UK Mountains Expedition Report

I have been asked a number of times, what is a 'bivvy'. Well, it is like camping without a tent. You take a large bag to sleep in, usually it is waterproof - if you have any sense that is. Actually, some might say that by going bivvying proves you have no sense, but each is entitled to his or her opinion. In my case I have a large orange one that is waterproof and large enough for me to sleep in, plus all my gear in case it is wet. The great advantage is that it is very light, the disadvantage is that there is nowhere to escape the elements should it turn nasty. So it was that we went on a bivvy trip.

The weather forecast said cold, clear but sunny all weekend. We were going to Wales, we nearly fell for it - how can it not rain in Wales? It always rains in Wales, best be prepared of course.

The plan was to travel to the bivvy site Friday night, stopping off at an excellent chippy in Abergavenny for a last hot meal of the weekend - well a last recognisable meal anyway. That done, we got to the site about 8:30pm and set about locating the best spot. I had arranged for us to bivvy in a wooded area that I knew close to the Storey Arms. It had the benefit of being close to the car, well sheltered and quite dense, if it rained, we would stay dry. We then spent a happy hour watching Robin show us how to light a fire using dead wood from the forest and Fire Steel for the spark. Finally the fire was going and we huddled round - by now it was getting a little cool.

I had sent out a recommended minimum kit list some weeks before, but could not help commenting on the knife that Robin had bought. I had suggested a Swiss Army type knife for general use, but Robin had bought a huge Rambo knife - I wondered out loud what he expected to encounter over the weekend! Bringing such things is all very well, but you have to carry it for two days. Think compact, think lightweight - do I really need it?

As usual with this type of outing, there is little to do once the essentials are out of the way, so we decided to hit the sack as we had a long day ahead of us tomorrow. I had arranged the site to be near public conveniences so that the team members could be let in gently, rather than having to dig holes straight away! There was a steady procession to and from the loo, taking full advantage.

I was soon asleep and had an excellent nights sleep, being well toasty in my three layer sleeping bag. For this type of trip where the temperatures do not drop significantly below zero, I use a three season bag with fleece and silk liner. In this way, I can customise it depending upon the temperature at the time. For much colder temperatures I will take my high-altitude down bag.

We were up and about by 7:30am, planning to leave by 09:00am. Frantic activity boiling water for a hot meal and a brew whilst packing gear away is a fine art, but one well worth acquiring, otherwise you will keep the team waiting. Everyone managed and we were off by the appointed hour.

We headed off for the first mountain of the day, and in fact, the highest of the day, Fan Fawr. This sorted the men from the boys and it wasn't long before we were well spread out. The day was clear and bright so I was happy to allow people to ascend at their own pace, stopping every 15 minutes or so to allow a regroup and a breather. Of course, had the weather been bad, or the visibility poor, then we would have had to keep much closer together - losing clients is bad for business!

The route was a tough one, we spent most of the morning either walking up, or walking down a mountain - cross graining as it is sometimes referred to. The weather changed at an annoying rate, first it would rain, prompting the donning of waterproofs, then 15 minutes later the sun emerged - off with the waterproofs for a while only to find the next rain cloud appearing on the horizon. When the rain had finished playing with us, it was time for the wind to have a go. We put on more layers to keep out the cold, then descending into a valley, found ourselves too hot so had to remove layers again.

I normally wear a thermal top; sub-zero or similar, or a T-Shirt if it is warm, and have an extra top I can pull on easily over either or both of these to keep the wind out. In addition I take a gore-tex waterproof jacket. For my legs I find a pair of cammo trousers (I am the guy with the yellow camouflage!) to be sufficient with waterproof leggings in case of rain. On my feet I will wear a thin pair of socks, usually coolmax, with a thicker 1000 mile pair. This avoids blisters as the socks move against each other, not against my skin. Also I take a pair of windstopper gloves and a thinsulate hat which will cover my ears. If it is likely to be colder, I will add a windstopper jacket and if there is likely to be snow on the ground, take waterproof gloves. Windstopper gloves are fine, but are not waterproof. Finally, if it is very cold, I will take my Deputy Dog hat - the Russian style with fold down ear muffs. The Rab down jacket only comes out to play if it is extreme!

