Planning, Bricking, W(h)inging It, and Taking Back Control: Wild Camping Along the North Downs
After walking all the way from Farnham to Otford, something I did in 2019 and decided to share with you as well before finally covering my solo camping feat — a bit of suspense never hurt anyone I guess — it’s time to finally get that tent out and wild camp our way from Otford to Dover, 6 sections to be covered in 4 nights. Why? Cause why not!
Naw, there was a bit more behind that mission if you remember the first post on my whole NDW shenanigans, something Raynor Winn’s story brought back to mind, while also reinvigorating the urge to get out there. I hope it did/will do the same for you?!
‘[H]ere we were in control of our lives…’ — that’s how she described their experience along the South West Coast Path, why they had the urge to pack their bags and just go, which was exactly what I was after when making the snap decision to head down to Otford and finish what I started.
Not wanting to repeat myself and continuously table the pandemic topic, one you’re probably trying to escape when reading my stories, but as you recall, last year was quite a pickle, for me as well as the rest of the world, and it’s not like this one looks any better just yet. But hey, 2020 forced, or let’s say ‘encouraged’ me to rediscover my passion for writing, to finally put my actions into words. Keeping that in mind, who knows what this year might lead to, life remains exciting!
But back to what got me to Otford, besides a one-way ticket — last year’s struggle, the endless influx of rejection letters, emails, texts, the whole array. In this pile of disappointment, there was one rejection too many which made me lace up my hiking boots and get back on the trails. It made me want to take back charge of my life, to achieve at least one of my many 2020 goals, one that I was able to achieve thanks to the outdoor skills I acquired during the summer setting me free from all external dependencies, (accommodation being on top of the list), one that would make me feel like a success in the midst of perceived failure.
I called it my ‘solo camping feat’ above, which is true for part of it, whereby I had friendly support and company for the first few nights thanks to my hiking, and now camping buddy Ian, whom I’ve mentioned before, and who will keep us company for the first few sections. He had some unfinished 2020 business himself and gave me that little ounce of confidence I needed to actually go for it — we are terribly strong creatures ourselves but together, the sky is the limit, …or is it, Kathy and Richard may ask?! 🚀
Meeting up at Meetup
I met Ian during a Meetup hiking event in Dorking. If you never heard of meetup.com, the clue is in the name, it’s a free platform to meet people with common interests. I’ve been a member for many years and highly recommend it if you move to a new place and don’t know anybody, feel stuck in a rut in your current place and want to explore, try something new, or maybe even now, not being able to venture far to pursue your usual activities and visit friends and family. Who knows, there might be a great new friend close by, things to do you weren’t aware of. Might be worth having a look what’s going on in your area, lots of people to meet and fun to be had out there.
As for Ian and I, we bonded over a hike from Dorking to Gomshall, one that turned out to be a bit faster paced than I anticipated, wherefore I spent a lot of time with the back-marker, you guessed it, Ian, who didn’t mind that much I think as we ended up taking a more scenic route allowing for a bit more chat and a cheeky pint at the finish while the others completed their military drill. I’m all for a challenge, but that day, I didn’t realise I signed up for one. So accordingly, I was unable to convince my body and my mind to shift gears as I was happily greeting dog walkers passing by and taking in the scenery.
The rest of the crew appeared to be inspecting the grounds for coins and other lost treasure by the looks of it. They were trekking along, head down, unaware of any human beings around them. I assume that’s why losing two along the way did not make much of a difference, only once they met us at the pub and were surprised they didn’t even notice us getting ahead of them. The bewilderment in their eyes was priceless, so we left them in their belief, smirked into our pints, and ordered a second round in celebration of a successful walk in the woods.
One hike led to another, and when I shared my wild camping for beginners adventure (something I found on Meetup as well by the way) as we strolled through Guildford one day, I saw Ian’s face light up once we started talking gear — boys and their toys, what can I say. But talking camping, you can actually go on for days, even as a female, since you learn something new every time you go out there, so it’s always great to hear what others have to say. As he reminisced about past adventures, waking up surrounded by deer one time, another time by a peeved local questioning his presence, the latter most likely the scarier one of the two, he also brought up the North Downs Way, one of the national trails he’d be meaning to complete for quite a while now.
Before you get too excited about another lucky coincidence, I better tell you now that Ian unfortunately already covered the sections I was still missing and only had the Canterbury Loop left to do, Section 12-15, which were not very high on my agenda as I needed to make it to Dover first. No kismet just yet but the wheels started turning.
The Final Straw, I’m Outta Here
While occasional walks helped dealing with the mess, it didn’t seem to be enough to sort me out. At the end of the day, you still return to the same gloomy room, which got even gloomier with fall making its way in, messages popping up on your phone occasionally lightening up the space, sometimes the mood, but most of the time not being the ones you’d hope for and well, eventually you get that final one that puts you off-kilter.
