Wild Camping on a Whim

Since my last trip, which was not an unqualified success, I've been itching to try again.  This last weekend looked promising,  but then high winds and rain were forecast for Sunday so I wimped out.

On my voyage of discovery, I have discovered that campsites don't  like bivi bags.  They like you to be "fully enclosed".  Bivi bags are best suited to wild camping, which has some advantages over campsites: it's free, and you can do it in lots of places.  Some disadvantages  too:  it's not strictly legal, no showers or toilets etc.  And, unless you have been there before, how do you know where to find a suitable  out-of-the-way spot?

I wanted to try it,  but I was a bit scared of the "what ifs" running through my mind: what if I can't  find anywhere?  What if I get asked to move on in the middle of the night?  What if I camp on an ants' nest?

So I decided to do a very simple trip, to somewhere  with lots of open space, high up so it would be well drained,  with plenty of trees for cover.  Somewhere I'd enjoyed a lovely off-road ride during lockdown, not too far from home.  

The weather forecast was promising for tonight (Monday): no lower than 9 degrees, so I packed my panniers and went.  No tent, just a bivi bag, only one sleeping bag this time, and a tarp, (just a square to form a tent roof with no sides).

Well-drained?

Got there around 30 min before sunset, cycled around some tracks, much muddier than I remember them;  found some not very promising places, and then an OK place in some woods, not far from the track, but it was dusk and nobody was about.

Pitched the tarp between 2 trees, just like on YouTube,  boiled some water for tea, all good but quite dark now.  Couldn't  find the teabags - drat, left them at home.  Never mind, a nice meal of Instant Noodles, Curry Flavour, and I was all set for bed at 6pm.

The night went OK.  There were a few tiny insects around - I discovered later they were beetles.  Wakened by a plane rumbling overhead, I realised it must be 6am,  when Heathrow wakes up, but no, it was 9.45pm.  I fell into a deep sleep again. 

In the middle of a lovely dream, I was suddenly woken by someone - something - an ape-like figure - stroking my hip!  Instinctively  I knew I wasn't in danger, but I was paralysed by the shock. I couldn't  move, and I could only feebly croak "brrrr".   Then I really woke up.  I think it was a dream, but I'm not certain.

A bit cold near dawn, so I decided to get into the bivi bag as well, and slept until the Robin alarm clock went off at first light.  Up at 7.15 and away by 8.15, but without breakfast, so I stopped on the way home.  Just 34 miles, but a successful trip.