I've lost count of the number of times this month's BAM got pushed back. I'd originally planned to sneak off and sleep in the hills near to our Airbnb while in Wales on a family holiday early in the month, but I wasn't ready for the level of faff it took to sort out six adults and three children and I didn't feel like I could disappear off. I also picked up a cold or something, so that made me less keen to spend a night outside.
That cold took a while to recover from, so it wasn't until the 28th that I felt any kind of motivation to get out.
It was another local one this time, about 12km away from home, going really slowly the whole way through mud & puddles because I couldn't be bothered to deal with getting wet & muddy.
My first choice of bivvy spot was a no go – I'd decided that given the choice I wouldn't climb a fence, go through a closed gate (not on a right of way) or go past a no entry/private sign. And the gate which had always previously been open was now closed, so I continued on to my second choice and first ever wild camp/BAM spot only another 10 minutes away.
I stopped for dinner midway to the backup bivvy spot, using a handy bench to make matters quite civilised. Packet mash and some blocks of cheese is filling and easy (I normally add some cured meat chunks too but didn't have it this time).
Wildlife was plentiful once I arrived, with bats, deer, various birds, rabbits and many other unseen, but heard, visitors joining me.
The night was colder than expected and this was on of the 1/2 nights my thermarest decided to stop holding air so I slept pretty cold despite the actual temperature not being that low.
I'm getting used to deciding that I'm comfortable with the sounds and weirdness of just laying down in a random field and switching off to sleep.
The rest was pretty uneventful, I woke at a reasonable time and packed up and made it home in time to marshal at our local Parkrun in the morning.
