At the start of July, the belt of covid restrictions was loosened another notch, allowing overnight stays away from home for the first time since March. Lockdown had already prevented me going on a trip down the Spey, and a wilderness trip in the North-west Highlands so I was itching to get away even for a single night. That itch was particularly acute just now, as last year we had planned a family holiday to Norway for the first half of the month but were now looking at grabbing a short break somewhere in England.  I still had the leave booked, so family holiday arranged for the following week, I decided to go for a solo wild camp. Derwentwater, with a night on St Herbert’s Isle, was the obvious choice. It is a trip I have done several times before. It is a doable in most weathers and isn’t a huge drive from South Yorkshire. So, my kit was packed, the outlander, its deeper gel coat scratches newly repaired and keel-easy strips in place on its stems after a lockdown refit, on Continue Reading