2021 BAM review

This year has been a fabulous one for me, bike riding wise. I've dragged my ageing bod round 4 ITT routes (two 300's a 200 and a 900!) with a bare minimum of aches and pains, which is nothing short of miraculous given that I turned 50 in February. I also bagged some fine ski touring (locally but still top notch) plus countless excellent day rides on all of my bikes, including my longest day ride to date at 202 miles. As well as the ITT's I've done a couple of good trips and of course many great bams. That said if I was to state one word which summed up my 2021 bivvy a month campaign, it would be 'damp.' Despite one of the best summers we've had in many a year, I still managed to pick my nights such that it was either damp on pitching up, damp over night, or damp on departure; plus various combinations of these three factors, on many of my bivvys this year. Ironically, my best weather bivvys have been in the winter at the start and finish of the year.

Of course, back in January it all looked a bit dubious, thanks to our great governments' scaremongering. Like many, I read the instructions and threw them away, confident I knew exactly what I should, and shouldn't do to ensure I posed no public health risk. Of course I'm an old hand at taking personal risks, to the point of complacency, so all of this has barely registered in terms of danger to me. Stealth bivvying is situation normal for those south of the (non) border so it made for a nice extra challenge.

Overall I was out for 20 nights this year, a personal record. Two of them were in bothies, 13 were under a flat tarp and five under the Deschutes. So as usual herewith my own highlights from my 2021 BAM campaign:-

Highest Bivvy:-

June, at 560m AoD. Not that high in the grand scheme of things but it offered a fine view as the midsummer sun set.

Lowest Bivvy:-

September part 2, just above sea level on the shores of Loch Fyne. I've always wanted to do a seaside bivvy and this was fab.

Longest ride to a bivvy:-

A hot competition this one given my various ITT's. Winner was on the Yorkshire Dales 300 when I did 210k before laying my weary head in my bag.

Longest Ride after a bivvy:- 

Day three of the Highland Trail when I did 175k after a restless night in the rain.

Worst weather on a bivvy:-

Hard to say as I experienced much rubbish weather this year. Probably my August take 2 in a gap in the woods above Dunning Glen which I thought would be sheltered from the wind (and rain) but wasn't.

Best Weather on a bivvy:-

Ironically in March. It was the first day of spring and ended up (in a break with tradition) being dry, warm and was preceded and preceded two bike rides on amazingly dry trails.

Remotest Bivvy:-

Just up the trail from Ben Armine Lodge, well away from civilisation.

Worst Bivvy:-

No contenders this year as they were all ace!

Best Bivvy:-

Last night of my campaign with R&I alongside the mighty river Spey. It was sociable, we had a fire (in a stove), much good chat and some fine drinks. This was also my shortest ride to a bivvy a 5.2kms.

Best Bothy:-

Only bothy as it happens (the cowshed on night 3 of the HT doesn't count as it was open fronted). Sarah's in the general environs of Perthshire. Defo a five star one and this (the Scottish Winter Bivvy) was a strong contender for 'best bivvy'

Best Trail ridden as part of a bivvy:-

Torridon on the HT route as I finally got to do it in nice weather and in good form; after a fine pitch by the shores of Loch Maree.

Coldest Bivvy:-

Both January and December take 2 at -3.

That's it for another year. I've honed my flat tarp technique and also perfected the art of the long lie in (as opposed to the long walk in) with a number of trips seeing me still in my scratcher after 9 and my best effort being an 11am departure. Birdies seem to feature a lot this year with numerous dawn chorus extravaganzas that seem to have been lacking on previous years, possibly down to the fair weather. I'm in again next year with nothing special planned but I am going to try and crack the 900m barrier as well as doing a snowy one. See you in the new year!