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Bivvy a Month Challenge #1

The Lookout…

The moon and stars aligned for my first bivvy of 12 for 2018 to take place over here in North Wales, UK. The forecast was looking OK for this January bivvy, cold but dry. However, as I don’t have the warmest of kit the thought of being out in the fresh air was not quite inviting. So the plan was to spend the night in a bothy or something similar. That something similar ended up being a former coastguard lookout post that I’d ridden to a couple of years ago and it was only 6 miles from my front door.

After chatting with a mate who had just recently bought a new fat bike (Specialised Fatboy), he was keen to give this bivvy challenge a go. So Bonus, 1st bivvy of the month and I’ve already got a newbie giving it a try!

After loading up the ever faithful Salsa Mukluk we made our way on the gentle seaside cycle track late in the afternoon to the Great Orme near Llandudno. The going was steady, the wind was brisk and chilly which gave me doubts as to whether we’d be warm enough that night. We passed the last of the dog walkers as the sun began to set to our left over the Conwy estuary. We were soon on the site of a former military firing range from the 1940’s. The entrances to former bunkers were only just visible through the overgrown bushes. There were a few inviting bivvy spots here as some buildings did still remain but I had other ideas.

We pushed on and headed further, the views were spectacular as we followed a sheep track where we were met by our accommodation for the night. Built into the side of the cliff face, this was a perfect lookout for the coastguard to view north and westwards and perfect for getting out of the easterly cold wind.

 

My mate Bryan was blown away by this setup and I must admit it’s a pretty special place that not too many get to. We soon cleared the floor and got set up. We got a fire going (as I’d stashed some wood earlier that day not too far away) which warmed us up and passed the time through the evening.

 

 

After cooking our evening meal on the fire and supping our hip flasks I spoke of adventures past and the lessons I’ve learned along the way. future plans were also talked about for the year ahead.

We turned in for the night and I surprisingly I had a warm cozy nights sleep.

A morning brew got us ready for the pack up as the sun made its way in the cloudless sky. We left with a sense of achievement as we rolled over the morning frost past a herd of goats that roam the Great Orme.

After stopping to dispose of some rubbish in a waste bin we made our way down on the beach which was fully exposed at low tide. As a bonus the wreck of the 1936 Flying Foam was mostly exposed due to recent storms which was awesome to see.

the Flying Foam

We soon made it home after bagging (what should be) one of the toughest of the twelve-month challenge.

So that’s the first of our Bivvy a Month Challenge posts. There’s still plenty of time for everyone to get started with a January Bivvy and join in the fun! If you’d like to share your Bivvy blog or photos, send us a link and we’ll share them in our BAM Challenge Posts. We’ve seen a few folks that are having fun with it and we invite everyone to give it a try!

#BAMfatbike2018

5 Responses to Bivvy a Month Challenge #1

  1. sigma7 January 14, 2018 at 4:38 pm #

    I like that idea! I’ve spend the night from Friday to Saturday at a lake 33 kilometers from my front door, at 805m.

    • Jeff Summittoppler Price January 16, 2018 at 2:34 pm #

      Hi Sigma7. An idea that’s worth giving it a go if possible. 2018 is going to be the year of adventures!

  2. Jimbo January 15, 2018 at 7:02 am #

    Great photos! About -24c tonight here in Ontario Canada. I really look forward to your next post👍

    • Jeff Summittoppler Price January 16, 2018 at 2:35 pm #

      Thanks Jimbo. It’ll be a challenge at -24! Brr!

  3. Becky Wareing January 24, 2018 at 8:36 am #

    Interesting read, thank you for sharing, I’ll look forward to the next one who’s ever that one will be.

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