May BAM

I usually do my May bivvy somewhere fairly exotic as part of a longer trip or, like last year, on the Highland Trail. In view of my non-entry in this years group start, and a possible trip at the beginning of June, I thought I would make this one fairly local. Then I got to pouring over maps and figured I'd do a variation on some of my north Fife rides, pushing right out to Tentsmuir Forest which I've bivvied in once before but always fancied doing again. Thereafter I would return via a variation of one of the many routes I've used to get to the east end of Fife over the years.

A fairly light load (no beer) given the forecast. Also first use of Wildcat mini Harness.

It started well. The forecast was for sunshine all weekend with a stiff westerly for Saturday, switching to an easterly on Sunday - i.e. my whole route would be with a tailwind. I keep thinking that I'm in for some horrible headwind bad karma given how colossally lucky I've been in the last few years, wind wise (CL2020 excepted), but I do keep getting these bonus wind switches. Maybe it's making up for all the headwind misery I suffered as a youth!

I left just after 12 and headed north to the hills. I'd scoped a few trails out in the woods near Path of Condie with the potential to link through from the Dunning Road to P of C itself. This went remarkably well, the dry trails helping. So I celebrated with an early lunch reveling in the feeling of sitting in the sun, in a bit of grassland / woodland, with no biting insects. If only I knew what was coming....

Vague line through the grass - this could be a bit 'deep' later in the year...

I then threaded together a fine route east via Pitmedden Forest and some of its ace single track, a few other core paths and trails, and the Fife Coastal Path, linked by a few very quiet backroads. This route roughly follows the hills that border the fair Kingdom of Fife, overlooking the Tay estuary. It's a real mix of trails, with some really nice riding, plenty of ups and downs and fine views. 

Lindores Loch and the hills of Perthshire in the haze behind.

On one of the nicest sections of the northern part of the FCP - Looking back to the remote community of Glenduckie. It's actually only a 100m off the A913 but always seems like the land that time forgot. In the foreground is a terrace of farm cottages only accessible by a rough track.

After some road riding the coastal path drops down to the estuary shore and follows a fab noodly, rooty single track through the woods. Other than a couple of families having barbies on the shingle I had the trail to myself. 

I missed the last section beyond Balmerino as this is quite steppy and has a few annoying kissing gates, but it was a short hop up to the road to miss it. Looking at the map afterwards there are maybe a couple of other trail options along this bit although these would miss Wormit and Newport out.

The Silvery Tay and the rail bridge that is the subject of no less than three poems by William McGonagall (One celebrating the first bridge, one describing its collapse and a third celebrating the replacement i.e. this one!)

I wanted to go through Newport as I was needing food, given how light I was travelling. I spied the 'Fifie' chippy and procured a particularly fine fish supper which I wolfed down whilst sat in the evening sun. Timings had worked out to perfection as a few short road and cycleway miles saw me entering Tentsmuir Forest at 8pm and along to a bivvy spot I'd used a few years ago. That's where it all went horribly wrong.

First of all my digestive system announced it's demands and as soon as I stopped a cloud of mosquitos appeared in force. Of course I had neither a head net or any form of repellant so was totally at their mercy. I considered moving on to another spot to bivvy but I couldn't think of anywhere else close by and I figured the mozzies would be everywhere in any case.

I moved out of the grass and under some trees thinking this would be better. It wasn't. After dithering some more I set to and threw up the tarp as quick as I could. There then followed a variation of my usual pre ride faff, this time with insect bites!  I dived into the bivvy bag then got back out to rescue my specs and head torch, then dived back in. Then I got out again and rescued my phone and dived back in. Then I got out one more time and rescued my whisky (which was essential) finally getting into the bag and staying in. So much for my well practiced and slick routine... In the event I seemed to be inside alone, with the mozzies outside; so had a fairly peaceful evening. However despite wearing my beanie and throwing my cycling shirt over my head, the little ba*stards still severally stung my head through the bivvy bag mesh and both layers. Eventually I crashed out to the sound of a million (well a hundred or so) buzzing mosquitos.

The dawn chorus was deafening and the mozzie buzzing still hadn't let up, dashing my hopes that as the temps dropped over night they would hide in the grass. In fact it had stayed warm enough that even my lightweight quilt was a bit much. After lying awake for a while I realised that sleep was impossible and my bladder was making it's demands so packed up as quick as I could and departed post haste.

Bivvy shot taken after I'd torn the tarp down...

A few miles down the trail I stopped as I was out of the woods. Lo and behold no mozzies (should have bivvied here!) so I got the stove out and made breakfast. Of course as I was sitting eating it, the midges appeared, somewhat early for these eastern climbs. I wandered around to avoid them, packed up for the second time and cleared off.

Morning sun over Tentsmuir. The whole forest is very low lying and very boggy in places, probably why it's such a Mosquito haven!

My route home was a bit easier and as predicted, an easterly wind was building to assist me on my way. I departed the coastal path at Leuchars and headed back roughly through the middle of Fife following a few bits of easy trail and various back roads. Cupar was deserted at 8.30 am but the Gregs had just opened so I sat on the High Street having a leisurely second breakfast, entirely bug free. I headed across the flats of the Howe of Fife but figured on heading through the Lomond Hills on one of my usual routes home for a bit of interest and further good riding. The trails were bone dry, although the sun of the early morning had gradually given way to cloud and at one point the rain came on. But oddly enough it cleared for the final miles and I even had some sunshine. 

Total distance was a creditable 195k and I felt quite weary. If I'd bothered to look at the GPS I could have made it a round 200. In fact I've been doing some fiddling with GPX tracks and hatched a route following my outward route of Saturday and returning by the Pilgrims Way route I'd ridden out on at Midsummer in 2020. This would come in at just over the 200k mark with about 3500m of climbing. I might have a crack at this in a oner - the Kingdom 200!

Top of the last big hill looking back to the gloomy lomonds over which I'd just ridden.

As I type this a large number of bumps all over my body are itching madly...