Tag: camping

The Etiquette Guide for Wild Campervan Adventures

by Alison Ingleby on February 28, 2017 in Vanlife • 1 Comment

Campervan-etiquette

In my humble opinion, one of the best things about owning a campervan is having the freedom to park up in a remote location, settle in for the night then wake up for a morning run from your mobile doorstep. And a lot of the time it’s as simple as that. But if you want to avoid giving yourself – and other campervanners – a bad name, there are some essential pieces of etiquette you should know.

First up, the legal bit. The laws around wild camping vary depending which country you’re in. Remember that all land is owned by someone, even if it’s classed as ‘public’ land. So your best option is to get permission from the landowner before parking up for the night. In England and Wales, wild camping in technically illegal so you’ll need landowner’s permission to stop overnight. In Scotland, wild camping in tents is allowed, but the law around campervans is a little hazier. If you’re out of people’s way, not obviously parked on someone’s land and don’t make a nuisance then ‘informal camping’ is tolerated in most places. Across Europe and further afield the laws vary: there’s a useful guide here on which European countries do allow wild camping.

With that bit out of the way, if you fancy a bit of wild or stealth camping in your van, then here’s a quick guide to essential etiquette for wild or informal camping in your van.

Don’t ignore ‘no overnight parking’ signs

If someone has gone to the trouble of putting up ‘No Overnight Parking’ signs it’s a clear indicator they’ve had trouble with campers before. If you decide to stay regardless, you may get a rude awakening by an angry landowner, or even the police. A lot of local authorities in England are cracking down on previously frequented overnight stops. Even if you want to argue about the technical legalities of this, please don’t give campervanners a bad name by blatantly ignoring the signs.

If you’re struggling to find somewhere to stop for the night, it’s worth trying pubs (particularly in remoter areas). They may be happy for you to park up overnight if you eat and have a few drinks inside.

Park up late and leave early

No one’s likely to take much notice of a van that’s gone in the morning. Spending the day lounging outside your van with a barbecue and the awning out, however, is more likely to draw the attention of an unfriendly landowner. If that’s the kind of camping you’re after, then pay for a campsite.

It’s also a good idea not to stay in the same spot for more than two nights on the trot. After all, one of the joys of wild campervanning is waking up to a different view each morning.

Keep the noise down

As above, the best way to enjoy success with wild camping it to be unobtrusive. That means no loud campervan parties (unless you’re really in the middle of nowhere!). If you park up outside of towns and away from houses, you’re unlikely to have a problem and can karaoke along to your heart’s content. If you’re stealth camping in a town, you’ll need to be a bit more careful. Blackout curtains can help, as does accepting you’re in for an early night.

Leave no trace

It sounds obvious, but litter is one of the main gripes about wild campers, and in some places has resulted in wild camping being banned altogether. It’s easier in a campervan than a tent, so there are no excuses for not taking your litter with you.

Be considerate when toileting

I haven’t come across this so much in the UK, but I have in Europe, where popular campervan car parks are turned into open-air toilets. It’s not nice and it definitely gives van-dwellers a bad name. If you don’t have toilet facilities in your van, pick a pee-spot that’s well away from any watercourses. Carry a trowel and bury more solid waste, and bag toilet paper to dispose of in a bin.

Don’t run generators or engines late at night

Another thing that shouts, “Hello! I’m illegally camping here!” is running engines at night. And generators are most definitely a no-no. If you need to charge your leisure battery, do it during the day. If you need more electricity than that, consider paying for a site with a hook-up.

Empty chemical waste at a designated disposal area

If you’re lucky enough to have a toilet in your van, make sure you dispose of the contents appropriately. Most public toilets are not suitable for emptying chemical toilets, so you may have to check-in to a campsite for the night. Use it as an opportunity to have a hot shower before you hit the road again!

Be considerate, but have fun!

Wild campervanning allows you to spend time in some truly beautiful landscapes. Respect these landscapes, be considerate to other people and you’re guaranteed an enjoyable and memorable trip.

