This one nearly didn't happen. Plan A was to grab a bivvy as part of my trip to Glencoe the previous weekend but the foul weather put me off. I'd booked a long weekend off work for this weekend as I was off to Lochgoilhead with Fife Conservation Volunteers for a bit of cutting and burning (of Sitka spruce trees...). The plan was to bike there and back so I now needed to throw in a bivvy. Monday was booked as well so I could crash somewhere on Sunday eve. Then I fell off my motorbike. It was the lamest crash ever - I dropped it whilst travelling at about 5mph - but I managed to wrench back my thumb in the journey from vertical to horizontal. An x ray showed it wasn't broken so it was a case of put up and shut up, but a shorter route seemed a better bet. Plus the Jones, being more upright than the Straggler, would be a comfier option.
So plan B was to drive to Aberfoyle and ride to Lochgoilhead via NCN 7, various other cycleways, back roads and trails. I left the car at 11 and pedalled south west through Queen Elizabeth Forest. The sun was shining but the forecast was for some low temps. As usual I'd debated with myself which kit set up to take and in the end gone with my winter bag, tarp and a groundsheet as I knew this would be plenty warm and probably a bit lighter than my 3 season bag, bivvy bag and spare kit to wear in it....
Out of the forest you pick up NCN 7 on a wee road over a reasonable climb. Thereafter the going is easy following various back roads and one bit of cycleway
This is part of a section of disused railway which includes this natty pipe bridge over what used to be a viaduct. I had some involvement with this scheme back in the '90's in my Sustrans Days. In the end Stirling Council built it but I recall meeting one of the Engineers to discuss the details. Her name was (I kid you not) Fay Fife, a joke lost on those who aren't fae Fife, or Rezillos fans. More pleasant and empty back roads took me to Balloch Country park and the big retail outlet place at Lomond Shores. Amazingly in the middle of all the boutiques is a normal corner shop type place which sold cheap tea and plenty of snacks for the coming miles.
From Balloch I headed north on the Loch Lomond Cycleway then west up Glen Fruim towards the grim abomination that is Faslane. My goal was a section of the 3 lochs Way to Arrochar. This follows a track of varying standards just below the boundary fence of Britain's very own world domination centre (big underground cavern, lots of railways, lots of people in matching uniforms and enough nukes to turn the whole of the UK into a radioactive puddle). Its quite a tough route in places with a fair bit of climbing, however the views are fab (apart from the detritus associated with the naval base that is).
Start of the 3 lochs way section, the Arrochar Alps in the background and Faslane just out of shot to the left. To the right are lots of warning signs advising you not to touch anything...
Arrochar and Loch Long
Chips in Arrochar preceded a steady pedal round the peninsular between Loch Long and Loch Goil. I'd been thinking of checking out Mark Bothy but its a few k off route and the sun was rapidly disappearing behind the hills so I pushed on. This route ends in a fine made path (with more climbing, lots of climbing) and a plunge down to Lochgoilhead itself, 7 hours after I started.
Thereafter it was beers, chopping down and burning sitka spruce, more beer, more chopping and burning...
A proper fire. Over the last 20 years we've converted a section of rather stale mixed woodland (lots of Sitka when we started) into something more like what it should be - Atlantic oak woodland with hazel, birch, beach and oak. We've had these monster brash fires in various places around the site. It takes around 2-3 years for the ashes to grow back over, which is worth bearing in mind if you are planning on having a fire somewhere....
So finally it was time for the BAM bit! There are actually two bothies near Lochgoilhead but both are close by and I fancied a decent bike ride. So I pedalled into the fading light over the rest and be thankful (on a great track which has a large quarry in the middle of it = much scrambling and swearing to negotiate), did some footway bashing to miss out the A83 then picked up the Loch Lomond cycleway back down to Balloch. This is pretty good following long sections of the old road (much of which is either closed to all traffic or is just used to access a few houses) linked with bits of fairly remote cycleway. It was of course now fully dark being the start of British Winter time. I'd plenty of light power but it felt like the middle of the night rather than just after 6.
Chips in Balloch fuelled me back along my outward route into an increasingly cold evening. In the end I made it back into QE Forest, only a few miles from the car, before I found a space between the trees to bivvy. It crossed my mind to bottle out for a night in my own bed but that would have been the end of my BAM campaign.... As it was I stuck with it and actually had a warm and pleasant night, moon and stars shining down through the trees into my abode. I reckon it hit about -3 or so as it was properly frosty and frozen in the morning so I was glad that I'd packed my winter bag. This meant I was able to lie with the tarp un-zipped, looking at the stars and moon, only my nose feeling the cold. I got back to the car in no time and headed home for a large breakfast.
Hopefully November will be another double and December will be the Scottish Bear Bones winter event and BAM 18 will be done.... I suspect my luck with the weather can't last however!
Another blurred bivvy shot, think I need a new camera....
Hopefully November will be another double and December will be the Scottish Bear Bones winter event and BAM 18 will be done.... I suspect my luck with the weather can't last however!
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