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Who Roughs it in the Mountains

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 mypyrex 31 May 2015
Following my post about huts and old farts I was simultaneously thinking about the accommodation expectations of us mountain folK.

A friend of mine, with whom I've walked many times in the UK will settle for nothing less than a B & B or a pub. When walking with his wife my understanding is that they usually opt for three or four star hotels.

My philosophy is that, if I finish a day's trek in a town or village then I will seek out a hotel, guest house or gite - the standard is not too important.

When in the hills I am quite happy to use refuges of any standard, cabanes, bothies, orris or abris. I do so in the knowledge that by suffering a little discomfort one can get some fantastic mountain experiences, views etc.

Anyone else got any thoughts?
 goose299 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

Any bit of flat ground will do. Whole point of a bivi bag
 Stone Idle 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

My wife likes hotels with stars. I tend to take her with me a lot.
 Alyson 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

I'd generally prefer to camp than use an especially grim mountain hut. At least in a tent you don't have to nestle down among mouse droppings. I have no objection to basic but I'm not a fan of dank or dirty.
 Kean 31 May 2015
In reply to goose299:
A five star camp/bivi will always beat a five star hotel imo...You can't buy that type of experience...it's priceless...but paradoxically it has to be earned! So car camping doesn't cut it (now I'm an old fart). That said, being an old fart means huts are expedient cos my knees struggle to take the haul anymore...
 GridNorth 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

God the compromises and sacrifices that you have to make in a marriage. I'm a rufty,tufty, Bear Grylls, raw meat, maggots, insects and no mattress and sleeping bag sort of guy (Honest) but my wife insists we stay in 4 star accommodation. At times we do rough it in a B&B. Not sure how long this marriage can last.
 Trangia 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

I once paid £180 for a girlfriend and me to sleep in an ice hotel in Finland.

Bloody stupid thing to do.....

I could have dug a snow cave for nothing!
In reply to GridNorth:

"God the compromises and sacrifices that you have to make in a marriage"

haha - brilliant (and so true!)

 The New NickB 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

My girlfriend likes to camp, but she does like a few facilities. At least toilet, preferably a shower as well. I'm not too bothered, but I'm happy to keep any wild camping to a minimum on that basis, ie. only one night at a time and because it's somewhere special.

Hotel's are nice in the right circumstances, we do nice hotels as well sometimes. We both enjoy that.

I think I would have issues with a partner that was too precious about such thinks.
 Dave the Rave 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:
I started my hill walking trips by booking hotels in the lakes. Very nice. I regressed from hotel, to B and B , to hostel, to bunkhouse, to campsite, to wild camping.
Where did it all go wrong?
aultguish 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

I like it rough and wild....probably why I'm single!
1
 tjin 31 May 2015
In reply to aultguish:

I think my roughness is one of the causes of me being single too...

I also have a confesion to make. I have stayed at hotels for work, but i never booked or stayed at one in my own time. I I find it very strange to wake up in a hotel. It´s just not the same as my own bed or my own sleepingbad and bag...
andymac 31 May 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

Must be a primeval instinct ,or I like a bit of torture,but.

Spending a night up a mountain with only a bit of thin nylon between me and a torrential gale ,appeals to me.

As does attempting to make a brew and being glad of a tin of beans and sausages .
 Dauphin 01 Jun 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

Go ugly early.

D
 Babika 01 Jun 2015
In reply to aultguish:

> I like it rough and wild....probably why I'm single!

Me too! Us rough and wild singletons should get together!
Wild camping is brilliant
redsonja 01 Jun 2015
In reply to Babika:

Agreed. I love camping and prefer to camp than stay in huts, which are sometimes noisy and crowded. I often go to the fells by myself and wild camp. It's fab
 fmck 01 Jun 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

As a school boy(early 80s) we used to sleep under sheltered boulders trying to go as light as possible. I used to sleep in just a orange bivi bag with light sleeping bag in summer. My mate took it a bit far once turning up with only 2 bin liners. Even in summer he was cold and still violently shaking in the morning until he got a hot drink.
 Heike 01 Jun 2015
In reply to mypyrex:
Last year my parents babysat for a few days and we went of to the Alps for some climbing. We bivied under a boulder for a few nights near some great climbing in Austria. Best nights of the year.

I would rather be camping and being in the mountains then in some posh hotel.

However, once in a while, say once a year it is nice to stay in a nice place and enjoy luxury. But I would always choose camping/dossing/biviing over staying in a hotel. B&Bs are the worst. And they never have any breakfast when you need it, i.e. before 8, never mind 5am.
Post edited at 14:17
OP mypyrex 01 Jun 2015
Couple of times I've bivvied in the sheep pen at the back of the Pen y Gwryd. One night was a beautiful still, clear night when I was able to lie in my bivvy looking at the stars.
redsonja 01 Jun 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

I bet that was awesome
 Trangia 01 Jun 2015
In reply to mypyrex:

> Couple of times I've bivvied in the sheep pen at the back of the Pen y Gwryd. One night was a beautiful still, clear night when I was able to lie in my bivvy looking at the stars......

whilst cuddled up to a sheep?
OP mypyrex 01 Jun 2015
In reply to Trangia:

> whilst cuddled up to a sheep?

I'm not Welsh

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