Hebridean Landscapes

WildPlace said:
Isle of Lewis, Monday morning, camped out overnight and it was literally freezing! My tent was frozen and so were my feet but the amazing morning made up for it.

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A little mist drifting along the loch, sun just about to rise.

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My wee tent in the frost.
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Looks amazing but I'm afraid no perfect picture would persuade me to camp under those conditions. You are made of strong stuff, Yvonne!
 
WildPlace said:
Isle of Lewis, Monday morning, camped out overnight and it was literally freezing! My tent was frozen and so were my feet but the amazing morning made up for it.

View attachment 109150
A little mist drifting along the loch, sun just about to rise.

View attachment 109151
My wee tent in the frost.
Click to expand...

One thing about sleeping in a tent - you never have to worry about missing the morning because of sleeping in. There’s always something to get you up. Crows making a racket, lumpy ground making comfort difficult, a squirrel dropping pine cones on your tent from a tree overhead, or the cold driving you out of bed to get warm. Often, the early morning is when you make your most memorable photos of your entire trip.
Even in an official campground site made for tenters it seems some sadist has been at work ensuring the tent pad is nothing but gravel under a very thin veneer of dried up grass, ensuring you can’t get your tent pegs into the ground more than an inch or so. Or the drainage has not been considered so when it rains you find your tent is in the lowest place on the site.
Still, I love camping. The overall experience is still good enough to overcome the inconveniences. Especially backcountry camping, because after a few days it becomes so obvious how little you really need to live and enjoy life. Plus, there’s being in such close contact with nature, starting with the ground, that some primitive part of your brain wakes up and says, hey, this feels like home!
But another curiosity is that since my nearest neighbour’s house at home is about 500 feet from mine, in a regular campground, even with separate sites with trees between sites, I feel like I’m in a crowded city with other people so close by.
 
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FundyBrian said:
One thing about sleeping in a tent - you never have to worry about missing the morning because of sleeping in. There’s always something to get you up. Crows making a racket, lumpy ground making comfort difficult, a squirrel dropping pine cones on your tent from a tree overhead, or the cold driving you out of bed to get warm. Often, the early morning is when you make your most memorable photos of your entire trip.
Even in an official campground site made for tenters it seems some sadist has been at work ensuring the tent pad is nothing but gravel under a very thin veneer of dried up grass, ensuring you can’t get your tent pegs into the ground more than an inch or so. Or the drainage has not been considered so when it rains you find your tent is in the lowest place on the site.
Still, I love camping. The overall experience is still good enough to overcome the inconveniences. Especially backcountry camping, because after a few days it becomes so obvious how little you really need to live and enjoy life. Plus, there’s being in such close contact with nature, starting with the ground, that some primitive part of your brain wakes up and says, hey, this feels like home!
But another curiosity is that since my nearest neighbour’s house at home is about 500 feet from mine, in a regular campground, even with separate sites with trees between sites, I feel like I’m in a crowded city with other people so close by.
Click to expand...
I bring an air mattress so I’m super comfy, and my (former :( ) favorite campsite has some sites with wooden platforms which makes life so much easier. It’s not backcountry camping, for sure, but I love it. I’ve never experienced backcountry camping, but would like to someday.
 
FundyBrian said:
One thing about sleeping in a tent - you never have to worry about missing the morning because of sleeping in. There’s always something to get you up. Crows making a racket, lumpy ground making comfort difficult, a squirrel dropping pine cones on your tent from a tree overhead, or the cold driving you out of bed to get warm. Often, the early morning is when you make your most memorable photos of your entire trip.
Even in an official campground site made for tenters it seems some sadist has been at work ensuring the tent pad is nothing but gravel under a very thin veneer of dried up grass, ensuring you can’t get your tent pegs into the ground more than an inch or so. Or the drainage has not been considered so when it rains you find your tent is in the lowest place on the site.
Still, I love camping. The overall experience is still good enough to overcome the inconveniences. Especially backcountry camping, because after a few days it becomes so obvious how little you really need to live and enjoy life. Plus, there’s being in such close contact with nature, starting with the ground, that some primitive part of your brain wakes up and says, hey, this feels like home!
But another curiosity is that since my nearest neighbour’s house at home is about 500 feet from mine, in a regular campground, even with separate sites with trees between sites, I feel like I’m in a crowded city with other people so close by.
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I’m with you all the way with this Brian, i love camping and there are no trees or squirrels dropping pine cones here to worry about (no bears either - it’s great to live somewhere where i’m the top predator ).
 
RoseCat said:
I bring an air mattress so I’m super comfy, and my (former :( ) favorite campsite has some sites with wooden platforms which makes life so much easier. It’s not backcountry camping, for sure, but I love it. I’ve never experienced backcountry camping, but would like to someday.
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Yes i have a tiny air mattress which is very comfortable but folds down very small and is lightweight. I like to camp out in the wilds rather than a camp ground. My dream is to walk the Pacific Crest Trail before i get too old and decrepit...
 