I guess it’s a bit like that last drink on a great night out, the one after which it just goes downhill and you’re not sure how to get up again, how to get home, no sense of direction, just lost in your own woolly thoughts. Gosh, how I miss those nights… hah, not really, but I wouldn’t mind a good laugh among friends, a cheeky drink in the local pub, a loving hug after the second or third drink when everybody around you is your best friend, …gosh, how I miss a hug. But don’t you worry, there’s a big one waiting for us at the end of this story, and the offline version will eventually come around again as well I’m sure. But enough daydreaming about our huggable future, back to the story…
So, the final straw had been drawn, I was drowning in self-pity, yes, it happens to the best of us, we’re all human after all. Just like a good hangover, I gave myself 24 hours to feel sorry for myself, let all the silly emotions roam free, and once that was done, I got my computer out and started planning my NDW route after shooting Ian a message that it was time for me to get going. Coincidentally (again, hold your horses), he just planned his Canterbury Loop trip as well and already booked his accommodation for it, which meant we could plan to meet up before and after, maybe even walk together for some overlapping bits, and potentially more since he recalled the section from Otford to Cuxton being rather nice. The wheels kept turning, and I continued planning.
Instead of meeting up in Dover and finishing the trail together, Ian came up with a new plan. He proposed that we’d meet in Otford instead, which would allow us to walk and, more importantly, camp the first few sections together, before he would break off at Boughton Lees to do his loop (and sleep in a cosy bed in Canterbury), and I would carry on to Dover, by then confident enough to wild camp on my own, a plan I was quite happy with. I did mention in my NDW intro how the couple we met on the trail was well impressed with my ‘ballsy’ endeavour to wild camp my way to Dover. Truth be told, I was shitting myself slightly when it actually came to it.
I might have known by then how to put up my tent and what to look out for when choosing a place to pitch it, but that was in the comforts of a group of wild camping beginners supported and looked after by a guide — big shoutout once more to Chris from Adventure Breaks (now Adventure Solos) for giving me the gear and skills to get out there, a turning point in my life and an experience I highly recommend, orange trowel and all, …for the ones that have been following from the start. 🏕️
Planning, Packing, Pasta La Vista
When planning my route not knowing yet Ian might join me, I did lots of research where people have pitched their tents before, giving me some kind of comfort that these places are ‘campable’ in terms of terrain and foot traffic as well as somewhat safe as those wild campers still lived to tell the tale. Finding quite a few options, I plotted them along the route trying to figure out what might be the best ones to aim for considering how much ground I could cover within a day. Considering previous sections, that could be quite a bit, and this time, I would’t have to catch a train at the end of the day.
The beautiful thing about camping, one of many, is that you can lay your head wherever suits you really. It’s tempting to think you can push that daily mileage, which you probably can, on even ground and with a light backpack — neither were true for this adventure, something I luckily did keep in mind when drafting a plan B for day one just in case things might not feel as easy as they did in the Lake District. It was a different season after all, I had more than two nights ahead of me, and I was left to my own devices, or so I thought at first.
To come back to Ian’s plan which then somehow determined mine, or let’s say, turned up the speed dial on my preparations. As hinted at before, he already had a hotel booked for his Canterbury Loop mission which then became the anchor date to work around, giving me exactly two days to sort myself out and hop on a train. I was in need of an uplifting adventure anyways, so why drag it out, right?!
I assume you have heard of Parkinson’s Law? Work tends to expand to fill the time that’s been allotted to it?! While I’m lately often fighting with the other end of the spectrum, back then I managed to plan, shop, wash, and pack* within the shortest amount of time while also meeting some friends for a spontaneous dinner before setting off — pasta it was, piling on those carbs not knowing what lies ahead.
*I tend to pack twice, sometimes three times even. First time around, I make a pile of things I think I need. Once in the bag and weighed, I repack with what I actually want to carry. The third time happens when it’s been a while and I fall victim to foolish notions such as bringing a book or deck of cards, thinking either could come in handy and can hardly make much of a difference, something you tend to regret quickly once you’re a few miles in. True, this judgement might depend on the length and difficulty of your adventure, …but don’t say I didn’t warn ya!! ⚖️🤷♀️
Similar to my wild camping announcement in the summer, they thought I was mad, asked me to check in with them daily, so they can keep tabs on me, cause that’s what friends are for, while also having a little laugh on my upcoming trowel shenanigans, something they already utterly enjoyed when first discussed (in length).