How to Love Camping in the Rain

by Alison Ingleby on November 8, 2016 in Survival skills • 4 Comments

Knowing how to stay dry in the rain makes for happy camping

Camping means different things to different people. To some, it’s packing the car up to the ceiling with monstrous dome-shaped mansions, air beds, duvets and carpet. (Yes carpet. Really.) If you’re one of these people you may just want to switch straight over to the ‘How to Pretend You’re at Home When Camping’ blog. Now.

Still reading? Great – you’re the other type of camper. The type who go camping to have an adventure. Who deliberately chooses the pitch furthest away from the communal toilet and shower block, so they can pretend they’re not even on a campsite. Who abandons the campsite altogether for the joys of wild camping. Your tent is small enough to carry on your back and your favourite possession is your trusty sleeping bag.

There is only one problem with this type of camping: rain. Not that rain itself is an issue, but rain also equals mud. And quite often comes alongside its companion, wind. Together these three elements can turn a nice clean, cosy camping trip into a Glastonbury-like mud bath experience from which nothing and no one emerges unscathed. I have been there. I know how miserable it feels.

But never fear, there are ways you can avoid this fate. You can be that smug person, tucked up in a nice dry sleeping bag listening to the curses of your soggy companions outside. Whether you’re leaving the tent up for the weekend, or arrive at your campsite for the night soaked through from walking all day, here’s how you can not only stay dry when camping in the rain but learn to love it.

Select your equipment

First up, tent. A tent with a decent porch space or two entrances / porches is pretty helpful when it’s wet. If you’re a car-camper then you may just give in and go for the big tent with a nice large porch area you can stand up in. (Though let me remind you that a) these tents are generally the first to get whisked over your head when the high winds hit, and b) they can take a lot longer to put up which means more time getting wet.)

However, the really important thing about pitching your tent in the rain is that you know how to put it up, and can do so damn quickly. In lashing wind and rain. Possibly in the dark. And definitely without referring to the instruction manual. Because the quicker you get the tent up, the more likely it is to stay dry inside.

I currently have two tents I use: a summer, super lightweight 1-2 person tent, and a slightly larger, hardier 2-person job. I can pitch either of them on my own, in the dark, in about three minutes (four if its windy and I have to find something to weigh the bag down with). With two people, working together it’s a two-minute job. Practice pitching your tent when it’s dry, folks. You won’t regret it come rain-day.

If you’re camping and think it may rain, I also suggest you pack the following items: bin bags (multiple), two smaller plastic bags (large sandwich bags or carrier bags WITHOUT HOLES IN) and a tarpaulin (with string and / or spare tent pegs). The reasons for this will shortly become abundantly clear.

Keep sleeping kit dry

Sounds obvious, right? And if you’re setting up your tent beside your car it’s pretty hard to get this wrong. But if you’ve been hiking all day in the rain, likelihood is that some rain will make it into your pack.

Bearing that in mind, here’s how to pack your bag to guarantee you will have dry clothes and a bag to snuggle in, whatever the weather:

Keep a pair of dry, warm clothes to change into in your sleeping bag. I tend to go for a pair of thermal or fleece leggings, a long-sleeved thermal top and socks. Roll ‘em up in the bottom of your sleeping along with a liner (if you use one).
Stuff your sleeping bag into a fully waterproof stuff sack such as this Exped one.
Place this in either another waterproof stuff-sack, or just a plastic bag.
Place double-wrapped bag inside the waterproof liner of your rucksack. (Again, this doesn’t have to be a fancy expensive job. A strong black bin bag works just fine.)
If you use a blow-up Thermarest-style sleeping mat, pop this in a waterpoof bag and then inside your ruckside liner. If you’re old-skool and use a closed cell sleeping mat that you carry on the outside of your rucksack, then double wrap it in bin bags. If your mat gets wet, you get wet. Simple.
Ideally have a waterproof rucksack cover for your pack.

Pick your spot

Don’t pitch your tent in a bog. Or in a nice hollow in the ground that may (after a night of rain) turn into a bog. Or a stream. Simple.

Oh, and if it’s windy make sure you pitch with your tail end to the wind. So you don’t get a nice lashing of rain in every time you open the tent door.

