Well, I did it, first night in the woods and escaped relatively unscathed...
Packed my kit and couldn't believe how much room it took up. Most of this was the sleeping bag (which I was bought when in the Scouts nearly 25 years ago - just calculated that, makes me feel very old... it's a synthetic fill mummy bag from Cotswold Camping, with a cotton lining, so quite comfortable but just very bulky). Wasn't that heavy, fortunately, and the walk to my camping area was only about 20 minutes so I grabbed the dog and headed out
To get to my campsite, I had to walk through a Woodland Trust reserve. Noticed someone had built quite a funky debris shelter, albeit right next to the main footpath. They hadn't left any litter which was great:
Got to my campsite. It's in a wooded gully in between two fields. You can only get into it from one side as the other side is completely overgrown with bracken and brambles. Getting down to where my pack is involves clambering down some small cliffs anyway. The tree my pack is resting on is where the head end of my hammock was strung:
Strung up my ridgeline. As I've mentioned in other threads, it's a £-shop paracord line with two loops in it. Between these loops is a paracord whoopie sling to tension it. The dry bag I use to store my hammock in is suspended from the line to keep it all off the ground. As the weather was forecast to be good, I didn't put the tarp up:
Strung the hammock up with my homemade whoopie slings and soft shackles. I've modified the hammock (a Tenth Wonder) by putting some eyelets along the side. These have two functions, firstly, they help keep the camping mat from slipping out and secondly, the hammock can be pulled up around me in a cocoon to make things extra cosy:
A close-up of the lacing. It makes getting into the hammock/bivi really difficult but I think it's worth it once you're in:
Once I'd pitched the hammock, I took my cooking stuff over to a flatter area (with less chance of setting my stuff on fire!). As you can see, even from this distance away, the hammock isn't that visible. Was enjoying a cup of Waitrose Pea and Mint soup whilst my main meal of Supernoodles with lamb kofta was cooking. The dog at this point had vanished. Being a spaniel, he's constantly on the move. I heard him barking in the distance and initially thought he'd run into some other dogwalkers (he gets fear aggression). It was when a large deer bolted in my direction down the gully, panicked by the dog, that I realised this wasn't the case. The deer saw me and turned around. It couldn't climb the cliffs and really started panicking. Eventually, it thrashed away though the undergrowth and out of sight. I recalled the dog and gave him some water. Spaniels get easily dehydrated and he more or less finished my entire water supply. I knew then I'd have to tie him up just to stop him running about
Dinner eaten (and very tasty it was too), I decided to climb out of the gully to see how visible my campsite was going to be to someone walking by. It actually took me quite a while to spot my own camp and I'm not even sure if you can see it in this photo:
It started getting colder so I wriggled into my sleeping bag/bivi and got comfortable. I'd put the dog into a coat (we use it for when he's in the convertible
) with a harness around him. To this, I'd attached a webbing strap and this went in a loop around me and the hammock. The advantage was that the dog could sleep under the hammock (I'd forgotten anything for him to lie on) or get into the hammock without getting tangled up. He started off on the ground and as the light faded, I tried to settle down.
The spot I'd chosen is not far from the bypass. Normal traffic is noisy enough but bikers obviously choose to race up and down there at hellish speeds. We're also under the Gatwick flightpath so aircraft noise was quite apparent too. You forget how good double glazing is! The dog had also decided to clamber up into the hammock and he lay across me which was very comfortable. Unfortunately, the beer I'd drunk earlier started to take effect and I realised that I'd have to get up for a wee. This was a real shame as I was very cosy and the dog was settled but there was no option. At this stage I was still wearing a hat I'd been given. It's a baseball cap with LED lights in the brim. Worked very effectively although seeing the dog at such close quarters was a bit "Blair Witch-y" with his glowing eyes'n'all. Comfort restored, I settled back down again.
Those of you who have slept in hammocks with know that things tend to gravitate towards the centre. Being a Nylon hammock and having a synthetic bivi bag (Alpkit Hunka XL), the dog didn't have much to cling on to. As a result, he kept sliding down the side of me where he'd get stuck and start struggling. This didn't make for a restful night and I had indigestion too so didn't really sleep a wink. The slightest noise would make the dog jerk upright and although he didn't bark, every time I was about to drop off, he'd wake me up again.
