Whenever I post photographs of me and The Beast camping, I’m always asked lots of questions about how we coped with the adventure.
As a dog you’ve probably gathered over the years that she’s a bit of a nightmare, but as a walking and camping buddy I honestly couldn’t find a better companion (we’ll come onto Billy later!). Our camps tend to be very chilled out; we always have the Best of Neil Diamond on our iPod to listen to and after finishing our snacks and wine, we'll snuggle down to sleep.
In terms of kit, I don’t actually need to pack much more than if I was going out alone and what I do take for her is very light.
FOOD AND WATER
At home she usually has a sachet of wet food mixed with her dry food for her breakfast and then dry food throughout the day to nibble on. When we’re camping I’ll take her an extra sachet for her to eat when we set up camp. She’s also a bit of a beggar and I can’t resist those eyes when I’m eating my food so she’s had a bread roll dipped in chicken soup before now (which she loved!).
When we’re on the mountains there’s usually an unlimited supply of water for her to drink from with the streams; however in the summer a lot of these streams dried up, I’ll often set up camp away from streams (for obvious reasons) and on coastal walks there are very few water inlets where she can get a drink. Having a small bottle of water with me is really handy.
BEDDING AND LAYERS
I’ve never bothered with extra bedding for her in the past, she usually ends up inside my sleeping bag curled up into my tummy (which I love) but I have recently started taking a bag for her. It’s only a very basic summer season one, I unzip it and she’s loved curling up inside.
As you can imagine because of her size The Beast gets very cold if we stop, she likes to keep on the move all the time and if ever I do stop to take photos or chat to someone, it’s not long before she’s moaning to let me know it’s time to move on. I’ve made both dogs little coats to wear, I realised after making them that they’re a bit too thick to walk in but they’re perfect for them to wear when we stop or to pop on them when we’re camping and they’re just sitting around.
EXTRA BITS
Once The Beast has settled down for the night she rarely wants to go outside, but having a small light that you can clip onto their collar definitely helps if they want to pop out for a wee in the dark.
You’ve probably guessed I love having The Beast along with me on wild camps and she’s been my partner for nearly 10 years on camps and walks; neither are the same if she’s not there. When we arrive at our designated camp spot, she’ll sit patiently while I pitch the tent, cook food etc. We always camp away from main paths so that we’re leaving as little impact on the area as well as guaranteeing a peaceful night’s sleep. There was one time when we camped on the summit of Snowdon and we had a steady flow of visitor shouting ‘hi’ to us all night lol (never again) Because of this I can also let her off her lead knowing she won’t chase anyone and she never strays far from the tent. Packing up is pretty much the same as when we arrived; she’s a bit of a bed bug though and hates getting out of her sleeping bag (it kind of reminds me of the time I took mini me number 3 wild camping although The Beast doesn’t have half a rucksack filled with makeup!).
When I first started camping on my own, I’ll admit I was a bit wary about sleeping in a canvas dome on a mountain top on my own. I’m completely over this though and I often say to people who ask me if I’m scared that a murderer is highly unlikely to hike up 800 metres, and search around the mountain to find me when they have plenty of victims wandering around the streets! We do occasionally have visitors though and the sheep are intrigued to know who they’re sharing their patch of grass with. We’ve also had mice and rabbits snuffling around outside which is actually quite cute.
Hopefully I’ve sold the option of taking your furry friend along with you, it really is that simple!
You also have the added benefit of having your very own hot water bottle curled up beside you.
Ok, so now I’m sort of imagining you nodding your head and toying with the idea and this is where you should disregard most of what you’ve read above if you have a Billy! When I first posted pictures of Billy a lot of people said “ahh you’ve got a terrorist” and this pretty much sums up Billy!
* He doesn’t sit quietly waiting for the tent to be pitched, but runs around, rolling in the exact spot where the tent will go pinching ties and running off with them.
* He won’t sit and wait while the food is being cooked, but prefers to try and stick his head in the flame.
* He won’t lie in the tent and go to sleep; he prefers to jump around like a loon, knocking everything everywhere.
* He won’t lie in his own sleeping bag and quite likes mine.
* He won’t wander around the tent cautiously; he likes to use the guy ropes as jumping practice, often pulling the pegs out of the ground.
* He’s definitely not a bed bug like The Beast and likes to get up a million times during the night to check what’s going on outside.
It’s a different kind of camp now that Billy has arrived but he loves the experience as much as us; and although there’re times when I’m shaking my head with frustration, I do laugh and smile more than grimace at his latest misdemeanour … The Beast just looks at me thinking “remember the good old days?” and yes I do but I know Billy will calm down with age and although the camp is a very different experience these days, I wouldn’t change a thing
