One half of BeyondOurHorizons recently went on a month-long camping trip (named in the title after The Great British Bake Off) around Scotland (one of the reasons this blog didn’t have an update for the past month). This is the 1st post in a series that presents a day-by-day breakdown of the trip with details on public transit taken, costs incurred, lessons learned & general ramblings. We will of course writeup each area in our general format.
Date: 28th June 2016
Day 1 Destination: Park Cliffe campsite in Lake District National Park, Cumbria, Northern England. I know this isn’t Scotland but I wanted to give one of England’s famous National Parks to show me that England does have some natural beauty. Boy am I glad I visited!! 🙂
Day 1 Travel Map
Ramblings:
Taking the journey above with around 12 kg of luggage, I reached Windermere station amidst heavy rain. I started worrying a bit as I hadn’t encountered any rain during my practice camping trip & wondered if I would be able to pitch in these conditions without screwing up (having pitched my tent only once before).
Also realising very little sightseeing could possibly happen in the next 2 days based on the forecast, I went into the very well stocked supermarket called Booths in front of the station to get 2 cans of craft beer 😛 (Madness IPA & Cannonball for those interested).
The campsite was a 10 min walk from the bus stop & the rain had become light rain. After checking in, I decided to pitch as high up as possible to maximize the view for the next 2 days of rain. The light rain pitch happened without issues. As soon as I tucked in, the rain became heavier again. A good time to crack open the Madness IPA.
The label says it all
It also helped to buy a 10 hour battery life laptop before this trip meaning I could enjoy Benedict Cumberbatch & Martin Freeman’s hijinks in Sherlock for the umpteenth time with a beautiful backdrop that included Lake Windermere.
“Sorry, are you the police?”
That pretty much sums up my day. The first light conincided with the last light at 9:15 PM when I took my camera out just because I coudn’t the whole day. Here’s the pictorial form of rambling. Had a dinner of cheap garlic bread pizza (???) & mushy peas.
First light at 9 PM
Last light shortly after
Costs: £14.5 (BHM-WDM, Virgin Trains) + £16 (campsite) + £4.50 (2 cans of beer) + £4.50 (dinner)+ £3 (bus single) = £42.50 ($56.5)
Lessons Learnt
- Rainy days in camping trips suck. It was clear that plans needed to be flexible enough for the next month to chase good weather around.
- Booths supermarket has a great beer selection.
- I love the mist that rises from the hills once the rain stops.
- Campgrounds with an inhouse restaurant/bar are awesome.