Finally I decided to call a halt for lunch - it was 1:30pm and we were all hungry, but stopping earlier had not really been an option due to the wind and rain. I found a nice sheltered spot and we set about eating. Two of us had bought sandwiches and two decided to cook a quick meal - fine by me, I was planning to stop for 45 minutes or so, plenty of time for a boil-in-the-bag meal.

Our furthest peak of the day was an out and back affair, so we dumped our sacks by the track and walked up unencumbered, much to the delight of all present - freedom! We were happy with leaving the kit. In all the years I have been walking and climbing, I have never had anything stolen, plus we had seen one other group all day, and hey, if someone wants to make a run for it with my pack - let them try, I'll soon catch them up!

From here on, there was a good few miles of fairly flat walking, a nice rest after the mornings exertions. I had not finished with the torture though. We could see the bivvy area from some distance away and it looked to be at about the same altitude that we were currently at, boyed by this, the guys started talking of how soon we would be there, an early dinner, plenty of time. Oh dear! Sorry guys, I am afraid there is a valley between us and the site and we have to go down this side and up the other side, and it is steep! Going down wasn't too bad, I located the path and we followed it to the road. Where the road crossed the stream I suggested a water refill as I could not guarantee water at the bivvy site - as it turned out, there was none, so it was a good plan to get it when we did. Now for the tough bit, legs were tired from the day, but there was one final sting in the tail; 500m of ascent in less than a kilometre - that is steep. I suggested we all make our own way up and meet at the top. This we did, with each person being about 5-10 minutes behind the other. Once regrouped, we set off along the old Roman Road to Sarn Helen where we would be stopping. Andrew and I went ahead to look for the best site as the sun had set and it would be dark very soon. We found a suitable area and as soon as the others arrived, organised ourselves with sleeping systems and food. Robin got another fire going and again we searched out wood - much harder this time as there were much fewer trees.

About 9:00pm it was getting cold so we decided to hit the sack, also it was not raining, so better to get into bed in the dry than when it is raining. Three of us slept under the basher, whist Dave preferred the open air.

A reasonable nights sleep, though any extremity out of the sleeping bag was soon pulled back in as it was quite cold. My thermometer registering -2.0 degrees C. My watch, which I was wearing, also has a thermometer built in, which registered +30 degrees C - toasty!

Sunday morning - Lethargy ruled. No-one wanted to get out of bed, we were all happily snuggled up, but it had to be done, so with great reluctance we struggled into our smelly clothes and got up. The worst bit is always the bit between being in bed and being dressed, so is best done quickly.

Breakfast, as with all meals, consisted of boil in the bag food and a brew. I am a fan of these, they are light, have lots of calories and are easy to make. The ones I use also have resealable tops, so can be used to hold camp waste - tissues, matches etc. I am very much in favour of taking everything away, or burning it. Remember; take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints. I hate coming across litter in any form, it is an eyesore and can be dangerous to animals that live there.

We decided on a change of plan. Originally I had planned to take a long route round to Pen-y-Fan and Corn Du, the South ridge and then descend to the car at a convenient point. One of our team was suffering from blisters and sore feet, so the plan changed. We would descend to the car directly - about 4-5 mile distant, dump the gear and walk up Pen-y-Fan from there instead with just a single pack between us. We got to the car about midday and found the burger van irresistible. A mug of tea and bacon and egg burger all round stoked us up for the afternoon walk.

From here, Corn Du is less than one hour distant, with The Fan a few minutes further. The day was clear and sunny so off we went, soon finding ourselves in tourist land. We had seen four others all day yesterday, today there were hundreds. As we summited Corn Du, I commented that it had been some years since I had had a decent view from The Fan. No sooner had I said it than the mist started to roll in! Luckily there wasn't much and we arrived to be greeted by excellent views all round. Five minutes for photos, food and drink and we set off on the return journey.

1 ½ hours after setting off, we were back at the car. The expedition complete. A celebratory lager all round, change of footwear and we set off for a well-known chippy in Abergavenny.