Have a process

This is perhaps the most important part of staying dry. It’s all too easy once you have the tent up to want to rush inside out of the rain. Particularly if there are two of you and you’re both desperate to get in and dry. But if you rush in like a herd of elephants, you will end up getting the inside of the tent wet. And then you’re be in for a grumpy, damp evening.

Having done various expeditions and overnight adventures sharing a very small tent with someone else, this is my process for getting everyone, and everything, in whilst keeping the water out.

Unzip the inner door of the tent, but keep the outer flap closed. Person 1 unpacks their sleeping kit and any other dry items they want inside the tent. Person 2 helpfully opens and closes the outer tent flap to allow Person 1 to chuck in their prized possessions.
Repeat step 1 for Person 2’s kit.
Stack your wet rucksacks in one side of the porch. If you have two porches, shout “hurrah!” and pile up all the wet stuff in one of them (use the other for access). If you don’t have space in the porches for the rucksacks, and particularly if they are still vaguely dry, dig out those trusty black bin bags you packed, place a rucksack in each, wrap tightly and leave in an accessible place outside the tent.
Fight about who gets to go in the tent first. For the purposes of continuity, let’s assume Person 1 wins.
Person 1 strips off their wet outer clothing OUTSIDE the tent. This is very important folks. The inner sanctum of the tent is for dry people only. There is a bit of a knack to this. If you just have wet waterproofs, then take jacket off and fold on top of your rucksack in the porch. Get Person 2 to open the tent flap and pull down wet waterproof trousers whilst turning and placing dry bum inside the tent. Person 2 zips you in out of the rain and stands there grumpily whilst you peel off wet trousers and boots and place them to one side.
Person 2 stands in the rain moaning whilst Person 1 gets both mats out (and blown up), gets their sleeping bag out and gets changed into dry clothes as quickly as possible.
Person 1 makes themselves as small as possible, giving Person 2 the maximum amount of room to wiggle in. Person 2 then repeats step 5 (except they zip themselves into the tent).
Inner tent gets zipped up and Person 2 dries themselves off, gets changed and into their sleeping bag, all the while moaning about how much wetter they are than Person 1.

Ta-da! Both people inside, cosy and warm. If you are completely soaked to the skin, then chuck your towel into the tent first, strip everything off outside (ok maybe keep your underwear on if anyone’s watching), then dive into the tent to dry off. If you haven’t brought a towel, more fool you.

Cooking, eating and toileting in the rain

Perhaps even worse than getting soaked to the skin, is the realisation that, having got nice and warm and dry, you have to go back out into the rain. However, unless you are equipped and expert in the use of a pee-bottle (or shewee for ladies), you’re likely to have to venture out at least once or twice in the night.

Even in the UK (home of rainy weather gods) it is rare for it to rain solidly all the time. So if possible, wait for a break in the rain and be prepared to make a run for it. If you’re unlucky, then remember the golden rule. Wet clothing stays outside the inner sanctum. Basically just reverse step 5 above to get out, and repeat it to get back in. Oh, and those smaller plastic bags you brought along? Put your feet inside them before you put them in your wet boots. That way you’ll keep dry feet. (And look a bit silly, but hey, who’s going to be watching you in the rain?)

You have four options for cooking in the rain:

Be very grateful that you’ve chosen a campsite with a sheltered cooking area.
Cook in the porch of your tent VERY CAREFULLY (and not at all if it’s full of your damp clothing/boots and other potentially flammable objects). Really only do this if you are very well practiced, have an emergency escape route (a second porch) and you must open the tent outer to vent it. Safety first, boys and girls.
Set up your trusty tarpaulin between the tent and a nearby tree/wall/fence to make a makeshift shelter. Again, take care if you’re cooking near the tent.
Abandon cooking and go to the pub. (Remember to take along your wet clothes to drape over the chairs to dry.)

Generally, if I’m resorting to options 2 or 3, I go back inside the dry tent to eat and save the washing up until the morning. Minimising the number of times you have to get in and out of the tent in the rain will increase the likelihood of it staying dry inside.

