Not Bivvy a Month, 2019 fail...

After a promising start, this year has been a bit of an epic fail. I got my first bivvy in before my knees let go big style just before the Rov. Looking back, this was my only triumph of the year, pushing through knee pain to finish the route in style. However the HT was a fiasco and in hindsight, I should never have even started it, regardless of the weather. At least my trip the following month was a success and by this time, I'd figured out I needed to lower my seat to ease the knees, not raise it. What I should have done back in February was to go straight to a good physio. Instead I persevered through the year, knees varying between OK-ish and very sore. So I didn't get onto the healing until the autumn. Finally a good physio, nigh on two months off the bike but on foot, and plenty of determination to do the right exercises got me back on track and on the pedals.

After a largely snow free winter, we got a bonus dump in April. This was taken on a fine ride round Ben Alder, feeling more confident my knees were on the mend.

One of two fine bivvies I did do, on the shores of Upper Glendevon Res. Actually in it as the water levels were still very low after a run of dry summers.

First ride along the recently opened Pilgrims trail, running across Fife, with many fine trails. This ended up with a nice bivvy in the Falkland 5 star shed, whilst the rain hammered down!

I'd no reason to give up on BAM in truth, just the usual injury depression keeping me in. The hill walking was a bonus though and has re-awakened my appetite to do more.

Plus finishing the year on a high - the Cairngorm Plateau no less - has motivated me for 2020.

I'm in for the HT as we are due a dry one (cue wettest spring in living memory), I'm eyeing up Wales and the infamous BB events and I've a few ideas for trips to tick off some of the routes I've been procrastinating about for a few years. Plus after a good start, I'm hoping the winter will recover from its currently doldrums as a good season of skiing seems to do wonders for my knees, something I did none of in 2019. More later...