It's all too easy for an empty weeknight to turn into sitting around and watching a bit of telly. The kind of evening that makes work come round that bit quicker the next morning. So, when my
flatmate and I found ourselves in exactly that situation this week we thought we'd do something
about it...
Taking inspiration from British adventurer Alastair Humphreys we decided to forget about our 9-
to-5 working hours and do something with our 5-to-9. We were going to have an adventure. A
microadventure, to be exact.
So, at 7:30 that evening we found ourselves on a train out to Box Hill, carrying just sleeping bags
and a couple of beers. The plan? We were going to camp out at the top without tents and spend an evening without mobile phones, Netflix, and computer games. We'd be wildmen by the morning.
Okay, so Box Hill isn't exactly the Arctic tundra, but that's not really the point. You'll be amazed
how easy it is to relax when you're away from the hustle and bustle of the big smoke. Once we'd found a good spot a little off the beaten track (we didn't want to be stumbled upon by any of those dogging types) we cracked open a beer each and, well, we sat there.
It's as simple as that.
Leaving the tent at home means you're that bit closer to nature and a ceiling of stars doesn't make
for a bad view, either. You'll be asleep soon after sunset and sunrise will be your alarm clock. We
woke up naturally at about 5am, which left us easily enough time to hop on a train back into town. Oh, and one more thing: before you leave make sure you do a Tarzan style shout while beating your chest because, you know, it's a little weird to try that at Liverpool Street station.
