Woodland camping trip: March 2017

Just three weeks after my previous camping trip, here I am packing up my backpack again for my March camp.   This time I was meeting up with a group of friends at a campsite in Essex for an overnighter.

I like to have different options for sleeping and shelter. Sometime I take the hammock, other time's a tent. On this occasion I opted to sleep on the ground in my bivvy bag under my tarp. The weather was forecast to be dry and fairly mild so I wasn't overly concerned that I'd need lots of warm layers for sleeping. I made do with my new Alpkit three season sleeping bag on top of a Multimat self inflating mat.

I always enjoy the process of setting up camp, it's a rewarding feeling when you have everything set-up. It's good to try different tarp configurations and practice the different knots needed for the ridgeline and guylines. I have also been getting into the habit of crafting my own tent pegs (saves weight in the backpack!).

With camp set-up it was time for a cup of tea and some bacon butties for Lunch. I also helped with the camp chores, gathering some firewood. In doing so I found a nice bit of seasoned walnut to use for some whittling. Sadly I didn't capture any photos of this as the spoon went terribly wrong while I was axing out the rough shape. I guess its all part of the learning curve. I ended up taking some of the walnut home so that I can practice in the shed (hopefully it'll feature in a future blog post).

My camp mates were also practicing some bushcrafty skills. Some were making rocket stoves with silver birch. We also had some delicious bannock bread on the go (thanks for the recipe Des!!) It was also the season to be tapping the silver birch for its sweet sap. I recall reading that it goes well with a good single malt whisky. I couldn't help myself, trying it with a dram of Glenlivet and can thoroughly recommend it!!

As day turned to night the sharp tools were packed away (never a good idea to be swinging axes in the dark!) and I cooked up some delicious burgers for dinner. My camp mate Des showed an innovative way to wash up the frying pan. Birch leaves and water! The two combine to create a natural cleaning agent and scrubber, it worked really well.

A pleasant evening was spent around the fire, regaling tales and staring into the hot golden glow of the fire. I tried to take some arty long exposure photos but I'm not entirely happy with the results. More practice needed!

I enjoyed a great nights sleep, perhaps a little too warm in the three season bag but was able to leave it unzipped. Some folk seem to favour their hammocks over ground dwelling, I'm learning that I can enjoy an equally comfortable night no matter what sleeping option I go with. It's all part of the fun. The important bit is just getting outdoors and enjoying yourself.

As always, we packed up camp and ensured that we left no trace (first rule of camping!!).

So that's my third camping trip in three months. I'm determined to squeeze in one camping trip per month for this year and am really looking forward to future camps throughout the coming Spring. I'm looking forward to practicing new skills, learning more about nature and writing many more blog posts on my adventures!

Thanks for reading.