Home is where you hang it!

As I said the other day Life has an unfortunate habit of getting in the way sometimes and camping trips this year have been another of its victims. I’ve managed to get out several times to chill in my hammock in the woods for a few hours at a time but haven’t managed to get away camping; until last night that is. I spent yesterday morning sorting and airing my kit. Making sure that everything was in good order and repair and that I had everything that I needed. I just about managed to pack it all into my rucksack. I think I need a new, bigger one; but when I mention rucksacks to Mary her face takes on a very stern, grown up look!

Anyway I got everything stowed that I wanted to take with me and it was comfortable enough to carry. I wasn’t going to be walking too far but it was still going to be a case of being able to carry everything in and out as well. I knew I would be coming home in the dark this morning so I wanted to be as comfortable as possible. So off I bimbled to my chosen campsite, I wanted to be on site and set up before the sun went down. It is one thing to strike a pitch in the dark, quite another to set one up. That’s just a disaster waiting to happen!

Studies have shown that one of the best ways to reset your circadian rhythm is to spend a weekend camping. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to be possible this weekend (family commitments and the Rugby World Cup being on!) but it was still a fantastic way to recharge the batteries. It was brilliant lying in my hammock in the dark and just listening to the natural world around me. Now, anyone who thinks the woods are quiet at night is very much mistaken. As I lay there I could hear owls screeching all around me, dog foxes barking, vixens yowling, cattle lowing and ponies moving around. Coupled with this was the sound of branches, acorns and crab apples falling naturally from the trees. There wasn’t a wind to disturb them so this was just natural droppage! Also let me assure you that if you are ever lying in a hammock drifting off to sleep and a large crab apple hits your tarpaulin several scenarios run through your head at once; and none of them has a good ending!

Long story short, I slowly drifted off to this cacophony of sound, that once you were attuned to it was very pleasant. I awoke again at midnight as I needed to make a slight adjustment to the under-quilt for my hammock. After that I went straight off again until I was very rudely awoken at a bout 4 o'clock by the sound of every major vessel in a 100 mile radius sounding their foghorns at once! I swear that one was so low and so loud you felt it rather than heard it. I was also tempted to check that there wasn’t a ship coming up the nearby river because one of the horns sounded so close!

It was at this point that a cup of tea seemed like the best idea that was likely to come to mind so I got up and got myself sorted. Tea made I just sat on my hammock enjoying my brew and listening to the slightly quieter morning sounds of the forest. Tea done and breakfast soon followed.  There was nothing to do now but strike camp, stow my kit and bimble home. I did have one more treat before I got home. As I was walking along, with my head torch on, I managed to pick out of the darkness a pair of gorgeous eyes staring back at me as a roe deer crossed my path. I kept track of her for about 200 metres before she disappeared into the scrub. Not a bad way at all to end a night or start a morning (depending on your philosophical leaning).

So that was my first hammock camping trip, but I can guarantee it won’t be my last!