We spent a night wild camping this weekend and it was brilliant. I’m not sure I have all the adjectives handy but it was fun, restorative, easy, relaxing, tiring, peaceful, happy, an adventure, and just what we needed.
It was just Mac and I. Nico was sorted at home so we slept in the back of the car which was an adventure in itself. We have an inflatable camping mattress which although comfortable when you are lying still, it is really a bouncy castle. Added the that, the car was pretty high on stones to keep it level so it was a bit of a struggle to climb in and out at bedtime. I just about managed with my 5’2” but Mac, being 6’2” said it was like trying to climb through a letterbox wearing a sumo suit.
Part of the excitement of a night wild camping and sleeping outdoors is the sleeping part and even with the rolling around and moving the dog off our heads when we needed to get up in the night for a wee, and actually not having that much sleep, it was still a really nice experience. I lay in until 6.30 and only got up because Mac needed to dig out the stove from underneath me to make a cup of tea. It wasn’t as dark as I expected it to be but it was quiet, really quiet which was just lovely.
One of the things we’ve been struggling with, since our two weeks of doing nothing when Mac came home from hospital, is slowing down and doing nothing. It should be easy and I know I’ve talked about this before so it is obviously something I still think I need to figure out. I did notice that just like when I walk alone, it took a while to stop thinking and worrying about conversations, chores, leaving work at home, Nico, my mother-in-law, Josh, and the usual worries and thoughts we have.
Once I did though, I found it really nice to be away from the TV, the laptop, and the normal at-home stuff that pulls us in, even when we have a day off. Spending 24 hours in nature was truly soul-nourishing.
We walked to the top of a (really steep) hill to watch the sun come up, we collected pine cones, we walked, took photos, had cups of tea, and just sat, Mac shot video and played his didgeridoo. I read a tiny bit and I thought I might have done some note-taking but I didn’t. I just wanted to sit and walk and do nothing, so that is what I did.
We’re already planning the next trip.
The food was pretty basic because I didn’t really want to cook, and unlike last time when we took a pineapple camping, we didn’t take anything fancy. I cooked a chicken the morning we left and we just had that and salad and overnight oats for breakfast the next day. I really enjoyed this experience and it’s something we will be repeating.
So here is what we ate while we spent a night wild camping plus the rest of the week’s meals. I missed last week’s what we ate so I am going from Monday of last week to include the weekend here.
Monday
- Breakfast – Overnight oats with peach and granola (eaten in the woods)
- Lunch –Pasta for Nico, Mac and I had pan + tomate
- Dinner – Chicken wings and chips for Nico cooked in the little frying pan like my Gran used to. Mac and I had leftover lentils, turned into Sloppy Joe’s
Tuesday
- Breakfast – Overnight oats with toasted almonds and plum
- Lunch – Hummus on toast with tomatoes + cucumber + goats cheese (inspired by this dish)
- Dinner – Huevos Rancheros
Wednesday
- Breakfast – Overnight oats with fruit and nuts (again, eaten in the woods)
- Lunch – hummus on toast again with tomatoes and cucumber
- Dinner – lentil chili and rice
Thursday
- Breakfast – Overnight oats with fruit and honey and nuts
- Lunch – Bread and tomatoes with cheese and cucumber
- Dinner – lentil bolognese
Friday
- Breakfast – Overnight oats, with something on top that I can’t quite remember!
- Lunch – Bread and tomatoes
- Dinner – Leftover lentil bolognese with extra chickpeas to bulk it out!
Saturday
- Breakfast – Overnight oats and banana and nectarine and chia seeds
- Lunch – Pasta salad with tuna, cucumber, and sweetcorn
- Dinner –Cold spicy roast chicken with salad
Sunday
- Breakfast – Overnight oats with banana and peach and nuts
- Lunch – Bread and tomatoes
- Dinner – Leftover chicken with rice, black beans, and sautéed courgette, leek, and garlic.
Things to note
No nut lady at the market that week but we had plenty of fruit and nuts from last week left so I made a flapjack for the weekend.
We had two mornings this week in the woods, plus our weekend break so I’m feeling really grateful
The time away just flew by, I really couldn’t believe how fast it went, given that we didn’t really do very much. It was so good that we want to do it again soon but we need to find an alternate sleeping solution – the mattress is just too bouncy!
We had really heavy rain the day before we went camping which was a relief from the heat and I actually wore long leggings at night which was a nice change. I think I’m ready for autumn now.
Have you been wild camping? Do you have somewhere to go where you can relax and unplug? I’d love to know.
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