Bivvy a Month Challenge #9 – Foel Fras

So bivvy a month number 9 came by way to quick, so once again I got out on the last weekend of the month! Luckily the weather was on my side for this again.

Once again I stayed fairly local to me with just a short 25 minute car journey to the start of the trail. My plan was to bivvy out on the summit of another one of the summits within the Carneddau mountain range which was just a few miles north from my May bivvy. I chose to ride the Salsa Bucksaw for this one as opposed to the Mukluk. My thinking was I wanted to enjoy the 2500ft descent the following morning! I packed my sleeping gear and spare top in the Apidura seatpack and my tarp & food in the rucksack. I started the ride by following a Roman road for 3 miles which is a great double track with the mountains to my left and the sea down to my right.

I then had to make the 2500ft climb, first to the summit of the mountain Drum and then the long slog up to Foel Fras (3100ft). The climbing on the Bucksaw went fairly easy compared to riding the Mukluk fully loaded although the seatpack did rub on the rear tire on a few occasions, that was something I’d have to address for the descent.

As I got to the summit of Drum the wind made itself evident as it blew me up the last bit of the climb. The views were good, a nice clear day showing off north Wales in all its glory. The remaining 700ft was more of a push as I pushed up the steep grassed slope of Foel Fras. I got to the summit as the last remaining hill walkers left with an hour of sunlight left.

As the wind was blowing from the north west it meant I’d have enough shelter by setting my tarp up alongside the stone wall just 50 yards from the summit. After a hassle free set up I got my kit out and made a coffee to warm me up. The sunset was dramatic, some wonderful colours on show and the added bonus of seeing the Wicklow mountains some 100 miles away in Ireland. The stars soon light up the night sky and the temperature soon dropped leaving a frost on the tarp. As I started to get cold I got into my sleeping bag to warm up and I ended up having an early night.

I woke a few times due to the wind blowing through the stone wall alongside me. The morning brought cloud and still the wind. A breakfast of sausages and coffee warmed me up as I started to pack my kit away.

This time though I set the Apidura seatpack to the handlebars so I could enjoy the descent without catching the tire.

And so a 2500ft descent to start my day and I made it with a buzz inside me knowing that my morale was back as this one was one of the best so far!

9/12 #BAMfatbike2018