First overnight cycle trip! It was bloody freezing!

[ChrisEyles]

Forecast is still looking dodgy on the moor, but quite a lot better on the coast. Looks like there are a couple of suitable wild camping spots in the woods which may even have sea views (the place I'm looking at is quite close to some land I used to manage so I know the area quite well - and fortunately the people who own it too).

So I've got a fifty something mile pootle planned for this afternoon/evening and tomorrow morning

I've chucked the bivy bag, tarp, and food in one pannier, sleeping bag, pans and stove in the other with snacks, bug spray loo roll toothbrush etc stuffed in wherever I could... packing a bike is a lot tougher than fitting the same in a decent rucksack I am discovering! I would rather not have the camping roll mat on top of the rear rack as it is a bit of a giveaway that I'll be wild camping, but I can't fit it in any other way so will have to do. If I'd thought of it earlier I'd have stuffed a fleece and a survival bag in the middle of the camping roll mat, but doubt I'll be needing the bag tonight and the jumper is inelegantly stuffed on the rack in a placky bag so all's good. Dug around in the spares box for another bottle cage so should have plenty of water to keep me going.

Oooooof! It's heavy! The hills might be interesting...

But I am quite excited now

 

[ChrisEyles]

I'm also dead pleased with the way the bike feels after flipping the stem. I angled in the hoods (so they are pointing slightly into the middle of the bars) at the same time, which has given me the fantastic advantage that I can now reach the little button to shift up a gear from the drops (I love the Sora shifting mechanism (prefer it to Tiagra and up actually) from the hoods but it has always been a pain not being able to shift properly from the drops before). Braking is now more powerful from the drops than the hoods (used to be the other way around with the way I had the hoods set on the bars), which is fine, and I even think the bike handles a touch more nicely with the shorter effective stem length.

Interestingly, with the bars this high, when I'm out the saddle with cranks horizontal, the position isn't a million miles away from the attack position on my MTBs... this raises interesting possibilities for some of the more adventurous Dartmoor bridleways in the future!

 

[Blue Hills]

I would rather not have the camping roll mat on top of the rear rack as it is a bit of a giveaway that I'll be

Don't really understand. Concerned that you will be trailed by the camping police?

 

[ChrisEyles]

Don't really understand. Concerned that you will be trailed by the camping police?

Yeah, a little bit! Even if you're not intending to stop the night in a particular spot, you might want to take a break in a particularly pleasant spot and IME you can attract some rather disapproving looks from walkers etc. Obviously not a problem if you're up on Dartmoor where camping's fair game, but some other areas it's good to be as sensitive (well, whatever the opposite of blatant is, really) as you can.

 

[Blue Hills]

but walkers (I assume you mean rambling types) aren't going to hang around of an evening to attack you of an evening surely?

 

[ChrisEyles]

Blimey no, I shouldn't think so! I was more thinking of getting the old "you know you're not supposed to camp here" or similar from well meaning dog walkers.

 

[Bikeman27]

I bought a bivvy bag a little while ago with the intention of doing some mini-touring over the weekends. It should hopefully be perfect for wild camping up on Dartmoor/Exmoor.

Managed to get out after work for a test run last week. The ride itself was very short since I didn't finish work 'til it was getting dark already, but I managed to find a lovely spot in a little birch glade on a bit of Exmoor heathland. It was quite comfy in the early part of the night, but dropped down to 0C later on, which was bloomin' freezing in the sleeping bag/bivvy bag combo! Absolutely amazing display of stars though, I'll definitely be doing this as much as possible once it's warmed up a touch.

I woke up to find myself surrounded by Exmoor ponies - they were very clearly after the porridge I'd brought with me to have for breakfast.

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Followed by the best commute to work ever - some nice singletrack along a lake shore

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Mrs Chris is off on a conference in a couple of week's time so I'm planning a weekend's riding up on Dartmoor with some wild camping overnight. I've also got myself a tarp to keep the rain off if it showers overnight and am looking forward to experimenting with a few different pitching methods. Might try and do a couple of beach camps later in the year too - we're spoilt for choice down in Devon so I'm really looking forward to a Summer under the stars

I've used a 40 odd litre rucksack for my first tour(s) and the South Downs Way. It didn't bother me too much but I'd rather have it on the bike, one way or another.

I've never had much of a problem with touring off road with the rack/panniers setup. That said, I'm happy to muddle along with whatever comes and aren't really bothered by technical riding. The main issue is pulling wheelies on v steep climbs if all the weight is up back.

