Kicked off the father/daughter bikepacking '24 season at the weekend with E wanting to go somewhere that she could toast marshmallows. We decided to see what the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park camp site was like at Loch Chon. Although I'm not keen on campfires, the site provides a fire bowl at each pitch to help manage the environmental impact.

The forecast was for it to be cold overnight. I packed up the bike trailer with a 4 season bag for E and I went with an experimental PHD down half bag/smock combo that i'm going to be using on the Cuillin ridge next week.

Loch Chon is about 9 miles from Aberfoyle and part of the route follows a sculpture trail

20240427_150703 by Martin Brown, on Flickr

There's a few long ascents for an 8 year old, but E (fueled by Percy Pigs) did well getting up them with the lower geared cassette I fitted. We discussed various bikepacking trip ideas and she seemed quite taken by the WRT. I don't know if it's the flexible format or if it was because I said that there would be lots of cake involved. May be next year we'll enter.

20240427_160501 by Martin Brown, on Flickr

Luckily the rain cleared just in time for marchmallows, s'mores and hot chocolate.... what could ever go wrong with giving lots of sugary food to a kid just before bed time.
20240427_202521 by Martin Brown, on Flickr
20240427_202505 by Martin Brown, on Flickr

With the camp fire in the firepit burning down and the geese on the loch honking away, we decided to jump in to our sleeping bags and watched the Eddie The Eagle movie for some inspiration of triumph through adversity.

E was toasty in her sleeping bag overnight, but my experimental PHD setup was 50/50. I had a warm top half but my legs and feet got really cold halfway through the night and they didn't defrost until noon the next day.

Despite the honking geese alarm clock, we had a late rise the next morning to glorious sunshine. After a quick breakfast, we packed up and it was back to Aberfoyle for a reward of bacon butties and a play park session - racing each other on the dual flying fox lines was epic.

20240428_093819 by Martin Brown, on Flickr

As with all our trips, there was lots for both of us to learn and takeaway from it.

The Loch Chon campsite was great and the pitches are well spaced out, with lots of trees in between. Despite the local camping management byelaws, there's plenty of options available in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park for anyone with kids to try out bikepacking.

Emma is wanting to bivvy/wild camp again. I'm off to plan our next adventure!

Just great this. Well done you both. I've tried to encourage any of my 3 girls to come along and none of them interested. The wild weeing and poos put them off, even though I've promised them toilet stops. Still hoping one might change their mind. One of my 18 yr olds, who is into birdwatching, might be the most likely and I'm trying to persuade to come along on the Hebridean Way.

Is that a unicorn hat? Where's yours?

That's brilliant

Rapideye wrote: ↑Wed May 01, 2024 10:34 pm Just great this. Well done you both. I've tried to encourage any of my 3 girls to come along and none of them interested. The wild weeing and poos put them off, even though I've promised them toilet stops. Still hoping one might change their mind. One of my 18 yr olds, who is into birdwatching, might be the most likely and I'm trying to persuade to come along on the Hebridean Way.

Is that a unicorn hat? Where's yours?

E has been indoctrinated in to the outdoors at an early age. Pee's and poo's outdoors have been normalised. I'm now working on training child no.2 who is 4 years old so he can join in.

If you're daughters aren't keen on the wild pee/poo, I can reccommend hostelling as a start. When E was 6 years old we cycled from Aviemore, through Rothiemurchis forest to the youth hostel at Glenmore. It's not cheap though. However, I'm also a member of Mountaineering Scotland and have access to book some climbing club huts across the UK. £10-20 pppn. I've got a trip planned around the Cairngorms in October using the club huts, as my mate despises camping.

As for the unicorn hat, it's a my little pony eye mask. The kids got me this one for my Christmas:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TeTupGa-Blocki ... B09P8J2JCD

superb! what a great dad you are, keep up the good work, it'll pay dividends

That's brilliant! Well done E, and well done you sir.