CAMPING trip adventures & NIGHTSCAPE Photography

One of the things I vastly enjoy during summer-time and early autumn (if weather permits)- is camping. If you follow my blog, you’re probably aware of my never ending passion of nature, forests, travelling, night sky and most importantly – photography!
One of the most recent camping trips I took in order to refresh my mind and soul. Relaxing in the womb of nature is very rewarding! The fresh air, the freedom, coffee in a flask … ahhh just thinking about it makes me burst from joy!
I went for this trip in a group, with 2 other people, we packed the crooked tent (with holes sealed by duck tape… we have brilliant fixing skills…MacGyver would approve). We also got some sleeping bags, a portable cooker, never ending supply of coffee and other essentials.

(Sheep on a side of the road, while traveling)

(The view from our tent)

We explored the area in the day, located in mid-wales, rich in forest landscapes…. including different paths which surrounded the valley and when it started getting dark, we set the tent up and started the fire. I was surrounded by a great company, we were laughing and sharing horror stories!

(sneaky self-portrait)

The night air was cold and crisp, and although it was after midnight, we were wide awake… so we wrapped up in multiple sweaters and coats and went down with flashlights down the forest path. Then we looked up…. The light pollution… not existent in this place, has made the night sky so clear to look at! The stars were everywhere, shining so bright! We laid down on the path, and literally just watched the night sky for a few hours.

(sun setting down, view from the forest)

Astrophotography & Nightscape photography is a new thing to me. I’ve always been in love with the night sky, watching it for hours even since I was a kid, but for some reason I’ve never got round photographing it! So of course, having my camera with me at the time was an ideal time to capture this wonderful memory. Not having prepared myself for this moment, I didn’t bring a tripod for long exposure, so I used a shoe…. Yes, a SHOE… as a tripod. It worked better than I thought to be honest. So yes, I’ve set my camera and snapped a few shots of the night sky, which I absolutely love! They’re not the best quality but… I’m learning! :)

After taking the photos, we headed back to our tent, and had a warm cup of tomato soup to warm us up, watching the gentle glow of the fire before going to sleep.
The sleep, was brilliant, although I had a bit of terror when I woke up in the morning. It was very early in the morning and in short words…I needed to pee. The idea of going out from my warm sleeping bag into the cold forest was terrifying enough…. But then, I saw it….. A creature was sniffing our tent, I saw it poking its face into the tent and heard it make some strange chewing noises…
At this point my mind was going a little crazy because I had to prioritize….

Stay safe in tent and let my bladder explode
Go out to pee and get eaten by a bear….
Of course, my mind was panicking… in the time I’ve lived in Wales, I never heard or seen a particularly deathly wild animal…. Besides birds…. Maybe some hedgehogs… or myself if I don’t get a coffee in the morning….
So after realizing that it is probably something which is not going to eat me… I went outside… and I was right… it was DAMN sheep. We were surrounded by sheep…. They weren’t anywhere close when we set up the tent…. In fact they weren’t any in this area at all… So I questioned where they all came from…. Until I realized…. It’s Wales… enough said :) hahah

Getting out of the tent was rewarding though…. I was welcomed by a misty forest and a valley…. Which was ultimately beautiful… and the air was so fresh!
The rest of the day was spent, having a breakfast, reading books, walking around the forest… before we decided to go back home and were set goodbye by such an amazing sunset……