Later in the night, he got too hot, so got out of the hammock and onto the ground, where he stayed for an hour or so. He then got too cold and wanted to come back in again where he lay, shivering and taking up most of the room. I'd read some of the messages of "support" on the forum so was well prepared for scary noises. Did hear some foxes in the distance but aside from some minor rustling and a very dim glowworm, I saw and heard nothing major.
Was quite relieved when morning came and actually managed to fall asleep for a bit. Was a bit chilly as the sleeping bag isn't especially long and it was very difficult to get my shoulders covered in the hammock. The setup itself was quite comfortable, no hard ridges like before and the whoopie slings held up fine. I'd left the tarp and some spare clothes in dry bags which were clipped around the end of the hammock. These could be swung round to act as pillows or just left dangling. The Bergen was suspended from a tree and looked quite sinister in the dark:
Would I do it again? Probably. Would I take the dog again? Hmmm... it was nice having something to cuddle in the dark but he really didn't make it easy to sleep. I think I'd try to tie him up differently as when he was under the hammock, he'd rock it whenever he moved. I'd also try to ensure he had a mat to sleep on so he didn't try to join me. Wasn't particularly scared - I knew that once it got dark, there wouldn't be anyone going past and even if there was, I couldn't be easily seen. Quite proud that I stuck it out!
Cleared everything up and walked out, hopefully leaving no trace (didn't leave any litter, although I think the dog did some light digging - the ground is full of animal burrows any way)
My bedroom ceiling:
Had a bonus on the walk back. Those of you who have iPhones will know that the camera takes about 20 minutes to respond by which time whatever you're trying to photograph will have got bored and moved on - this includes buildings. However, I startled some more deer who were lying completely hidden in the grass. They didn't run far, however and remained still enough for me to photograph (getting the rapidly moving dog in shot too was a bonus!):
Back home now. Dog is knackered and asleep. Think I'll go and snuffle in his face to see how he likes it!
Packed my kit and couldn't believe how much room it took up. Most of this was the sleeping bag (which I was bought when in the Scouts nearly 25 years ago - just calculated that, makes me feel very old... it's a synthetic fill mummy bag from Cotswold Camping, with a cotton lining, so quite comfortable but just very bulky). Wasn't that heavy, fortunately, and the walk to my camping area was only about 20 minutes so I grabbed the dog and headed out
To get to my campsite, I had to walk through a Woodland Trust reserve. Noticed someone had built quite a funky debris shelter, albeit right next to the main footpath. They hadn't left any litter which was great:
Got to my campsite. It's in a wooded gully in between two fields. You can only get into it from one side as the other side is completely overgrown with bracken and brambles. Getting down to where my pack is involves clambering down some small cliffs anyway. The tree my pack is resting on is where the head end of my hammock was strung:
Strung up my ridgeline. As I've mentioned in other threads, it's a £-shop paracord line with two loops in it. Between these loops is a paracord whoopie sling to tension it. The dry bag I use to store my hammock in is suspended from the line to keep it all off the ground. As the weather was forecast to be good, I didn't put the tarp up:
Strung the hammock up with my homemade whoopie slings and soft shackles. I've modified the hammock (a Tenth Wonder) by putting some eyelets along the side. These have two functions, firstly, they help keep the camping mat from slipping out and secondly, the hammock can be pulled up around me in a cocoon to make things extra cosy:
A close-up of the lacing. It makes getting into the hammock/bivi really difficult but I think it's worth it once you're in:
Once I'd pitched the hammock, I took my cooking stuff over to a flatter area (with less chance of setting my stuff on fire!). As you can see, even from this distance away, the hammock isn't that visible. Was enjoying a cup of Waitrose Pea and Mint soup whilst my main meal of Supernoodles with lamb kofta was cooking. The dog at this point had vanished. Being a spaniel, he's constantly on the move. I heard him barking in the distance and initially thought he'd run into some other dogwalkers (he gets fear aggression). It was when a large deer bolted in my direction down the gully, panicked by the dog, that I realised this wasn't the case. The deer saw me and turned around. It couldn't climb the cliffs and really started panicking. Eventually, it thrashed away though the undergrowth and out of sight. I recalled the dog and gave him some water. Spaniels get easily dehydrated and he more or less finished my entire water supply. I knew then I'd have to tie him up just to stop him running about
