2025 BAM campaign

This will be my 5th consecutive year Bamming and 6th overall. After last years somewhat routine campaign, I'm hoping to make it a bit more interesting this year with a few things planned, including the eponymous Highland Trail.

That said, BAM 1 was distinctly low key, back in one of my usual spots in the woods off the Dunning road. Sadly, I missed the chance of a proper sub zero bivvy here last weekend. The previous week I'd managed to crash the fatty somewhat ignominiously on a bit of ice at the end of the West Fife cycleway on the way to work and what should have been a fab frozen and snowy ride home. This plan was canned when I got to the station to find that the bloody train was cancelled! Riding home revealed a distinctly sore rib, and after much prodding it was clear it was at least cracked, if not snapped! My second in under 4 months! So R&R was the order of the day although I did get out in the snow on the Sunday, given it looks very possible that this could be it, snow wise, for quite a while, much like last year....

Anyway, after a very mild week, the temps were set to drop somewhat and the weather looked fine all weekend. Damp dreich on Friday afternoon looked to spoil the party but lo and behold, by the time I'd knocked off work and got my gear together, the sky had cleared and it had dried up.

Just the usual route up on damp but not soggy trails. I thought of heading for the top of the hill bivvy spot I used a couple of years ago but there is forestry works going on up there and I have a feeling the bit of wood I'd slept in might be what is getting felled. So Linn hill it was, a particularly nice spot.

I'd brought the soto with me as since I replaced all the seals it's been much less fireball like on start up. Boil in the bag chickpea curry followed, the last of a load of army rat packs a mate had provided FOC as they were going out of date. This was surprisingly good and set me up for a very relaxing evening sipping a couple of beers and a dram, to a background of owl hoots and screeches, how relaxing. After my over-indulgence at the SWB I've a vague aim to go easy for a bit!

Sleep was instant when I eventually turned in but on waking at what turned out to be 1.30am, I became aware of a distant humming / whining noise which increased in volume until it became clear - a drone! What in all hells name was this doing here, and more importantly who was controlling it? It seemed to be some distance away, the sound exaggerated by the completely still night, but too close for comfort. It faded away after a bit and I lay awake pondering why / how etc. Looking for poachers maybe? Seems a bit unlikely although I guess these things could have IR. If so the operator may well have spotted me but no-one turned up so who knows. 

Anyway, the owls returned soon after and their screeches and hoots calmed me back to a long sleep until 9.30 am. Breakfast was a leisurely affair before I got up and off.

A nice one this and not my usual tipple but I've yet to find a bad Williams beer.

Mandatory bivvy shot but the same as my previous 8 visits. It's a great spot but the drone incident has left me a bit concerned about a return if some weirdo is spying on me or anyone else looking for a peaceful night here.

Anyway, home was via a fun ride on various nice trails in this and Glendevon forest. I battled my way up to Black Creich Hill seeking more bivvy spots. It turned into a mission as the suspected firebreak showing on aerial photos wasn't. I did find a good spot on the way up however and I've now a few in this forest. They are felling here too (F&LS seem to be doing a lot this year) but this and my other spots are all in amongst fairly young trees so they should last my time around here in any case.

Winter event next, who knows what that will bring!

2024 review, not an easy one.

I'll struggle to do my usual yearly review of bivvies as they have all been pretty mundane, all in all. Not to say it's not been enjoyable, it has. Plus I've done some nice bike riding, but...

No sub zero bivvies

No snowy bivvies

No hot bivvies

No high bivvies (highest 330m)

No really bad weather (November was the worst but not that bad really)

Which isn't to say it's been a bad year, just not quite the bonanza of the last few years. I've been out 16 times, no hotels, no official bothies, no B&B's, no paying nights. September stands out in the ace spot near NCN 7 in the woods south of Killin after a fab days ride in the sun. Also my night out on the Cairngorms tour back in April.

My Dad's health has been the defining influence of 2024 and it's been hard seeing my once active Father reduced to a pale shadow of his former self. It's also been hard watching Mum burn herself out trying to ensure the best for him. I've spent the year helping Mum as much as possible and trying to give Dad at least some interest in his life. It's not been easy...

Bike riding has, once again in hard times, kept me on the straight and narrow. Mileage has been good in that I've managed 6288 miles, in spite of the above. But it's mainly been on gravel and road. My hours are down significantly from last year, indicative of how much hard riding that year involved (HT, NYM, BB) but overall I'm happy with what I've done, under the circumstances.

Best trail on a bivvy:

Got to be the Cairngorms Tour, back in April. The weather was stunning, the trails were dry and I hammered the lot. This was in the middle of a particularly full on period in my working life (up against some stiff competition) as well as stressing over how Dad was, or wasn't, recovering from a knee replacement. I know the route so well, there is no adventure, it was just a case of grab the best riding I could get too easily. In the event it was one of a few full bore thrashes round some ace bike riding that I saw this year.

Best bothy:

No official ones, but grabbed a couple of shed nights on my ride north and on my Moray tour.

Most sociable bivvy:

The SWB, obviously, but a bit too social in that I drank far too much (without really realising it, damned whisky)

Thanks to the weird weather I could have used my Cumulus 150 quilt for every bivvy, if I'd timed things right. In the event, it's been the overall warmest year since I started with the heavy quilt only used 4 times, 2 of which I could have avoided! 

Other than the bivvies, it's been a year of gravel biking with a lot of my miles on the Stragg and then the Stormy. All good stuff, including my second double century, but next year it's going to be one for the mountainbikes.

Gravel-tastic on my West of Scotland burn up.

This led to what I think is my best bivvy of the year. It was one of those situations where everything came together to perfection - 120 miles of ace roads and tracks, stunningly hot weather, plenty grub to eat and a fab finale cruising down Glen Lochay to a chippy, a Co-op and then an great spot in the woods next to NCN7.

That said, I've definitely re-engaged with the Kramp this year, mainly when the trails have been somewhat soggy. In contrast, my Lowside, which I rode a lot last year, has only been out three times. Likewise the Steamroller has been somewhat neglected this year - a major downside of having dry weather only bikes... 

The stormy was the bike I wasn't going to buy this year but it ended up being one of three additions to my stable, the other two having engines. I've enjoyed it though and look forward to more crazy rides next year. This one was fairly tame in comparison doing a usual circuit from my parents place - The Tanhill Inn emerging from the fog.

The winter this year was terrible, after a promising start with snow on new years day and much cold temps for the first two weeks of the year. Then two weeks of plus temps wrecked it. Thereafter was a fair bit of snow fall but the wildly variable / warm temps between dumps meant there was none of the usual build up so skiing was none existent. So this was one of only two snowy rides, on my birthday. Looking to the coming winter there was some promise earlier this month with good dumps of snow and very low temps but over Christmas it was back to double figures and it all disappeared. Of course variable snow has always been a feature of Scotland's winters but 2024 was well out of normal parameters...

So, another year beckons. I'm in for the HT again, I intend to do the NYM and also the BB. I've given up on the other routes in the UK as they are too much hassle. All being well I'll do a trad Cairngorms loop ride plus maybe another shot of the LLTL300 but we'll see. And of course, every month I'll make sure I'm sleeping out at least once. No plans, goals or aims, just take it as it comes....