Life's A Beach (bivvy)

My first solo microadventure and bivvy. Ever since reading Ronald Turnbull's "Book Of The Bivvy" and Alistair Humphries "Microadventure" I fell in love with the idea of using a bivvy bag and wild camping literally anywhere. 

pictured anywhere...

Originally I decided on bivving on top of Kinder Scout around Grindslow Knoll. Having walked around Edale a few times and the fact it is relatively easy to get too via train from Liverpool, it was for me a good location for a first time wildcamp/bivvy. Unfortunately my fiancée didn't agree and was convinced I would be brutally murdered and dismembered by a disgruntled/homicidal farmer/sheep/midge/bear. As a good compromise for my first bivvy we "agreed" on somewhere a bit closer to home and with good mobile reception.

So I was going to pop my microadventure cherry and go bivvy on top of the sand dunes between Formby and Ainsdale. These dunes are one of the best remaining strongholds of the rare natterjack toad, Europe’s loudest amphibian. The pine forest that lines the coast is also home to the red squirrels a which has unfortunately been out-competed by it grey Canadian cousin across most of the UK. The dunes and the forest are also home to sand lizards, great-crested newts and a fantastic variety of orchids and other wildflowers.

Before I embarked on my maiden microadventure/bivvy, I headed into Liverpool city centre to eat, pick up last minute supplies (beers) and then jump the train to Freshfield station. I arrived at Freshfield station around 7ish then slowly waddled (severely over laden as I was carrying 4 litres of water of which over the night/morning I drank exactly four beers instead) up the Fisherman's Track across the golf course, through the pine forest and onto the sand dunes. 

Route map

I crawled up and down a bunch of dunes until I was satisfied I found the highest one. On top of my perch I enjoy a well deserved beer (or two) and watch the sunset. From my adopted bedroom I could see the headland of the Wirral peninsula, the Snowdon massif in the distance, make the outline of Lakeland Fells and see Blackpool and high ground of the of what I think was the forest of Bowland.

Enjoying a well deserved beer.

The sunset

Snowdon in the distance

Blackpool

the forest of Bowland (maybe?)

The conditions were fantastic, a bit too fantastic as my 3 season cheapO synthetic sleeping bag was feeling a little bit warm. Not to fear though as the temperature dropped during the night. I woke few times during the night but soon drifted back to sleep to the sound of the Irish Sea gently lapping on the beach. The next morning I woke about 4ish with the sun, caught the sunrise and then I managed to snooze for another hour before I had to answer the call of nature. 

The sunrise

I then sat back in my bivvy and tried to make a brew where upon I discover the gas canister I had brought didn't fit my stove!! So I munched a cereal bar and enjoyed the early morning views. It was quite striking just how alone I was and how wild it felt. This despite being mere 30 minutes walk away from a dormitory town with its 25k inhabitants mostly tucked up in bed. After chilling and doing zero for an hour or so I got up and fully dressed before ceremoniously pouring out 3 and half litres of water keeping half a litre for the walk back the train station. I then packed up and explored the beach and the pine forest before heading back to the station. I got the first train back to Liverpool, had a shower and was treated to breakfast with my fiancée. 
All in all it was an awesome experience and I learnt a lot for the next time.
Lessons learnt
2) Test gear before you take it out.
3) wild is a state of mind rather than a location.

Mid packing away

My morning walk through the woods 

1) Be brave and travel light

If I was camping on Kinder I wouldn't have had carry so much water as there plenty of fresh water sources to purify. Water aside though I was carry far too much unnecessary crap - one example being a micro fleece sleeping bag liner for a 3 season sleeping bag in the middle of July. 

The stove I bought was a little cheap one from Sports Direct and the gas was from Amazon. Both in isolation were perfectly capable pieces of kit. however, when combined (or in this case not) they were completely useless. The schoolboy error was not checking whether they were compatible and doing a test run at home. I'm just glad it was fairly mild morning on a beach than on a cold blustery night on the dark peak that I found out they weren't compatible.

Even though i was only half an hour walk away from a small town I felt a world away, completely isolated with only the sound of the sea to keep me company. Waking up with the sun, stirring out over the irish sea and just doing nothing was amazing. I simultaneous felt small/insignificant compared to the world and somehow apart of it. The rhythms of the sea and the breeze flowed through me connecting to me the world making feel a real part of it.