Packing up in the rain

Sadly packing up in the rain is somewhat harder than pitching in the rain. For one thing, there’s no real way to avoid your tent getting wet, which is a bugger if you’re camping in the rain again that night.

You can keep it as dry as possible though. First, pack up everything dry in the tent. So your ‘night-time’ clothing goes back in your sleeping bag, which goes into its multiple layers of dry bags. Roll and pack up your mat. Then take it in turns to pull on your wet over trousers (urgh) and boots, ninja maneuver out of the tent and zip it up whilst you struggle into your waterpoof jacket. Get the other person to pass out the dry bags and get them packed up into the rucksacks.

Then you’re just left with a wet tent. Get it down quick and packed up quick. Whatever you do, don’t take off the fly sheet and spend ten minutes neatly rolling it up whilst leaving the inner sanctum of the tent soaking up the rain.

Take the fly sheet off, stuff it under a rucksack so it doesn’t blow away, then get that inner tent down toot sweet m’dears. Fold it to keep the inside as dry as possible then roll it all up into one wet, heavy, miserable bundle.

So, there you have it. Camping in the rain doesn’t have to be a pain. And there’s nothing like being curled up warm and dry, listening to the patter of raindrops above your head.

6 Quick and Easy Campervan Meals (When the Shops Are Shut)

by Alison Ingleby on November 1, 2016 in Food • 2 Comments

Who needs kitchens anyway? The best meals are eaten outdoors.

You race out of work at five on the dot. Quickly throwing a random assortment of weekend clothes into the van, you check you’re fueled up and head off for the weekend. Three hours later (after queuing with other weekend escapees on your chosen motorway) you pull up at your destination, hungry and tired. And it’s only then that you remember you forgot to shop for dinner.

You now have two options. Option 1 is the pub. Which to be fair, is a good choice. Warm room, nice food and beer. What could be better? Except if you’re on a budget, or if your chosen sleeping spot for the night is more than a mile from the nearest eatery.

If that’s the case, then option 2 is your best (and let’s face it, only) bet. Make do with what you have in the van. And because you forgot to stop at the shops, your choices may be limited. Which is why you should always have some store cupboard essentials packed away.

We’ve pulled together the best Friday-night recipes that can be made using just one hob (or stove if you’re camping or cooking outside) and ingredients you can keep in your store cupboard. Here they are, for your dining pleasure. Happy camping!

Chorizo and chickpea stew

Chorizo is an awesome store cupboard ingredient as it adds bags of flavour to anything you cook it with. Which is why you only really need four ingredients for this tasty recipe: red onion, dry chorizo, tinned tomatoes and tinned chickpeas. The recipe below adds in a few more optional ingredients (because really, who would believe a four-ingredient recipe could taste so good?).
Get the recipe: BBC Good Food’s chorizo & chickpea stew
Make it go further: Throw in some couscous to bulk out the stew into a hearty meal. Fresh (or frozen) spinach adds a nice bit of green, and some extra minerals.
Note of caution: different types of chorizo require different storage – some are ok out of the fridge, others need to be kept chilled. Check which type you’re buying and how long it will keep for before squirreling it away in the van!

Pasta, pesto and peas

The ultimate simple meal. Four store cupboard ingredients, ready in fifteen minutes. Substitute tinned peas for the frozen peas in the recipe and keep a tub of long-life parmesan in the cupboard.
Get the recipe: Celebrating Sweets’ One-Pot Pasta with Pesto and Peas
Jazz it up: This recipe is endlessly adaptable. If you’ve got some fresh greens, chuck ‘em in. Add a grating of lemon zest to lift the pesto and a scattering of chilli flakes for a bit of spice.

Three bean chilli

Ok, so this recipe involves a lot of tins and jars. (It also uses dried beans, but just sub tinned ones. Ditto for the mushrooms and peppers.) But it’s totally flexible depending on what you’ve got in. Baked beans? Yup, chuck them in. No mushrooms but you do have tinned peas? Yeah, they’ll do. Just whack everything in a pan and bubble until you can’t wait any longer.
Get the recipe: Simply Being Mum’s Simple Slow Cooked Three Bean & Vegetable Chilli Recipe
Make it go further: If you happen to have some flour and baking powder (or self-raising flour at a push), then make some quick dumplings to add to the pan. Or add some extra stock and have it as a soup!

