It all started when I left a comment on Alastair Humphreys’ blog:
Me: “Everyday I sit on the train to work and watch the countryside go by and look oh so longingly at the woods, the woods, we gotta get into the woods!”
Alastair: “Why don’t you walk home from work one Friday night. Try to follow the train line as close as you can cross-country. You will see things from such a different perspective. And whenever you are on the train to work in the future you will have great memories of the microadventure…”
Well, I thought, what a jolly good idea and why not take it a step further and wild camp the night in that there wood? How’s that for a fine idea? And thus was born my plan for a spring microadventure.
Below is a picture of the wood taken from my speeding commuter train last week.
As you can see, the wood is about half a mile from the train track, on the other side of the wood, about a mile and a half to the west is a motorway, wildness abounds!
I decided to blog this now as a way of holding myself to the project, it’s a lot harder to weasel out of it all it all by making it public.
Here’s the plan. A weekday towards the end of April, start of May:
- 5.30pm leave office job for the day..
- 6.00 pm stuff face in noodle bar by King’s Cross station
- 6.30pm leave King’s Cross
- 7.0pm arrive at a station 6 miles from the wood.
- 7.0pm – 8.30pm hike to wood and find two good looking trees for my hammock
- 8.30pm – set up camp
- 9pm make a cuppa
- 9.30pm hop into hammock, sip some scotch.
- 10pm sleep
- Next morning – cuppa tea, train to King’s Cross, bacon sarnie and coffee, go to office, start work.
Ambitious!
So much fun!
Alastair’s great advice was like that little voice in our head – the one we’ve grown accustomed to ignoring – that says, “Ok. What are you going to do about it?” I’m glad you listened – it sounds like a grand adventure. AND a fabulous post to read!
Good luck with your micro-adventures! 😉
Brilliant!
Go for it! Brilliant plan.
I have to drive a couple of hours country to work a couple of times a week. My eyes will be open for off route woods tomorrow 🙂
Have a great night, when it comes.
Jell
Hey Martin,
Great plan, if I can offer one piece of advice it would be to put a date on it rather than “A weekday towards the end of April, start of May” that way it makes it more binding and harder to weasel out.
I speak from experience & I’m trying to commit to at least one microadventure every month 🙂
Cheers, Poul
Hi Poul, I didn’t want to announce a date on the blog as it would just give that ‘little voice in my head’ that likes to invent bad stories, something else to worry about. I.E: “mad axe murderers will read the blog, see the date and be ready for me in the woods” etc etc etc. Whenever I wild camp I have to spend some time rationalising with myself over this kind of thing. Daft but true : )
Hi Martin,
That makes a lot of sense, I think the things we fear most is the unknown and as such our brain can be our own worst enemy.
But that just makes it so much more inspirational and I salute you Sir.
Have a super time when you go 😉
Cheers, Poul
Great idea!
I had a very similar one a few years ago – after having paid an extortionate amount of money for a train ticket from London to Norwich which was never checked, I decided that I might as well have walked and saved the cash – and so I did!
Have a read if you want – http://andyexplores.wordpress.com/2011/09/19/and-i-would-walk-137-miles/
Good luck with the camping!
Hi Andy, I like the idea of walking from London to Norwich, will check out yr blog, cheers!
Brilliant! You have so got to do it! Just make sure you’re wearing your vest (ideally tucked into pants), might be a tad chilly.
Hi Jags, yes, I’ll be wearing a base layer and several jumpers, the whisky will also help : )
All the best buddy! Looking forward to hearing the resulting story of this one… 🙂
Thanks Ross, I’m looking forward to the adventure! : )
Good man and go do it. Look forward to reading about it.
Thanks Martin, that wood that I see from the train will never look the same after the microadventure : )