Hi. I used to camp and travel with others outdoors for a living, now I always travel alone. In fact the Moot is the first time in 20 years where I will be camping with other people!
Alone
- Thread starter boatman
- Start date
I normally go walking and camping with a group of 12 around two or three times a year bit of a social gathering we are all ex-work colleages and gone our seperate ways but get together every year and have done this for about the last sixteen years, but I also do quite a bit of 'Wild Camping' and due to the rest of the group are not too keen I tend to go out on my own, I know the risks of going out into the wilds on my own but the golden rule is to leave infomation with friends and family letting them know where you intend to go and leave map references etc. and when you intend to return also with technology today 'Mobile Phone' as long as you have a signal you can just keep contact with the odd text just to say you are ok! I will admit I have had a couple of sticky situations being out there on my own like waking up to hear the voices of armed poachers not far from where I had made camp for the night, not sure if they knew I was there or not? but I'm here to tell the story.
Doesn't matter what you do especially in the big outdoors there will always be a risk that something could go wrong and it could happen in a group as well as when you are on your own.
Doesn't matter what you do especially in the big outdoors there will always be a risk that something could go wrong and it could happen in a group as well as when you are on your own.
I love doing stuff alone, just decided last night that i am going to do the West Highland Way starting in a couple of weeks time on my own, starting at Fort William and ending in Glasgow, no rush, no hassle trying to get other people motivated or organised or a need to keep pace with anyone (as i plan to only do 5 - 10 mile per day), living outdoors the whole way, no B+B pussies whinging about the weather or midges or paying for companies to carry our kit to the next hotel/hostel/bunkhouse, just me and the Highlands and plenty time to enjoy it at my perspective
Did the WHW in that direction too, camped out as well. Though had to carry my cousins pack for a couple of days as he knackered his knee the first day. (Ah the good old days before light weight gear!) Must admit if I were ever to do it again I'd probably miss the bottom bit off, the Loch Lomond to Glasvegas section isn't my cup of tea at all. Think you're being wise leaving it 'till later in the year as the midge seem to love you. (Must be all the stotties and bottles of dog in yer blood!
) Have fun with it and you know we'll want another splendiferious report like last time!I've been having similar thoughts about the last section as the wild camping ban on the south east coast of Lomond would force me to cover more miles than i'm comfortable with so i might get as far as Inversnaid and then get the ferry over to Talbet and the coach to Glasvegas for a Megabus back to Geordieland.
Still struggling to adapt back to city life, feel like i was a technology addict and i am trying to resist getting sucked back in after accidentally breaking my need for a constant fix when living wild for 2 weeks.
Prepare yourself for a shock, i don't eat Stotties and don't drink alkihol at all, last stottie I had was over a decade ago when i stopped eating white bread and the last drop of alcohol i drank was vodka in 2008 Crimbo and then i only had a double and was mortal as I hadn't drank before that in 3 years, even got a stotting hangover off it.
I know i'm a bloody strange excuse for a Geordie as I even feel the cold now and then.
Still struggling to adapt back to city life, feel like i was a technology addict and i am trying to resist getting sucked back in after accidentally breaking my need for a constant fix when living wild for 2 weeks.
Prepare yourself for a shock, i don't eat Stotties and don't drink alkihol at all, last stottie I had was over a decade ago when i stopped eating white bread and the last drop of alcohol i drank was vodka in 2008 Crimbo and then i only had a double and was mortal as I hadn't drank before that in 3 years, even got a stotting hangover off it.
I know i'm a bloody strange excuse for a Geordie as I even feel the cold now and then.
I've been to some cold places, but the coldest I've ever been was working on the Hadrian shipyard on Tyneside in November. It wasn't even properly cold, just above freezing and a horrible damp east wind blowing. The natives were walking around with only t-shirts under their overalls, talking about how mild it was for the time of year.
As an aside, one of the funniest sketches that I've ever seen was Geordie of the Antarctic:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFoRHWw2Dp0
To get back to the thread, whilst I like travelling with another person or a very small group, I prefer travelling alone. Whether I'm out for an evening's hillwalking or a week canoeing, it means that I can do exactly what I want, without having to consult anyone else.
For most people these days that is a very rare, and liberating thing. There's no-one else to please, and no-one else to blame. If you're camped at the head of a remote loch and the weather comes in, it's your choice whether to sit it out or battle the elements, with the attendant risks. Personally, I try to make sure that I have enough food and whisky for an enforced stay.
Cheers, Michael.
Nice post Cumbrian, like you small groups are OK, a best mate and/or dog brilliant, but nothing really beats waking up before sunrise (or up hear in the north when it doesn't really set) and being alone. Love it. And like you say if you don't feel up to it a day in the tent with a good book and a brew is pretty darn nice too.
(Loved the Geordie of the Antarctic! Never seen it before).
Cheers GB.
(Loved the Geordie of the Antarctic! Never seen it before).
Cheers GB.
