My Solo Wild Camp at Hayes Wood

Hey! I am Liz. I love being outdoors, it feels so freeing and is incredibly beneficial for my mental health and of course, wild camping is the ultimate experience. Going to sleep and waking up under canvas, completely part of nature, especially if you’re wild camping.

But, it can be scary can’t it? There are so many reasons not to do it and hard to

prioritise the reasons to do it. The questions are the worst; can I camp here? Is it

safe? Will I get moved on? What’s that I can hear?!

That’s why I love Camp Wild – you know that wherever you go, you’re allowed to be there, but you can have the secluded and peaceful experience you want.

Liz on her last camp at Ouseburn Woods Wild Space in York

Last weekend I had my first camping trip of 2025.

I was excited; I’d had to cancel the December camp due to Storm Darragh, and when I heard about Storm Eowyn, I was worried I’d have to postpone this trip too.

Luckily, the weather was fine, clear, bright and fresh!

I pulled up to the parking spot and looked around. I knew there was a bit of a walk to the camping location, so I followed the W3Ws which was really straight forward. I was fairly heavily loaded as I wanted to be warm and to enjoy a campfire, permitted at this site but the path was flat and not too muddy.

It took me two trips to get everything sorted. It was such a cool space. I was in the middle of wood but I could see a stunning sunset at the edge of the treeline. As it got darker and darker, through the space in the trees, I could see the stars. I was able to sit and stare upwards, never growing tired of the view above me. It was amazing!

It was incredible to have the woods to myself. To be able to enjoy that peace and solitude but feel completely safe. It’s something I really treasure and is one of the main reasons I’m part of Camp Wild.

It wasn’t all fun and games though! There was definitely some type 2 fun this time as my stove ran out of gas and I ended up eating cold soup, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my fire started. There were definitely some things I did better this time such as layers for sleeping, but I want to streamline my packing so I’m less weighed down. I think it will make the set up and take down much easier. Things to think about for my next camp! I’d love the next one to be near some water for an cold, refreshing dip!

Join me on my next adventure as I qualify from nervous newbie, to (hopefully) confident winter camper!

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