Try wild camping, they suggested. 

It’s legal in Scotland. 

You can camp anywhere you want. It’s fun.

It’s free!

Never done any camping- let alone wild- but I’m open to trying new things right now so why not?

Borrowed gear. 

Learnt to put up a proper tent for the first time, in our back garden.

Attended some webinars by the British Mountaineering Council about safety and navigation. 

Just about got used to the idea of wet wipes instead of a shower since it would only be one night.

Looked at potential locations during daily wanderings.

Then at 3 in the morning, in a safe and comfortable Airbnb, I woke up to use the loo and thought, 

“Wild camping crew don’t talk about being scared to come out of your tent in the middle of the night to squat on the floor in the dark when you can’t see whats going on and are disoriented. All the chat is about not being afraid to wee and poo in the daytime” 

Then I thought of the time when I’d stayed in an Airbnb wagon thing which was really cute and cosy and pretty much lovely in every way … apart from the outside toilet. I genuinely nearly wet myself rather that walk across a field on a dark, cold February night/early morning in Essex to use the toilet which seemed a mile away in those circumstances. What if some cows attacked?

Is comfort the enemy of adventure? Maybe I’ll have to rethink this wild camping thing…

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For the next few months I’ll be writing about a wider ranger topics than usual because I’m taking some extended leave and expanding my horizons in a variety of ways. I hope you’ll come on this journey with me.

Links to select external writing

Outside Voices (ebook and interactive project compilation)

Inclusive Classrooms, disrupting power dynamics (article)

The Unexpected Leader (book)