34. 36. 38. 40. PART 4

32. 34. 36. 38. 40.

A Luise Gallivan

I’m turning my back on organized sites, particularly the supersized ones. Even at the relatively quiet sites you

can seldom escape the constant chattering of people in neighbouring tents, or worse still, the noise of

satellite-assisted televisions from camper vans. I go wild camping, which means I can set up my tent in a

field or on a mountainside without paying anyone for the privilege. Lots of ‘mild campers’ (that’s what we

call the ones who use campsites) are waking up to the fact that wild camping gives you an eco-friendly break

and offers a great deal more in the way of adventure. Because it’s so different from ‘mild’ camping, though,

people need to ask themselves: ‘Do I really need this?’ before packing their stuff. Wild camping is the

ultimate budget holiday - once you’ve got to wherever you’re going, the only expense is feeding yourself.

B Thomas Parsons

Perhaps the main reason why many people shy away from wild camping is our modern-day culture of ‘risk

aversion’ – in other words, avoiding all activities that seem in any way dangerous, however unlikely it is that

anything would actually go wrong. In less paranoid times, wild camping was indeed very common, but

people nowadays want safe environments, especially when it comes to feeling at ease with what their kids are

doing, and organized campsites are the obvious answer. I’m not keen to suggest good places to go wild

camping, though because one of the joys of the activity comes from finding places nobody else knows about.

For the beginner, I’d advise places which aren’t too far from civilization in case anything does go wrong. I

learnt the hard way, weighing myself down with unnecessary home comforts and camping gadgets when

apart from the usual backpacker’s tent, warm sleeping-bag, spare clothes and food, all you really need is a

torch, lightweight cooking equipment, a map and a compass.

C Jennie Martinez

Camping was an integral part of my early years, and I’ve managed to pass on some of my enthusiasm to my

own children. In striving for little luxuries like hot showers, ‘mild’ campers miss out on the delights of wild

camping. There are very comfortable state-of-the-art tents available nowadays if you want a bit of comfort,

and they don’t cost that much. Once you’re hooked on wild camping, nothing else will do and you get not to

mind occasional problems with ants or wasps. The lack of fellow travelers makes me feel that the great

views and the starlit skies have been laid on expressly for my own personal equipment. But camping in wild

places also means having to observe a few basic rules. For instance, during a particular dry season, it’s best to

avoid high fire-risk areas. I’ll always remember a time when I was camping with friends and we noticed that

somebody had failed to extinguish a small fire completely. We managed to put it out, but it could have been a

disaster.

For questions 41-50, choose from people (A-C). The people may be chosen more than once.

A. Luis Gallivan B. Thomas Parsons C. Jenny Martinez

Which person