Our Somerset family wild camping experience

Shrieks and screams of delight surround me as my children (6, 9 and 12) strip waist-high stalks of grass of their seeds and shower each other until their hair is filled with them, which will take weeks to remove.  The job of removing the seeds is both made more difficult, and simultaneously unnecessary, by our location: an isolated Somerset field where we are trialling our first experience of wild camping as a family (minus one adult left behind to work).

Trying to fit everything we needed for one adult and 3 children to camp for the night involved a frustrating game of backpack tetris. Using an inherited 40 litre backpack, the kids school bags and a battered bag for life, we finally jammed in our kit and drove through Somerset’s meandering lanes until we arrived at a small, laminated sign, denoting we had arrived at Heal Somerset. This is the first site acquired by the charity, who buy degraded land and allow it to rewild to benefit wildlife, the climate and visitors alike.

With the car parked safely in the allocated space (a dis-used, metal barn), we head across the road and along a quiet lane between two hedgerows, following the provided information card sent by CampWild. Progress to our destination is slow, due to the banquet of ripe blackberries provided by the hedgerow. Luckily, we have arrived mid-August in peak blackberry season, and the children quickly identify that the fattest fruits are the sweetest, spending the journey devouring as many as possible. Emerging amongst the spiky, fruit laden vines, hedgerow branches of field maple, blackthorn and wild roses twist their way towards the sunlight. The hedgerow, edged with wildflowers, provides a feast for visiting pollinators, who can be seen darting out from huge, candy-striped bindweed flowers. 

Arriving at our field, the children cannot believe we have this space to ourselves. We are used to squeezing a tent in between many others on allocated pitches, trying not to upset neighbouring campers by kicking a football too close to their tents or making too much noise. Whilst the space itself has no facilities, just across the lane a basic campsite provides tap water and a composting loo.

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  Rewilding at Heal Somerset

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  Bivvy Bag view

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We identify the flattest spot amongst the tussocks of grass to pitch the tent, before the children depart to explore the field. Winding, mown paths make it easier to traverse the tussocks of late-summer grasses and explore the huge field.  Without another soul around, there is no-one to hear the din of shouting, screaming and out-of-tune singing as the children explore the field. They clearly revell in this freedom, the cacophony of noise becoming louder and louder as excitement levels rise. Although they are a good 200 metres away from me, I begin to regret telling them they can be as loud as they like.

We own an excellent 3 person tent, but need of one more sleeping space, so I get to work on my own shelter using a tarpaulin, some guy ropes and two mis-matched walking poles borrowed from my parents. Miraculously this actually works, leaving me ridiculously proud of the wonky magnificence of my make-shift shelter and imagining myself on the next series of Channel 4’s ‘Alone’.

At this point the children arrive back, excited to tell me about their discoveries.  Sam (9) is delighted to inform me a bird flew right over his foot (he expertly identifies it as ‘not a pigeon’) The boys spend their time squealing at some suitably huge slugs, spotting crickets and playing ‘army’ in the long grass. Megan (12) and I cook chorizo, orzo pasta on the camping stove, before we call the boys back from their play. Sitting on a picnic blanket we inhale every last morsel of the meal and follow it with chocolate biscuits to everyone’s delight. Sam, who was initially reluctant to join the adventure, rates the experience so far as 9.85/10 (the small deduction due to his younger brother annoying him). After dinner and cleaning our teeth, we watch the sun begin to set, filling the sky with amber and gold before muting the colours of the surrounding landscape and softening the edges of the view. The noise level descends and I tuck them into sleeping bags for a cuddle and a story.

Settling down in a bivvy bag, under the tarpaulin (which I am convinced will fall down), I initially feel a little unsettled; something about not having four walls around me is very new and unusual. However, as the sky darkens and begins to fill with stars, I am reminded of how very tiny and insignificant I am in comparison. Being still and quiet under open skies fills me with awe and allows me to let go of some of the trivial worries and annoyances of daily life, which usually seem so much more important. I feel rooted to the earth, comforted by the knowledge that humans have slept under the stars for thousands of years before me. Relaxing, I spot a few constellations learnt as a child and appreciate the gentle tingle of cool air on my skin. An occasional night train passing a few miles away reminds me how close to civilization we are, and yet it feels isolated and utterly peaceful. A beautiful night’s sleep awaits.

In the morning, I am woken by a 6-year-old in need of a wee and a cuddle. I pop him into my sleeping bag and together we watch the sun rise, leisurely returning colour to the surrounding fields. The quiet is only broken by a few birds starting their day and, predictably, by demands for breakfast from the children. 

However, not everything is as idyllic. When boiling water for our morning porridge, I discover that two tiny, grey slugs have made themselves a new home inside the spout of my water bottle. Yuk! A valuable lesson learnt – keep your water bottle in your backpack! After more exploring, tree-climbing and some extra-raucous singing we return down the blackberry-filled lane and back to the car. In just 18 hours we are noticeably calmer and more connected. Nervous systems reset, all that remains is to load up the car and head home.

Would we wild camp again? Absolutely. CampWild has given us a window in the world of wild camping. For beginners or families, it allows access to private, natural spaces with the security of knowing exactly where you are going.  Using their wild scale, campers can select a space that meets their needs. For our family, this was a safe, accessible and easy jumping-off point to wild camping: a low-risk, low-cost way to test out the experience and expand our comfort zones a little. It felt like a huge adventure, although in reality, we were never very far away from home and had it all gone wrong, we could have easily packed up and departed. The experience was also a brilliant entry point to bigger adventures. We later had an utterly magical night wild camping on Dartmoor and look forward to joining the CampWild campout this October.

Why use CampWild for a family camp?

The thought of taking three children wild camping definitely required a stretch out of my comfort zone. CampWild’s wild grade and information card made this so much easier. For this camp we selected a low difficulty camp spot, just a few hundred metres from car parking, with a handily located compost loo and drinking water in an adjoining field.

Top Tips for Wild Camping with kids

• Pack light, carrying equipment for a whole family requires a change of approach to car camping.

• Involve children in the planning, especially of food.

• Prep your food in advance. We used a recipe from Harrison Ward, the fell foodie, https://www.trekitt.co.uk/blog/trekitt-x-fell-foodie-on-the-hill-recipes/ and took the veg ready chopped in a ziplock bag.

• The environment will likely provide the entertainment, but a small ball or pack of cards might be a useful addition.

• A picnic blanket is a cheap, lightweight alternative to camping chairs.

• Reduce expectations for your first camp, keep it relatively short in walking distance, and if possible, fairly close to home. This gives a great base to expand from and an escape route if needed.

• For peace of mind, leave some emergency food and clothes in the car.

• Remember your first aid kit.

• Follow the CampWild code and teach responsible camping to your small people.

• Use what you already own or borrow kit from friends. We were short of bags, but a large shopping bag worked well to carry some of our kit over the relatively short distance.