Useful tip; you can offset some of the weight of carrying an extra layer and food by not wearing 300 grams of pointless polystyrene magic-hat.
...I'll get my coat (but not my helmet)
Bike Forum
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Cycling alone in the wilderness.
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Posted 2 years ago #
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yeah, you wouldn't want to take a helmet, especially if alone. I mean you might fall off and break it
Posted 2 years ago # -
Back to the original question, forget about squabbling over what wilderness is, assuming you're out there, solo, very remote and without any reliable comms.... has anyone used EPRB's or the more recent PLB's?
I'm not talking about whilst pissing about in the Peak, Richmond Park or the Quantocks but on land, in the UK when and where they would help in extremis.
Posted 2 years ago # -
ROFL!
It's mountain biking in the UK; essentially rambling on wheels, rather than death defying trouser filling extreme radness.
We seem to have bred a generation of folk who don't feel safe without a mobile signal, and probably couldn't get there without a Sat-Nav, couldn't navigate without a GPS...
As above, thank God we explored most of the planet earlier in our history, or we'd still be worshipping the turnip god to keep us safe from the scary wood beasts.....
Posted 2 years ago # -
Why have so many pillocks replied to this thread? It was a serious question by the OP but so many twonks think they would have the skills to live off the land for weeks till somebody bothered to report Rambo missing. Please answer the question with a bit of sense.
Posted 2 years ago # -
How far do you think you can get from a road in England? Its only a few miles in the wilds of Scotland.
The Cut Gate path is over 5 miles from any road at some points I think - I wouldn't want to be up there on my own with a broken leg as it starts getting dark at this time of year (there's snow on the tops in Derbyshire that's been there since before Christmas). I don't think the OP's question is odd at all.
I remember having a minor crash on an autumn evening on Stanage, no injuries and managed to get the bike working again, but I remember thinking then that if I'd hurt myself badly no-one would have found me until the morning, and I had no warm clothing. The fact that I was only 5 miles from the centre of Sheffield wouldn't have saved me from hypothermia. And wasn't someone rescued from a car hanging in a tree in a ravine by the A57 last year who'd been there for 2 days before being found?
All of which is not to say that I don't go out on my own, I do...
Posted 2 years ago # -
As this thread has already shown (I refer to Tons post of last night), a small off can result in major trauma only a short distance form home. Am I really to believe that folk on here are going out prepared for a major expedition when they are just taking a short-cut home from work?
Posted 2 years ago # -
...I for one am heartily sick of all the news reports about dying mountain bikers, whose bodies are only discovered years later, next to pathetic scratchings on the rock detailing their dying wish that they had thought to bring an extra jumper, an emergency locator beacon, a portable mountain shelter, a weeks supply of drinking water, a solar powered battery charger, 20 emergency flares and their mum.
Something really should be done.
Posted 2 years ago # -
crikey, FFS amigo!, stop being sensitive and diplomatic and say whats on your mind
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ok, ok, I admit I'm running with the idea and taking it too far, but you get my point of view....
Posted 2 years ago # -
blow 6 times on a whistle (thats the distress call... wait for a few moments then blow 6 times agin... dont blame me if the hyeenas come screaming for you. lol
lol just kidding..... but its sensible to carry a whistle if you break a leg or something more....
i go out alot on my own but stick to places i know thats not too far from civilisation..ie always look to see if you have at least 1 farmhouse within somekind of reach.....if not you,ll have to chat to the local sheep..lol at least they.ll keep you warm in the winter ! bah.. hahahhahaPosted 2 years ago # -
Yes elaine, sheep are great aren't they.
In a survival situation they can be used to keep warm, to provide calorific sustainance, and,even sometimes, romance!
Oops, that comment will probably get me banned on all regions of STW(except for the version broadcast in the Aberdeen area)Posted 2 years ago # -
I like the true story about the kid that wandered off and got lost in Canada. Eventually he fell asleep in the snow in a forest. Woke up in the morning to find he was being snuggled up to by beavers. They kept him alive.
Maybe we should all carry beavers in our back packs?
Posted 2 years ago # -
I keep one at home
Posted 2 years ago # -
it doesn't really matter how close you are to civilisation if you can't get there and no-ones going to come across you.
Posted 2 years ago # -
snowslave, thats a lovely story, and one that I'll not make any crude jokes about (though I'll just think them), but what I would point out, ESPECIALLY for hungry monkey, is that I believe Beavers are now available in Scotland.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ha, so Scotland is a soppy place with no wild bits whatsoever due to a recent beaver migration.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I ride alone, and I decided to always take a phone and gps with me. My rides are certainly not wilderness, but if I was to hurt myself badly, midweek, then I could be there some time so I think it's just good sense.
