The other week I did a fantastic two-day bikepacking trip through classic nearby English countryside. I rode at first to the Wild Boar Campsite in Sussex. My upgraded bike was a real joy, though it took about 15 re-packs of my bags during the days before to get it all to fit.

When I got there the couple who were kind of looking after the campsite informed me I was the only one staying, as it was the day after the Bank Holiday and everyone had gone home now. Perfect.

The bluebells were out in full force and the campsite wood and location was really kind of magical. The Bluebell Railway ran past the bottom of the campsite – all day I heard the whistle of the old steam train.

I unpacked my stuff, boiled some water for my mint tea, then just….sat there. It helped that I was resting and recovering from the ride, but basically I hardly moved out of the chair for 5 hours straight. How often do you get the chance to sit in an empty wood with no one around and sit and do nothing?

So I just sat and listened to the sounds all around me. I didn’t get bored for minute. A lot goes on in a quiet wood if you pay attention. Deer ran past at some point also.

In the early evening I started a large fire and prepped all the food I had bought. I then cooked up a feast: Spicy veg with rice, jacket potatoes cooked in the fire. Even the melted cheese pittas with some tomato sauce tasted great. Desert was some of wife’s mum’s gluten free orange cake.

Afterwards I resumed my sitting and listening and drinking tea. As the light changed so did the bird and animal sounds. Deer ran past again. The sun went down through the trees. It got darker and colder. I put on more clothes. All my clothes.

Sitting in the dark next to the fire my brain started kind of daydreaming – imagining people in the chairs beside me. I thought back at all the stupid mistakes I had made in my life and apologised out loud to those involved. All my regrets.

Around 10pm the ‘looking after’ couple came back after an evening out and offered me blankets. I said no- I wanted to try my new sleeping bag setup first. They said are you sure? I said yes I’m sure. For some reason I felt like I couldn’t back down after I had started to decline. So stupid, and that turned out to be a big mistake – I spent the whole night freezing cold and waking every 40 mins. At one stage tho I popped out for a wee and gazed up through the trees at thousands of stars in the spectacular night sky. It honestly made me gasp out loud.

I gave up sleeping around 5:30 and built another fire for breakfast and wrapped my sleeping bag around me to warm up.

After a chilly sunrise through the trees I rode the most beautiful and tough route I’ve ever cycled – up through Ashdown Forest to the High Weald and the Avenue Verte – a route that runs from London to Paris.

To be honest I was cooked from the start after the ride the day before and the lack of sleep. The gentle climbs were a real slog but the descents through winding forest roads were really something.

The whole two days were really incredible – basically it was just me, the joy of riding my great newly upgraded bike, battling through my exhaustion (nothing new there) the sun, the sky, the amazing views, the route and the weather.

My brain is still processing what the all the weird, great, strange, free and murky feelings I got during and after the trip mean exactly.