Spaghetti alla puttanesca (kind of)

One of my favourite recipes from the awesome Jack Monroe, spaghetti is the ultimate comfort food. You can either heat the sauce first, then cook the pasta, or just add all the sauce ingredients when the pasta’s partly cooked to heat through. Substitute dried chilli flakes for the fresh chilli and keep a bulb of garlic in the cupboard for moments like this. Nom, nom.
Get the recipe: Jack Monroe’s Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca
Make it even better: Parmesan. Mmmmm.

Spicy peanut butter noodles

Peanut butter is one of the most versatile store cupboard ingredients. You can spread it on bread, bake with it or toss with noodles as in this recipe. (Or eat straight out of the jar. Not that I’d ever do that. Ever.) If you don’t have rice wine vinegar in this recipe, just use red or white wine vinegar or even lime juice. (Or actual wine at a push. I mean you need an excuse to open that bottle right?). You can substitute the fresh chilli and chilli oil for chili flakes.
Get the recipe: Donal Skehan’s Hot and Spicy Peanut Butter Noodles
Jazz it up: Any quick-cooking veg works well with this. Cook the noodles first then set aside whilst you stir-fry the veg. Then mix everything together and serve.

Beetroot risotto

Now I have to admit, this is better with goats cheese. Or feta cheese. Or halloumi. But beggers can’t be choosers right? And really, this recipe is just fine on its own. If you don’t have / can’t be bother cooking pearl barley, just use risotto rice. Or normal rice. Really, it all works just fine.
Get the recipe: Veggie Runners’ Beetroot Barlotto for Pre-Race Carb-Loading
Jazz it up: Add cheese! You can mash the beetroot up if you prefer to have a smoother risotto.

what’s your favourite campervan dinner? Let me know in the comments below!

Sleeping Wild: a 5-to-9 Microadventure

by Alison Ingleby on September 27, 2016 in Microadventures • 2 Comments

Walking down across fields in early morning light

Early morning – the most beautiful time of day

Ever find you get so bogged down in the day job that you limp through the week focused only on the shining beacon of light that is the weekend? Somehow the ‘9-to-5’ has turned into an ‘8-to-7’, but it’s just not humanly possible to get through the work in eight hours a day. Or perhaps you start the week full of good intentions and exciting plans which, come Tuesday, you’ve fully given up on.

I will hold up my hand and answer yes to each of these questions. When I escaped London to move to Yorkshire, I was determined to leave the late-working nights behind and make the most of having beautiful countryside on my doorstep. Every night I’d be out climbing, running and cycling. Then life – and work – got in the way and I settled back into monotony, resigning myself to occasional bouts of freedom at the weekend.

But there is another way. A way you can deal with the realities of having to work late (sometimes) and still have a life of adventure. Let me introduce you to the concept of microadventures.

Now, I’m not a huge fan of categorising ‘adventures’. I mean adventure is adventure right? And it will mean different things to different people. If you’re never been out of a city, then your first visit to the countryside, or up a mountain will be an adventure. It doesn’t all have to be about cycling across continents, or exploring polar wastelands.

But I do quite like the concept of microadventures, and in particular 5-to-9ers. These are really quite simple. Rather than focusing on the hours of work (9-to-5) focus on the adventures you can have outside of this time – between 5pm and 9am the next day. However much you have on at work, you just need to leave early one day a week to have adventures and experiences you will never forget.

Inspired by reading Alastair Humphreys’ excellent book, Microadventures and panicked by the realisation that summer was pretty much over, we decided enough was enough. It was time to say ‘sod it’ to everyday life for a night. It was time for an adventure.

The Plan

Our plan was simple. Leave home, jump on the train north for a couple of stops, walk up to the conveniently marked pub on the map for dinner and then head up onto the top of the moor to sleep out for the night. No tents, just sleeping bags, mats and bivvy bags. Next morning we’d get one of the first trains back home, shower and go into work. The great thing about simple plans? They rarely go wrong.

