12 sleeps left

Just twelve sleeps left until I leave home to travel north. After that, my travel companion will be an 87 mile stretch of stone and brick, for the next 5 days.

Hadrian's Wall may not be the most social walking companion, but at least it won't complain about sore feet, hunger and exhaustion and that suits me fine.  I can't say that I won't be complaining though, but I can't imagine the ancient Roman wall minding too much.

I will be wild camping. For me it's a big deal, partly because the last time camped was 29 years ago and and I was just 11.  I went with school. I remember hating it and crying the whole time, wanting my home-comforts, my warm bed, my mum. Perhaps this latest venture will prove exactly the same. No, it won't. This time it will have to be different. I can not wus-out.

The second reason why it is such a big deal is that I will be wild camping in a bivvy bag i.e. no tent! I know it sounds crazy, but I simply could not get my head around the idea of carrying around with me a heavy tent all day and then, when I am at my last eb of energy, ready to expire, having to attach pole C to hole F and twizzle end H and pull on rope Y and hammer in peg K.   It was a huge mental problem for me. I could not get round it!

Then, I read a website which promoted 'microadventures' (recommend the Google here)   which described the glorious idea of sleeping under the stars in a sleeping bag, in a bivvy bag. That did it for me! Great idea! I'll do my 5nights in Cumbria and Northumberland in a bivvy bag.  

 I really don't know what to expect, but at 40 years of age, it would not do me any harm in my finding out.