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Believe it or not I often don't see anyone mid-week on the trails in Hampshire. Frequent solo rider here.
In fact, when I broke my collar bone in Hampshire a few years ago, I just had to get on with it. Zero chance of anyone finding me on a rainy day. Checked bike over then pedalled back to car.
[i]I'm in support of the OP[/i]
Then you should stay at home, with a full mobile signal so your mum doesn't get worried too.
ton - Member
a word or two of warning for all you tough neysayers.......
a lad i went to school with died from hypothermia after falling and breaking his ankle and banging his head.on a footpath 2 miles from settle in the dales.
When I go off solo into the hills, I usually call Mrs Druidh when I arrive back at the car, ready to return home. That, after all, is when I'm most likely to be involved in an accident.
Carry a distress flare if you are worried about solo riding in remote places
Edric 64 - Member
Carry a distress flare if you are worried about solo riding in remote places
See Tons point. Would you carry a distress flare in those circumstances?
At 16 I hitched up to Perth, then walked cross-country across to Fort William. Rang my mum (Hi Mum, I'm fine). Then walked to Ullapool, again cross-country. Then hitched home to Yorkshire. All in, about 4 weeks away.
Didn't consider it a problem at the time, but my mum mentioned it over Christmas - as my eldest is now 16 - that it was only when her and my dad went to the Highlands that they realised how isolated it is...
I always carry a whistle and foil blanket 😕
It's fortunate that large parts of the world were explored before the advent of mobile phones, otherwise we'd all still be living in villages frightened to death by the dark woods...
accidents happen everywhere. near or far from home.
one person's wilderness can be anothermans back yard.
so like the man from hill street said............'let's be carefull out there people'............. 😉
@ crikey
Um don't mean to be discourteous and all that, but think you've missed the point. OP was asking what emergency equipment people took and whether they rode alone, not whether he should stay at home with his mum rather than venturing out.
It's 2am and I just got in from my commute home along the River Severn.
Quite often in the Winter, as I commute one way, I can see my untouched tracks from my previous journey the other way, which makes me realise that if I had fallen in and been unable to get out for whatever reason, I would still be there 12 hours later.
I'd still rather ride along the river bank than along the road though.
Wow just came home from work and its seems what I though was a simple question (ok I admit maybe wilderness was the wrong word) has grown legs and caused great debate.
A simple answer like space blanket, whistle, extra clothes would have done the trick.
@Crikey I'm really sorry for upsetting you with my misuse of the word WILDERNESS. 😆
Thanks for replies people made for interesting reading.
druidh - MemberFrankly, I'm surprised I've lived so long...
I thought you were a ghost?
Sorry for the pedant point - wilderness is an overused word IMo - there is not much of it in Scotland and none in England. How far do you think you can get from a road in England? Its only a few miles in the wilds of Scotland.
However the worst crash I know of happened to Sharki - in the quantocks where you are never more than a mile or so from a road.
I went solo nightriding in snow in the pentlands - hardly wilderness but a immobilising crash would have been nasty as it was well below freezing - apart from I told my missus where I was going and when I would be back so hopefully would have been rescued before dying.
Its all about risk assessment and taking sensible precautions
I think it's just common sense to let someone know where you're going, and when you plan to be back - I once went out for a ride in the Cairngorms that I thought would be 2.5 hours but took over 5. GF was well annoyed, but justifiably so. If you have loved ones it's selfish not to take these precautions.
Plastic survival bag, foil blanket, emergency sweeties all the usual spares and tools, plus a spare chain. My rucksack weighs a ton with a full 3-litre Camelbak in it, too, but I'm superstitious enough to believe that the time I leave something out will be the time I need it.
A simple answer like space blanket, whistle, extra clothes would have done the trick.
LMAO - on a forum like STW? - yer having a laff! 🙂
I always take tools, whistle, space blanket, very small first aid (paracetamol, antihistamine cream, antiseptic - if I was ever to have to walk out with a broken shoulder or ankle I reckon a few paracetamol just might make it a tad less unpleasent) emergency food and extra layers.
