2026 Bivvy a Month, again...

It's that time of year again, where I spend far to much time procrastinating on whether or not to start another BAM campaign, then procrastinate on when to do my January bivvy.

This year was my closest to a fail since I started this nonsense. Firstly, I had to miss the Scottish Winter Bivvy, moved to January from its usual December slot, due to family demands. This was a pity as it was at the end of the major snowfall that had blessed my New Year trip. The following weekend was very nice, weather wise. I'd been slated to do a music weekend but this got cancelled at the last minute and for some reason, I couldn't be bothered to go out for a bivvy...

Then I had had to go down to Mum and Dads the following weekend and suddenly, it was nearly February!

I finally made it out last night, on the last night of what has been a full-on month. Apart from the above I've also been written off with a shocker of a cold this last week. As it was the weather for this weekend looked to be yet more grey dreich driven by a cold easterly. This was not the weather to be out in with a head full of snot...

Anyway, I took the bike into work on Friday thinking I might get out later on but as I arrived home, the rain came on and I felt lousy. So in at the death. Saturday ended up being dry, pretty much, so I should have done a decent bike ride but I'm in the middle of a decorating project just now so cracked on with that, plus the Mukluk build (more later). Finally at 5 I headed out. The weather had cleared and it actually promised a decent evening. Of course it did rain, but just a sprinkle of light drops. No drama, just an easy ride along the Fife coast and yet another pitch in Devilla forest, much like last December. The night ended up bone dry and I did appreciate laying back listening to various night time birdies after 4 hectic weeks at work and a load of other stuff.

I do appreciate the opulent luxury of the deschutes when the weather is a bit iffy.

In view of an un-forecasted nice day, I grabbed breakfast at Kincardine and picked my way via various soggy trails to Dollar, grabbed a sarny from the Co-op and headed up one the Ochills harder climbs.

View to the Forth, home in the middle near to the hill with the aerials on it. This climb is a brute, actually 600m of height gain from it's notional start on Dollar Main street. After a bit of tarmac you get the full joy of a steep track, a steeper path, more track and then the crux - a bars above head thrutch straight up the side of Saddle Hill, followed by a further grind up onto Whitewisp, pushed in it's entirety. 

The hills had been shrouded in cloud but it was lifting as I got up on high, reward for a huge effort to get here. Much sogginess followed to Innerdounie and on the long descent. Sat below the summit eating my sandwich, it was really quite mild as I watched the view opening up around me. As I twiddled the last miles home, the cloud dissipated completely and all the hills were revealed for the first time this year.

So off we go again. Once started, it's easy to keep going (until next November). I'm doing another Alternative Winter event for February, March I'll try and get up to the Cairngorms, although we appear to be having a proper winter so this could be interesting... In April, I've penciled in a Highland Trail ITT. I suspect this won't happen, but I'll try and get a few days away at least. Then it will be the summer...