A last minute change of plans saw a window of opportunity open up for me to get out in the hills of Snowdonia (Wales, UK) for an overnighter. I had a place in mind as I’d ridden there many times before. For some people bivvying out on your own in an old quarry may not the primary choice especially on Halloween but for a quick fresh air fix it was for me.
After quickly loading up my ever faithful Salsa Mukluk I made the 25 minute journey by car to my starting point. I only had a short amount of miles to go and the terrain was fairly flat with just a small amount of climbing near my destination. The wind was blowing a fair bit as I made my way down the valley to the hills in the distance. Whenever I load up the Mukluk I’m always happy at how well it feels fully loaded, it just feels perfect like that’s how its supposed to be ridden.
Apart from the headwind the going was fine, I passed the old damn which burst its banks in 1925 killing 17 people lower down the hillside as the water flowed unnoticed into the village below. After turning off the utility company gravel road I made my way onto the old miners track on its stone paved surface to the quarry overlooking the valley. Upon reaching my destination the wind was blowing strong down off the mountain side. I decided on bivvying in one of the remnants of a building which only stood about 3 foot high.
After 30 minutes of rebuilding the walls were raised more than enough so I could sit upright without my head touching the tarp above.
I also brought some firewood as I knew the area was sparse of any and I quickly got a fire burning as the early night drew in.
As I knew it would be a long night I treated myself to some flamed grilled lamb steaks followed by toasted welsh cakes (dried fruit in flat breads) and washed down with some vin rouge!
As the night drew on the wind eased with every passing hour and after the usual restless nights sleep the morning brought some much needed sun.
After a morning brew it was a quick clear up and I made sure I made no trace of me being there. Then a quick blast back to the car with my soul happy I got that fresh air fix without being spooked by the Halloween ghoulies.
Awesome write up! Sounds like you went first class. That lean-to looked to be a sweet setup, outta the wind. Nice!
Thanks Erv, glad you enjoyed the write up! First class is the only way to go 😉 I’m going to be doing more of these bivvies in 2018 as part of my bivvy a month….
Awesome! Looking forward to more ride reports and pics! Cheers!