Desperate times call for creativity, and for cooped-up outdoor enthusiasts that means attempting to conjure up a sense of adventure at home.
Across the country, lovers of camping are pitching their tents in gardens or living rooms, complete with marshmallows for toasting and guitars to play around mock campfires. Emma Cuff of West Malling in Kent is among the small but growing group of indoor campers dusting off their tents. “We’ve got four camping trips booked this summer which may or may not go ahead, so for some fun we dug out an old tent from the loft.” She posted the results on Instagram with the hashtag #thevirtualcampsite – and won a tent from Cool Camping, one of several companies encouraging people to post their home creations on social media. This week Cool Camping is giving away a pair of hiking boots to the best effort. Outdoor gear specialist Cotswold Outdoor is hosting a virtual Easter camp on Saturday 11 April, inviting people to share photos of pitches, camp food and views (#campingathome), and offering tutorials and demonstrations. Go Outdoors plans to offer tips in its GO Indoors project. The upside? Rain can’t ruin an indoor camping trip.
In other indoor antics, adventure travel company Much Better Adventures has put together a spoof self-guided itinerary on its site, which includes the “Camino de Kitchen-Living Room pilgrimage” and “wild camping in your Living Room National Park.” So far one person has attempted to book the trip.
Meanwhile, outdoor swimmers have been trying to get that cold-water high in their gardens and bathrooms. Deya Ward posted photos of her wheelie bin dip on Instagram (“the quarry is small, so I recommend maybe dipping solo – but I highly recommend if you are also after the cold swim feeling”). Others are attempting the #virtualicemile, like @harvmania who wrote of her wheelbarrow swim: “Laughter and community are the remedy to most problems and by god, as swimmers we’ve got that in spades.”
If you would like to tell us about the inventive ways you are getting your outdoor fix at home, share them on Instagram with the hashtag #guardiantravelsnaps. Good luck – and remember: no real fires indoors!
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