UKC

Big birthday rapidly approaching in a few days time....To ease the pain & celebrate the event I'm heading out to Svalbard with my family for a mini Husky expedition. I will spend my last night of my 40's in a tent in the frozen Svalbard wilderness, waking up the following morning as a 50 year old before sledding back to Longyearbyen for drinks in the Northern most bar in the world

So for those about to or already have celebrated this landmark birthday what are you planning / what did you do?

In reply to Sl@te Head:

I threw a party where I invited all the people that I would like to come to my funeral! Most of them came, too, it was a great evening.

In reply to Sl@te Head:
Spent my 50th with my ex, my son and his family having a braai on a beach near Durban in South Africa.

Invited about 20 family and close friends to a formal lunch in a local pub which serves good food for my 60th.

Invited 8 close friends to join me on a 10 mile walk with a pub lunch in the middle for my 70th.

Thinking about my 80th, but quite fancy walking up one of Snowdon, Ben Nevis or Scafell Pike hopefully in snowy conditions. Picnic on top followed by a pub evening.

For my 90th maybe a flight in a two seater biplane?

For my 100th I'll leave it to the grandchildren to organise.

For my 110th maybe a visit to a high class brothel and smoke a bit of weed? Two things I've never experienced

For my 120th - you'll all have t wait and see. Will post a report on UKC on the morning after.....

In reply to Sl@te Head:

I'm thinking I'll spend mine cruising down denial.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

London Marathon, Old Man of Hoy and Mont Blanc - lucky to manage them all within 6 months in the company of good friends. Icing on the cake was my wife managed to pull off a proper surprise party for me that I genuinely didn't have a clue about. It's going to be hard to top that year for the 60th.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

For my 40th, I persuaded a bunch of friends from work to go to a 20-20 cricket match (40 overs), and it's now become an annual event.

For my 50th last year, I went with a bunch of friends mostly of similar age to Go Ape, followed by dinner and quiz at our local.

I now have plenty of time to consider my 60th!

Have a great time on Svalbard.

In reply to Welsh Kate:

Diolch

In reply to Sl@te Head:

A circumnavigation in an Oyster for me. Problem is if the boat is too big wife won't like it the same as if it's too small. Anyway just thoughts at the moment.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

40th was a big all weekend party out in the peak district, bunk barn and camping. Friday night there were about 100 people, and more on Saturday night. It was great!

50th we were touring the Alps in our van, and on the afternoon of my 50th I drove from Italy (baking hot), across the corner of Switzerland over the pass (and played in the snow) and rocked up in the Chamonix valley (amazing alpine storm rolling through) for the night. It was a good afternoon!

In reply to Sl@te Head:

40th was a quiet event just me and my wife and the effing owner of the restaurant who kept talking to us and being positive about my wife's health (to be fair she didn't know that me wife only had a few weeks/months to live).

50th I attended my twin brother's birthday party.

60th will be about me!

In reply to Eeyore:

For my 40th I spent a number of years planning to complete the Munros, Corbetts and Graham peaks of Scotland all on my 40 Birthday(same day) Such as life my first son was born 5 weeks premature the day before and therefore put that one to bed.(although everything was in place) Still think it was the better present.
As it turned out I found out to my surprise this had already been done twice before. I discovered the Donalds hadn't been included so within 6 months had included them to make the quadruple completion on the same day.

That was 7 years ago so better think what for 50. Definitely not a new baby.

In reply to fmck:

Thanks.

To the OP - sorry if I pissed on your parade

In reply to Sl@te Head:
For my 50th I packed my bike and camping gear, and headed to the Cairngorms for a few days ( to avoid any risk of a surprise party which I would really have hated)
I'm now nearing my 60th, so I need to plan ahead to be somewhere else that day too.

As it happens I have recently been invited to a surprise 60th party by a friends wife.
I have known him a lot longer than she has, and he will not like a surprise party( even less than me) .
I think I will dodge that one, it could end badly.

