Camping in the woods in temperatures dropping to freezing point and the word comfort do not seem to fit well together. They seem like polar opposites. I’ll explain. The pandemic situation has robbed us of much – time with loved ones and hugs, fun experiences, adventure and confidence. Living in lockdown has denied us much these everyday experiences. Building fear and anxiety into our subconscious, to the point where many of us are finding even simple things – taking a walk or popping into the shops, have become somewhat uncomfortable and challenging. Basically our comfort zones have shrunk massively and combined with a sense of inertia from doing very little outside our homes, it has started to take it’s toll on our confidence to go out into the world and be at ease with anything that might involve more than sitting at home on our comfy sofa, watching tv, doing household jobs, eating and sleeping. It’s time to fight back and reclaim our confidence. The only way to do that is to push ourselves beyond what we have become used to, face out fears and challenges and stretch that comfort zone. It might be small things – sitting outside a cafe with coffee and a friend. Having a look around a few shops. We need to practice living again, rather than existing in survival mode.

How about sleeping under a thin nylon tent in the middle of a forest in close to freezing conditions? Whaaat? Well that’s what I planned to do. Yes it’s pushing the boundaries of comfort to the point of silliness but I have really missed my mini adventures. I did no camping last year, even when lockdown was lifted. I just couldn’t face the challenge of planning and organising it all. I had only done one overnighter the year before and that was almost two years ago. Last year I bought a new tent, one that should cope with the condensation in cold weather. I wanted to try camping in the lower temperatures we get in early Spring or Autumn, try out a new four season sleeping bag but I didn’t get the chance. If I didn’t try it now, the opportunity would be lost for six month. I was starting to question whether the whole idea of sleeping in the woods for me was still worth the hassle. It was time to face my fears and go for it. There were several unknowns to face on top of the general feelings of angst from the pandemic and the normal, primeval fear of sleeping in the wild, that is built into our ancestral subconscious. Yes comfort and wild camping are at odds but that is what bushcraft is all about. It is not about “roughing it” it’s about “smoothing it”. Learning to provide yourself with some comfort in a hostile environment and proving it to yourself that you can do it. With that comes confidence.

The day started well, the forecast was dry but cold. I spent half the morning clearing the area and setting up the tent and sleeping equipment. You need plenty of ground insulation between you and the earth. Ground upwards was a groundsheet to protect the built-in one from sharp objects, a picnic rug, inflatable mattress, sleeping bag. The tent has no frame or poles, it’s basically a fine mesh inner tent (to allow free flow of air to clear condensation) and a tarp sheet over the top to protect from wind and rain.

The woods are looking gorgeous right now, the floor carpeted with Wood Anemones and Bluebells and some of the trees starting to leaf up. I was starting to relax into it again. Did a few jobs, lit a fire and cooked my evening meal of my own recipe of veggie curry. More like a curry flavoured rissotto and using my cast iron dutch oven which I absolutely love, suspended on the beautiful steel tripod that my pal Simon helped me to forge. Having good kit is a joy to use.

A short evening walk around some of the rides. Then settle down in front of the fire with a couple of glasses of red wine, watching woodland tv (the only channel and no adverts!) The day slowly withdrew, the half moon rose, birds stopped calling and the woodland gave way to the darkness of night. I was alone. Will I be warm and comfortable enough, will I find any decent sleep, will I have nightmares like I’ve had before? I wasn’t too nervous though, I felt reasonably well prepared. Worst case scenario was to jump in the car and head home but that was the absolute last resort. I turned in early and settled into my sleeping back. See part two for what happened next………..