A Natural Progression
Wild camping was never something we forced. It just came naturally.
I’ve always been drawn outside with a camera, noticing old rubble buildings, animals, weather, textures, landscapes, layers, and all the little signs of nature reclaiming space. That love of nature and photography eventually led me to study Fine Art Photography at Derby Uni, where I met George.
Our relationship started with walks. I took photos, then videos, and eventually we bought a GoPro. We continued making some great memories out there and capturing them felt right.
The more time we spent outside, the better we felt.
Day walks became campsites. Campsites became wild camping. It let us stay out longer, move through quieter places, and go deeper into nature than we could on a single hike.
Somewhere along the way, we realised this was not just a hobby.
It was wellbeing.
Amber-Rose outside the tent in Scotland
No Signal, No Noise
One of the biggest gifts of wild camping is the permission to be unavailable.
No emails. No WhatsApps. No quick replies. No screens pulling us away from the place we came to be in.
Our phones become tools again. A map. A camera. A safety device. Not a constant little portal into everyone else’s world.
We also choose not to use headphones for music, podcasts or audiobooks to get us through the hard moments.
When the climb is tough, we meet it. When the bag is heavy, we carry it. When the weather turns, we adapt.
We follow nature’s cues.
Mantra
When we walk, we often come back to one little mantra: Posture. Rhythm. Relax.
– Posture helps us stand well under the weight of the pack.
– Rhythm helps us find a pace we can keep, with our breath under control.
– Relax stops us fighting the discomfort more than we need to.
Wild camping builds resilience in a natural way.
You learn that discomfort is not always a problem; it is something to move through.
I’ve learned that if I can get through those challenging moments in the wild, I can get through pretty much anything.
”I’ve learned that if I can get through those challenging moments in the wild, I can get through pretty much anything.
Our first camp with a lake view
The Hard Bits Become the Stories
The trips we remember most are not always the easy ones.
The wind nearly blowing the tent down all night long.
The rain battering us all day.
The cold dips we committed to anyway.
The heavy packs.
The huge inclines.
The suspicious mud holes that swallow me up to my knee.
These are the bits that stay with us. Not because they were comfortable, but because they made us feel alive.
I never regret the effort we put into these trips. Even the hard parts feel like part of the reward.
The Seven Practices, Without Trying
Wild camping brings the Seven Practices together almost by accident.
🥩 Food: simple meals that taste incredible after a full day outside.
💧 Water: finding, filtering and carrying what we need.
🌬️ Air: breathing fresh air all day, focusing on our breath to get us through.
☀️ Sunlight: living by natural light and its cycles, even through cloud.
🚶 Movement: walking for hours with everything we need on our backs.
🧘 Mindfulness: noticing the weather, the land, the route, the body.
🌙 Sleep: the natural reward at the end of it all.
George and I sleep amazingly outside.
I think it is the cold air, the darkness, the quiet, being close to the ground, the movement from the day, and the lack of screens.
But mostly, I think it is because the whole day has prepared us for deep rest.
Finding that perfect spot, tucked away from the wind
Everything Tastes Better Outside
There is something deeply satisfying about carrying what you need on your back. Not everything you want. Just what you need.
Shelter. Food. Water filter. Warm layers. Waterproofs. Sleep system. First aid. Stove. A few extras if they are worth the weight.
It makes the simple things feel big again.
Finding a good water source feels exciting. Dry socks feel like luxury. A flat sleep spot feels like a gift. A freeze-dried meal tastes like a Michelin-star dinner.
George often brings a rope too. Rope flow after a day under a heavy backpack is one of those simple things that makes complete sense. It loosens the shoulders, brings movement back into the body, and adds a bit of play after hours of carrying weight.
Wellbeing does not need to be complicated. For us it is breath, movement, clean water, food, sleep, and proper time with each other.
Respecting the Sleep Spot
Wild camping is not just about what we take from nature.
It is about how we behave while we are there.
Leave no trace is the baseline. We take everything with us when we leave, camp carefully, respect the land, and often collect other rubbish along the way too.
In the morning, before we leave, we say thank you to our sleep spot, to the place that held us for the night. It gave us rest, quiet, perspective, safety and shelter. So we say thanks.
”It reminds us that we need less than we think.
And that we feel better when we live closer to what our bodies were designed for.
Start Small, Go Prepared
If someone wants to start wild camping, my advice is simple.
Go with someone who has done it before. They can help you out. Know your gear and be prepared. Tell someone your route. Respect the land and leave no trace. Start small and don’t give up after you don’t sleep the first few nights because you’re terrified (you’ll get over it eventually, trust me).
And if you need a partner or two, let us know. We would love to take people out and share some of what this way of being outdoors has given us.
Living Beyond Domestication
For us, wild camping is not an escape from life.
It is a return to the parts of life that make us feel human.
It reminds us that we need less than we think.
And that we feel better when we live closer to what our bodies were designed for.
This is us living Beyond Domestication.