Dinner eaten (and very tasty it was too), I decided to climb out of the gully to see how visible my campsite was going to be to someone walking by. It actually took me quite a while to spot my own camp and I'm not even sure if you can see it in this photo:
It started getting colder so I wriggled into my sleeping bag/bivi and got comfortable. I'd put the dog into a coat (we use it for when he's in the convertible
) with a harness around him. To this, I'd attached a webbing strap and this went in a loop around me and the hammock. The advantage was that the dog could sleep under the hammock (I'd forgotten anything for him to lie on) or get into the hammock without getting tangled up. He started off on the ground and as the light faded, I tried to settle down.The spot I'd chosen is not far from the bypass. Normal traffic is noisy enough but bikers obviously choose to race up and down there at hellish speeds. We're also under the Gatwick flightpath so aircraft noise was quite apparent too. You forget how good double glazing is! The dog had also decided to clamber up into the hammock and he lay across me which was very comfortable. Unfortunately, the beer I'd drunk earlier started to take effect and I realised that I'd have to get up for a wee. This was a real shame as I was very cosy and the dog was settled but there was no option. At this stage I was still wearing a hat I'd been given. It's a baseball cap with LED lights in the brim. Worked very effectively although seeing the dog at such close quarters was a bit "Blair Witch-y" with his glowing eyes'n'all. Comfort restored, I settled back down again.
Those of you who have slept in hammocks with know that things tend to gravitate towards the centre. Being a Nylon hammock and having a synthetic bivi bag (Alpkit Hunka XL), the dog didn't have much to cling on to. As a result, he kept sliding down the side of me where he'd get stuck and start struggling. This didn't make for a restful night and I had indigestion too so didn't really sleep a wink. The slightest noise would make the dog jerk upright and although he didn't bark, every time I was about to drop off, he'd wake me up again.
Later in the night, he got too hot, so got out of the hammock and onto the ground, where he stayed for an hour or so. He then got too cold and wanted to come back in again where he lay, shivering and taking up most of the room. I'd read some of the messages of "support" on the forum so was well prepared for scary noises. Did hear some foxes in the distance but aside from some minor rustling and a very dim glowworm, I saw and heard nothing major.
Was quite relieved when morning came and actually managed to fall asleep for a bit. Was a bit chilly as the sleeping bag isn't especially long and it was very difficult to get my shoulders covered in the hammock. The setup itself was quite comfortable, no hard ridges like before and the whoopie slings held up fine. I'd left the tarp and some spare clothes in dry bags which were clipped around the end of the hammock. These could be swung round to act as pillows or just left dangling. The Bergen was suspended from a tree and looked quite sinister in the dark:
Would I do it again? Probably. Would I take the dog again? Hmmm... it was nice having something to cuddle in the dark but he really didn't make it easy to sleep. I think I'd try to tie him up differently as when he was under the hammock, he'd rock it whenever he moved. I'd also try to ensure he had a mat to sleep on so he didn't try to join me. Wasn't particularly scared - I knew that once it got dark, there wouldn't be anyone going past and even if there was, I couldn't be easily seen. Quite proud that I stuck it out!
Cleared everything up and walked out, hopefully leaving no trace (didn't leave any litter, although I think the dog did some light digging - the ground is full of animal burrows any way)
My bedroom ceiling:
Had a bonus on the walk back. Those of you who have iPhones will know that the camera takes about 20 minutes to respond by which time whatever you're trying to photograph will have got bored and moved on - this includes buildings. However, I startled some more deer who were lying completely hidden in the grass. They didn't run far, however and remained still enough for me to photograph (getting the rapidly moving dog in shot too was a bonus!):
Back home now. Dog is knackered and asleep. Think I'll go and snuffle in his face to see how he likes it!
