Calling all [hard core] campers.
Andy told me about a challenge the other day, something that I’m becoming increasingly more excited about. The 84km Bivvy Challenge is pretty much self explanatory, it’s 84km (52miles), you sleep in a bivvy and it’s challenging. So what more can you need to know?
You need to be out for a minimum of 48 hours, so if planning a weekend, leaving Friday evening works for a Sunday evening return. There is an ultimate version which is principally the same thing, but 168km (104miles); I think I’ll be attempting the “regular” version this time round.
I’ve mentioned it to some folks at the county DofE meeting, and there seems to have been some interest, I also spoke to family about it, and I think we may do it together. 42km a day is very doable, but sleeping outside, in a bivvy is something you may like to try if you haven’t done it before; it’s not necessarily for everybody.
At the very least, you’re going to need a [decent] sleeping bad and a survival bag (those orange plastic ones will do). Upgrading to a better bivvy may well be an option, but as ‘better’ kit will [probably] both increase the weight and the feeling of being comfortable, be sure to do both in balance.
For those of you in England (although, this applies to other places too), you’ll need to have a plan for camp, you can’t just drop site anywhere, permission is often needed. The challenge isn’t about breaking the law, so be careful, and follow the wild camping code.
So, take a look at the site. I find it all really very exciting, but it begs only one question…are you up for it?
