Oh how I love camping. Especially wild camping. As a child my family holidayed in campsites. We had a big canvas tent, the strong sturdy ones that they don't make anymore, that was a challenge at times to put up, but very comfortable to camp in. It had lots of space. I loved our camping trips, a week away from home , plus my grandma would always come as well and she was always so much fun.
Then when I left home, I would go camping with friends, down to the coast, in the moors or at music festivals. But my favourite camping experience, has to be the time, I went trekking for almost 2 months in the Sierra Nevada Mountains here in southern Spain, 9 years ago with my then two daughters, a friend and her son. We had two horses to carry our tents and food etc. It was one of the best experiences of my life and something I am so glad I got to experience with two of my girls.
The whole experience, was dreamt up by my friend, she was the one that had experience with horses. There was meant to be 3 mums, but the third mama had to pull out unfortunately. So that left me with my two girls and F with her son. The trek was set up as a fundraiser as well, to help Syrian refugees and also to help our local democratic school. We set off walking, with our three children, two horses, two dogs and our two tents, wild camping every night, only going into the villages to buy food. We brought some staples with us and also foraged lots greens and herbs from the mountains.
I love sleeping outside, I always have the best nights sleep when I do. I slept and ate so well during this whole experience. Besides one night, when I woke to the sound of Solas, (the horse I walked with and helped to carry me and my girls belongings) snoring outside my tent. She was standing right next to our tent, with her head over us. I loved that she chose to sleep close to us, but also worried that if she got startled by anything, she could potentially trample over us. So I stayed awake, until she woke and moved off.
We used a small camping stove, that we fed small sticks too, to keep the fire going. It was super compact and light. We only brought the essentials with us. We needed to travel light, especially for the horses sake, who were carrying our belongings. We camped out wild in nature, with no one else around, the whole time we were on the trek. With only the sounds of nature, the horses and our children to listen too. We rose with the sun and walked in the morning, stopping when it warmed up, once we had found a good place to set up camp. If it was really beautiful, we stayed for a few days. Which we happened to do, a few times. Often next to rivers and streams.
The most we walked in one day was 15 KM, which is good going considering my youngest was 3 at the time. It was also the highest we climbed, reaching just over 2000 metres. It just felt so good to be away from everything, completely connected with our surroundings, living with such a natural rhythm. I never felt so fit and healthy, so in tune with my body, my kids, so in tune with nature. I long to do it again, go away for a few weeks, into the wild, with a horse or a donkey. My two teenagers are not keen, but my youngest is. Yes that wildness keeps calling me back!
All photos are mine, taken during those magical weeks high up the mountains.
