Back from work for tea, then a quick dash up to the moor to catch the sunset and sunrise on the longest day of the year.
Category: belstone
Another trip out to Belstone
After the Summer Solstice bivi on the hill with The Lad, I returned for a quick solo trip one very hot summer’s evening.
Leaving home just before everybody else sat down for tea, I was walking out of Belstone within the hour, pleased to find it a lot cooler there than it had been at home where it was touching 30°C.
Atop Belstone Tor, there was a very pleasant cooling breeze making for a beautiful evening with not a soul about. I continued onward, walking until about the sun started to dip below the horizon, then started to look for a spot for the night.
The best thing about bivi bags #1
Finding a comfortable spot took a while due to the boulders, but one of the great things about bivi bags is that they need very little room.
Setting up camp took at least twenty seconds after which it was time to get the stove on for tea.
The meal was a Cashew Nasi from Adventure Foods, which would have been a lot better if I had not misread the instructions in the half-light and added far too much water. Nevertheless, it tasted good and I was well hydrated by bedtime.
During the night, the broth bit back as I awoke desperate for the loo.
The best thing about bivi bags #2
Having no zips means that it is very easy to get in and out of my bivi bag, which was a major help, but the great thing about being woken in the night was what I could see above. Being high on a hill, a long way away from large cities, I was able to drink in the majesty of the night sky in its full glory. A sight I will never tire of.
As the sun rose, so did I; my bivi bag speckled with dew.
The best thing about bivi bags #3
Packing my kit away took minutes, then it was time to climb over the ridge to catch the earliest rays of heat feeling the sun arming my body, the stove went on for a brew with breakfast, then it was time to head back to the car.
Home time
Back to the car and off to the cafe for a fry-up, but today, it is the first day of the holidays and the queue is a big one, so it’s straight home for a day of playing in the sun.
Another microadventure over. Simple in its simplicity, but another good one at that.
Summer Solstice 2014 – A Dad and Lad Microadventure
Saturday had dawned bright and sunny. The bags were packed and ready to go. One for Dad and one for Lad. It was time for a microadventure.
We waited until the end of the afternoon, then headed north to Dartmoor for The Lad’s first experience of microadevnturing.
Standard equipment for any microadvanture is, of course, a luxury item.
I opted for a pillow.
The Lad opted for a lightsabre.
The Force is strong in this one as he leads the way.
The sky shows a lot more blue than it did a year ago.
And the sun starts to set
Our bed for the night. PADI SCUBA divers are taught “take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but bubbles”. We leave nothing but slightly trampled grass.
As the new day dawns, The Lad heads up the next hill
A-haaaaaaaa!
An interesting addition to a dry stone wall
The road leads us back to Belstone
The next one is already being planned.
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