One thing I've missed over the recent lockdown is getting away camping. In particular, I miss the fun of cooking at the tent in the evening and the reassuring roar of the camp stove as it sparks into life. But I had an idea recently to at least recreate one of those elements by cooking a hot lunch on the camp stove while out for exercise. And the perfect place for this was the Pencaitland Railway Trail. It's one of my most used local cycle routes and I've really appreciated it over the last year of the pandemic. So my friend Graham and I packed up our bicycles and headed out there on a grey, cold day that felt neither winter nor spring.
We soon cycled by what we now call "lockdown bench" - a place where we used to sit and have a flask of coffee when we were out cycling in the first lockdown. A little further on though, we pulled into our favourite spot where a couple of picnic benches are set on grass beside allotments. It's a lovely place, tucked away from the world and really peaceful. There are flower borders which today were dotted with snowdrops. In summer they are full with wildflowers which buzz with bees. There is woodland all around so the air is always filled with birdsong. We wrapped up in blankets, set up our camp kitchen and got cooking. Our hot lunch today was pan fried salmon and asparagus served with our favourite Idahoan instant mash potatoes. This was followed by Gu gluten free cheesecakes washed down with coffee. The cheesecakes were really handy for transporting by bicycle and miraculously arrived in one piece.
Quite a feast! The only downside, having eaten so much, was cycling home again.
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