{"id":52944,"date":"2023-08-09T15:00:24","date_gmt":"2023-08-09T13:00:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=741817"},"modified":"2023-08-09T15:35:44","modified_gmt":"2023-08-09T13:35:44","slug":"oscar-huckle-why-you-should-never-share-a-tiny-tent-with-your-friend-and-7-other-bikepacking-lessons-i-learnt-riding-the-750km-pictish-trail","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/oscar-huckle-why-you-should-never-share-a-tiny-tent-with-your-friend-and-7-other-bikepacking-lessons-i-learnt-riding-the-750km-pictish-trail\/","title":{"rendered":"Oscar Huckle | Why you should never share a tiny tent with your friend \u2013 and 7 other bikepacking lessons I learnt riding the 750km Pictish Trail\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

How did I fare on my first eight-day bikepacking challenge?\u00a0 <\/p>

By Oscar Huckle\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 09 August 2023 at 13:00 PM<\/p>

\n\n

This summer, I rode The Pictish Trail, a 750km bikepacking trail from Dunnet Head (the most northerly point of the UK) to Edinburgh.<\/p>\n

The predominantly off-road route was devised by Scottish bikepacking stalwarts, Huw Oliver and Annie Le.<\/p>\n

I was joined by my friend, Rob, who I\u2019d ridden the West Kernow Way<\/a> with. We\u2019re both very similar in ability, so we knew we\u2019d make a great team.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve been stepping up my long-distance game this year, completing one century a month, as well as some audaxes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Marin<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
At the start in Dunnet Head.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

The Pictish Trail was quite possibly my finest cycling experience to date. The route is incredibly varied and packed with stunning vistas.<\/p>\n

I certainly learnt a lot about myself throughout the trip and how to tackle an extended bikepacking trip<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From never sharing a miniscule two-man tent to (both good and bad) kit choices, read on to find out what I learned and the mistakes I made along the way.<\/p>\n

Never share a tiny tent<\/h2>\n
\"Vango<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A beautiful spot on top of a mountain but boy, was it cold!<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

With little accommodation available for long stretches of our trip, we decided to camp for four of the eight nights. Even if there were any, the cost of eight nights in even the cheapest hostel would soon add up.<\/p>\n

Scotland\u2019s envious outdoor access laws<\/a> mean it\u2019s legal to camp wherever you please (within reason). It was freeing not having to make a last-minute dash to pre-booked accommodation at the end of the day (please can wild camping in England and Wales be legalised?).<\/p>\n

I used a Vango Apex Compact 200 two-person tent for the trip. While it\u2019d do the job for a solo dweller, the claim it can fit two humans would be accurate only if both are contortionists.<\/p>\n

There is just about enough room for one person to sit upright in the middle of the tent. A second person then needs to lie around the side of the first like a coiled snake.<\/p>\n

\"Apidura<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The tent was also awkward to fit into my Apidura Backcountry pack.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Our inflatable sleeping mats could only just fit next to one another. Both of our faces were kissing our respective sides of the tent, which meant I had to sleep on my side, and I am not a side sleeper \u2013 I strongly suspect this led to an ankle niggle I developed on day four.<\/p>\n

It all reached a bit of a crescendo when the side wall of the tent caved in on the final night and Rob\u2019s sleeping mat deflated. I could hear him restless through the night and he conveniently waited until the just-about social time of 6am on the dot to exclaim it was \u201ctime to get up!\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"Vango<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Not a soul in sight.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

It wasn\u2019t all bad though. Three of the four camping spots were in spectacular locations and we certainly learnt to work as a team, be it pitching the tent or cooking.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the take-away lesson from this? I would invest in a three-man tent (or two tents) for next time.<\/p>\n

A first aid kit is worth its weight in gold<\/h2>\n
\"Stomp<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
If they didn\u2019t rub on my midfoot, Stomp Lox\u2019s Slack would be my favourite gravel shoes with their uncommonly wide toebox.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

A first aid kit is something you pack on a bikepacking trip but never expect to use. Well, it saw use almost every day on this trip.<\/p>\n

Because space was limited, there wasn\u2019t any room for a set of flip-flops to wear during the trip\u2019s downtime.<\/p>\n

Instead, I wore a pair of Stomp Lox Slack shoes for the entirety of the trip and in the latter half of the second day, the widest part of my midfoot rubbed on the central seam of the shoes.<\/p>\n

I stopped to put a plaster on my right foot, to prevent it from blistering and later on that day, the left foot also needed attention.<\/p>\n

I would begin each subsequent day putting fresh plasters on and that did the job for the entire trip.<\/p>\n

\"Riverside<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
A brief moment of respite from the thorns, nettles and hike-a-bike sections!<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

On day five, the route took us on the peacefully named Riverside Path, through the pine trees to Forres, a town on the fringe of the Cairngorms national park.<\/p>\n

Well, a more suitable name would be the \u2018Riverside Assault Course\u2019 and Rob cut his arm on a thorn so needed to patch that up.<\/p>\n

\"Merry<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Merry e-bikers and cyclepaths are a dangerous combination.<\/span><\/figcaption> Robert O’Keefe \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

We also used the first aid kit on the penultimate day of the trip, 10 miles from the finish, when Rob collided with an e-biker riding the wrong way down a disused railway path, a phone in one hand and a beer bottle in the other.<\/p>\n

Although you hope to avoid using a first aid kit in the first place, the incidents on this trip reminded me why it\u2019s a critical item to pack.<\/p>\n

Never pass up the opportunity for food<\/h2>\n
\"Porridge<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Hats off to The Rendezvous Cafe in Inverness for this top-notch porridge.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Food can be scarce in Scotland. Although we knew this going in, there were two occasions where we ran into trouble.<\/p>\n

We\u2019d planned well by stocking up at supermarkets (a meal deal became the staple lunch) and trying to get at least one hot meal a day. When we were camping in the middle of nowhere, we ensured we had porridge and coffee for the next morning.<\/p>\n

Reader, don\u2019t make the same mistake I did of buying \u2018coffee in a bag\u2019 \u2013 it was so vile I decided I\u2019d make do without my morning tent-side coffee after my first sip.<\/p>\n

\"Cooking<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Cooking chilli noodles by a river bank was a novel way to spend a lunchtime.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Rob has a pretty voracious appetite and let\u2019s say he makes it well known when he needs food. On the other hand, I\u2019m happy to keep going on an empty stomach for a while.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d packed lots of energy bars<\/a> and gels<\/a> in my Apidura Expedition Cargo fork pack in case we ran into food trouble, and always stocked up on savoury snacks at supermarkets.<\/p>\n

Before we started to venture into a remote leg through the Cairngorms, we decided to stop in the sizeable town of Forres.<\/p>\n

All of the restaurants and takeaways we tried were closed. We eventually found a fish and chip shop, which albeit particularly greasy and stodgy, did the job.<\/p>\n

\"Apidura<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
I kept lots of food in both of the Apidura Expedition Cargo fork packs.<\/span><\/figcaption> Oscar Huckle \/ Our Media <\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

I surprisingly also struggled for food on the final day, riding through Fife between Dundee and Edinburgh. You\u2019d think this section would be rather built up but the route hit the most rural parts of the Kingdom.<\/p>\n

At around 11am, I passed a Spar shop and decided that was too early for lunch so pressed on, only to find nothing until a Co-Op at around 4pm in the dreary delights of Dunfermline.<\/p>\n

I was very grateful for my reserve snacks for lunch.<\/p>\n