Camping- bikepacking
Regular readers will know about my adventures by bike. I once stayed in a Youth Hostel, mostly it’s B&B’s and hotel’s. They are still my preferred stopovers. But they come at a price, one that it’s not viable to continue paying. If I want to do more, I need to cut costs. A bit of wild camping could expand my experience even more. Although this is only allowed in certain parts of Dartmoor and Scotland.
As you can see above I’ve added some gear. Or at least you can see a bit of it. The handlebars carry my sleep system as it’s known by the bike camping community. The tent is in the bag on the rack. After this ride I realised I needed a proper handlebar bag. I ordered one when I got home. I might get a frame bag too. It will mean I can spread the weight out rather than have most of it high over the back wheel. The money spent will be recouped in a couple of trips; such is the cost of holiday accommodation.
This test ride was okay, not as bad as I thought it might have been. The bike has changed since my last trip, it now has a rigid fork , and more road biased tyres. I had to check the calendar to remind myself the last time the Kona transported me on a trip. It was in June 2023, to Bristol and around Somerset. Link to post.
For the first time this year it was warm enough to sit outside for coffee and cake at Sheree’s Tea room, another plus.
I indulged in weather forecast watching. Everyday I would check for the likelihood of rain. It’s a ritual I do every time. I don’t really know why because it seems to change daily. And I’m not sure, unless it’s really bad, that I would ever cancel a trip. As it turned out both days were great, the forecast rain didn’t happen as predicted.
The new bar bag arrived so it’s first use was on the ride. It worked well, much better than the two part configuration I had tried previously.
I left at around 11 am, later than I had planned. The morning just got away from me. As it turned out it could be said that was a good thing.
By around 2pm I started looking for a cafe, coffee and food was on my mind. Around 10 minutes later I saw a sign for such an establishment. Unfortunately they were just closing so I had to ride on. A short time later I arrived in Horsmonden. The village shop was still open.
It has a place to sit outside, and is close to the village convenience as the sign proclaimed. Another welcome relief.
As is often the case I made what was available into a good lunch.
Lucozade sport, guacamole dip, vegan “sausage” roll, an apple and a half loaf of multi seed rye bread.
Feeling very full I set off again. I thought I still had well over thirty miles to go, it was actually just over twenty. If I’d stopped at that cafe I would most likely eaten cake. Very nice but not as healthy.
My initial plan was to ride to Rye and stock up from a supermarket. Providing an evening meal and breakfast. I thought better of it when I got there, no safe place to leave the bike was the main reason.
When I arrived at the campsite it had a few other campers. Most had arrived by motorhome. I’m sure they weren’t, but it felt like they all watched me cross the field to my pitch. And then critiqued my tent erection technique.
The forecast rain had been absent, apart from the headwinds I’d rode against for around half the afternoon it was a very pleasant day. After making camp I had a decision: a fifteen minute walk to the pub or stay put. I was still feeling fairly full, and it started raining. Decision made.
Being a bit chilly I got into my sleeping bag. My Garmin recorded me as being asleep by 19:30, I think that was pretty accurate. One early hours walk to the facilities was the only interruption until 04:30. I think it rained during the night, but all was dry when I awoke again at 05:45. I walked over to the convenience through the kitchen area. Campsites have changed since the last time I experienced one. This one had a fridge and microwave as well as washing up infrastructure.
I chatted about cycling with a cyclist visiting with his family. He lamented not being able to ride as often as he once did.
I took this picture as I returned to my tent.
The hoped for great view from the tent was just motorhomes.
Still too early to leave and expect to find a cafe open for breakfast I climbed back into my “bed”. And fell asleep again. Waking nearly three hours later. Making my slumber time around thirteen hours. Much more than I’d been having for the past few weeks.
My original plan was to go into Rye for my first meal of the day. But considering the time I broke camp and headed for home. Another good choice.
A few miles up the road was the village of Iden and it’s village store. I chanced the machine brewed coffee and was very pleasantly surprised. It was better than some barista created drinks. A flapjack and a box of banana chips would fuel me home.
It made me think about food and the defaults often suggested for ride calories. Club rides have cakes and youtube adventurers have sweets and sugary drinks. Apart from the sweet beverages that was me. But not anymore. Not always easy, but I now try to eat real food. I know the food above might not be the best version of a banana to eat but it’s surely better than highly refined sugar bombs. It must retain some of the nutrients of it’s main constituent. I ate a handful regularly for the rest of the journey.
And this leads to another point. When the ride ends you need to eat well to recover, especially on multi day trips. You are not just eating for today, tomorrow will be affected too. It’s not always easy, I definitely didn’t eat enough on Friday, or Saturday. This is, as are a lot of things, a work in progress.
What are some lessons having returned from my first camping expedition?
Be organised. There isn’t much room but it still seems possible to lose stuff. So now I have a place for everything and keep it there when not in use.
Flexibility. Not just to changes of plan but to be able to move about in a confined space.
Maybe a sleeping mat. I certainly slept well, but if it had been colder insulation from the ground would have kept me warmer. And it might be rocky and uncomfortable next time.
Final thoughts.
It felt good to be on the bike again, this winter had seemed to drag on. I’m sure it’s the same during this period every year.
I like the feeling I get of arriving under my own power at a new place. The trips coming up involve travel by van, next year it will be the train that takes more of the strain.
It also proves the worth of the effort to succeed. You savour the feeling much more if it’s taken some work.
To further illustrate this I took the picture after a long climb. The view was worth it.