Sleeping with the Stars

This year I've been getting back to basics, trying to simplify my life and concentrate on the good stuff. That has mostly been achieved by getting off the sofa and getting outdoors for some fresh air and adventure.

There is so much you can do without splashing out money on expensive trips and entertainment. One of the simplist forms of adventure is to go for a walk. Now, if you add in a night of wild camping and cooking your dinner under the stars, then you're really getting somewhere!

The beauty of this is that you can do it pretty much anywhere. You don't need to be in the mountains to have a wild camping adventure, you can do it within just a few miles of wherever you live. Alastiar Humphreys is a pioneer of the doorstep adventure, and has written about many of his #microadventures on his website. Have a look for yourself and get inspired: http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/

A few weeks ago I got dropped off a few miles from home on a Friday night, just before it was getting dark. I had a small day packon my back containing a sleeping bag, some water, a very small camping stove, and the ingredients for one of my favourite camsite meals, corned beef hash! 

I walked for about 2 hours, deep into some very overgrown woodland that clearly had not seen any regular visitors in a long time, apart from the local Deer population! Once I'd fought my way through the chest high stinging nettles I finally came out of the woods and up onto an open hillside overlooking my home town of Bicester in Oxfordshire.

My bed for the night was a £10 green string style army hammock I had purchased from eBay. I found a suitably discreet spot, tucked away between two trees at the top of the hill, and started to set up camp. It soon became apparant that my hammock was not the best £10 I've ever spent. You live and learn!

Too short and too narrow to actually sleep in, it was going to be an interesting night's sleep. Once I'd made the best I could of my bedding situation I turned my attention to a roof. The weather report was for a dry night, but you never know. I successfully erected an old army poncho above my makeshift bed, to keep the wind out and keep me dry in the event of rain.

So, dinner time! The sun had set by now and I was looking out across the hilside to the suburban glow of the town below. Making a comfy seet on an old log I set to the task of cooking dinner. Using my old army mess tins (you'll see a theme developing here, I spent 5 years in The Army Cadets as a boy and rescued much of my old kit from my parents loft!) I cooked up the onions, potato, corned beef and beans to make myself a delicious hot dinner. 

With a full belly and heavy eyelids after a busy week at work I was ready for bed. I climbed into my sleeping bag, and spent an interesting night half suspended in my hammock and half resting directly on the ground. It was a peaceful night, but I've slept better. 

I have since invested in a 'proper' hammock. Thanks to seasoned adventurer Dave Cornthwaite I'm now the proud owner of a Hammock Bliss Sky Tent:  http://www.hammockbliss.com/  Dave has a great review of it on his website: http://www.davecornthwaite.co.uk/blog/?p=871 

Part of the plan, apart from an evening walk and a night sleeping under the stars, was to follow it up with a run/jog/walk back home in the morning. Packing up camp was swift after a quick ham sandwich for breakfast, and then I was ready to head home.

I left my camp site just before 7.00am, and enjoyed a 1.5 hour gentle jog and walk home. It was about 9 miles in total, and I got home in time to enjoy another breakfast with my family, this time it was bacon, eggs, toast and fresh coffee! After a nice hot shower I was ready for the day, having already had an adventure before many people were even out of their beds!

If, like me, you are short on time but have a hunger for a little adventure in your life, I can highly reccommend getting out of your front door and finding some wild camping spots near to where you live. As long as you are respectful of the environment, take your litter home with you and be careful about where you camp, you can have a mini adventure of your own on a minimal budget.

I'm looking forward to many more nights under the stars, and am building up quite a list of routes and wild camping spots all within a short distance from my home.