Early spring cycle camping
Early spring cycle camping
Hi all.
Dose anyone go cycle camping in feb/March/April when it gets dark early. Those long dark evenings do not sound appealing, unless there is a pub nearby
Dose anyone go cycle camping in feb/March/April when it gets dark early. Those long dark evenings do not sound appealing, unless there is a pub nearby
- simonineaston
- Posts: 8063
- Joined: 9 May 2007, 1:06pm
- Location: ...at a cricket ground
Re: Early spring cycle camping
Golden Swan, Wilcot, Wiltshire... large camping field to one's self, ditto washing facilties, pub, serving tasty food, beckoning at ne corner of field. Oh Yes.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
Re: Early spring cycle camping
Generally no. 12hr/12hr is about my limit. Probably after the clocks change to summer time is my limit for bike camping. An extra hour at night is a huge difference. Obviously for March a suitably settled spell of weather needed as well. March is totally random. Anthing from the Beast from the East 2 weeks snow or last years shorts and T shirt weather in Sutherland.
Re: Early spring cycle camping
I enjoy a bit of 'getting away from it all' in late March / early April. Arrive late afternoon, feed, snuggle into sleeping bag early (maybe 8pm). Perhaps I'll listen to a play or drama I have downloaded from BBC Sounds to my phone. Typically I go to Dartmoor, as I combine it with picking son up from university.
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- Posts: 61
- Joined: 2 Jan 2021, 9:16pm
Re: Early spring cycle camping
Does it have Wi-Fi?
Re: Early spring cycle camping
I try to get a trip out late March and late October to a campsite not far from home. It's close to a church I visit for "memorial" reasons but too far from home for me to want to do the return journey in a day. Up until last year, I went October only but this year on my reasons for going now include March. The campsite is open March to October.
So the days are a bit longer than they are now. I try to wait until about 9:00 pm to get to the pub (maybe earlier if I'm eating there) so as I'm not spending too much time there (I leave at kicking out time). I'm happy listening to radio/music/podcasts before and after the pub. As well as my phone, I have a little music player (needs head/earphones) with FM radio and microSD slot - I have thousands of tracks and some podcasts saved to the SD card - so I have something to listen to even if I have no phone data signal. I typically read bulletin boards and news websites on the phone - especially in the pub, using their wifi.
So the days are a bit longer than they are now. I try to wait until about 9:00 pm to get to the pub (maybe earlier if I'm eating there) so as I'm not spending too much time there (I leave at kicking out time). I'm happy listening to radio/music/podcasts before and after the pub. As well as my phone, I have a little music player (needs head/earphones) with FM radio and microSD slot - I have thousands of tracks and some podcasts saved to the SD card - so I have something to listen to even if I have no phone data signal. I typically read bulletin boards and news websites on the phone - especially in the pub, using their wifi.
Disclaimer: Treat what I say with caution and if possible, wait for someone with more knowledge and experience to contribute.
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- Posts: 61
- Joined: 2 Jan 2021, 9:16pm
Re: Early spring cycle camping
Re: Early spring cycle camping
You need to take a good reading light for your tent. Last year a pub campsite kindly provided one, conveniently switching it off about 10/10.30: -
Re: Early spring cycle camping
Have bivvied in a corner of a wet field at the end of march - a few years ago on a ride from Birmingham to London.
Slept fine, not cold, despite strange animal grunting noises.
Slept fine, not cold, despite strange animal grunting noises.
Sweep
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- Posts: 204
- Joined: 2 Mar 2017, 2:38pm
Re: Early spring cycle camping
Camped out* last night in the freeze.
Forecast was for -4 but I don't think it went much below zero.
* In a garden admittedly to test some stuff, not in the wilds.
Was perfectly snug.
Forecast was for -4 but I don't think it went much below zero.
* In a garden admittedly to test some stuff, not in the wilds.
Was perfectly snug.
Sweep
Re: Early spring cycle camping
Can't see me - and if they have nowt better to talk about, good luck to them.
I thought I had explained somewhere - and if not pretty obvious - doing it to test combinations of stuff at various temps - far far far better to do this close to home before heading to a blasted moor or two and waking freezing at 2 in the morning.
It's pretty standard practice/good practice for cyclecampers - similarly I don't fiddle with the bike/make major changes to it the day of a departure - or even the day before.
Of course I could rely on the data/estimates of the manufacturers/marketeers of the kit - tent, sleeping bag, sleeping mat/s etc, but I think that would be somewhat inadvisable/daft. My sleeping mat even quotes two separate R numbers.
Sweep