24 Hour Mini Adventure
So what makes an adventure.
In our mind its a mix of new experiences, new places, new camp spots and the chance to explore. And we have done that on our longer trips living out of a roof tent on the road and travelling in excess of 24k miles per trip. But its not always easy or possible to get away on long adventures however we still need the fix of an adventure or trip. To this end we have completed trips to Europe and the Alps or the Abentuer Allrad and since Covid the likes of the Scottish North Coast 500 or the Outer Hebrides Tour all completed on shorter trips over 2 to 3 weeks.
And then there are the shorter weekend trips where we have met up with other members and Overlanders for shorter weekend tours of 2 to 3 nights like the recently completed tour around the Southern Cairngorms Mountains of Scotland.
You would think that was the limit but no just recently Dave was given a 24 hour free pass to head out. But what can you do with just 24 hours.
Well using the principles of what makes an adventure Dave first headed to somewhere new. He has always wanted to find and visit Rattray Head Lighthouse built in the 1800's so that was his first challenge.
Rattray Head Lighthouse built in the 1800's is situated on the North Buchan Coast of Scotland and about a couple of hours and some rough tracks away from our home south of Aberdeen.
Next Dave wanted to find somewhere in a forest to camp up. So with the lighthouse ticked off he headed to a forest in Royal Deeside a few miles from Balmoral Castle home of Queen Elizabeth.
With the wild camp spot found it was just a matter of getting a fire going, cooking some steak and sitting back with a cider and enjoying the star filled sky through the tops of the trees in the clearing he was camped up in.
That was followed by a sleep of the blessed in the forest before waking up to a chilly but sunny morning with the sun streaming through the trees. After coffee and breakfast he headed home arriving home pretty much 24 hours from when he had initially set off.
So the question you might ask is was this really overlanding and was this really an adventure.
Depending on your own personal definition of overlanding and adventure although it didn't meet the extended trip definition or international borders of overlanding it did involve visiting new places in new regions, off the tarmac and did involve a night wild camped and cooking over an open fire so certainly an adventure of sorts.
But what you call it isn't important, its how it makes you feel. That 24 hours was an opportunity for Dave to clear his head , it was an escape albeit for only 24 hours from the stress of work and modern living and a chance to enjoy no matter how short a mini adventure.
I guess the moral of the story is don't be so consumed by the need to do a long overland trip at the expense that you miss the opportunities to get out and enjoy shorter trips. And remember the shorter trips using your set up hones your routines for when you do hopefully get away on that longer trip you have always dreamed of.
