Barney's Bimbles and Adventures

Sometimes camping trips don’t always end up being as successful as you’d like them to be. I think that was the case with my latest overnight adventure in between the Christmas and New Year celebrations. The weather forecast was pretty brutal, cold with strong winds and heavy rain! Taken on their own I can deal with them relatively easily. But when these thugs of nature join forces, they have a tendency to make life difficult for the outdoors enthusiast. However, I was determined not to let mother nature get in the way of my enjoyment and prepared myself for a typically English winters day. After all…..’if it aint raining, it aint training’! Without further ado, I layered up with some warm clothing, donned my waterproof jacket and trousers, strapped on my heavy backpack and battled through the wind and lashing rain to reach my usual camping spot. Happily I was meeting some friends there who had already camped out the previous night, we’ve made a bit of a tradition of ...

After last month’s epic yomp across the North Downs, I vowed that my next camp would be a nice and relaxing hammock camp. Well, I was true to my word and packed my rucksack with all the essentials for a comfortable night in the woods, namely:  Beer, Sausages and Chocolate! Who needs a Lofty Wiseman survival tin or Dave Canterbury’s 5c’s of survival when you have those three crucial ingredients!! It was also a timely opportunity to enjoy the seasonal transition from Summer into Autumn. Pretty much every ‘outdoorsy’ person I know loves Autumn, it’s very easy to see why. Even at this early time of the season you can see the diverse Autumnal colours begin to emerge throughout the woodland. Those pesky mosquitos have started to disappear, there’s a slight chill in the air and my favourite jumpers have started to re-appear from the depths of my wardrobe. There’s no doubting that it is a great time to enjoy the outdoors. I headed up to my usual camping spot in my local woods,...

On recent camps, I've become a little conscious that all I've been doing is visiting the same patch of woods and doing the same kind of thing. It was all good and well, but sometimes it’s worth taking yourself out of that comfort zone.  I had some time off work in August and I started to hatch a plan for my monthly wild camp. I had a desire to go on a hike and wondered what it might be like to get the train somewhere on a one-way ticket and then walk back home. I immediately reached for my maps and looked at potential options. It had to be a reasonable distance and I also wanted it to be a pleasant walk that offered up some nice views. My eyes were immediately drawn to the North Downs Way. This is one of Britain's 16 national trails which criss-cross our green and pleasant land. The North Downs Way covers more than 150 miles from Farnham in Surrey to Dover in Kent. Much of the trail runs through designated Area...

“Summertime…and the livin’ is easy”…. Ella Fitzgerald sang that. An amazing song with some amazing lyrics, but yet I’m left wondering if she ever went camping in the summer! I’m not sure the Livin’ is so easy when the sun is blazing down on you and the insects are trying to have you for dinner! Regardless of my little rant, I’ve just returned from two wonderful nights in the woods. Yes it was hot, yes it was sweaty and yes I was under attack from a few mossies. But it’s not all bad, I still got to kick back and relax in my hammock, practice some bushcraft skills and chow down on some good food cooked over the camp fire. It's always nice to have the second night in the woods, it makes it feel like even more of an adventure. You've got to think a little more carefully about what you need to carry into the woods. This time I also wanted to challenge myself a bit more by leaving the camping stove at home and relying on the good ol' camp fire for cooking and boiling w...

What a glorious time of year to be headed out on a camping trip in my local woodland. Spring is in full flow with summer just around the corner, Bluebells are everywhere, the wildlife is buzzing with activity and the seasonably cold crisp nights are followed up with mild and (occasionally) sunny days. Kent has benefitted from a very mild and fairly sunny few weeks and I was chomping at the bit to get out and enjoy some time outdoors. This time it was even better as I was out for two nights over the Mayday bank holiday. My plans this time were to do relatively little other than enjoy the glorious surroundings, cook up some food, catch-up with friends, practice some fire lighting techniques and find time for a spot of whittling. When camping in the woods for a couple of nights, it’s can be a bit of a challenge packing everything into the rucksack. As always, this takes a bit of careful planning and organisation. You quickly learn about what you’re prepared to carry and what...