How our January weekend went
Hi everyone!
We wanted to give a little flavour of what our Women’s Weekends look like, and so here are some extracts from my diary (I always keep a journal/diary when I do trips).
Thursday before the event
Today we set up camp. In the pouring rain. I mean, it rained ALL DAY. We put up seven tents, so that was six of our six metre bell tents, the communal 8 metre bell tent, and the mess tent. Now, I’m a qualified camping leader. I have a bell tent. Actually, I have six tents, but the less we talk about my tent fetish the better. And let me tell you, putting up seven tents in a day, dressing them with rugs and beds and bedding and fairy lights, cooking equipment, etc etc, is no mean feat. By the end of it I was laying on the floor, staring at the canvas and wishing I could fall asleep then and there! But eventually we were done, and got to go home and pat ourselves on the back for a job well done.
Friday
The rain stopped (hurray!), and we even had a rainbow as our first guests arrived. We showed everyone to their tents, let them unpack, and then met in the communal tent for a very chilled introduction and a little run-down of the hike we were about to set out on. This was also when Fee handed out the snacks. Oh, let me tell you about the snacks! Homemade peanut butter brittle. My. Goodness. We set out on the hike and were like children on a school trip, with most of the snacks gone in the first hour of walking. Anyway, where was I before I was distracted by snacks? Ah, yes. We set out on our first group hike! We set out for a little village four miles away. We had glorious sunshine, and the sound of happy chatter was music to my ears. We stopped for a cuppa in the village cafe, and then headed back out in the sunshine, had our lunch on the trail, and made it back to camp. There was a bit of down time before dinner (the most yummy pesto/cream cheese pasta! Bowls were all licked clean), and then we had the lovely Sarah join us and guide us through a cacao ceremony and restorative yoga class. I’ve wanted to do a cacao ceremony for ages, and I wasn’t disappointed - you have to come and try! The yoga was slow, and perfect after our long walk. Then some people opted to sauna and cold dip, while others went to bed for an early night/relax.
Saturday
Sunshine again! In January! We served breakfast in bed to our lovely guests (overnight oats and/or bacon and eggs), and then gathered for more snack handing out (today, Fee’s homemade power balls - equally delicious, many requests for the recipe to go in the group chat). Then we set off for our pub lunch! Four miles later, we were treated to delicious pub food in the Bacton Bull. And then headed back to camp. It must be said, everyone was quite tired at this point, but we jollied each other along, and everyone felt such a sense of satisfaction by the time we got back (also in the sunshine-crazy). Sixteen miles in two days! I was so proud of everyone, especially those who lead busy lives and hadn’t done a lot of walking lately. Back at camp our guests had some down time, and then we gathered for pizza night - everyone getting to make their own pizza and cooking it in the pizza ovens on top of the communal tent stoves. BIG success! Some people then opted for bed, and others stayed for wine and natural face-mask making, which was actually one of the highlights for me. So lovely to see everyone smearing clay on each other’s faces and having a giggle. I stayed up far too late enjoying everyone’s company!
Sunday
ANOTHER sunny day, in the middle of January. We were so lucky with the weather. In the morning we got the paddleboards out on the swimming pond, and made use of the fantastic sauna. Our guests were so brave getting in for a swim in between sauna sessions- I was so impressed! And some tried paddleboarding for the first time. Honestly, the smiles made my heart sing. We had a hearty lunch and birthday celebration around the campfire, and then Lou arrived for our drumming circle. Sitting and singing/drumming together felt really lovely, with people joining in as much or as little as they wanted. At this point I think everyone was starting to feel like a little family, and it felt easy to find a rhythm with each other. We then went outside and drummed for the birds, which we all loved. It felt like they were joining in! And somehow it was then time to say our goodbyes. There were tears, and so much openness, and I know I left feeling more connected to the people I’d been fortunate to share the weekend with, and more connected to nature. I just loved it. 10/10, would recommend (I know, I’m biased!).
Well, I hope you enjoyed reading about our January weekend. If you want to come and experience this for yourself, we would just LOVE to have you along on our April weekend in Norfolk, or June Solstice weekend in Suffolk. If you have any questions just get in touch via social media or hello@setwild.com!
Jenny x
Set Wild hiking guide