Courtils

The thing about wild camping is a bit tricky - actually it's not allowed, but as long as you don't disturb anyone it's tolerated. I remember the beginning of my trip and a conversation in Bonn that got a bit complicated when I tried to hide my wild camping intentions.

Man: where are you staying today?
Me: Well, at a camping site (I don't dare say that I actually wanted to spend the night in the city forest).
Him: Which one? There are two.
Me: Well, I'll have a look.
Him: Are you going up or down the Rhine?
Me: Uh, to the south!
He: Oh, but that one is still 40 km away, you'll have to go all the way! And the other one is 10 km back, that's a bad alternative, too.
Me: (I didn't want to complicate the situation any further, because another woman had just joined the conversation to help):
Yes, driving back is not the best idea. I better get going to the next oine in the south..

In the meantime, I have received very positive feedback when being honest about wildcamping here in France. While being in Courtils I have the following conversation with an elderly gentleman:
(course of conversation):

He: You have a lot of luggage!
- I'm going on a world tour.
- What? How far are you going to travel?
- Maybe 40,000 km.
- Ouuuf!
- But I only plan for about a week at a time, then I don't think about the big distance.
- Where do you sleep?
- I'm going to look for a field or a forest somewhere.
- Turn right here, that's the way to go, otherwise it's difficult.
- Okay, thank you very much!

For five minutes I follow that direction.
A car comes up behind me, it's the gentleman again: "Have you found it? It's just up ahead."

He drives ahead and stops 100m further on in front of a dirt road. The path is blocked with a barbed wire gate.
Him: you can go there, just open the gate.
Me: and it's okay if I open it?
Him:
Yeah, sure, I know ---- (hopefully the owner)....
Me: okay! Thanks a lot!
He disappears into the sunset.

That day I also encountered the cow that has by far the funniest stain - it looks like a little child that has tampered with its mother's make-up case. In the sad hours of my trip (and every time I look through my photos) she brings a smile to my face. 😁Read more