December done, and therefore BAM 2025 complete!
As noted last month, I was determined to do something fairly easy as a year finisher. Typically December would be on the Scottish Winter Bivvy but a lack of suitable dates has meant this will hopefully take place in January. As it turns out, it's just as well we aren't trying to head up into the wilds this weekend...
The forecast looked horrible at the beginning of the week so various sheds were considered as I couldn't face a wet pitch. Then suddenly things were looking much better, in fact dry from Thursday morning until Saturday lunchtime (as per quite a few weekends this year) so a bonus tarp bivvy was clearly the way to finish my '25 BAM in a degree of style.
Work got in the way until Friday evening and then I was off, on a route similar to August down by the Fife Coast and into the back of Devilla forest. I kept looking up expecting the rain to come in but stars shone down and it wasn't -6. Fair to say we've had some odd weather this year so of no surprise I suppose but a clear, dry and mild evening in December is a bit of a first. In keeping with my plan not to do anything difficult I headed to my spot of August (plus a few other times) and got pitched up. For a change I'd humped a tin of 'Stag' chilli (actually beef, not deer) with me for tea which was mighty fine. I also brought mulled wine - the remains of a bottle Mum had drank last weekend on here visit - followed of course by a few beers and a dram to finish. So a fine evening all in, followed by a solid 9hrs sleep.
It was getting a bit breezy as I packed up and departed but no sign of the forecasted deluge so I tootled round various local trails, calling in at Baynes the bakers in Kincardine for Breakfast and Stevens in Dollar for lunch. All I needed was a Stuarts and I'd have scored a Fife bakery hat trick. However as I ground up the long climb out of Dollar, it was clear the storm was a-coming so I sploshed across the moor connecting Commonedge and Seamab hills and picked my way down the steep descent as the first sprinkle of rain came in. Home just as it started to get properly horrible
So there we have it - another successful BAM campaign. Better yet, at some point during the Saturday I rolled over 6000 miles for the year. Roll on '26.
PS - the weather is now terrible, thank goodness we aren't doing the SWB this weekend....