I think the gps is a good idea so that if you have to call for help you can just give a grid ref rather than trying to describe which bridleway / wood / county you are in to the ambulance controller.
Posted 2 years ago # -
i dont understand gps or maps..... i just get me bearings and figure it out... if in doubt head downhill ! it works for me occasionaly !... wouldnt go alone in the lake district tho... ! gud job i know most routes in my area. its all stored in my tiny brain...lol
only route im struggling with is my 'Ragley' thread which no-one has replied to (not even the singletrack guys have replied ? boo hoo..Posted 2 years ago # -
I think the gps is a good idea so that if you have to call for help you can just give a grid ref rather than trying to describe which bridleway / wood / county you are in to the ambulance controller.
Have you ever had actually to do that?
I had to look after someone who had taken a tumble at a TC and had possible neck damage. I went to one of those posts on the fireroad that has the grid ref on it and used my mobile to phone for an ambulance. I told the dispatcher the grid, but she insisted on having a street address. I explained the situation and whilst she was professionally sympathetic she wasn't at all happy to have a grid ref and kept asking what the street name or the road number (like "M25") was.
Took me a genuine 8-10 minutes to get her to take the grid ref and send the ambulance. (Ambulance driver knew exactly where to go!)
Posted 2 years ago # -
Nainosliw - that's quite a worry. I have thought that might be a problem but on balance I'd rather have it with me. If you're far from a road they'd probably call air ambulance or mountain rescue if you're in the hills, and of course they would understand a grid ref.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Crikey (and any other naysayers), all I can assume is you haven't ever been in a serious situation in the remoter parts of the UK mountains. I'm not refering to mountain biking, I'm refering to remote areas, in winter, solo.
There are areas in the UK, where a busted ankle could result in a 15 or more mile crawl to get out, no phone signal, no one to see a flare etc. Anyone stuck in bad weather etc could be in real trouble.
Pissing around on a bit of North Shore or FOD at Cannock is as relevant to this as rowing a boat in the local park is to sailing accross the Atlantic.
Don't underestimate the shit you can get yourself into in the UK and you don't really have to try too hard to do it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
" I'm not referring to mountain biking "
Then give over, eh?
Posted 2 years ago # -
There's a scary amount of folk these days seem to be relying on technology to get them out of trouble if they get lost or have an accident. What ever happened to learning to use a map and compass the old fashioned way? It's not that hard. No harm in having a phone or GPS, but they should remain switched off in the bottom of your rucksack untill an emergency.
And before anyone else says it, yes I am turning into an old codger!
Oh, and to the original poster. Ignore some of the rubbish that's been put on here. You posted a valid question, though in future mate, I'd not mention your mum. You're only going to get stick.
Posted 2 years ago # -
There's a scary amount of folk these days seem to be relying on technology to get them out of trouble if they get lost or have an accident. What ever happened to learning to use a map and compass the old fashioned way? It's not that hard. No harm in having a phone or GPS, but they should remain switched off in the bottom of your rucksack untill an emergency.
Agreed, you don't need a GPS to give a grid ref!
Posted 2 years ago # -
in all fairness hes asking what precautions you take, by that one would assume something like a bothy bag, bivvy bag, first aid kit, wooly pully? etc. he hasn't mentioned gps, spot, plb's etc. just a phone.
will some folk get off his back and give him a serious answer and not be a bunch of pedantic heroes that have luckily never been in trouble before,
for all you know he might be able to use a map and compass but is asking for advice on what else to take.
jeez, sometimes this forum really gets on my titsPosted 2 years ago # -
A bit off track,but! - a number of years ago,a shepard mate of mine found a tent in the hill when out lookin for his sheeps.Said mate unzipped tent,then rezipped it sharpish like - a young lady had taken (a few )tablets,passed aways - as you do,and then proceeded to decompose for a few weeks in her nylon coffin.Cops took her off the hill by simply picking up the (waterproof) tent and sloshing her down the hill.She was only one mile up from the road(in Sutherland) - so the moral is,NEVER take it for granted somone will find your bones in time.Not all of the UK is overrun!!!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Taking the less used paths I regularly go for multi-day rides in Mid Wales without seeing another person.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I carry a life adventures bivvy bag for worse case scenario, weighs ounces, and sometimes have a SPOT satellite messenger on my pack, but I don't carry that on local trails, only when in the mountains and not confident on mobile signal working for worse case. Would have to be an emergency though before I called in a MRT. If you're in the mountains, I think along similar lines to my mountaineering pack with the emergency gear I carry, maybe leave the ice axe at home, but this last winter I carried Kahtoola microspikes for hike a bikes. Snowdon has a railway and cafe, it still takes lives most years, so what is and isn't wilderness isn't that valid imo.
