On travelling solo

As I mentioned in my last post, I went on a solo adventure to Hope Valley and the Peak District last weekend. My best friend was due to get married, and I decided to travel the day before. It had been a difficult week emotionally, relationally, and at work. I needed thinking time and head space. I seem to need a lot of head space these days.

Thing is, it sounds easy, but I was TERRIFIED. Driving alone 180 miles and camping somewhere? After a hard emotional week? Really?

I haven’t done anything of the sort for over 2 years, and I was worried about all sorts. Who would help me pitch the tent? Who would help me cook? What if the car broke down? What if I got lost? And so on. I am a natural born worrier. (I wish that spelt warrior! I’m working on it  )



 



 



 

These photos were taken with my HTC Sense phone camera. 

Once I'd pitched my tent, I sat down with my take away wood fired pizza (nom!) outside the tent and wrote in my journal. It felt good to be outside, and savour the opportunity for alone time.

What I learnt:

1. Listening to my worries, and knowing my little quirks helped me deal with the scariness of the trip better. I worried about the route, having adequate directions, getting lost and what to do when I got there. Knowing my worries meant that:

• I intentionally chose a campsite close to a village that I know. I researched it on the website, and was glad to know they have wardens there.


• I planned a stop in the village to get my bearings, i.e. set the SatNav (GPS) to take me there, and not direct to the campsite.


• In addition to having a SatNav, I wrote down all addresses, post codes, and figured out directions on Google Maps. I “drove” down the winding country lane in Street View to find the entrance to the campsite. I am a visual learner, so I recognise landmarks easily.


• I thought through all eventualities before I left. If I got lost, or the SatNav broke, I had my phone with internet capability and a paper map in the car should all else fail. If I broke down, I would call up the breakdown assistance and pay them directly (I don’t have breakdown cover).


• I checked the oil levels in my car, and was reassured that it had recently passed it’s annual MOT (safety test).

 

2. Decisions based on fear don’t lead to much growth. Had I decided against going alone, I would not have experienced the immense benefits of travelling solo, and would have delayed learning that I CAN DO IT.

3. Going alone helped me regain confidence in my ability to do something difficult that I’d set my mind to. I tapped into my inner strength and that felt empowering.

4. Too much choice is a bad thing. We know that already from the paradox of choice, but I now have a concrete example. It took me a while to decide where to pitch my tent. And I felt pretty self-conscious wandering around the campsite aimlessly.

5. It’s good to start small. I started with a short weekend trip where I knew I’d be seeing my best friend and lots of other people at the wedding. Maybe next time I can go alone for a full weekend, with just me, my camera, journal and thoughts.

 

Going away alone gave me some much needed time to reflect, gather my thoughts, and write in my journal. I was pretty busy from Saturday morning until I left on Sunday, but even the car journey was therapeutic – singing (loudly) to myself to my favourite music.

 

Over to you:

Do you travel alone? What have you learnt? I'd love to hear from you in the comments.

 

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Some thoughts on camping

 

 

This post has been simmering for a while, as I found I originally wrote it in a negative, whingy tone. Sitting on it for a few days allowed me to re-frame it, in a positive light.

I took a week off work at the start of June, and we decided to go camping by the North Devon Coast. We had gorgeous weather, bright blue skies, and spent all day outdoors.

We camped for three nights, cooked our own breakfast and dinner by the tent, surfed, walked and basked in the sunshine.

It was truly refreshing. One, we spent time outdoors in the sunshine, had lots of time to relax, and no work to worry about, or get up for. Perfect.

Second, it gave me a tiny peek into what minimalist living is like. I’ve never really considered it before, because I’ve never camped as an aspiring minimalist. Before, just getting out of the city was awesome.

 

This time was different

I noticed the following after I returned home to my flat full of stuff:

- I don’t need a lot of stuff to entertain myself, for days. I had my journal, my camera, and a book to read. Those are my 3 favourite things, aside from crafting.

- Being limited to a single tiny gas stove made cooking breakfast a very slow process, but I loved it because there was nothing to hurry for. I could sit on the blanket outside the tent, quietly stirring the porridge while watching the bunnies hopping about on the grass.

- I am happiest outdoors. Stepping out of the stifling heat of the tent onto the grass at 7.30 am was delightful. I took my journal and pen, sat down, felt the fresh morning breeze on my face, and admired the beauty of the surrounding countryside. The picture above is my view from outside the tent.