I sometimes have a phone with me (I'm sure you all know this but dial 999 on yer mobi and it will find whatever signal it can - doesn't have to be your supplier) but don't regard it as safety equipment as too unreliable. Ditto GPS. I've thought of a big plastic bag just in case but haven't.
Not sure I agree with the statement thats theres no Wilderness south of Perth. Kielder is pretty isolated in parts. Surely it's open to interpetation of the word "wilderness".
Johnboy373 has asked a reasonable question and has had a couple of fair replies and some heckling, which is fair enough for here I suppose. If any of the hecklers here rode the Kielder 100 did you laugh at, or refuse to take, first aid kits or a space blanket? It's just common sense out in the hills, wilderness or whatever you want to call it. The point is that in the event of an accident in which you're incapacitated, and they do happen - remember you helmet? - you need a bit of backup. That's all.
Could Crikey have missed the point any more spectacularly?
Plenty of places in the British Isles, yes even in tame old England, where you could lie around unable to move, with no phone signal, without seeing anybody for quite a while. The OP asked what measures people took to mitigate for this, not whether Crikey was a big tough man who would never find himself in such a predicament!
The OP's question is very valid.
It's all about avoiding the plummet into the bottom of the incident pit.
I would carry spare clothes (full waterproofs, fleece, gloves and buff), a whistle, space blanket and atibonk food. Head torch and emergency LEDs for the road haul home. Money and a mobile phone can be useful too, if only for helping you once you reach civilisation - the escape route can place you a very long way from home.
There's actually no real wilderness in Scotland. That's just a term used to gloss over the genocidal way the original inhabitants of the highlands were removed.
But back to the point, when you're out on your own you should have enough stuff on you to fix your bike. Generally the worst thing with a broken bike is you have a long walk.
You should be able survive an overnight in foul conditions if you get injured. Bearing in mind that this sort of situation probably means not all your limbs are working properly 🙂 Warm clothes and food are essential. Usually water is chucking down or lying around in this country so no need to carry too much of that.
I carry all this, but I realised after my incident the other day that if I had been slightly unluckier, I would not have been able to pull on another layer, so from now on I'll carry a zip up belay jacket instead of a pullover fleece. I'm also going to add Buffalo bootees, hood, and mitts when I venture into more distant parts. Delaying or preventing the onset of hypothermia is probably the most important thing if you are physically not able to self extract from a situation.
You should make sure someone knows where you are likely to be, even if it's just to stop them panicking and wasting the time of emergency services.
Of course, you only need to carry this stuff if you are going to have an accident. If you're not planning one, you don't need it. Unfortunately my accidents have always been unplanned, so I have to carry it just in case 🙂
...is the best kind of cycling.
Regarding my previous Cycling Home At 2am post...
I live on my own and rarely carry a phone.
When I was single I used to joke that if I had an accident while bench pressing in my back garden I could be trapped under the bar for days before anyone found me.
I guess it does depend on how pedantic you want to be about the meaning of the word "wilderness" and whether the question is about being stuck a long way from civilisation with a broken bike and a long walk home, or being injured and unable to move with little hope of being found by a passer by.
Wilderness?? On your own?? Squeal like a pig boy!!
He he - Listen!..... I hear banjos
Then you should stay at home, with a full mobile signal so your mum doesn't get worried too
FWIW my mum is 88 and doesn't know what day it is far less what I'm up to.
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)
yeah, you wouldn't want to take a helmet, especially if alone. I mean you might fall off and break it
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.
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.....
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.
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...
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?
...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.
crikey, FFS amigo!, stop being sensitive and diplomatic and say whats on your mind 🙂
Ok, ok, I admit I'm running with the idea and taking it too far, but you get my point of view.... 😆
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.. hahahhaha
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)
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?
I keep one at home
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.
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. 🙂
Ha, so Scotland is a soppy place with no wild bits whatsoever due to a recent beaver migration.
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.
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..
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!)