Wild camping

Wild camping is no fine art but it does get better with practice - this is my 3rd Scottish trip in my van and I think I’ve spent about 2/3 of my van time wild camped. One of the etiquette rules of wild camping is to try to be out of sight of anyone’s house. These islands are actually quite tricky as there are houses dotted everywhere and where there are no houses, there are also no roads. With a lack of campsites though, as long as I’ve been a fair way from any houses I haven’t worried if I can be seen. It’s also early in any sort of tourist season and I’ve only seen a couple of other vans – in the summer it’s probably a bit more restrictive.

There are two things which are satisfying when you’re wild camping. One is to find the perfect spot, and the second is to be able to do all the domestic stuff without being forced onto a campsite. Apart from the site with the washblock (I never did see anyone) I’ve managed without, which is just as well as since then I’ve only seen two and one was closed.
I’ve found some really nice spots on beach fronts, last night’s being particularly good – the spot Berthas profile picture was taken in. I had dinner in the sun, cleared up and got into bed. I hadn’t been in bed long when the wind started to pick up. I was a bit annoyed. When id checked the forecast earlier in the day, the wind wasn’t due to be too bad – at least not bad enough to stop me from parking there. I laid there wondering what to do for a while, the van was really rocking in the wind and my bike cover was flapping like a parachute but the island is flat so there’s not much shelter and I couldn’t think of anywhere I’d seen which would be more protected. Luckily I had phone signal and did the best thing in the circumstances – I consulted the CamperChicks forum. I got up ready to drive somewhere else, talked myself out of it and got back into bed. Then I did the same again. The verdict was that 30mph winds would be scary but safe as long as there were no trees and with a bit of moral support behind me, eventually I dropped off to sleep. 

It’s something I love about being away – really taking notice of the weather. At home, its ‘should I take a coat or not?’ or ‘Is it too windy to cycle?’  I can’t remember the last time that I thought about which direction the wind was coming from, or that it would have even mattered. When parking in a certain direction can make the difference between a good night’s sleep or not, it’s something to take notice of.