romantic bushcrafting

[Man of Tanith]

ive recently been very fortunate and met a very lovely lady(aint gonna call her SWMBO just yet ) she has expressed an interest in coming wild camping with me. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to make it a little bit more romantic than the two of us shivering underneath a poncho, if it was me I would be under the poncho but I am trying to impress.
all suggestions gratefully receved.
Regards
Sam

[h2o]

buy her a hammock

[Man of Tanith]

Thats not a bad idea tho i would have to buy one for myself too..actually thats a really good idea
Sam

[benp1]

actually i think the opposite there, its very unromantic having to sleep in separate places!

[Bernie Garland]

leave it till the summer, hotels and a walk this time of year

bernie

[SimonM]

leave it till the summer, hotels and a walk this time of year

bernie

The voice of wisdom!

My SWMBO loves to come camping with me ....

But insists on a "proper tent on a proper campsite - you know with toilets and showers"

Start gently is my advice!

Simon

[h2o]

scare the women with tales of mice in tents.theyll soon be in the trees hammocking.LOL

[DoctorSpoon]

I would go for the tent rather the hammock option, make sure you've good mats and take loads of bedding, 'cos lots of us girlies feel the cold... ok I know you want to cuddle up together for warmth but it'll create a better impression if you've spare blankets etc!

Take a bit of scoff that's easy to cook and a bottle of wine ... if you want to really impress pop a candle in a jam jar then you've got a candle-lit dinner

Good luck!

[Pablo]

Only one thing for it in my mind... double hammock!!! (google it for some ideas).

[andy_e]

Breaking her in gently is a good idea, however I'm with Pablo on this topic You could also hang your hammocks side by side, if you want a sense of closeness - http://www.imrisk.com/hammock/ultradoublehammock.htm

[Man of Tanith]

I did offer to take her to a proper campsite with all the facilities but she said she didnt mind going without the niceties,
I was debating taking a tent think thats the way forward for me, was gonna take plenty of sleeping bits anyway I'm not too keen on being cold myself.
The double hammock sounds interesting but wouldnt it cause something like seasickness( hammocksickness maybe?)
As for the wine idea could i get away with the middle of a box of wine so its just like a water bladder easier to carry when empty.
thanks for the tips
Sam

[gregorach]

You can't actually sleep two people comfortably in a double hammock. It just doesn't work (or so I'm told).

As for other suggestions to make the event more romantic... "Oops, I only seem to have packed one sleeping bag. Silly me!"

I'll get me coat...

[andy_e]

I did offer to take her to a proper campsite with all the facilities but she said she didnt mind going without the niceties

Hehehe - does she know what she's letting herself in for?

I was debating taking a tent think thats the way forward for me, was gonna take plenty of sleeping bits anyway I'm not too keen on being cold myself.

TBH you're best going with what you're comfortable with too.

The double hammock sounds interesting but wouldnt it cause something like seasickness( hammocksickness maybe?)

That depends on how much swaying to intend to do.

As for the wine idea could i get away with the middle of a box of wine so its just like a water bladder easier to carry when empty.

Sounds like a great idea to me.

Hope you have fun.

[Man of Tanith]

she is well aware what she is letting herself into i have warned her quite a bit but she says she's happy to rough it,
i had debated the one sleeping bag trick but thought she might figure out it was a sneaky plan or worse claim it as hers n me freeze in middle of night!
Sam

[andy_e]

Two zip together sleeping bags perhaps a season less than you'd need...

"Sneaky? No, we'll die if we don't conserve body heat."

[w00dsmoke]

ive recently been very fortunate and met a very lovely lady(aint gonna call her SWMBO just yet ) she has expressed an interest in coming wild camping with me. I was wondering if anyone has any ideas on how to make it a little bit more romantic than the two of us shivering underneath a poncho, if it was me I would be under the poncho but I am trying to impress.
all suggestions gratefully receved.
Regards
Sam

I was in that position a few years ago and now I'm married!

Top tips...
prepare for the worst-it could rain all the time so beg borrow a tent which is big enough for her to dress in and with a porch to cook in...
Double air bed...insulate it with a blanket or pile throw, she'll appreciate it.
Use a duvet, or unzip both bags zip em togther and use a s aquilt with a throw on top
Take pillow cases and stuff them with clothes for pillows
Burn inscense sticks in the porch (she'll fall for that one
Give her a small bag with some nice stuff in it, like goretex socks, wet wipes, tissues, mini toochbrush etc she'll appreciate the love man
Buy her a shewee...
Nowe for the nice and easy part...get a canoe, paddle to a remote island on a loch, put the champagne in the loch to cool it down while u set up the tent and airbed.
Get a fire going on the beach in a pit if it's dry...impress her with your cooking and have your own island all to yourselves.
Take her for a moonlit paddle around the island at night before you start drinking!
Make her laugh/comfy and chilled out...yeagh and leave the barry white cd at home...

