I’ve been taking my son, Ethan out for long walks from the moment he’s been able. Whether it’s a few local miles on Belfast’s greenways, coastal trails and forest parks, or the Mourne Mountains – it gives us time together without the distractions and issues posed by screens and devices.
This year I decided to finally introduce him to wild camping, opting for a summer introduction to whet the appetite before trying trips in rainier or colder weather. It’s one thing walking in the rain all day with your dad and coming home to a hot shower – it’s another kipping in the tent afterward – and I wanted to make sure things started off on a good note.
Back in May we dipped our toe in the water on our first father-son wild camp near Annalong wood. I loaded the 90L Osprey Xenith to the teeth with my largest tent, two mats, sleeping bags, pillows and lots of other amenities I wouldn’t normally bring for myself – including a chair, book and teddy bear! Ethan carried a small backpack with a fleece, water bottle and some other bits and pieces, to give him the feeling of carrying a pack and taking part.
I’ve walked up the Carrick Little track hundreds of times. It’s a nice walk, not particularly challenging and disproportionately nice for views compared to the effort involved. The view towards Lamagan as you reach the head of the track is a sight to behold that never fails to inspire awe.
We weren’t going far for this one. If things did not go well, I wanted to ensure a swift return to the car park. Before long, we were at our chosen pitch, and out came the largest, heaviest tent I own: The now-discontinued Vango Nemesis 200. There was no expectation that we were going to require the fully geodesic construction in terms of the weather, but it’s roomier and hardier than any other tent I own and therefore was the obvious choice for a child’s first wild camp.
Up went Ethan’s wee folding chair and he sat admiring the view while I filled up a sturdy rubble sack with the remnants left behind by previous users of this pitch. That’s the main downside to choosing somewhere accessible. The easier a pitch is to get to, the more likely it is to be chosen by someone who isn’t particularly into wild camping and hillwalking – and is therefore less given to respecting its established conventions and standards of behaviour. Judging from some of the tins I was lifting, I wouldn’t say their tastes in alcohol were particularly elevated either – although the mountain air does make all things taste better.
Speaking of how things taste, it wasn’t long until Ethan mentioned dinner. I wouldn’t have thought our short walk to camp was particularly strenuous, but Ethan is the sort of child who rarely feels full for long. As the general theme of this camp was to make it as comfortable and luxurious as possible for him, steak from Corries butchers was on the menu.
I lit up the omnifuel, running off a bottle of naphtha panel wipe and got to cooking the steak. It’s hard to get a flattering photo of someone when they’re busy chewing away, so here’s a shot he’ll undoubtedly give me hell for when he’s older.
We took our time with the steak, and why not, we didn’t have anywhere else to be!
To round it off, I fired the omnifuel back up and made Ethan a hot chocolate. Even on day walks hot chocolate has become something of a staple for Ethan when we’re out together, it never fails to put a smile on his face!
Before hitting the hay I took him for a walk around the track to enjoy the view of the hills as the sun was getting lower. We began to spot the occasional head torch belonging to other people walking and camping and speculated about what they were up to and how their evening was going. It was quite blowy higher up from the speed the clouds were moving at, so Ethan was certainly glad we chose something nice and low down this time. For starters it makes it a lot easier to have a conversation!
After feeling suitably refreshed from a stretch of the legs, it was time to get some shut-eye. The tent was made up as cozy as possible with mats, sleeping bags and a cuddly toy, and it didn’t take long to get Ethan to drift off. I’d love to say it was the exercise, but we’ve had days where we’ve done an awful lot more and still had a long wind-down at bedtime. The peaceful atmosphere at camp was definitely the decisive contributor in my view.
After a great night’s sleep Ethan woke up full of excitement and ready for another day in the sun. Fingers crossed – it looks like I’ve succeeded in kindling an interest that we will share for life. He’s already said he’s looking forward to another winter of walks with his favourite Keela Munro coat – perhaps there’ll be winter camps in the mix as well?
