evening, rode not very far at all, and headed for a visitor centre with big covered area. Whisky and snacks were consumed while I waited to see if anyone was likely to investigate my presence there. As the clocked ticked past midnight, I reckoned I was unlikely to be disturbed, and rolled out my bed. Managed a good 3 hours' sleep, before a big halogen light (presumably on a timer?) clicked on at 3.30am. Packed up, rode home.

Going to try to plan a bit more ahead for October, make it feel like a more worthwhile trip out.

2023 BAM 9/12
2023 total bivvies 11
Current streak (months) 58

Looks at watch meaningfully, pulls out whistle....
Nearly the end of the third quarter folks. Remember you can go out tomorrow for September as long as you pitch up before midnight....

9/12

Managed to get out for a few nights at the beginning of the month whilst riding the Tour of the Cotswolds- What a great route!



We kept bumping into celebs on the way round!

Nice bike she's got there!

Sep 9/12 done.
Was planning a decent trip out across Dartmoor this month, unfortunately the only night suitable to fit in around my Wife's shift patterns happened to be the day after the recent storm. With a very windy and wet night forecast I opted for a more familiar spot closer to home, another trip across the moor on the bridleway that joins Gutter Tor to Princetown were I bivvyed down at the remains of Eylesbarrow mine. The wind was strong and gusty but thankfully mostly worked in my favour as I headed up onto the moor, hoping to get set up before the forecast heavy rain. Started raining as I was setting up, and the wind gusts increased significantly leading to me having a fight with a tarp for a while. With the aid of a compass I set up next to a stone wall in the hope of being sheltered from the very strong overnight winds forecast. As the rain was coming down proper by now, I climbed into my bivvy with my hip flask to see what would happen. Turned out to be a fairly uneventful night from a weather point of veiw, just the usual stepping in Sheep s#@t whilst peeing at 2am and then bringing lumps of it back in the sleeping bag which I've got used to now. Today dawned much nicer, a bit cloudy to start but less wind and brightened up a fair bit on the way back and I was home by lunchtime when my misses left for work.

Good stuff. What's that big bucket next to your stove? Portable mini-bath perhaps?

Headed out last night, with the plan to kip in an open sided barn, somewhere to the West of Cambridge. I got as far as the next village, when my rear tyre went bang and dump most of its sealant. Rather than trying to fix it under a street light, I limped home to do it properly. Which appears to have been a good idea, as I've hurt the rib I broke a few weeks back, moving the bike around and trying to pump up the tyre. At least I got to use a couple of those tubeless mushroom plugs that had turned up earlier in the day, along with three normal patches. Hopefully the tyre is still inflated, as all the bags are still packed and I'm half way through a rather nice Costa Rican coffee. When it's gone, we're off for Take 2...