[andy_e]

Man! w00dsmoke you are the Master!

[w00dsmoke]

Man! w00dsmoke you are the Master!

That's not what she calls me! Hahahahaa this is my other half on our honeymoon! and that is one hell of aknife she is holding! (Island on Loch Maree after padling out)And yeagh sure she does but hey to be fair we both like comfort and a wee bit of effort goes a long long way on a wild camp!

[DoctorSpoon]

I was in that position a few years ago and now I'm married!

... and does she still go wild camping with you? or has the novelty worn of and nowadays she prefers her creature comforts? (I'm firmly in the latter camp I have to admit )

[xylaria]

woodsmoke your the man!!!!

No wonder you were successful!!!

Forget the hammock the thing, have any of you got any idea how hard it is to be romantic in a hammock. I am not saying it ain't possible you just have to be very supple. Doctor spoon is right women feel the cold, there is proper medical research on this, men are more likely to die of cold though. Especially if they think they can share a hammock

[andy_e]

At least take a bivi bag - there's too few sofas in the woods

[In Wood]

Find out (unless you already know) what her fav' food and drink are, tell her that unfortunatly she will have to put up with beans and rat packs, but secretly take her fav' and cook it for her, take a small bottle of champers for drink unless she does not like it.

Get some of those small chocolate mint things and put one on her pillow each night. but make sure she finds it before going to sleep.

Tell her how much you apreciate the fact that she is doing this just for you and ask her what she would like you to do for her!! ??

I hope the weather is good so you can sit out by a fire, watch the stars and just sit enjoying each others company and your surroundings.

[Toddy]

Might I suggest going to someplace with a specific activity in mind (minds out of gutters folks )
A weekend craft course, or something like canoeing, or a foraging course, or one of the Counrtyside led Ranger activities, with on site camping and reasonable, if primitive, facilities nearby can make it a lot less stressful trying to get to know someone than 24hours a day long weekend in the pouring rain.

And yes, make the nest comfortable, snuggling in the warm bedding when it's cold out is a brilliant feeling. The tipi's and the geodesic domes are special if you can find one, and they let you have a real fire inside (okay, in a stove, but it's real )

Maybe she who you think you'd like to get to listen to (new acronym SWYTYLTLT ) would like more involvement in the whole planning thing too.

I know I had a lot of fun courting (old fashioned word, but it kind of suits, doesn't it?) this way.....29 years married next month. it was a good way to learn to know each other properly as welll as totally chilling out.

atb,
Toddy

[Jembly/Sloth]

Don't stay anywhere near habitation. You'll just get shouts of 'F*** Off', or 'get a room'....

I need to rethink my dating plans, seems to have worked well for several people on here

[Arth]

The smaller the fire the closer you have to stay to get warm.

[Man of Tanith]

thanks for your ongoing hints and tips ladies and gentlemen, think i will investigate the possibilities of a foraging/wild foods course, and probably pinch most of w00dsmokes ideas(you sir are a genius but do i have to leave the barry white cd at home?)
having also followed In Woods advice i am now going to london for a weekend away.
thanks once again everyone
regards
Sam

[spamel]

Find out when her monthlies are and make sure you don't take her that weekend. Anything that could be a downer on her first trip will be a downer, and most women hate that time of month. I would certainly wait until this grouchy weather passes by and maybe try and find an area that you know but she doesn't. Waking her up in the middle of the night with a "Ssssh...follow me!" and taking her to see some badgers snuffling about would probably work on any decent woman. Maybe you know where a family of foxes are living, or you can show her some deer or birds of prey flying about. Enough to impress any woman that is deserving a decent chap like yourself!

[Man of Tanith]

spamel I had completely forgotten the dreaded monthlies (its been a while since I've had to consider that sorta thing) that in itself is a brilliant hint.
maybe I could take her on a guided nature walk I'm sure the local RSPB sanctuary does them, then I shant look a complete pillock when (not if) I make a boob n it wouldnt be as stressful to organise and i'll be able to fully enjoy her company rather than worry about if i remembered to forget to pack the second sleeping bag
might also give her the chance to realise that whilst she says she doesnt want or need facilities she does actually miss some
Many Thanks
Sam

[DoctorSpoon]

The one thing nobody's mentioned yet is BE YOURSELF! At the end of the day there's no point in pretending to be something that's not you; firstly because you're likely to come across as false, and secondly because at some stage she's going to have to find out what the real you is like

[suburban bushwacker]

serve champagne, you cant look too imaginative, too generous or too self assured.
Good Luck.