This was planned to be a two night trip, but I have the lurgy at the moment and ended up cutting it short as feeling too rough to enjoy the second night. Regardless, the overnight was lovely.
I ended up getting to the site just as it was getting dark, so it was a really quick setup and straight to getting a fire going. The temperature got down to about 2C overnight, so there was definitely a chill in the air. Perfect for trying out my new stove for the first time.
Enough wood for the night processed, lamp ignited and I was able to sit down for a bit to just enjoy the wonderful warm glow of my camp.
The paraffin lantern adds a lovely texture of warm light into the mix and I think that’ll be a new piece of kit I bring as standard to this sort of camp.
My phone is quite good at picking up light at night, so this looks brighter than it did to the naked eye but I always enjoy looking up at the canopy on nights like this.
I had a bit of rump steak and some onions to fry up over the fire, so I had those in a tortilla wrap to set me for the night. Accompanied by a pint of Guinness. Though my attempt at a cloverleaf was… ahem… less than successful.
Anyway, most of the evening was spent enjoying the warmth of the fire and listening to the sounds of the woodland around me. Isn’t it an interesting feat of evolution that we’ve adapted to find the warm glow of a campfire a safe haven?
After a few hours enjoying campfire TV and the warm, glowing pocket of sanctuary I’d created in the woods, it was time to go to bed.
Again, my iPhone camera was picking up some of the light via exposure that my eyeballs were not, so this wonderful psychedelic purple was something of a pleasant surprise.
The stove started kicking out heat fairly quickly, although I did build the fire slowly. At one point the tent got up to 30C! But settled down to the 20s for the next hour or so as I got into bed to read for a bit.
This CO monitor has a thermometer reading as well, which is very handy. I had this up higher in the tent and then a second CO alarm just above bed height near the stove. I was pleased to see small readings each time I opened the stove to feed the fire, giving me confidence that it is working.
A cosy night’s sleep was had. It was my first night in my new winter setup as well - Rab Ascent 900 and the Thermarest Neoair Xtherm (the big rectangular one). Early verdict on both of these is that they are excellent. The Ascent works well for me as a tall and broad-shouldered chap, offering much less restricted movement than the Snugpak SF 2. Thermarest is surprisingly luxurious for something which packs down so small.
Morning has broken! Now tell me that you cannot feel the cold air, the smell of the damp woods and feel the morning sun on your face from this photo.
Fire going and a hot brew to start the day, lovely.
To top it all off, I was paid a visit by a Robin who perched very artistically above where I’d chopped my wood just a minute prior.
(My overstrike guard keeps slipping down, I need to reshrink it.)
What a lovely way to cap off the trip. I left feeling glad that even though I was feeling rough, I’d had the opportunity for a dip into nature.
I ended up getting to the site just as it was getting dark, so it was a really quick setup and straight to getting a fire going. The temperature got down to about 2C overnight, so there was definitely a chill in the air. Perfect for trying out my new stove for the first time.
Enough wood for the night processed, lamp ignited and I was able to sit down for a bit to just enjoy the wonderful warm glow of my camp.
The paraffin lantern adds a lovely texture of warm light into the mix and I think that’ll be a new piece of kit I bring as standard to this sort of camp.
My phone is quite good at picking up light at night, so this looks brighter than it did to the naked eye but I always enjoy looking up at the canopy on nights like this.
I had a bit of rump steak and some onions to fry up over the fire, so I had those in a tortilla wrap to set me for the night. Accompanied by a pint of Guinness. Though my attempt at a cloverleaf was… ahem… less than successful.
Anyway, most of the evening was spent enjoying the warmth of the fire and listening to the sounds of the woodland around me. Isn’t it an interesting feat of evolution that we’ve adapted to find the warm glow of a campfire a safe haven?
After a few hours enjoying campfire TV and the warm, glowing pocket of sanctuary I’d created in the woods, it was time to go to bed.
Again, my iPhone camera was picking up some of the light via exposure that my eyeballs were not, so this wonderful psychedelic purple was something of a pleasant surprise.
The stove started kicking out heat fairly quickly, although I did build the fire slowly. At one point the tent got up to 30C! But settled down to the 20s for the next hour or so as I got into bed to read for a bit.
This CO monitor has a thermometer reading as well, which is very handy. I had this up higher in the tent and then a second CO alarm just above bed height near the stove. I was pleased to see small readings each time I opened the stove to feed the fire, giving me confidence that it is working.
A cosy night’s sleep was had. It was my first night in my new winter setup as well - Rab Ascent 900 and the Thermarest Neoair Xtherm (the big rectangular one). Early verdict on both of these is that they are excellent. The Ascent works well for me as a tall and broad-shouldered chap, offering much less restricted movement than the Snugpak SF 2. Thermarest is surprisingly luxurious for something which packs down so small.
Morning has broken! Now tell me that you cannot feel the cold air, the smell of the damp woods and feel the morning sun on your face from this photo.
Fire going and a hot brew to start the day, lovely.
To top it all off, I was paid a visit by a Robin who perched very artistically above where I’d chopped my wood just a minute prior.
(My overstrike guard keeps slipping down, I need to reshrink it.)
What a lovely way to cap off the trip. I left feeling glad that even though I was feeling rough, I’d had the opportunity for a dip into nature.