WildPlace said:
Yes i have a tiny air mattress which is very comfortable but folds down very small and is lightweight. I like to camp out in the wilds rather than a camp ground. My dream is to walk the Pacific Crest Trail before i get too old and decrepit...
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:eek: What? The whole trail? From Mexico to the Canadian border? :notworthy: I bet it’s spectacular.
 
JillyG said:
:eek: What? The whole trail? From Mexico to the Canadian border? :notworthy: I bet it’s spectacular.
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Haha, yes, that’s the plan though i haven’t told Ian yet, he hates both hiking and camping so i’m going to have to find/persuade a friend... It won’t be until 2020 and i’ll be 60 that year, it might not even be feasible but a girl can dream. I’m going to see how i get on later in the year when i walk the Camino Via de la Plata from Seville to Santiago in Spain, 1000km
 
Had an overnight camp last night, on the west side of the Isle of Lewis. Much warmer than my previous outing and it did help that i didn’t hike there i took my wee van so i took my big crocheted blanket with me. A fabulous sunset last night and a calm, still morning this morning with plenty of birds on the beach. All native camera, no edits.

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Looking across the bay to the crofts at Arnol.

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Great sunset!

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My view while drinking my coffee this morning. Watched the Arctic Terns fishing in front of me
 
WildPlace said:
Had an overnight camp last night, on the west side of the Isle of Lewis. Much warmer than my previous outing and it did help that i didn’t hike there i took my wee van so i took my big crocheted blanket with me. A fabulous sunset last night and a calm, still morning this morning with plenty of birds on the beach. All native camera, no edits.

View attachment 109469
Looking across the bay to the crofts at Arnol.

View attachment 109470
Great sunset!

View attachment 109471
My view while drinking my coffee this morning. Watched the Arctic Terns fishing in front of me
Click to expand...
Fantastic images :)
 
WildPlace said:
Haha, yes, that’s the plan though i haven’t told Ian yet, he hates both hiking and camping so i’m going to have to find/persuade a friend... It won’t be until 2020 and i’ll be 60 that year, it might not even be feasible but a girl can dream. I’m going to see how i get on later in the year when i walk the Camino Via de la Plata from Seville to Santiago in Spain, 1000km
Click to expand...
If I could go, I totally would volunteer!!! It sounds a-mazing. I’ll be 60 too that year.... what an awesome thing to do to celebrate it.
 
WildPlace said:
Had an overnight camp last night, on the west side of the Isle of Lewis. Much warmer than my previous outing and it did help that i didn’t hike there i took my wee van so i took my big crocheted blanket with me. A fabulous sunset last night and a calm, still morning this morning with plenty of birds on the beach. All native camera, no edits.

View attachment 109469
Looking across the bay to the crofts at Arnol.

View attachment 109470
Great sunset!

View attachment 109471
My view while drinking my coffee this morning. Watched the Arctic Terns fishing in front of me
Click to expand...
Soooo gorgeous. :inlove:
 
RoseCat said:
Soooo gorgeous. :inlove:
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Thanks, it was so lovely to relax after such a busy week. I knocked together a very short video from last night too - all iPhone photos & video and put together in iMovie (started on my phone then finished it on my iPad). None of the images or video had any post-processing apart from being strung together.

 
WildPlace said:
Thanks, it was so lovely to relax after such a busy week. I knocked together a very short video from last night too - all iPhone photos & video and put together in iMovie (started on my phone then finished it on my iPad). None of the images or video had any post-processing apart from being strung together.

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I loved this! Beautiful place...
 
WildPlace said:
Had an overnight camp last night, on the west side of the Isle of Lewis. Much warmer than my previous outing and it did help that i didn’t hike there i took my wee van so i took my big crocheted blanket with me. A fabulous sunset last night and a calm, still morning this morning with plenty of birds on the beach. All native camera, no edits.

View attachment 109469
Looking across the bay to the crofts at Arnol.

View attachment 109470
Great sunset!

View attachment 109471
My view while drinking my coffee this morning. Watched the Arctic Terns fishing in front of me
Click to expand...
Wonderful images!!
 
WildPlace said:
Haha, yes, that’s the plan though i haven’t told Ian yet, he hates both hiking and camping so i’m going to have to find/persuade a friend... It won’t be until 2020 and i’ll be 60 that year, it might not even be feasible but a girl can dream. I’m going to see how i get on later in the year when i walk the Camino Via de la Plata from Seville to Santiago in Spain, 1000km
Click to expand...
Four years ago I would be knocking on your door to join you because I love hiking but my knees are so shot now, wouldn’t make it.
 
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