April BAM

Well this was a bit of a dull one to be honest. I'm writing it up purely to keep track of my BAM's!

That said the weather was anything but dull (at last!)I almost certainly should have driven up north to ride round sun drenched mountains but I had a complete motivational failure to fanny around stuffing bike into car and fighting through Friday evening traffic on the wretched A9.

So instead it was a simple matter to load up the bike and head oot the back door, the local hills in view once more. Still; last month on this route it was wazzing it down and dark so it was most pleasant to be twiddling along in bright sunshine. The forecast had suggested it would be damp from 10am the next morning (later this moved to 12) so I was happy not to be fighting up a tarp in the rain.

Moody Jones shot (keen eyed may recognise this location from a previous bivvy - I'm nothing if not unimaginative.) Slightly less welcome was the sight of the usual idiots setting up camp by the river on the Dunning Road. This has always been a hotspot for neds to pitch tents, light fires and cause chaos, leaving a horrendous mess behind. Various local attempts to place signs asking people to take rubbish away with them have entirely failed. I suspect we are heading for large fences to block the area off, which is a shame as it's a nice spot for a picnic. As I pushed up from the dam, the sound of blaring music wafted up the glen. Fucking idiots...

The usual bivvy spot rumination went on as I pedaled up the Dunning road (music noise blown away in stiff easterly breeze, thank goodness.) I definitely wasn't going to use the same spot as last month, but in that general vicinity were a few places I'd eyed up over the last few years. I kept on up the climb which tops out between Innerdouny hill and Coalcraigy Hill. Just along the rough trail east I turned into a clearing I'd lunched at few times over the last few years. It was a bit tussocky but just in a narrow strip of trees was a perfect sheltered spot. I had a wander up to Coalcraigy hill to check out the views:

Quite like this sunset shot

Yup, just the bivvy bag - Only the third time I've used it in anger (i.e. not in a bothy) but a fair few of the Bearbones bikepacking Bammers have been bivvy bag only this year, so I thought I should make the effort. That said my DCF flat tarp, pole, pegs and borah bivvy weighs less and takes up less room. But as it was quite breezy (and dry, dry I tell you!) this made sense. Still in the heavy quilt though....

After a fine evening reading and sipping beer and whisky, as per usual, I crashed out and slept soundly until 7.30 ish. I Lazed around for a bit whilst the sun warmed things up then it was coffee, pies and sausage for brekkers followed by a lengthy ride home via lots of very big hills. I even ground up to Ben Cleuch again!

Look - sunshine!

No sign of the 12pm drizzle so that makes my first dry bivvy of 2023. (and probably my last)

So next months bivvy will hopefully be a jaunt on the weekend of Chucks ascension to heedie, as a final prep for the Highland Trail. Depending on how the HT goes (or more specifically how my knees do on the HT) I should have a bumper month in May and June!