Opening thoughts
This article is aimed at anyone who has been on a few day adventures outdoors and fancies a larger adventure. It’s here to give you the information you need to come up with a plan, to make a start and have a stupendously wonderful time! I’ve written it from a philosophy of accessibility and achievability; you don’t need to go to Antartica, climb Everest or break the bank to have a great time in the outdoors! The aim is to get outside, connect to nature, challenge yourself at a level that is right for you, gain a space away from the rush of modern life and most of all have fun! I hope it helps you to believe in your own abilities and to break down some of the barriers created by elitism, complicated jargon, outrageously expensive equipment and general muscle flexing of the traditional outdoor scene.
What to do, and where?
There are so many options! So much choice! It’s totally overwhelming, how do you decide? Especially when you don’t know anything about this bizarre expedition thing!? The first thing to decide on is what to do, i.e. your mode of transport. You could canoe, you could cycle, you could walk, you could even ride a pony! For your first expedition I recommend making it simple, everyone can walk so do that! Alternatively, if you have a bike, get on it! Unless you are already a super cool, hardcore canoeist or a pony demon I would avoid them for now (personally I don’t have a clue about ponies).
Once you’ve decided on your mode of transport the next question is where to go? Again, as this is your first expedition I recommend making it easy for yourself, it doesn’t have to be an epic unexplored quest! There are lots of marked walking trials all over the UK that make for great first expeditions and lots of marked bike routes to. The beauty of these is you don’t have to choose a direction every day and navigating is easy… follow the signs! Examples would be the West Highland Way, The Cotswold Way, The Pennine Way, The South Downs Way or cycling wise there is a whole network of national cycling routes. Google is you friend here!
You don’t need to do all of it, two or three days of a way or route may be enough to scratch the itch and leave you smiling, do what seems achievable to you, that way you’ll stay inspired and enjoying yourself. The best thing about these routes is they normally link villages and towns with accommodation, youth hostels and campsites so you can book them in advance and save the stress of not knowing where you’ll sleep!
When to go?
Spring or summer are best. If you’re new to the outdoors the chances are you don’t have the kit for really bad weather and cold conditions and you won’t know how to cope with snow, mist, hail, icy rain and all the other nasty, uncomfortable things that come in British winter. We want sunshine, or at the least warm drizzle! You can go on expeditions in autumn and winter once you have a bit more experience and own a good set of waterproofs and some warm layers.
Kit
OOOO shiny things! There is so much fancy kit in the outdoors! What is Gore-Tex? Why do I want a coat that “breathes”? Why has this rucksack got so many pockets? Who has the money for all this stuff anyway?!
The truth is you don’t need all the fancy stuff! The basics are getting a waterproof coat and trousers with tape on the inner seams, get a rucksack with room for all your things (about 60 liters) and if you are walking, buy some walking boots to support your ankles. Cotton jumpers should be swapped for wool or fleece ones as cotton is cold when wet and as a rule jeans are bad! Other than that, normal clothes will do!
You will also need a lightweight tent or tarpaulin to sleep in/under and a cheap hiking camping stove and a small gas canister (about £30 for cheap ones) to cook your breakfasts and dinners. Bring a pan from home for your first trip. Tarpaulin is the cheapest camping shelter and can be bought from most DIY stores for about £20, you can find out how to make a shelter from it on YouTube. Along with this you will need a sleeping bag and a roll mat; synthetic sleeping bags are better in the UK as they are warm when wet (the UK is often wet!). A cheap foam roll mat is perfectly fine and will be much more robust than a fancy blow up thing. Lastly if you are cycling you can start wearing a rucksack, its uncomfortable but cheap. Only buy fancy panniers if you’ve got the spare money available or you will be cycle touring a lot from now on!
Food
Time for a shameless plug! I work for TentMeals, an expedition food company so here is my spin on food for expeditions. You can carry normal food from the supermarket and it will probably be fine. The issue if normal food is heavy, the packaging disintegrates in rain, it doesn’t have enough calories and frankly cooking complicated meals at breakfast or dinner is not what you want to do on a tiring expedition!
Therefore, you have two options. One: find the local pub and eat there, this fuels the local economy and tastes delicious! The issue is it is expensive and they don’t do breakfast. Also, what if it is a bad pub, or there is no pub at all?! Option two: use TentMeals. These are tiny, lightweight, super nutritious and totally delicious dried meals that are easy to carry with you. Just add hot water and wait ten minutes and you have a tasty hot meal! They come in 800 or 500 calorie options and are designed to fuel you when you are tired, hungry and generally battered from all your hardcore expeditioning! We do a glorious range of breakfasts and dinners! There are other brands that do dried food but they are not as tasty, more expensive, normally bulkier and they do not offer a ten percent discount to Adventure Queens like we do! (See base of page).
As a last note on food; do not forget your tea or coffee! This happens to everyone at some point and is always a sad and distinctly undignified, unBritish way to start the expedition day. If in this sad situation, you can boil nettles to make nettle tea, but this is not as nice and lacks the caffeine of normal warm drinks.
Friends
It is always nice to share wonderful experiences with someone you care about or to solidify new friendships in the happy, bonkers atmosphere of the great outdoors. Look to go with friends who are enthusiastic, smile and laugh a lot and laugh even more when things go wrong. They must also be patient when inevitably you get lost or struggle to walk up an extra steep hill. If, however, you do not have any friends keen to join your wild adventure don’t let it stop you! Go anyway! Solo expeditions can make you feel truly independent and have the benefit of knowing that everything that has been achieved was achieved by you and you alone. The more adventures you go on the more likely you are to meet likeminded people and find adventure buddies along the way.
Closing Thoughts
Remember to have fun! Expeditions don’t have to be serious and the more fun you have the more likely you will want to do it again! The outdoors is not an office, silliness should be welcomed! Believe in yourself; there will be problems and challenges and you will work it out and overcome them. Humans are designed to survive and fix problems, you are just as capable as anyone else. Enjoy being immersed in an experience, it’s nice to get away so I recommend telling everyone you are going to be uncontactable and then doing exactly that! Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back, then if you do get lost or in trouble they can call emergency services and get you rescued. Lastly make your adventure what you want. You don’t have to be an athlete or hero to benefit from outdoor adventure or to have a place in it! Your own enjoyment is what matters! Have fun and good luck on your first expedition!
About the Author
Tom is a keen climber, walker, runner and generally outdoorsy soul living in Snowdonia and working as a marketer for TentMeals. He loves food hence the nickname “hungry hippo” and is super keen to hear about any exciting adventure in the outdoors! To find out more about TentMeals or to tell us about your adventures (we’d love to hear!) contact tom.pillow@tentmeals.co.uk . You can also find us at tentmeals.co.uk or find us on Instagram or on Facebook. Happy adventuring!
Not only are TentMeals providing 10% off to all Adventure Queens, they are also sponsoring the 2024/25 Adventure Queens Grant. Apply by 30th November 2024!