In reply to Sl@te Head:
I have a twin sister and we threw a big 70s party at the Kip Marina for our fortieth. This was after a flying visit to Barra, Mull, Iona and Staffa over a long Weekend the week before.
10 years earlier I went up Liathach for my 30th with 3 of my closest friends which Spidean a Choire Leith was my 100th munro at the time. We partied in Badachro that night.
My 50th was also shared with my twin sister
A 1920s themed night at her house which was great fun.
I would hope to do something as adventurous as your celebrations for my 60th.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

I'm riding this

http://reportage.transcontinental.cc

In reply to Eeyore:

Sorry reply was meant to Op. Such as life.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

3 weeks in a campervan touring New Zealand. On my return I bought myself a "manopause" present, a Suzuki SV650 sport.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

Reading with interest. It is my 50th next year and I have no plans as yet.

In reply to Trangia:
Sorry to say this mate but after the revelation your 110th is going to give you there no way on earth your making 120.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

Can mini huskies only pull small sleds?

In reply to Sl@te Head:

60th coming up soon. I'm going to hold a bike race at a local track for me and a dozen buddies with a proper coach and marshall for the safety of all involved, following which we will ride over Pendle Hill to Downham where a local cafe owner is putting on a barrel of session ale and a slap-up roast dinner.

The following month I'm going to cruise for one week in a Swallow Boat from Helensburgh through the Crinan canal, along the south coast of Islay and into Oban, something I've always fancied doing after years standing on Scottish mountains and gazing out at the islands.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

Party, a few sets of 51 solos (Windgather, Stanage and Birchen) and 51 problems (several places indoors and out)

In reply to Sl@te Head:

I'm staring at this from an increasingly close distance. 50 this summer. We've just had a do for my wife - rented a place in Shropshire, good food, walks in Shropshire Hills (despite apocalyptic weather). Splendid time had by all, but I'm really not sure about me. Problem I've had since childhood is that my birthday is in the middle of summer. Quite fancy a canoe trip somewhere remote, but less keen on mozzie/ midge population at that time. Don't just want a variation on a weekend away in pub. Hmmm......

In reply to Sl@te Head:
For my 50th I ran a half-marathon for the first time and did a "Learning to lead" course at Plas-y-Brenin. Neither was specifically a birthday thing, I'd have done them anyway, but the nearby birthday made both feel like a celebration.

In reply to toad:
What about a sea kayak trip in Scotland? You could plan it to spend the nights at B&Bs or bothies. Elgol to Camsunary is a nice easy paddle and you can nip round the headland, portage over the slabs and re-launch on Coruisk.

In reply to Rigid Raider: had been thinking more river, on the basis that I've currently got a couple of trips on the Wye, a day on the Dee and a broads trip as the sum total of my experience. However, August is a long way off still....

In reply to Sl@te Head:

2 weeks with my family in a posh villa in Majorca, with a bit of DWS at Cala Sa Nau on my actual birthday.

In reply to Sl@te Head:

For my 50th I went birding and climbing (same as for my 30th and my 40th - although 40th had a helmetless motorbike ride thrown in too). Came back home to find family had all rocked up to the Black Isle and we had a wee party. Have several years to plan my 60th. Will probably go birding again - maybe for Harpy eagle or Spoon billed sandpiper. Proper CMF birds!!

Made it, I'm now 50!

Svalbard was amazing...

vimeo.com/156157031

In reply to Sl@te Head:

For my 65th I found that the warden care in my sheltered housing became free (saving of £5 per week.)! Down side, every couple of weeks I get an irate warden(r) telling me I should wear my emergency alarm necklace thing in case I have a fall and hurt myself (Oh the irony!). I climb 6b/E1, she has trouble walking 20ft down the wheelchair friendly path. Such is life!
Enjoy all you have and take pleasure in what is to come. Have no regrets!

In reply to johncook:

Superb! made me smile.

In reply to Rigid Raider:


That sounds so lovely that I think I would like to start counting my age in base 11; that way I get a 50th in a year's time and could do that to celebrate.

Which opens up possiblities for all. Start counting in a different base and then we can all have a repeat 50th every ... ummm... five years. Wow.

In reply to toad:

I'vs just canoed the Nahanni. I'm 52 and one of our team had his 61st birthday on the river. Its about as remote as yer gonna get