OneAndOneIs2

We're considering going on holiday in August, since Lou can get some time off & I'll be unemployed that month. And since that's an expensive time to go anywhere and neither of us will be particularly rich, that raises the possibility of our ever-popular alternative: Camping.

But we haven't used our stuff in quite a while, and we both felt the need to get away from it all for a while before August, so I had the brainwave of going away for the weekend to try out the gear & spend a few days away from home and work without using up any holiday - which neither of us has to spare.

So we found a site 5-6 miles from where we live, and I booked us in last week. The weather, which has been miserable for the last 8 months or so, finally broke and gave us a scorcher of a weekend (just what you want with a heavy rucksack on your back!) so off we went on Saturday morning.

We came back on Sunday, with the conclusions:

• We could probably do with a new tent
• Airbeds are comfier than foam bedrolls even if they do take a while to pump up.
• Pubs that don't open till 6, don't take food orders until 7, and don't actually serve the food until 8, deserve to be burnt down
• 5-6 miles a day is plenty far enough when you have a heavy backpack and haven't done any backpacking in a long time
• Visor Buffs are damn good headwear on sunny days, being vastly more comfortable than baseball caps and shading the back of your neck as well
• It's a good idea to check the batteries in your torch before relying on it to find the toilets at night

We also incurred numerous aches, pains, and blisters. No surprises there, I'm sure. It was quite a relief to get home and drop into the sofa at last.

It was also a relief to shave this morning - a downside of getting such close shaves again is that missing a day makes for really irritating stubble. I'll have to start taking my shaving stuff with me. But where do I get an unbreakable ceramic mug from..?