- Being outdoors from 7.30am to 10pm made me feel healthy. Both physically, with plenty of fresh air and activity; and mentally, helping me to have a more positive outlook.

- I cooked, washed up, tidied and put away - activities that I try to avoid at home. Less stuff to maintain, more motivation to clean up?

A short holiday with so many life lessons. Awesome!

I’ll be thinking of some of the ways I can apply these lessons to my daily life and I shall return with those soon!  I also have a tonne of photos to look through and I'll be sure you to show you the best ones here!

Over to you

Have you been on holiday lately? What is different about holidays for you, compared to home? Are there ways in which you can bring the holiday feeling home? I'd love to hear from you in the comments :)

 

 

Adventure: a trip to Brighton

 

 

The sea beckoned.

A long 5 hour drive, plus a stop in Chichester to wander around and eat ice cream. It was a lovely little town, and gave us an opportunity to stretch our legs. I couldn't resist a visit to Paperchase to look at all the beautiful notebooks and journals. My crafty conscience got the better of me before I bought any, convincing myself that I could make my own for a fraction of the price.

Upon arrival, we decided on an early evening walk to see the horses. My first foray into animal photography, realising the difficulty in capturing moving subjects! I had space for 1500 photos so my guess was that at least one would turn out well!



My parents had acquired a new bike, taking the total to 3. Fitting, as we were 3, wanting to head down to the sea, cycle into Brighton, eat lunch on the beach and take in the sights.

A nearly endless cycle path stretched from our corner of Brighton to the centre and beyond. It made for easy cycling, feeling the slight breeze on our faces, slowly pedalling, gazing at the gorgeous sea view. It was delightfully sunny and not too hot, and I took the opportunity to be mindful. Enjoying the low riding position, with the basket wobbling on the front of the bike. Looking out to the sea, a great expanse of calm water, a fresh new sight for us South-West city dwellers.



 

 

I asked for us to stop to indulge in my newly acquired passion for photography, never having been much of a photo person before. I knew of the multi-coloured huts along the promenade from previous trips, and this was the opportunity to capture them on camera. Luckily, my little point and shoot lived up to expectations, having left my better camera at home owing to its bulk. I regretted not taking it, but remembered any camera is better than no camera.

We locked up the bikes, and wandered along perusing the market stalls. My stomach and energy levels called lunch time, a selection of sandwiches, crisps and cake freshly made by the Pret masters. We took the bag down to the beach and planted ourselves on the pebbles.

A lost bike key, and a frantic, panicky search among the beach pebbles, walking to our previous resting place. We resigned to one of us taking the bus home. We then found it hidden among the bike wheels, dropped while attaching the helmet to the lock. Phew!

The next day, we were in the mood for some green spaces. A quick look in the local guidebook told me of Ditchling, a picturesque village, and a country park nearby. I had remembered to take my DSLR this time, adamant that I would not miss more photo opportunities.

 

I found a bakery selling giant scones, yes please. Plenty of butter too. They had a basket of free bread to feed the ducks, a clever idea for any dropped chunks or leftovers from the cafe. I hadn't fed ducks in years!



 

 

We found a picnic table to enjoy the giant scone, along with apples and dried apricots. Then a short wander along to the pond, to give the ducks their lunch time snack. They rushed about picking up every last morsel of bread.

We planned to drive back to Ditchling to enjoy a pub lunch, but found a huge traffic jam and not a single parking space in the whole village. Onwards to find another, which quickly turned into a stressful, low blood sugar grumptastic drive to a pub known to my mum. C gratefully took over the driving until I'd had some food.

Home again, this time putting out the chairs for a good holiday reading session until the sun went in. I thought how lovely it would be to have a garden at home. I used the garden well during my time at mum's, sitting outside in the fresh morning air, journalling quietly before everyone else woke up, and sitting outside at every opportunity, warmed by the sun.

The trip was restorative and refreshing. It was good to see the parents, hang out, talk, and eat good food. The change of scenery was important, so much so that I enjoyed coming back home.

 

Over to you

Have you been on any adventures lately? I'd love to hear your stories in the comments.

 

Thanks for reading, and hello to my new followers. It's good to have you here.

 

p.s. The photos above are merely a selection. You can see the rest on my Flickr stream, here.  I am also going on another sea-side adventure later today. You're welcome to follow updates on Instagram while I'm there! I'll be back in the week with more photos!

Until then,

Linda