Motorcycle Explorer August 2015 Issue 7 | Page 144

M
ID LIFE.
There are many rules to camping which we all
must adhere to, but we seldom do. I mean if
the legendary Chief Scout son of Sir Michael
and Lady Grylls stays in a five star hotel
between TV shoots, what chance is there for
me, a middle aged man from a pit village in
Cumbria? Camping? We all have a mental
image of sitting round a campfire, listening to a
travelling Romany Gypsy, strumming chords on
his Spanish guitar. The flickering flames always
light up his smouldering good looks and we all
sing along in a drunken lullaby until the
embers have died. In reality it always rains and
the freshly cut grass inevitably ends up filling
your tent and sleeping bag.
I was recently invited to the Overland
Weekender in Great Missenden (near
Aylesbury) to try and sell some books (some
authors call these book signings) and show my
vintage motorcycle in the exhibition tent. So
drawing off my past experiences of riding a
motorcycle loaded to the hilt with books and
camping gear, I immediately hired a van.
I discarded Rule 1 in the camping handbook
which is about picking the right tent and
equipment to suit the terrain, and foolishly
allowed my girlfriend to borrow a tent from her
sister, who spends more time outdoors than a
grazing herd of west highland cattle. To say she
has ‘all the gear’ would be an understatement
and my partner added to this by stocking up
with more tins of food than you would find in
the average air raid shelter during WW2. The
rental van was a bloody good idea and on its
arse.
Rule 2) You should know how to erect your
tent before you arrive at your designated camp
site
Rule 2a) You should always arrive during the
hours of daylight.