March Bivy a Month (#7)

For this one we decided to get a bit more distance in. With the Italy divide feeling uncomfortably close, every extra kilometre under the belt was going to feel good! This was also our last BAM before boarding the plane to Naples, building both the excitement and nervousness for the event! Were we really going to cycle more than 1200km and climb double the height of Everest? And were we ready?😳

We set off around 9pm on one of our regular routes skirting then Campsie fells and riding part of the John Muir Way, with a plan to bivy somewhere near Burncrooks reservoir. If you recognise the name, this is where we had our Snowy December BAM, where temperatures dropped to -7. Read that report here.

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It’s also a great spot as St Mocha coffee at Carbeth opens at early doors, so you can simply roll down the hill to your breakfast.

For this trip we had Gaz along for the adventure, his first BAM.
It was another great evening weather wise, suggesting we may actually be getting good a at picking weather windows! On the cold side considering spring was on the horizon, but I’ll take cold and dry over warm wet any day of the week! We collected the captain in his stomping ground and headed for the pipetrack, and its obscene number of gates. The pipetrack is, as its name suggests, is a track that follows one of the main water pipes feeding Glasgow. The pipe travels from Loch Katrine to the city, through some of the finest gravel cycling around. Crazy to think this was built by the Victoians over 170 years ago.

The pipetrack ends at Killearn, so we joined the road to head through some of the lanes on route to Croftamie. As we passed the pub in Killearn looking very appealing, there was a curse under the breath - something about life choices. I did have a 16yr old Balvenie in my pocket so we were going to be ok.

The path to Croftamie crosses a river with a footbridge that is a good 20-30m off the ground, enough to make anyone with a slight fear of heights nervous, even more so in the dark. We passed through the town and started climbing towards Burncrooks. It’s only as I write this that I realise the climb does start here, even though it is slightly undulating. The takeaway? Don’t overthink it, just ride.

The banter was in full flow as per, with it normally consisting of discussions around who is buying a bike, n+1 of course, or another bit of essential kit. Campbell, or the captain, as we call him is notorious for this with his encyclopaedic knowledge on bike parts, their RRP and websites in the arse end of the internet with incredible bargains. If you want to buy something you never realised you needed, join is for a BAM at some point.

We reached our bivvy location around midnight and got to work setting up camp. A great spot actually they we would recommend.  

It really was cold now and we were feeling it, so the whisky was quickly distributed to warm us up. We climbed into our bags a wee while later and crossed our fingers we wouldn’t need the toilet through the night. A real pain in the arse of middle age is needing a piss in the middle of the night, particularly true at 0°C and you being trapped in a sleeping bag!

When we woke, there was frost on the bag. Gaz also informed us we had a visitor in the night, with a curious and stubborn fox visiting us. Given that there was remnants of an old fire pit at the location, I reckon it was wise to the fact it may find a midnight snack or too at this location.

We packed up camp and absorbed some of the Sun’s warming rays on the face before heading down the cold descent for breakfast. We arrived at the coffee shop only to realise we were early and it didn’t open for another half an hour. As far as disasters go, this was high up the list. But lone-behold we had a saviour arrive in a Fiat 500. The woman from the coffee shop arrived and was more then happy to serve us up early. Legend!

St Mocha never disappoints, so be sure to visit them if you are in this area, either at Carbeth or Balmaha, on the banks of Loch Lomond and conveniently located on the west highland way route at the bottom of Conic hill.

A cappuccino and double egg was the order of the day, and it was fantastic. You also get to eat it in an old bus if you fancy it, providing another layer to the experience.

We scoffed it down and headed for the west highland way and our path home. Gaz and I parted ways with Campbell as he headed to Strathblane and us to Milngavie. I arrived home with perfect timing to give the bike a clean and dry, and get myself cleaned before putting on my dad hat and taking my eldest to dance class. This is squeeze the fruit after all!

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Until April...