Growing up I was never a camper.In fact my dad pretty much put me off the idea of 'having to faff about' putting the tent up, being cold, not having a home away from home.
Just the thought of camping in my adult years sent a shiver of dread down my spine because of the imagery that had been drilled in to my brain.
So, when I decided I wanted to get away more and explore the UK it wasn't at the top of my list.
After a chance finding of a tent in the house and a few other things I actually started to think more about camping BUT then I faced the dilemma of who to go with.
Now due to various friends lives/family/jobs it's not as simple as making a decision to go camping, packing up the car and going.
To be honest the thought of organising it made going away feel claustrophobic to me.
But as with most things, this didn't go out of my head and I went back to the idea for a few months until I logged on line and did research.
That was when I realised that brave people actually went camping alone, survived and offered encouragement to others.
After a quick natter online with a few people I actually booked my first site, ordered essentials and waited patiently for the time to arrive.
I was scared to hell though.
As I'm preparing for camping in 2018 I thought I'd write a post on how camping has benefited me so far, even still as a newbie. I also want to offer words of encouragement if you're thinking of doing the same, and what I have planned to do in the upcoming year.
1. Don't let anyone talk you out of it.
The first person who tried to do this was my dad. I'll admit I'm his little girl so he worries about me no end and because of that i make sure I call him daily when I'm away.
When I first told him I was going camping, as I unpacked my delivery from GoOutdoors he was adamant I wasn't going.
Even now when I tell other people I'm going camping on my own they ask, "Why?" and give me the look you'd give someone if they had two heads.
Under no circumstances do you let anyone talk you out of it or make you feel like you're weird for camping alone. 1. I'm as safe camping as I am in my own home in my opinion and 2. There's nothing wrong with being content with your own company. Sorry I/You don't need to rely on other people.
2. Start off small and work your way up.
I had a 3 man dome tent initially that I couldn't stand in and it held the bed and the basics. I also didn't have electric and I'll admit that I was bored to some degree.
That being said I hated the idea of going back to reality.
Camping was actually okay, it was the entertainment that I needed to work on and also the fact I needed an essentials camping kit so I didn't forget anything in future... Like bed socks, and pillows .
3. Let the site know you're going solo.
This was something I do every time regardless of how many times I've been and plan to go. I always ask the site to stick me somewhere close to them (just in case) but a little out the way so I've got my own privacy. It actually gives my dad some reassurance when I go too.
4. Get out before you chill out.
The first camping trip I took and loved completely was my trip to Kings Lynn because I got up, had breakfast, went out, came home and wrote.
Writing is such a huge part of what I love doing but I hardly have the time or energy to go it when I'm home from work. But on that weekend I actually went out and explored, went back, got the wine out and the netbook out and wrote so much more in one night than I had the whole month during Camp NaNoWriMo. My head was clear and I'd not wasted a single moment of my time away.
5. The outdoors brings out my creative side.
I want to capture everything and see all the beautiful wonders of the UK through photography. I've invested (sorry bank account) in a better camera and will be starting a course soon to help me use it... so that I can take better pictures. I love photography and scrapbooking too so it'll help me capture so many more memories than I did before.
For each trip I'm making a travellers notebook to write about this, that and the other as I go about my days too.
6. Adventure time.
Before each trip I grab previously mentioned notebook and make a list of the places I want to see. Then I google the locations and see if I can make a plan for that day and jot it all down so when I get there I'm not stuck or wondering where to go and what to do. Google can become your BFF during this time because you'll discover places you've never heard of.
If anyone can think of any hidden gems to discover in the UK let me know in the comment section. I would love to learn and explore them!
This is so weird, I was sure I'd commented on a couple of your previous posts but I've just gone all the way back and can't find anything so maybe I didn't :(
ReplyDeleteAfter eight years of solo camping I can identify with many of the points you make and can probably add something to them.
1 - Definitely don't let anyone talk you out of it - if you go and can't hack it then at least you've tried it but if you don't go you'll never know, and you could be missing out on some great experiences. And there's nothing wrong with being content with your own company, in fact I personally prefer it that way - and being alone doesn't have to mean being lonely.
2 - I started off solo with a small 3-man dome tent with only enough room for myself and two small dogs, then progressed to a 4-man vis-a-vis tent with two bedrooms and enough room for some basics though it wasn't tall enough to stand up in and I got dreadful back ache after a couple of days. That was eventually replaced by a much bigger 4-man vis-a-vis with oodles of space and good head height, which definitely adds to the enjoyment of camping. I personally would never camp in a tent without a full sewn-in groundsheet, or without a hook-up cable - having power adds so much to solo camping, and being able to have some form of electric heating also extends the camping season.
3 - Camp sites are generally very safe places though I would always recommend going to one where the owner or a warden lives on site and there's someone contactable 24/7 - it's unlikely that anything bad would happen but it's good to know there's someone around if anything did. Also some sites give a small discount for solo campers so it's always worth asking when booking somewhere.
6 - Research the site's location and anywhere/anything of interest within a certain radius of it, sit down with a map book or Google and plan various daily outings - I really only use a camp site as a base and I go off exploring and photographing most days. I tend to only plan day by day though, usually over breakfast, as the variations in our great British weather can often change things at the last minute.
I don't know how much of the Norfolk area you've explored but I've been camping there every year for many years and found some great places to explore, far too many to list on here - it's a great county, especially the coastal regions and the Broads, and deserves lots of exploration :)
You're not losing your marbles.
DeleteI think at some point I'd decided to mix this blog with my main lifestyle blog and then hated the idea!
By that point the older stuff had been deleted and I had to reload them when I recreated.
Happy New Year btw!
Thank you for adding to my points. I completely agree with you.
I only really went to Sandringham while in Norfolk as I didn't have a plan until that morning but that's not to say i won't venture there again this year. Who knows lol.
:)
I'm glad to know I'm not going mad! lol.
ReplyDeleteI must confess that I've never been to Sandringham - I don't 'do' royalty - but if you enjoyed it, you like stately homes in general, and you go to Norfolk again then I can really recommend visiting Blickling Hall and gardens near Aylsham (off the A140 halfway between Cromer and Norwich) The house has lots of history attached to it - including the ghost of Anne Boleyn! - and the gardens are fabulous. Have a look here for some of my photos from a couple of years back -
http://tigermousetales.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/thursday-september-17th-2015-part-2.html