How do you have a wild night out when you don’t particularly like camping? You go for a wild night swim instead! Ok, it wasn’t technically ‘night’ because it’s summer, but the sun was lazily sinking behind the treeline as I arrived at Hatchmere Lake for my swim.
Recently I lost an elderly friend, Paddy. My favourite memory of Paddy was when she participated in Wild Night Out, albeit a few days before the official date so as to coincide with her birthday. Even in her 80s she had active outdoorsy ambitions.
On Saturday we caught the train from Bristol to Yatton and cycled along the Strawberry Path passing apple orchards and loads of families on bikes and then veered into the Mendips stopping at the Swan in Rowberrow which does good beer and food and has a garden with a play area.
At 4pm on a beautiful Saturday afternoon with camping gear all deposited in advance at Stable Fell camp site at Marsett we started the mountain bike ride back to the site. We followed an ancient roman track, Cams High Road offering stunning views over Wensleydale and Raydale.
What did you do for Britain's national day - and night - of adventure? We had an amazing night. I arranged for 15 of my friends to come and camp in a field that my dad owns. It’s not near any houses and most of my friends had never camped. There was good bonding helping each other put up new tents, bbq, etc.
My compatriots for Wild Night Out were Nick, Tim and Steve. I was the only girl as the two others who were meant to join us couldn’t make it, but I was made an honorary member of ‘boys on tour’! I think I may have caused a bit of scandal in the village by walking up the hill with four boys and a bottle of Prosecco though...
On #WildNightOut2018 I slept on a Wainwright called Hallin Fell above Ullswater in my bivvy bag and mother nature was kind, it was a lovely still night with just a very light breeze and I witnessed a beautiful moon-rise from the horizon shortly after sundown.
This year, we got married a week before Wild Night Out, so the day fell during what was essentially our honeymoon week! We stayed at home for the week after our wedding, too exhausted to holiday away from home, but we filled the week with lots of nice outings - including a wild camp out for WNO.
Last year, I tried bivvying for the first time. It was such a great experience, so when I saw WNO advertised this year, I thought I would arrange a bivvy myself.
For my WNO I took part in the Cotswold Way Challenge – a 100km Ultramarathon run from Bath to Cheltenham. The furthest I’d ever run before was 52km so it was always going to be a massive challenge and I wanted to it have purpose.
There’s nothing I enjoy more than going out on a microadventure with my 6 year old– her excitement and enthusiasm at being a little bit wild is so beautifully pure. Of late she has expressed an interest in getting her friends to join in so this year’s Wild Night Out seemed like a great opportunity to rope in Claudia, one of her BFFs (along with her Dad), on a night of adventure.
Our Wild Night Out adventure in Wiltshire may have only been in our back garden, but for our family camping is always a challenge and a half. Dad has military related PTSD and Mum has diaphragm paralysis and needs to use a BiPap ventilator for sleeping. Therefore ‘Spontaneity’ and ‘Organisation' go hand in hand for Team Lovett!
My Wild Night Out actually became a 'Wild Art-ternoon' and took place roughly 10 minutes walk from where I live in Somerset. I had planned to sleep out in my hammock, but I couldn't get my dog to get into it and the place I chosen had a massive badger set…
Arriving at my chosen spot, which the farmer had conveniently recently mown, I pitched my tent behind a thick clump of bracken and settled in for the night. The woodland just behind me has a large badger population, but disappointingly, I didn’t see or hear any of them.
Whether you’re a first time Wild Night Outer or an experienced wild camper, you’ll probably be thinking of sharing your experiences with your family and friends on social media or maybe a blog or website.
Last year for Wild Night Out, we pitched our not so little tent in the garden and kitted it out with camping gear. It felt like we were on safari in this tent! In fact, we enjoyed it so much we slept in the tent for two nights.
Through Wild Night Out we can inspire each other to get outside but there are also those that need a bit more help.
Campfire cooking is brilliant fun. If you’ve never tried it before, Wild Night Out is the perfect time to give it a go. With the right equipment you can cook just about anything on a campfire, but for those who like to keep it simple here are a few foods you can cook on a stick.
Are you looking to take the leap from ploughing through warm, chlorinated water to diving headlong into cold open rivers, seas and lakes? Well, first thing you need to do is take a breath and settle any fears you might have.
Wild camping is a great opportunity to get closer to wildlife and for wildlife to get closer to you too.