In the same context, I remember the expression SAS-style vacation being used as well, something I laughed off at the time, but which came back to haunt me somewhere between Otford and Cuxton where it became obvious that the mapped out plan A might have been a bit too ambitious while the unfortunate weight situation also caused some grief as my hiking buddy kindly offered to carry some of my heavier items during the first few days till we split (knowing I had to carry more supplies), but then rocked up with the tiniest backpack you can imagine! It was basically shaped by its contents, one boiled egg hidden here, a carrot over there, truly a work of art in some way but man, how annoyed was I now being stuck with a weight definitely going beyond Tabor’s recommendation and beyond what my hips were happy to carry.
But I might be getting ahead of myself here, and better save some of my whinging for next time. Rest assured though that no Ians have been harmed in the making of this story. His Canterbury plan was definitely the reason he won’t join us till the end, no rage-infused drama to come in this tale I’m afraid.
Luckily, we were out in nature while schlepping our bags and bodies along the tracks, another beautiful thing about outdoor adventure, bringing together physical exercise and the awe of nature, two elements having the ability to diffuse tense situations and chase away dark thoughts — Ian’s saving grace, as well as mine I’m sure at times, something I pre-empted by bringing along a little treat to say thanks. After all, I was truly grateful for having company for the first few nights to get used to the new territory and solitary experience, …even if that company made me carry that token of gratitude, one of the heavy items I instantly wished I left at home…
Any guesses what it could be? Well, I promised no drama, but why not end on a little cliffhanger, no?! So, stay tuned, and make sure to come back for Section 6 — see you in Otford! 🙋♀️🎒🥾
Section 6:
15 miles (24.1 km)
Section 5:
11.8 miles (18.9 km)
Section 4:
8 miles (12.8 km)
Section 3:
10 miles (16 km)
Section 2:
13 miles (21 Km)
Section 1:
11 miles (17.7 km)
The North Downs Way in Sections**
- Farnham to Guildford, 11 miles (17.7 km), through Puttenham and past the Watts Gallery, ascent: 666 feet, 203 metres, descent: 765 feet, 233 metres.
- Guildford to Westhumble (Dorking), 13 miles (21 km), via St Martha’s Church, Newlands Corner ad Ranmore Common, ascent: 961 feet, 293 metres, descent: 945 feet, 288 metres
- Westhumble (Dorking) to Merstham, 10 miles (16 km), over Box Hill and Reigate Hill (two of my favourite places), ascent: 1,450 feet, 442 metres, descent: 1,260 feet, 384 metres
- Merstham to Oxted, 8 miles (12.8 km), via Whitehill Tower and Caterham Viewpoint, ascent: 1,020 feet, 311 metres, descent: 817 feet, 249 metres
- Oxted to Otford, 11.8 miles (18.9 km), over Botley Hill and into Kent, ascent: 1,198 feet, 365 metres, descent: 1,427 feet, 435 metres
- Otford to Cuxton, 15 miles (24.1 km), through Wrotham, and Trosley Country Park, ascent: 1,716 feet, 524 metres, descent: 1,922 feet, 587 metres
- Cuxton to Detling, 12.5 miles (20.1 km), across the Medway Bridges and past Kit’s Coty House, ascent: 1,325 feet, 404 metres, descent: 978 feet, 299 metres
- Detling to Lenham, 9.3 miles (14.9 km), past Thurnham Castle and the Marley factory, ascent: 1,370 feet, 320 metres, descent: 922 feet, 281 metres
- Lenham to Wye, 11.1 miles (17.9 km), through Boughton Lees and Eastwell Park, ascent: 420 feet, 128 metres, descent: 810 feet, 247 metres
- Wye to Etchinghill, 11.2 miles (18.1 km), past Wye Crown and through Stowting, ascent: 1,296 feet, 396 metres, descent: 991 feet, 303 metres
- Etchinghill to Dover, 12 miles (19.3 km), past Folkstone and over Shakespeare Cliff, ascent: 1,329 feet, 406 metres, descent: 1,657 feet, 506 metres
- (Canterbury Loop) Boughton Lees to Chilham, 5.9 miles (9.5 km), through King’s Wood and Mountain Street, ascent: 512 feet, 156 metres, descent: 561 feet, 171 metres
- Chilham to Canterbury, 7.2 miles (11.6 km), via Old Wives Lees and No Man’s Orchard, ascent: 614 feet, 187 metres, descent: 705 feet, 215 metres
- Canterbury to Shepherdswell, 10.4 miles (16.7 km), through Patrixbourne and Higham Park, ascent: 814 feet, 248 metres, descent: 519 feet, 158 metres
- Shepherdswell to Dover, 8.5 miles (13.7 km), through Waldershare Park and along the Roman road, ascent: 499 feet, 152 metres, descent: 879 feet, 268 metres
**Above trail information was taken from Colin Saunders’ North Downs Way: National Trail Guide.
