BAM 2022 Review

So another year, another bivvy a month campaign completed. I'd actually a couple of close shaves this year whereby I couldn't really be bothered going out but went, purely because I was determined to complete it no matter what. Not the best of motivations but generally any reticence to leave the house evaporated once I was underway. After last years bumper year of bike riding, this one hasn't featured much in the way of long distance routes. But I've done a lot of nice trips, nice riding and nice bivvies so overall a successful year. Of particular note was grabbing a bonus fair weather weekend in March doing the Cairngorms Tour with added snow. Also much 'real' bikepacking (TM) i.e. without hotels or hostels and under a flat tarp. In fact my holidays have been super cheap this year with only one hotel night a few nights in a paying campsite.

That said I've had more than my fair share of near bivvy disasters, thanks to weather, the winged menaces and a near stove fireball incident in February. As with last year, despite a cracker of summer, I've been rained on a lot, either just before, just after or during my pitch (or all three!) That said on reviewing my ride records, the word 'dry' does feature on most of them... Overall I managed 19 nights out, my second best (ever!) So herewith my usual BAM review:-

Highest Bivvy - 580m AOD, in the Yorkshire Dales above Cam fell.

Not that high (again!) so much for plans to do a Munro bivvy. And in England to boot! But it was a good one, being my only bivvy to date where I just had to roll out the bag and mat on the sun kissed moor.

Lowest Bivvy - About 10m AOD, on the Moray coast in Burghead forest. Not quite a sea shore bivvy but nearly!

Longest ride to a bivvy - same again. Char Bothy to Burghead woods, 120 miles.

Longest ride after a bivvy, same ride, different bivvy, in fact a bothy!

Worst weather on a bivvy:- Some stiff competition for this one. I think the wet and windy pitch in Glen Clunie (just up from Braemar) aces several damp camps.

Best weather on a bivvy:- I'll go with March in the Cairngorms as it was wall to wall sunshine but not too hot.

Night 1....

Remotest bivvy:- Ditto at our pitch by Loch Builg Lodge in the Cairngorms

Night 2...

Worst Bivvy:- I've had a few whereby I've just had to grin an bear it but May's in Tentsmuir forest, at the mercy of the mosquitos, was most unpleasant and topped the 'beam me out of here' category by a mile.

A hasty departure....

Best Bivvy:- Loch Builg again, in the company of R&I with lots of chit chat, after a great ride, preceding a great ride and with great weather.

Best Bothy:- Two official MBA bothys and a couple of tin sheds have sheltered me this year. Probably Char was the best after a long old ride through Angus and a monster climb. It was most pleasant sitting and relaxing with a fine meal and a nip of whisky or two.

Best Trail ridden as part of a bivvy:- Tricky one this as I've ridden many good trails this year. Probably an old favourite - Ben Alder north to south after a midge fest bivvy by Loch Pattack; also in stunning weather.

Coldest Bivvy:- -6 by the shores of Loch builg - a personal record!

Hottest Bivvy:- +30 degrees in the Yorkshire Dales, Loch Pattack, and Loch Lyon. (never a category previously as it's not been hot enough, this summer was a scorcher!)

Kit chat....

I mapped all of my loads for no other reason than to enable further refinement. The flat tarp got used in January, March, May, June, July, August, September and October. I switched to a DCF one from Wild sky gear in July and also got an ultralight pole from Bearbones bikepacking which puts my flat tarp, bivvy bag, pole and pegs set up to 500g's. This is lighter than most bivvy bags, hooped or otherwise, and allows for survival in much worse weather. Adding a 60g sea to summit nano bug mesh tent enables midges and mozzies to be dealt with, albeit with a lot of faff. Other stuff was my usual. I didn't use the winter bag this year, just the quilts - Thermorest Vespa when it was cool (including when it was -6!) and Cumulus 150 when mild. I had two nights where this was too hot! 

My lightest load out on the Yorkshire Dales tour - DCF tarp set up, cumulus 150 quilt, full length thermorest mat, pillow, boxers and T shirt for sleeping, no stove, water filter, minimal food, lightweight waterproof jacket, no over-trousers or gaiters. Ideal for the mega hills a Dales tour entails. 

Overall this year was much warmer than last, with me being able to use the 150 quilt from April through to November (2021 it only got used from June until September!) The inner tent got used in the tent twice, although I should have deployed it many more times for a bug free bivvy!

So here we are again at the end of another year. It occurred to me not to bother next year for reasons I'd be hard pressed to express - something to do with an increasing desire as I get older to avoid any form of commitment, bike riding wise, and to just take it all as it comes. But I guess I will just make a start in January and see how it goes. Once again I will try to do a snowy one, and one over 900 meters. But otherwise I'll just play it by ear!

December BAM on the second attempt...

