In the past few months, I’ve been feeling increasingly frustrated that I haven’t had the time to do as much adventuring as I wanted. Whenever I made plans, the weather always seemed to have other ideas. Life has been a whirlwind of stress and responsibilities – full-time work, a part-time degree, a house renovation, and my family and I dealing with some very difficult news. I haven’t had any proper holidays this year, and I’m heading towards burnout, emotionally and physically. That’s why this weekend’s wild camping trip came at just the right time.

Most people don’t understand why I love wild camping. They think it’s cold,  uncomfortable, and with the lack of facilities they don’t see how it can be relaxing. But they couldn’t be more wrong. I’ve camped on Robinson before, but the wind forced me to pitch my tent on the other side, overlooking Catbells. This time, with perfect weather conditions forecast, I was determined to fulfil my original plan of camping overlooking Buttermere.

I cannot put into words how much that Buttermere view means to me. It’s simply breathtaking. Everyone has their special place, and this is mine. All the noise and stress in my head, you can feel it disappearing into the atmosphere. It’s a type of peace, quiet, and tranquillity you just don’t find anywhere else. When you get those rare perfect camping conditions, nothing can match it.

I could happily sit there and look at that view forever, watching how the landscape changes with the morning, afternoon, and evening light. It actually makes me feel like a very lucky person to be able to have moments like these. For that one evening, I have nothing to worry about, nothing to think about other than how beautiful and simple the world and my life is. The peace, quiet, and tranquillity of wild camping under the stars, surrounded by nature, is a reminder that there’s more to life than just work and responsibilities. It’s a chance to recharge and reconnect with what’s truly important.

Giving yourself time for the things you love should never be overlooked, and being kind to yourself is important. We all need to remember that.