In autumn 2019 I spent about a week walking from Forfar into the Angus Glens. I didn’t have a planned route, I just chose a general direction and used the OS Maps to find footpaths and roads that connected to that general direction. This may make some people feel stressed but it’s my preferred wandering strategy - just go, don’t plan too much! (Edit to say thank you to anyone concerned about my safety but that I do take multiple precautions to be as safe as I can be including checking in with friends who regularly get my exact location. Being spontaneous doesn’t mean I don’t use common sense and take precautions ).
Around mid afternoon each day I would start checking the maps for potential places to set up my tent within a few hours walk. One night my options were slim, just a handful of small woods dotted around the farmland. So I chose the one that seemed most ideal from the map and adjusted my course towards it. It was quite awhile before I had eyes on it, but when I finally did I was quite happy with it and managed to get set up before I lost the light. It was a thick, planted forest, which let the fading sun cast limited rays into its perfectly spaced corridors. I had walked a lot that day and was quite tired, so my little blue tent was a most welcome sight. I ate some cheese (I always get cheese!) and bread I had picked up in Kirriemuir and had a lovely sleep.
I had seen cattle on the way in but didn’t think anything of them. Come morning I found myself to be the talk of the town I had a stunning sunrise, a nice chat with the fuzzy locals, and set out once more to wander. It’s not always about steep terrain and sweeping vistas - wandering feeds my soul wherever I go.
Lilly x