Sometimes when cycle touring you just want somewhere dry to rest up for the night (no luxuries/no faff/no worries). The inspiration:
Having spent over two years cycle touring (mostly wild-camping) I have a clear idea of what I -at least- look for in a wild campsite. Devon's wet so a roof is handy (plus with a fire pit it allows you to dry clothes). England is densely populated so seclusion is comf
orting. Not needing to plan, but instead just rocking up* takes the stress away. A town with facilities nearby is nice to have.
*(there's no need to contact me if you want to use the shelter)
What is it:
A 6m*6m roof above a 3m*3m sleeping platform (that also doubles up as a table). Despite being on Nation Cycle Network 3 and only 2km from the town of Bampton (toilets/cafe/pubs/shops/chippy/laundry), it's completely hidden from the road. The dream:
Wild camping in England is not always easy. The truth is you're very unlikely to get found when stealth camping between sundown and sunup (and if you were, most farmers wouldn't give a toss). But somehow these facts don't completely extinguish the anxiety. The shelter is situated in an old quarry we weren't using. I built it over the Early May bank holiday almost entirely from repurposed materials which cost me very little. I hope it's a useful resource for cycle-tourer (from near and afar) and can become widely known within the cycle-touring community (My hunch is frequent use will help preserve the shelter for the purpose it is intended).