The first attempt was to be the Bear Bones Scottish Winter Bivvy, destination Loch Muik and the 'Royal' bothy behind Glas Alt Sheil house. On the face of it a straightforward prospect with a few options to get there. Plan A for me was to drive up to Glenshee ski centre, have an easy pedal down to Braemar and then over to Loch Muik. The return would be via a route I'd scoped years ago over the high tops between Glen Muik and Glen Shee. Dave and Morne were heading up from Newcastle with a plan to start in Glen Clova. Jimmy formed the remainder of the SWB crew with a plan to spend the weekend up there and ride in from Ballater. A last minute addition was my old mate Max from Uni days who was to pedal up from his gaff near Huntly.

First casualty was Dave with the seasonal cold and concern about dragging a bike through knee deep snow. The weather had been for sunshine all week with a smattering of snow on Friday but this ramped up to a full on dump Friday, making Plan A increasingly dubious as the Glenshee web cams showed increasing amounts of snow on high. The final kybosh on this was the A93 being shut on Saturday morning. Worse, more snow was forecasted for the afternoon and over night. So Plan B was engaged - up into Glen Clova, up the road and over the Capel Mounth - a fairly straightforward route. The first intimation of doom was large clouds looming over the Angus hills and snow showers on the road up. After parking by the Scott / Wilson Monument I set out into the gathering gloom.

Didn't know this was here, apparently both of them spent a lot of time in this area before their ill-fated expedition to the South Pole.

The snow started soon after - big heavy, wet flakes. The road was slushy and views were nil. Nearing the Clova hotel the clouds lifted and the snow went off but this revealed plastered hills with spin drift blowing off the tops. In hindsight this was the point where I bailed....

But I carried on up the glen, despite the snow coming back on heavier than ever, and off on the track up to the pass. The snow was lying thickly below and coming down thickly from above.

At the start of the pass. Its 5 1/2 miles to Glen Muik and the route tops out at 650m. I've done it twice before (in the summer) so knew that as well as a substantial climb, there is a reasonable trek at high level before dropping into the glen. It was a no brainer - I'm done with epic hikes through thigh deep snow these days and writ large was the realisation that however bad it was tonight, it would be much worse coming back tomorrow. So I about-faced and cruised off back down the glen to the car, as usual feeling like I'd wimped out rather than made a rational decision.

Well it turned out it was a rational decision as Jimmy took 9 hours to reach the bothy at 11pm, totally exhausted after pushing through waist deep snow. Max didn't even make it that far. Two guys in a 4WD coming out of the glen warned him of the conditions (which Jimmy was fighting his way through) so he camped near the trees and his words, "went to sleep in a tent and woke up in a snow hole." Their return trips were similarly epic....

To further add to the frustration, on getting home and deciding to unload the bike straight away (rather than forget about it until the next morning,) I discovered a lack of front wheel. I had one of those horrified moments of realisation - I'd lent it against the car to shove the bike in but not then picked up. I actually briefly contemplated abandoning it but swiftly over-ruled myself - it was £500 worth (with brand new Surly bud fitted) and I wanted to go out the next day. So a fairly rapid return to the car park I'd started from ensued. Fortunately the snow was sticking to the hills and there wasn't much traffic (or police) around. Sure enough, there was my front wheel.... A leisurely return home followed.

By way of compensation the forecast locally was to be cold and clear for the Sunday and the Ochills had received a mere dusting of snow rather than the large volumes the Highlands had caught. So a fine day was spent on frozen trails and enough snow to provide plenty of amusement.

So now what. I'd done the same in 2018 - wimped out of an SWB and went with grabbing one on the way down to Mum and Dad's. After much rumination I fancied Dryfehead bothy as it could be easily accessed from Boreland, not far off my route home. So no epic rides, just an easy pedal on a forest track.

I passed a car near the farm as you enter the forest which looked out of place. Hmm - somebody out on a night ride or would the bothy be occupied? As the rain had come on within minutes of me leaving the car this seemed a little unlikely on a Thursday night but sure enough on arrival I noted xmas lights and candle light in the window - very festive!

Three guys were ensconced and seemed happy for me to join them although as usual my self consciousness came to the fore, wondering if I should do an about turn. In the event we had a convivial night. It turned out two of them ran Pipedream cycles and the other chap was their mate, all residents of Peebles. What's more, Si's wife is in for next years Highland Trail so much bike talk ensued. Finally I retired to the back room, now wood paneled and equipped with proper bunks since the 2019 SWB. The three fire logs I'd dragged up with me took the chill of the air and would hopefully help to dry my damp gear. A good night's sleep followed....

Defo a good one and the loo makes things much easier...

I threw in a variation via the black Esk reservoir on the way back just to get some miles in.

So a lamer of a ride but December done, therefore completing yet another BAM campaign!