Early spring cycle camping

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2wheels
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Joined: 15 Dec 2021, 8:41pm

Early spring cycle camping

Post by 2wheels »

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 😂
mattheus
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Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 12:57pm
Location: Western Europe

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by mattheus »

2wheels wrote: 6 Feb 2023, 4:14pm 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 😂
I think you've identified the usual solution!
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simonineaston
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Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by simonineaston »

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)
irc
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Location: glasgow

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by irc »

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.
hamster
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Joined: 2 Feb 2007, 12:42pm

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by hamster »

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.
BerlinMatt
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Joined: 2 Jan 2021, 9:16pm

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by BerlinMatt »

What you need is an abandoned soviet airforce hanger :wink: ...
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mattheus
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Joined: 29 Dec 2008, 12:57pm
Location: Western Europe

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by mattheus »

BerlinMatt wrote: 9 Feb 2023, 4:42pm What you need is an abandoned soviet airforce hanger :wink: ...
Does it have Wi-Fi?
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freiston
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Location: Coventry

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by freiston »

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.
Disclaimer: Treat what I say with caution and if possible, wait for someone with more knowledge and experience to contribute. ;)
BerlinMatt
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Joined: 2 Jan 2021, 9:16pm

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by BerlinMatt »

mattheus wrote: 9 Feb 2023, 4:55pm
BerlinMatt wrote: 9 Feb 2023, 4:42pm What you need is an abandoned soviet airforce hanger :wink: ...
Does it have Wi-Fi?
Not even a single bar of phone reception!
PT1029
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Joined: 16 Apr 2012, 9:20pm

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by PT1029 »

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: -
Trying out my new camping reading lights.jpg
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Sweep
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Location: London

Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by Sweep »

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.
Sweep
Boring_Username
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Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by Boring_Username »

Sweep wrote: 10 Feb 2023, 3:45pm Slept fine, not cold, despite strange animal grunting noises.
In my experience, this is usually a symptom of too much beer at the pub.
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Sweep
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Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by Sweep »

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.
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mattheus
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Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by mattheus »

Sweep wrote: 8 Mar 2023, 8:24am 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.
Do you do this just to give your neighbours something to talk about?
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Sweep
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Re: Early spring cycle camping

Post by Sweep »

mattheus wrote: 8 Mar 2023, 8:44am
Sweep wrote: 8 Mar 2023, 8:24am 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.
Do you do this just to give your neighbours something to talk about?
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
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