What is bivvying? How to have a night of adventure – without a tent

Armed with long experience, our writer gives the lowdown on getting there, the best equipment and picking your spot for a great night in the wild

When I bivvy I'm not in search of sleep. I know I'll wake up frequently, feeling restricted by my sleeping bag. Bivvying is camping at its simplest: sleeping outside without a tent and minimal gear.

It isn't about a comfortable night's rest. It's about squeezing an adventure into a humdrum week; it's about being in nature, hearing hedgehogs snuffling and waking to the dawn chorus. It's a short, sharp dose of escapism that has become even more restorative in the past 15 months. And, while I've bivvyed on Dartmoor, on Scotland's west coast and in places in-between, most of the time I've been within 10 miles of my home in Bournemouth.