Citizens of the World: A Stoic Podcast for Curious Travelers - Wild Camping: What to Know Before You Go

Episode Date: June 18, 2021

Do you enjoy camping? I was a campground manager in a state forest for two years when I was in college, and I never slept there. I like sleeping in beds.But…occasionally someone convinces me to go camping and when that happens, I always have a good time. In the last episode, my guest Kathi and I talked about the Scottish Isles you need to visit. Today Kathi is back to talk about Wild Camping. What’s that?Listen to find out…Hello! I'm your host, Sarah Mikutel. But the real question is, who are you? Where are you now and where do you want to be? Can I help you get there?Visit sarahmikutel.com to learn how we can work together to help you achieve more peace, happiness, and positive transformation in your life.Book your Enneagram typing session by going to sarahmikutel.com/typingsessionDo you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free Conversation Cheat Sheet with simple formulas you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you’re in a meeting or just talking with friends.Download it at sarahmikutel.com/blanknomore and start feeling more confident in your conversations today.

Welcome to Live Without Borders, a travel and wellness show for expats, the expat curious, and globally minded citizens of the world. We are the travelers, the culturally curious, the experiences and not things kind of people. And we know that freedom is about more than getting on a plane. It's about becoming the most heroic versions of ourselves, which is why on this podcast, you will hear insider travel secrets, inspiring expat stories, and advice on how to live abroad. but you will also hear episodes that will help give you the clarity, focus, and skills you need to create a life that will set your soul on fire. I am your host, Sarah Micatel, a certified clarity coach trained in the Enneagram, and I first moved abroad on my own at age 18, and I have been permanently enjoying life in Europe since 2010. If you are ready to make some big moves in your life

and want my help moving from someday to seize the day, visit live without borderspodcast.com. Do you enjoy camping? I was a campground manager in a state forest for two years when I was in college and I never slept there. I like sleeping in beds. I'm an Airbnb hotel kind of yell. When I was a little kid, I slept outside and a tent in our yard with my dad and my sister. It was damp. I just wasn't into it. It just wasn't my thing. And I actually really like nature. So it surprises people when I'm like, I'm not that into camping. But occasionally, somebody will convince me to go camping. And when that happens, I always have a good time. So I'm getting into like the mental habit of, yes, when a camping opportunity comes up, go for it. In the last episode, my guest, Kathy and I talked all about the Scottish Isles that you need to see and experience. And today, Kathy is back to talk about wild camping. What is that? Let's find out. Kathy, I know that you love to wild camp.

Could you explain what that is and what your favorite place is to do that? Yeah. So while camping basically just means to pitch your tent anywhere you want, and not necessarily in an organised or structured campsite, but rather anywhere in nature and anywhere away from villages or roads. In Scotland, we have the access to the land and the right to Rome wherever we want. So unless something is really fenced in and fenced off from people, you are allowed to cross the land wherever you like,

whether it's publicly owned or privately owned, which is great. But wild camping in general means being slightly away from the road, if not a full few hours walk away from roads, not camping right next to a village or a settlement, and really being kind of self-sustain out in the wilderness. And so where do you like to do this? Or what's been your most special experience, wild camping? So one of my favorite places was actually my first time wild camping on my own.

and that was on the Isle of Butte, which is a small island really not very far from Glasgow. It's probably one of the easiest one to get to from the city, whether you have a day or a weekend. And there's a long-distance trail on that island called the West Island Way. And it's only about 30 miles, so it's quite a short one. You can do it in two or three days. And I took my tent because I wanted to practice while camping, and I wanted that experience. and at the very southern tip of the Isle of Butte in a place called Glen Callum Bay, there is a beach there with a small lighthouse,

and it's facing kind of southeast, so perfect conditions for a sunrise. And I got there quite late. I had my dinner in the sunset. There was cows everywhere, and yeah, it was just such a wholesome experience to pitch my tent next to a beach and fall asleep with the sound of the waves in my ear. And then at night, of course, I woke up in the middle of the night with the waves sounding so close and violently forceful.

I was absolutely terrified. So I was kind of half awake, half still asleep and was wondering, did I pitch my tent close to the ocean? Is the tide coming in? All of these kind of crazy ideas. Am I already washed away? I was absolutely out of my mind. And so eventually I sat up and I opened the tent to look outside. and I was absolutely fine. The water was still so far away.

