Let's see your best bits of 2013.

Ive had a few nice trips this year. One real highlight that I will remember forever was my daughter, 8-year-old Belle, asking if she could sleep under a tarp one night on a summer camping trip to France and Italy. So while the ManChild and I glamped it in the big bug free tent, Belle roughed it solo. Good grrrrl.

There's lots of stuff from the last 12 months I'd gladly re-live but here's a few trips that standout in my mind for one reason or another.



This was March 29th ... don't think I've ever been quite so cold.



Chew reading the paper in a surprise bothy while on our HT trip.



2 day, 160 mile Rhinogs trip. This was my accommodation for the night ... took some finding but well worth it.



Looking out over Cwmystwyth, no tarp needed that night.



Dawn on the Long Mynd. 3 hours later it was blistering hot.



Big night-out in Sep. Didn't ride far (although I ridden up there) but it was a great weekend.

Every trip's different and in all honesty even those that contained type 2 and type 3 fun I'd happily do again without question

Only got out four times this year but the WRT was definatley the highlight followed by my extended solstice ride.

I really enjoyed a couple of relaxed local weekend trips, just exploring with no aims. The calm after the summer's storm. The storm was memorable but the calm is what bikepacking's about for me, this was a good reminder. There was calm before it also such as this Chilterns weekend training ride below where I got another year older as I woke up under the tarp watching Red Kites hunt across the fields, with aims always on my mind.



Lessons learned in this guy's company, whether I was actually with him or not.



And something learned this year about where the flame comes from, how itching an itch can leave you missing something, the old 'what next' situation. Not sure yet, so just hoping for some great spur of the moment stuff in 2014.

I completed a year in pictures blog. Not much in the way of bike-packing but a little bit of variety

http://singlespeedsimon.wordpress.com/2 ... -pictures/

Probably the BB200 - first ride of 2013 over 5 hours in time, first ITT and step into this type of riding. Slipping over in the last river crossing and the feeling when I made it at the end.

Yeah, that's probably the best of 2013

Had a few (not as many as I'd like) trips with friends, did a few of the 7 Stanes and Bike Park Wales with some mates on chilled weekends. Those were good 8-)


Kirroughtree by zippyonline, on Flickr