So, tomorrow is the start of Winter but the days start getting longer again. I’m celebrating in my now customary style by bivvying out and raising a toast with a hip flask of whisky..

Do you have anything special planned?

Oh I thought you were coming to watch Crankworx at mine, like we do every year?

Brought my bike over to the west coast of Ireland where it gets dark a little later and plan some rides over the Kerry mountains. But it’s the rainy season… again.

Start of Spring to me!👍

Not doing much I don’t think unfortunately though.

Still days getting longer… roll on Summer!

Spring? It’s minus 4C here at the moment!

On the upside, I’ve already seen a meteor, the stars look amazing and Sirius is flashing a bright emerald green (for a while I was convinced it was a helicopter).

Oh I thought you were coming to watch Crankworx at mine, like we do every year?

😂

You’re bloody mad.

Enjoy the tipple & sleep well 🙂

Do you have anything special planned?

Yeah, in a day or 2 I shall be mainly eating Turkey. And then eating pig meat wrapped in pig meat.

Plus drinking lots of grape juice.

😉

scotroutes

Member
Spring? It’s minus 4C here at the moment!

On the upside, I’ve already seen a meteor, the stars look amazing and Sirius is flashing a bright emerald green (for a while I was convinced it was a helicopter).

10 degrees here in Kent at the moment.

Other than that, you have me totally beat.

Enjoy the solace and the Solstice my friend.

-4 I can cope with.

You would need a snorkel to bivvy round here tonight

Slàinte mhath anyway

Nice!

Enjoy!

Excellent.

I hope that jj55’s traditional summer thread – the thread he has done for years – wasn’t closed for this.

About time! I had to use my headtorch in the woods at the other day because I couldn’t see that trail – 2.30pm!

Hah, when I looked out this morning it was white with a hard frost. So much for your predictions of being mild…

Sorry I missed it, my back was bad enough as it was, without adding in the freezing cold…

Nothing really fancy tonight. My GF finishes work late so we’re just walking up a local hill with views over the brecon beacons to watch the sunset and have a hot chocolate. I allways feel like this is a turning point, and soon the snowdrops will be out and leaves forming on the trees. bring on the spring!

we’re just walking up a local hill with views over the brecon beacons to watch the sunset and have a hot chocolate. I allways feel like this is a turning point, and soon the snowdrops will be out and leaves forming on the trees. bring on the spring!

Excellent. Live is for living, not wishing away.

My choice of pitch was wise. It was at least 2C colder down in the Strath on my way home.

Good effort Colin 👍

A couple of shots from this morning.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2i3LN3s]P1060227[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2i3JiHx]P1060230[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2i3LMjD]P1060233[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2i3MLEm]P1060234[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2i3MTrh]DSC_0868[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

I like this, fair play

I normally celebrate the 21st with getting my closest mates together for some drunken fun times, which we did last night and it was great. Your bivvi looks amazing though! We’re heading out for a hike and camp on the first weekend in Jan, so have that to look forward to 🙂

Not me, but two pals did the http://www.ridetothesun.co.uk route (100 mile, overnight, Carlisle to Edinburgh) on the Edinburgh Just Eat town bikes, to raise money for FreshStart. Did it no problem too 👍💪
https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=2605082099528606&id=772698899433611

I was excited about having a bit of extra light in the evening, so I looked up the sunset times and I discovered that the earliest sunset time was actually between the 8th and the 18th. So the evenings have actually been getting lighter since the 18th despite the shortest day being today. Mind boggling I know…

Annual winter solstice dip in the Thames for a few of us.
It was a little fresh and very flooded, but a great feeling.
Oddly look forward to the cold showers now!

Not sure I can manage a whole night in a bivvy though. That’s tough.

That looks like it was a clear, crisp and cracking morning OP.

Respect ✊

But it’s the rainy season… again.

It’s Ireland, it’s always the rainy season!
Well, except for around 35 minutes in June or July.
In 2022.

and soon the snowdrops will be out

I was wandering around Biddestone this afternoon, just before popping into the pub for a quick pint, and had a look around the churchyard, there were already some Primroses out!

Rode bikes in the mud, went to the pub. I hope it dries up (even a little) soon.

That looks an excellent bivvy, CC.

I didn’t do much- just went out for a bit of a gravel ride this morning. Which was fun tbh.

I’m not sure I accept the Solstice as the first day of winter – seems daft. The meteorological definition of winter as the three coldest months on average (December, January, February) seems much more reflective of reality.

JP

How very gregorian of you.

Top of pen-y-fan at 06.50. For the past decade a group of us have walked up to see the sunrise. This year however there was no sunrise or visibility and it was bloody freezing up there. We’re usually down for 8.30, spot of breakfast and home by 10.30 feeling smug having done that before most people even get out the house.

Oh, very cool. I’m not normally an early morning person but you are right about that sense of smugness you feel. Love the photo too. Very atmospheric.

I got out for a very muddy local ride with a mate last night

It really is wet and muddy at the moment. Rode in hiking boots, gaiters and long trousers

We have a Solstice tradition of hosting a few short hours of a local ride around the woods near Glamis in Angus. This is then followed by soup, wine and cake by the fireside. 23 folk showed up this year to have a slide around and while it was a bit muddy in places, no one actually needed hosing down before being let in the house, so that’s a result. Every kind of off-road bike was there, even a few with batteries but the less said about them the better. Especially on the way up Hunter Hill, where the fierce climb seems to have been designed to suit battery power over leg power alone..