Masterclass
Plan the perfect bivvy!
An overnight bivvy is a brilliant thing. You can travel fast and light, sleep in out of the way places like caves or clefts overlooking a spectacular view, and there’s very little between you and nature. Which is exactly the reason that the perfect night in a bivvy actually starts at home, poring over weather forecasts and maps to come up with a plan for a dry and clear night in a stunning location and with good company.
There’s nothing better.
1 WAIT FOR CLEAR SKIES
So you can stay dry and enjoy a night looking at the stars. Light winds mean you can sleep high on the hill without the noise or discomfort of the wind blowing your bivvy bag all night. Check wind direction to help find a bit of shelter from perhaps a stone wall or an obliging contour. If a strong westerly wind is blowing, an east-facing cwm will give some shelter.
2 LOCATION IS EVERYTHING
My preference is to be up high so that I can enjoy stunning views as the sun rises. Wherever you are, you will want somewhere flat enough to stretch out on, ideally grassy but otherwise not too rocky so you don’t have to construct a platform. A stream nearby allows you to carry less water (and even less weight).
PACK LIGHT 3
If you want to get up high into the mountains, it’s much easier and more enjoyable to do so with a light pack. I use a Pertex bivvy bag and down sleeping bag. I also carry a lightweight Jetboil stove and my normal kit for a day out in the hills.
4 STAY DRY
When it comes to getting into bed at night I tend to put all of my kit inside my rucksack and use that as a pillow. If I’m concerned about rain or snow I will use a big dry-bag to put everything in (including my boots) just to make sure I won’t be cold and wet the next morning.
5 GO FOR THE SPECTACLE.
April to September is probably the best season to bivvy, as the Milky Way will be visible in the Northern Hemisphere, the days are generally warmer, the nights shorter and the rain less frequent. Perfect!
6 AVOID THE MIDGE.
These little blighters can ruin even the most glorious bivvy and are most active between June and September. Conditions they love are still, overcast, mild days, and dawn and dusk. Conditions they hate include rain, wind or bright sunshine. Avoid them by camping high up, or on very calm days camp on an exposed spur to catch what breeze there is.
7 PLAN YOUR ESCAPE
All being well you won’t need this, but if you’re going on a multi-day backpacking trip, sometimes, on these not-always-fair isles, a bit of bad weather is unavoidable. If this looks likely, I will plan escape routes in advance so that if I need to get off the hill in the middle of the night with blurry eyes, I do at least have a plan of attack.