With the UK still in the midst of a heatwave it made planning this month’s bivvy trip a little easier than normal. Its great to know that you’ve got a good dry spell ahead of you as you don’t need to take much in the way of kit. So for this one as it was forecast a dry night with a small risk of light rain early in the morning I again left the tent at home and just took the sleeping bag and bivvy bag for my sleep system.
After a 50 minute drive to the start of my intended route, I started pedalling just after 7pm. The sun set was at 9:30 and I knew that with some faffing taking pics and filming I’d be at the bivvy spot for around 9pm. The evening was still hot after the day’s record temperatures as I first set off through the forestry. My Salsa Mukluk was feeling great after a recent full service as I made my way along the stoney singletrack for a couple of miles. As I came out of the forest the view opened up to show Snowdon (Wales’s highest mountain) in all its glory and the area I intended to bivvy (in the dip on the right hand side) at Bwlch Cwm Llan.
I passed by some old slate quarries and got to the station just as the Welsh Highland Railway pulled in.
Then it was a steady climb up the mountain on the old access track to the quarries further up. It was all rideable as the surface was bone dry. I didn’t see any one else during the ride up, just the mountain sheep looking on at me. As I got nearer the top of the ‘dip’ I had to push up as the track was strewn with large chunks of slate here and there which was a shame as the track till then was great.
I got to my intended bivvy spot on time and picked a flat spot close to a wall overlooking the valley on the other side. As I got set up I could hear see a few people descending the mountain on the Watkin Path that is one of Snowdon’s tracks in the valley. The sun quickly dropped and the full moon light up the night sky. The wind was virtually non existent as I settled into my sleeping bag. As I lay there I gazed up at the clear sky and saw a gazillion stars.
I woke just before 7am and the surrounding hills had low cloud over them and the wind had picked up a little. I sensed the change in the weather so I decided to quickly pack up the gear into the Apidura seat pack before it got wet. Just as I started off heavy drizzle fell which I can imagine the dry ground was thankful of.
I descended the same way I climbed and passed a few early morning walkers heading to the summit. Before I knew it I was back at the van having entered the second half of the Bivvy a Month challenge, and I must admit I’m loving it!!
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