The first step

We left the house just before six. It was pretty strange heading out in walking boots with a pack on at this time in the evening. Even the first steps along a familiar road felt somehow different. Adventurous. The excitement of not quite knowing what was to come put a spring in my step.

On the train we checked over the map and glimpsed at the other passengers. People heading for a night out, or home from work. I felt almost sorry for them, going back to their normal, everyday lives. But each to their own – sleeping under the stars at the end of September isn’t for everyone!

Is that the sound of the pub calling?

The light was starting to fade as we hiked up the hill and across fields to the pub. A chill in the air reminded us that winter was just around the corner. In the pub I overheard a man asking his wife how far she thought we’d walked. “Ooo, they must have done ten or twelve miles,” she replied. More like one. You don’t have to walk far to have an adventure.

Into the wild

Feeling rather stuffed, we dragged ourselves away from the warmth and light of the pub and headed out into the night. It was almost dark, but a bright moon helped light the way, so we left our headtorches in our bags. Which was great – until the springy grass field unexpectedly turned into a bog.

We headed onwards and upwards, until we were high above the valley, looking out over a sprinkling of orange lights. It felt a world away from home, the office and real life. After a bit of exploring we found a flat spot that was sheltered from the bitter wind, and laid out our mats, sleeping bags and bivvy bags.

Sleeping under the stars

Snuggled down inside my sleeping bag, cocooned by layers of down, I stared up at the clouds sweeping across the sky. The only noise was the occasional plane taking off from the nearby airport; the only light that of the moon and the soft orange glow of the city in the distance.

One thing about sleeping out at this time of year – you go to bed early. We were tucked up and ready to snooze by quarter-past eight in the evening. If we’d have stayed at home, we’d have probably still been eating dinner.

At some point in the night I was wakened by the wind blowing across my face. Though we’d picked a sheltered spot, the wind had changed direction in the night, and was now blowing straight across us. I buried myself deeper into my sleeping bag, pulling the bivvy over my head to shelter me from the cold. And slept.

Awakening

The alarm on my phone woke me – an unexpected jarring sound in this wild place. Alarms are associated with home and with getting up early for work. Not with adventure. But we had a train to catch, and that meant getting up before sunrise.

Walking home as the world awakens

It was cold in the pre-dawn darkness, so we lost no time in packing up our kit and making our way back down to the train station. As we walked the sky began to lighten. The world was waking to a new day. We passed houses whose occupants had not yet stirred, sheep still lying in the fields and a few early morning joggers.

It is these moments – at the very beginning of the day – when I feel closest to nature and most at peace. I love my sleep and normally struggle to get out of bed early, but when I do make it out first thing in the morning, I never regret it.

At the station we joined commuters on the platform, dressed in suits and smart shoes. I wondered what they thought of us in our hiking clothes and muddy boots. It was hard to believe that today was just another ‘normal’ work day and that soon we’d be joining them for our morning commute.

Back at the train station – refreshed after a night of sleeping out under the stars

Back to reality

Back home we quickly unpacked bags, showered and headed out the door to work. I got to my desk before nine, and sat down with a coffee and breakfast to deal with the morning’s emails. Just like any other day. Except that bubbling inside of me was the excitement of our secret. And thoughts and plans for the next adventure. Because when it comes to microadventures, the next one could be just around the corner.

How to have your own microadventure

All you really need to have your own microadventure is, well, a sense of adventure! Add a sprinkling of imagination and you’ll quickly come up with a dozen potential plans.

To wild camp you need a basic sleeping mat, a warm sleeping bag and a bivvy bag (you can pick up a basic survival bag for a couple of pounds). Technically it is illegal to wild camp in England and Wales (though legal in many parts of Scotland) – you can either seek permission from the landowner, or find a remote place and go by the ‘leave no trace’ principle*. Everything you take in, you take out and leave no scars on the landscape.

For more microadventure ideas, check out Alastair Humphreys’ website. Be warned, you may get lost for hours dreaming of adventure!

*disclaimer – we would always suggest you get permission from the landowner. For more info on the safety and legalities of wild camping, check out this useful blog post.