Bivouacs

Bivouacs Sleeping out can be a fun activity. Nights can be cool even when the days are very hot, so make sure you have a good sleeping bag and use an area that has some natural shelter such as an earth bank, stone wall or hedge.

Tip In the summer months midges can be a real nuisance so select a windy spot such as a beach or hill top and bring repellent. One way of making a bivouac is to hang a ground sheet over a length of rope tied between two trees, as shown. Heavy stones keep the bottom edges of the bivouac in place. An even simpler version uses a wall for support. If you have a bivvy bag you can sleep on top of this and get into it at the first sign of rain. Place your boots upside down and pack all your gear into a plastic bin liner in your back pack. Bivvy bags come in various sizes, the larger one allowing you to store gear and even to dress in if it’s raining.

This is fine for calm weather, but it should not be used in windy conditions as a strong gust could drag the stones on the wall down on top of you. Don’t make bivvies out of natural materials, ie. sticks and fern as this is no longer environmentally sound