I had camped up on the grass, so I knew that, you know, unless it's some crazy riptide, there's not going to be any water anywhere near me. But, you know, how it goes when you're, when you're doing something for the very first time on your own, it can be a bit scary. So I went back to sleep and then the next morning I woke up quite early, as you do in the summer in Scotland, it gets light really early. And I looked out the tent and there was this sailship a big sailboat with two massive sails and because of the light it looked dark it looked like the sails were pitch black

like a pirate ship or something like that and it just kind of crossed the horizon from one side to the other across the bay and it looked so peaceful and the water was completely calm the sun was starting to rise everything was blue and it was just such a serene moment

that I really appreciated what it means to have a place like that for yourself and to experience being out in the wilderness by yourself. That sounds like such a beautiful experience and you're inspiring me because I've been in the mindset that I could never do something like that. Like I am a sleeping in beds type of person. There's something really special about putting yourself to the test of like hiking out there on your own setting up camp. Yeah, absolutely. And I think if anyone can do it, you choose a place that isn't too far from the nearest car park, right? So I think Glencalam Bay,

on the shortest way from the village, takes maybe one and a half hours to walk to. So you can do that, even if you're not the fittest, even if you're not used to a big backpack, it's only one and a half hours. It's not that far. And then the other way of kind of boosting your confidence and, you know, realizing that you can do it is if you only go for a night, you also don't need to bring that many things. So you're already kind of minimizing how much and how far you have to walk with your equipment. And then you can bring something a bit more comfortable, bring the pillow that you want to sleep on, bring the blanket that, you know, gives you the feeling of home and comfort. So finding ways that you can bring the small things that make you feel a little bit more comfortable

and kind of weighing up what you sacrifice and what you gain from having an experience like that. I just really feel like everybody should experience that one day. And there's so many people out there who want wild camping to remain this kind of hardcore adventure experience. And it can be, and it can be for, you know, the people who want to really push themselves and challenge themselves. But I think you can find much easier ways and much more beginner-friendly ways to really give it a try and do something that, you know, pushes you a little. but still gives you that level of comfort. Yeah, you can start with one day. You don't have to start with three months.

Exactly. Oh, God. Can you imagine three months of wild camping? Oh, dear. Did you feel safe when you were doing this? Absolutely, absolutely. I like to think that, you know, I like to remind myself of the very sad but true statistics

that it's much more dangerous to stay at home. You know, things happen much more in homes and by people who know you. Man by strangers out in the middle of nowhere. There was no other people around. I felt very safe, yeah. Last year, some friends and I camped out on some farmland, so it's like a popular thing in England. People rent out their land and you can just camp there.

And so we had a ton of fun. We got there. We set up shop, or rather I was observing, observing the tents going up. And then we walked this field to get to a local pub, had some fun there, came back, cooked up a big veggie dinner. Again, I was like observing this whole situation, which was wonderful. I felt like, yeah, I felt like I was kind of on this camping resort. Then we chatted for hours by the campfire. It was so much fun. And then all of a sudden it was time for bed. I slept really well.

I was nervous that I was not going to be able to fall asleep. And then the next morning we got up, we went for a really long hike and had a fantastic breakfast. And then I went home. So even if you think camping isn't for you, keep an open mind. You might like it. After talking to Kathy about wild camping, I decided to reach out to some of my friends who go camping and ask them, you know, what is your top camping tip? So here is what they said. Hi, I am Jenny Rens Tatrap and I live in Portland, Oregon. I'm from Iowa. And when I was growing up, my family and I used to take these epic, epic long summer road trips.

And since then, I mostly camp when I go to music festivals and definitely always have a headlamp. And I always know exactly where that headlamp is. because if you have that anywhere you're going and camping at night, you are saved a million moments of tripping on things or losing things because it gets dark and it gets dark. My name's Elise and I live in the UK and my number one camping tip is to make sure you've got loads of layers because that way hot or cold you're going to be comfortable and you've got pencil and paper so that if creativity strikes and the muse passes through

you, you get to capture that in some way. For me, it's writing music. For someone else, it might be poetry or sketching where you're at, but it's a thing that you want to capture in the moment. My name's Kyla, and I'm an American living over in the UK. And since I've been over here, my boyfriend and I have been doing a lot of camping. And my number one camping tip would be to not shy away from making the experience as comfortable as possible for yourself. I know we bring whatever we want, blankets, a nice air mattress. I even throw in some decorative couch pillows to make it pretty. The most important thing is that you're having a good time. So if that means you want to bring the whole house with you, I think you should do it.

And then I do have a second tip as far as food. I always pack or I always make black beans and rice ahead of time. and it makes for a really easy dinner. And also, it's good for breakfast with a fried egg over top. Ah, you're making me want to go camping. That's all for now. Go ahead and follow the show or hit subscribe so you can hear more episodes like this. And if you would like my help taking bold action on your own dreams, like living abroad,

changing careers and other life transitions, visit live without borderspodcast.com. Thanks for listening and have a beautiful week wherever you are. Do you ever go blank or start rambling when someone puts you on the spot? I created a free conversation sheet sheet with simple formulas that you can use so you can respond with clarity, whether you're in a meeting or just talking with friends. Download it at sarahmicatel.com slash blank no more.