October 2018 Wildcamp: Camping in a wood with strangers!

There’s said to be lots of spooky goings on at the end of October. Young witches and ghouls knock on strangers doors asking for sweets while others, of a less sincere mind, patrol the streets looking for the next house to egg! It’s a strange time of year indeed!

With this in mind, you’d be forgiven for thinking that I might have been a little silly wandering into an unfamiliar woodland to meet a bunch of strangers. I didn’t know whether to honour the Halloween traditions by asking them for sweets or throw eggs at their tarps! But all was well as they formed part of a local bushcraft group that I had recently joined on Facebook. One of the great things about this pastime is that it’s never too difficult to strike a conversation with folk that share your interests.

After getting a little ‘geographically challenged’ in the unfamiliar wood!, I called for some help (thanks Chris!) and eventually headed into camp carrying a rucksack which weighed a ton! That’s when you know the cold weather kit has come out to play! Three season sleeping bag, Hammock under-blanket, long johns, heavy duty smock, hat and gloves…it all adds up and is a good deal heavier than my spring/summer camping outfit. I was also packing a bit of extra food! After last month’s budget food challenge, I felt obliged to spoil myself by getting some posh nosh in for this trip!

For this camp, I decided to take my hammock and tarp. I’ve done a lot of ground dwelling this year and it’s been a while since I’ve slept in the ol’ dangle sack. It’s always a satisfying feeling when you’re ensconced in your hammock at night and gently rock yourself to sleep. It was also a good opportunity to practice the knots that are useful when pitching the tarp as I haven’t actually pitched one for the last couple of camps! I ensured that I pitched my tarp a suitable distance away from my fellow campers as I wouldn’t want them to endure my snoring!

I finished setting up my shelter and squared away my kit just as my camp mates had finished collecting fire wood and getting the fire started. Feeling somewhat guilty at my idleness, I tried to do my bit by cutting the big bits of wood down to size. I also went to work on a piece of chestnut and crafted a simple pot hanger, this would come in handy later on when I make an apple crumble for pudding.

Having spent much of the morning completing the camp chores, it was soon time to get lunch on and become more acquainted with my new camping buddies. There’s a fairly small community in the bushcraft and wild camping circles and never was it more evident than when I was sat talking with these gents. It transpired that we all knew similar folk and had frequented the same events, our path’s will undoubtedly have crossed on many occasions! As we sat there chatting, I felt as though I’d known them for years rather than minutes!

For lunch I dragged some hot coals out from the fire and cooked salmon fillet, asparagus and onion in my skillet. If I was trying to impress my new friends with my culinary delights then I was probably setting the bar a bit too high. Little did they know that I usually settle for a cremated sausage on a stick!

I shan’t lie though, salmon cooked over the fire was delicious.

After lunch it was time to have a bimble and explore the resplendent Autumnal woodland. We collected a few chestnuts to make a seasonal afternoon snack and marvelled at the Buzzards soaring above the canopy as we explored some of the trails. One of the Chris’ (there were two!) buzzed around taking some amazing photos of the seasonal delights, while the other Chris shared his impressive knowledge of the local fungi population. As for me, well I always find myself looking up when I walk in the woods. I’m desperate to catch a glimpse of a sleepy Tawny Owl perched upon the branch of a grand old tree. No such luck on this trip, one day perhaps…..!

As we returned to camp, it was time for another cup of tea. I sat by the fire and started to whittle an owl as I waited for my water to boil. I didn’t quite get it finished but I’ll probably re-visit it on another camp, it’s nice to have a little project to work on when sat around the fire.

For dinner, I cooked up some pigs in blankets and fried eggs to go in a couple of bread rolls. I was very impressed when I saw that my eggs didn’t stick to my cast iron pan – eggs are always a good test for a non-stick surface!

I decided it was time to introduce my campmates to the delights of the one pot apple crumble. I shan’t go on about the crumble as I’ve spoken about it quite a bit on my previous blogs. Suffice it to say that I made enough for everyone and it went down very well indeed. Once again, big big thanks go to Neil (aka ‘Greencraft’ on youtube) who shared the recipe in one of his videos. It truly is a taste sensation and has become a regular feature on my cold weather camps!

A period of calm satisfaction descended on the camp as we all sat around the fire with our bellies full of food, time to crack open a beer and enjoy the fire. There was a definite chill in the air, temperatures had dropped down to four or five degrees and I think this was the time of year when the fire truly serves it purpose as both a beacon of light and central heating. We regaled a few tales of camping trips of old, tested ourselves with a bit of pop trivia and considered the pros and cons of carrying a wee bottle (I don’t!!) as we listened out for the ubiquitous sounds of the hooting Owl and shrieking Fox.

Rain was forecast to arrive at around midnight and it was pretty much bang on time. We decided it was an opportune moment to turn in for the night and what a great way to drift off to sleep, wrapped up in a warm sleeping bag listening to the relaxing sound of rain on the tarp. I woke myself up a couple of times snoring, but annoyingly I also woke at 2am in desperate need of a wee. I blame it on the talk about wee bottles because I almost always make it through the night. Me thinks that the pitfalls of age might be starting to creep up on me! I considered again whether I’d want to carry a wee bottle in my camping kit……..not on your nelly, I’d rather get up and do my business than risk weeing on myself in my hammock or bivvy. That’s not the kind of warm sensation I’d want to experience in my sleeping bag!

Rain persisted through most of the night, I awoke in the morning and dangled out of the hammock as I reached for my trangia stove. The first order of business, as always, is to have a cup of tea and it’s always a pleasure to enjoy that in the comfort of your hammock.

I slowly packed my gear away as the rest of my camp mates stirred. No matter where you go camping and who you go with, you’ll always have the same conversation in the morning….”Did you sleep well?”……”Was you warm enough?”. It’s like a form of camping Tourette’s. Often my fellow campers will answer these questions as they make a dash to the loo!

What a pleasure it was though to meet a new group of wild campers and share a camp fire with them. Despite all the negativity that can often be associated with social media, this little gathering really galvanised the positive’s that can also be experienced. I look forward to the next camp.

As always, we took time to clear up our mess and ensure the campsite was left in a better condition than when we found it. It was re-assuring to see that my new camp buddies shared that value.

Thanks as always for reading, I must conclude by saying a big thank you to Chris 'EMBA' Clarke for allowing me to use some of his photos in this blog, basically he took all the decent photos!

Link to Chris' YouTube channel: 
https://www.youtube.com/user/1976Equilibrium