Posted 2 years ago # -
in all fairness hes asking what precautions you take, by that one would assume something like a bothy bag, bivvy bag, first aid kit, wooly pully? etc. he hasn't mentioned gps, spot, plb's etc. just a phone.
will some folk get off his back and give him a serious answer and not be a bunch of pedantic heroes that have luckily never been in trouble before,
for all you know he might be able to use a map and compass but is asking for advice on what else to take.
jeez, sometimes this forum really gets on my titsIf that's me you've having a dig at then you're mistaken. I'm very supportive of the guy who posted the original question. He's obviously looking for decent advice and that's what a lot of us have tried to give him, along with encouraging him, and others, to go out ride in the (so callled, but it's not really) wilderness. I don't know if he can use a map or compass or not, but I'm guessing he can't. I'm not criticising him for that, just suggesting he learns. There are plenty folk on here would be happy to help. We've all been there at some point.
I did, I'll admit, suggest to him that he shouldn't have mentioned in his post about being out of phone range of his mum. That was what brought him some stick from the so-called "wits" on here.
Posted 2 years ago # -
boblo - Member There are areas in the UK, where a busted ankle could result in a 15 or more mile crawl to get out, no phone signal, no one to see a flare etc. Anyone stuck in bad weather etc could be in real trouble.
Interesting as there is nowhere in the Uk you can be more than about 7 miles from the road and thats quite hard to do. Most "wild areas" are only 3 or 4 miles from a road
Posted 2 years ago # -
TJ. try getting out of Knoydart or Fisherfield Forest in 7 miles. And, just to be pedantic (never one to miss an opportunity), I wrote 'get out' not '15 miles from the nearest road' and as you'll know, a crows flight path is not always the most helpfull.
Thanks DNF for the SPOT link. That's just the sort of thing I was looking for. I'm doing a solo round of the Munro's later this year and wanted some form of reliable comms in case of 'an incident' when in the darkest reaches of the Highlands.
Settle down at the back, it won't be used at Llandegla anytime soon
Posted 2 years ago # -
Someone fell over drunk walking home from the pub late at night late last autumn. It wasn't even that cold. They were discovered about 6 am, at which point they were in very serious trouble indeed with hypothermia or whatever. This was about 50 metres from my front door in central Manchester - a lot of people live here and walk around at night. We even still have milkmen. And the guy wasn't riding a bike.
OP is making the point he rides somewhere where it is less likely to be discovered than the centre of Manchester, recognising there is a risk he might fall off and be without help, and asking what people do to mitigate the risk if anything.
I used to be far more sensible about this, but over the years have become less so - my wife will just know I'm off somewhere in the peak district or whatever usually. I carry pretty much exactly the same stuff with me as on a group ride, but then we all carry stuff to be self sufficient anyway. I ride with more caution and take less risks when alone, but I'm also more prone to explore daft places that may or may not make a good ride for mates later.
Ta to the OP for the reminder - I should make an effort to be more specific about where I am and what time to expect me back in future.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Ok to answer the post, better:
Always carry (most ready packed in Camelbak):
Spare windproof, Beanie Hat (winter), Whistle, Space blanket
Bike repair kit (patches, glue, bolts, presta-schrader adaptor, a few magic links), Tubeless repair kit, Set of pads, Inner Tube, Tie-wraps, 2 spare gear cables
co2 inflator plus 2 canisters
Multi-tool, Gerber pliers, Chain tool
Bars, Snacks, Water/Fluid
Map (if required), GPS (mainly for recording), Compass
Money, Credit card, phoneOn 'big', more remote trips:
Spare tyre and pump amongst group
Spare socks, Baselayer, gloves
Spare brake lever
More snacks and/or food for the dayThe above has been assembled through want/need over the years - don't now carry a spare hanger, as mine is non-detachable.
Posted 2 years ago # -
The point about being not far from anywhere in the UK is all well and good, but then consider the possibility of a broken leg or similar. You can't ride, can't walk, no-one is around or likely to come along, and the weather is turning nasty. Will your survival kit keep you alive? (not necessarily comfortable)
The great thing about the UK is you only have to worry about 1 day's exposure at worst before you are found, so it would be silly to go and die of exposure in that time, wouldn't it?
Posted 2 years ago #
Topic Closed
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