I'm gradually aquiring some of the bikepacking gear to see how the other half lives. Some hidden costs to beware - eg, all your cables may need lengthing to make room for gear if you start lashing stuff to the handlebars. Then you may want a bespoke bag to get the max luggage volume out of your frame triangle. It seems you have to be more thoughtful about what you need and how to compartmentalise things. Some will say that's a plus, but prefer to take what I like and chuck things in. We will see!

I would go for frame bags they attach with Velcro

 

[Tilley]

On the wild camping side, have you thought about using a hammock and tarp?

 

[ChrisEyles]

One of my friends has a hammock/tarp set-up for camping, and it does look good!

I chose the bivy/tarp combo because it offers a lot more options in terms of Dartmoor camping, where there really aren't many trees on the high moor. Plus it worked out a bit cheaper too.

 

[Pale Rider]

Blimey no, I shouldn't think so! I was more thinking of getting the old "you know you're not supposed to camp here" or similar from well meaning dog walkers.

A wild camping cyclist told me he picked his spot in daylight, went to the pub for his dinner, then set up when it was dark or close to it.

Chances of a dog walking busybody at that time are low, and if you get one first thing it makes no odds because you will be soon on your way whatever is said.

 

[Tilley]

One of my friends has a hammock/tarp set-up for camping, and it does look good!

I chose the bivy/tarp combo because it offers a lot more options in terms of Dartmoor camping, where there really aren't many trees on the high moor. Plus it worked out a bit cheaper too.

Good point, any tree which has managed to survive on the moor tends to be short and distorted.

 

[Dayvo]

I suspect you got cold from the ground up, not because of your sleeping bag.

I'd advise you to get rid of that foam sleeping mat. A hammock is a possibility (but only if there are two things to fasten it to) or, my preference would be, a inflatable mattress, such as a Exped Downmat 7 (http://www.exped.com/international/en/product-category/mats/downmat-7-m): expensive, but you will not freeze and you will sleep very well.

 

[ChrisEyles]

I've used inflatable mats (borrowed from a friend) before when hiking in the Carpathians and they were great! If I find myself camping out a lot, one would be a really good investment, but they are a bit pricey.

I've been out a few more nights since this one, with minimum temperatures in the 6C-10C range and have had no problems in the bivy bag plus sleeping bag and wearing lots of clothes... So the current set-up should be good until well into the autumn now.

Going out again tomorrow night, weather looks good and I've got a great spot in mind up on Exmoor

 

[ChrisEyles]

Had a lovely night out on the moor on Sunday

I chose one of the local trig points, since it was quite a warm, still night (of which we don't get many up on Exmoor!) so ideal for somewhere a bit less sheltered.

It was a bit of a tough climb to start with - here's the view from a welcome rest spot on the way up.

The view from the top is stunning, and there was a beautiful sunset to enjoy while I set about pitching up the tarp and heating up some dinner.

I went for a slightly different tarp pitch this time, a modified A-frame with the back end sealed shut and flattened to the ground.... this was mainly because the sky was looking quite clear and I was worried about getting cold again if the breeze picked up at all!

This worked really well and would be good in the wind and rain I think. The only drawbacks are 1) getting in and out is a bit tricky when you're using the bike to prop up the front 2) it feels a bit more like being in a tent than with the more open flying diamond pitch I've used a few times, with less of an open-air feel (which is one of the big reasons I went for the tarp/bivy set-up in the first place). So I think I'll stick with the flying diamond in future unless the weather's bad. Haven't tried a half pyramid pitch yet (which is basically what I have here rotated 90 degrees with the A shape on the long edge of the tarp), but that looks like it may be a halfway house between the two.

No Exmoor ponies this time, but I work up surrounded by stonechat "chatting" away and flitting up and down to catch insects on the wing. Had one hairy moment on the way down the hill when I had to switch lines from a little jump I normally hit to an easier one more appropriate to the load I was carrying (and to the fact that once again my cycling helmet was being pushed forward over my eyes by my backpack)! This bike's seen quite a lot of abuse over the last 18 months and the wheel bearings are feeling a bit rough... when I get the time I think it deserves a bit of an overhaul.

Not sure where/when the next outing will be, but I'm going to aim for three or four trips a month over the summer as I'm really enjoying it so far

 

[ChrisEyles]

Looking at those pictures, I clearly need a camo-painted bike to go with the tarp

Either that or a bright yellow tarp