Minimal

Last week, I was off work doing conservation volunteering with the BTCV. Perhaps 4 days of hard graft in the summer heat isn’t everyone’s idea of a holiday, but for me, it was just what I needed. What I didn’t need was all of the mosquito and midge bites, the little buggers.

Although I’d been meaning to do it for years, this was my first ever conservation holiday and I wasn’t sure what to expect. And perhaps I didn’t make the best claim to green credentials by turning up in a 27MPG go kart. Everyone else either got the train or rode there on their bike. Ooops. Still, I’m not changing. I figure I was doing my bit by driving 45 minutes to a holiday in the UK instead of flying overseas.

As for the work itself, I was in a group of 11 or so, building steps on a walking trail in Hamsterley Forest. Part of the path was getting fairly eroded, so we were just shoring it up a bit. In the end, we made only about 10 steps over the course of 3½ days’ work. I was a bit frustrated at how little we got done, but in fairness, the rock-strewn ground wasn’t helping us. Also, we couldn’t just rip it all up, as we needed the hillside to remain as stable as possible. Anyway, we got the job done, so all was well.

Of course, the other aspect of this type of holiday is the being-in-a-group thing. It appealed to me because I hate going on holiday alone and never seem able to coordinate time off work with friends. By joining a group holiday, I didn’t have to worry about that. The group I found myself in turned out to be quite a mix. Young and old, boys and girls, quiet and... well, no-one was loud, but some were more social than others. As an added bonus, our project leader was superb – full of beans and really positive. All in all, we were a pretty good bunch to be part of.

It wasn’t all work either. Evenings were spent:

• Getting drunk by a campfire, playing the drink-while-you-think name game
• Having a BBQ and throwing mountain bikes
• Going out on a bat-walk, getting up close and personal with a pair of Daubentons
• Watching the England game and getting drunk around the camp fire again
• Chucking a frisbee about (have you forgotten how much fun it is to just throw things at each other?)

In summary, I really enjoyed the break. If you’ve ever thought about taking this kind of holiday, go for it. I can highly recommend it. Fresh air, nice people, hearty exercise and the satisfaction of knowing that you’ve done something good instead of warming the planet with burnt kerosene. What are you waiting for? :)