Chapter one: not so far from home

 The plan set, the route planned and the campsite booked. Tomorrow I will be taking on the first adventure of a 10 km hike followed by a night of camping, Chris invited along to join me opts for a bike ride to the camp site, we plan the kit and as we were going together we decide to ditch the tarp as he could carry the tent, the bonus of this it won't impact my kit list. 

On route I had made plans to take on some Geocaching, there were quite a few on the path I had picked and most of the route was familiar to me as I had been down it before. Saturday morning came the bag was sorted, breakfast eaten and clothes ready to go, It wasn't a super early start which gave me a chance to finish any odd jobs before leaving. 

The route itself was 10 km of trails, cycle paths, field crossing and country lanes, the weather was pretty warm and nice and dry, and added bonus to the route. I took water on route and snacks to nibble on. I had removed some of the items i knew i definitely wouldn't need but it was still a heavy weight, i knew this would eventually get tricky. 

The adventure started off well, I felt strong, had good legs and found the temperature manageable, the paths being ones i have taken before meant i know where to go and i was comfortable around my safety the first couple of geocaches were either not accessible or really difficult to find, but i managed to find at least two on route. 

Joined by a few runners, cyclists and other walkers on the path it was a nice break from the emptiness though the peace was also appreciated. As i reached the point where my path change to new areas i realised on the map a bit more to avoid getting lost, and adjusted the music levels to be more aware of my surrounds and safety, though i didn't fear for my safety i like to be alert in new places. 

I could feel the bag getting heavy now, the jumper had come off and it was getting really warm, not to hot but noticeably more warm, i was drinking more and making sure to graze more. 

The legs becoming heavier the bag starting to get uncomfortable i adjusted the mindset, change up the music and focus on the areas around me, how many trees, what conversations can i have with myself, lets think about tea. 

Most of the route was safe and free from cars, in fact the only point close to cars was the last km roughly, this was a reasonably busy road and being a country lane meant there were not paths, on this road the headphones came out so i could focus full attention on the traffic, making sure to stay on the correct side of the road I listened out and tucked onto the grass verge till they passed, the verge wasn't enough to walk on but ideal for tucking myself off the road for safety, at points where i knew the cars wouldn't see me round a bed i crossed to the other side, this gave us both better visibility. 

Getting close to the campsite and in decent time too! I had checked in with Chris and had his rough ETA, whilst i waited this was a good chance to rest and remove the bag for a short bit. Chris arrived and after a bit of searching we located the people running the camp who gave us a choice of a couple of plots, we decided on a nice little corner one, perfect for us two a small tent and the bike, dropping the kit we sought our water and toilets before getting unpacked and set up for the night so we could focus on resting and food. 

This time camping i had the chance to test our the new camp bed, it didn't take long to inflate and fit well into the tent, it was nice and comfy for sitting on for meals and kept me warmer which made a huge difference as the evening dropped cooler. We settled in for tea and added a few more layers as we settled for the night just enjoying the peace. 

The campsite was a lovely little place hidden in a woodland area, we knew we wouldn't spot a sunrise but we managed a bit of a sunset, Settling in for a later evening hot chocolate before wrapping up in the sleeping bags and settling for a night of sleep. 

The morning camp, damp and chilly, wrapped up we made a Chai latte and mentally woke up before we started packing, kit slightly damp, and taking a bit to warm up we discussed the plan for the morning, a short trip to Costa, breakfast and a coffee followed by a ride and trek home, kit packed and ready to go we quietly headed out the gate, the owners knew we would be gone before we got their and only the odd one or two other campers were awake. 

I took a slightly different path toward Costa and Chris headed of to meet me their short walk a bit of music and as i warmed up started to delayer the additional clothing, the sun came out and the hat and gloves were no longer needed. There it was Costa, and that meant a nice breakfast and a good coffee, settling in for food and drink i looked at options, tiredness had hit and the legs weren't as strong so i decided on a short walk to the closest but stop then taking a but home, the adventure a success and a fantastic way to kick off the adventure challenge. 

What's coming next? keep up with the Blog and the YouTube channel to find out :)

You can check out a video on the first adventure here: https://youtu.be/9mP4kplBH9c

Thanks for reading, see you soon!