By: Blonde Two

At the beginning of January (the month of my 50th birthday), I set myself the challenge of sleeping outdoors (or very nearly outdoors) for 50 nights in 2018. That works out at about 1 outdoor sleep per week across the year, which means that, during February, I didn’t quite make my goal. I decided at the start of my challenge that my outdoor sleeps are allowed to be campsite camping, wild camping, campervan camping, hammock camping, bivvy camping or any other weird combination of camping events that I or my friends can think of. In January I may or may not have cheated with two nights of camping pod camping (heater but no loo) and there are a few, frankly quite scary, sleeping ideas popping up out of the woodwork. The campervan has been off the road for February so no camper van camping for me this month but I have survived one night in a tent and one night in a bivvy bag, both wild camping on Dartmoor.

February Wild Camping Night 1
Type: Tent (Dartmoor wild camp)
Location: East Dartmoor
Date: February 7th
Reason: Mr B2 and I needed some Get Outside time
Supper: At home
Breakfast: At home, Mr B2 went straight to work and I went straight into the bath!
Comment: A beautiful, still night. We set off late, found our spot in the dark and decided to pitch the tent rather than bivvy. We left the door open to enjoy the cold air and the stars but I closed it at around 1 a.m. Woke up at 07:00, which was much later than planned so there was a bit of a rush to get Mr B2 to work on time.

February Wild Camping Night 2
Type: Bivvy (Dartmoor wild camp)
Location: East Dartmoor (different location)
Date: February 16th
Reason: Outdoor girls’ night out
Supper: The Old Inn, Widecombe, most excellent fish and chips
Breakfast: Cereal and toast at a friend’s house, just before we swam in the Buckfastleigh Ice Gala (as you do).
Comment: Rather longer at the pub than planned but my ‘only one drink’ bladder policy paid off and I slept for 6 continuous hours between 01:00 and 07:00. Spent some time searching for the perfect bivvy spot, found it and enjoyed views over a slightly misty Widecombe in the morning. Slightly chilly to start so wore my Buffalo jacket in bed, but it was a very still night and I was warm for most of it. With Ju Lewis and Belinda Dixon.