Every now and then, we need to take a time out. For us at Millican, we prioritise that time being outside – it’s the place where we reconnect with ourselves and the world around us.
Photography by James Bowden | Words by Jeffrey Bowman
Re-packing our Smith the Roll packs with bivvy bags, warm clothes and some good coffee – getting rid of our work-life clutter – we took the train from Manchester with a bunch of friends and headed to the Peak District to spend the night on top of a hill to intentionally do nothing. We spent the afternoon walking around Kinder Scout until we happened upon a piece of grass that looked pretty much like any other piece of grass; however, this piece of grass would be our home for the evening. We’d bought some beers, plenty of snacks and a bat detector.
It didn’t take long to settle into our new home. The beauty of bivvying means home for the night can be literally anywhere you can lay down. We choose to lay down looking out toward Sheffield and a few of the other well known Peak hills. As the sun went down, the shooting stars came out. Apparently, we’d picked a night where there was a Meteor shower, so we laid back in our bivvies, and all fell asleep and missed the show.
Morning came round, the sun came up, the stove went on, and coffee was served with Outdoor Provisions nut butter. And just like that, we’d packed up our bags, and away we went back down to Edale train station.
On the train back, we eased our minds back into a reality we’re more familiar with, but we’d carved out some time where an easier, simple reality allowed us to disconnect, chat, laugh and lay in the grass thinking about nothing and everything all at once.
