Newtsalad wrote: ↑Thu May 09, 2019 9:47 am
I have to ask, what was the nature of the attack, midges? Dogs? or person(s)? Whatever it was, I hope it wasn't too serious and it doesn't seem to have put you off adventuring!
Great write up and great pics, thanks for sharing, I'll bet there are many of us who wish we too could up and off for such an adventure!
Thank you, I am glad you liked my photos.
My Nokia Windows phone might not be too good as a satnav, but it has a relatively decent camera. All snaps were taken with that mobile. I am doing a proper write up about my trip but I think it might turn into a book. Brevity is not one of my virtues.
I am planning to go on a long trip every year, because I want to travel while I still can. My mother, who is 82 yrs old and still works as an accountant, says : 'If you have an opportunity to go somewhere, always do it, because you never know whether you will have another chance'. I think it makes a lot of sense. It does not matter if you have a big bike or small, or even if you have your motorbike licence or not.
This is why I went to Scotland from Kent on my Poppy with a bad foot and a walking stick in 2017. Everybody tried to discourage me from going but I thought that 'the following year my both feet might be bad and I wouldn't be able to go at all.
'
As for the incident, I am afraid, I’d rather not put too many details about this unpleasant evening on here, but basically, there was an altercation with a bloke
(twice my height and twice my weight) who did not like me asking him not to pitch his tent two metres from mine
, in a very secluded part of a campsite, where there were acres of land around. I did not sustain any injuries as I was wearing my riding jacket; when it got really dangerous I used
my 100 dB mountain whistle (that I always have on my bike key ring) to summon help. These whistles make ideal personal alarms and can be used to attract attention, let’s say you have an accident and you are not visible from the road.
The incident did not put me off travelling, but it made me think seriously about wild camping. Had I been on my own in the middle of nowhere, the story could have had a different ending altogether. Nevertheless, I did camp on my own in Rothiemurchus Forest towards the end of my trip.
I was adamant that the whole episode was not going to spoil my journey. Camping in a picturesque spot among three hundred years old Scott pines was an unforgettable experience.