Armed with my new -18c sleeping bag, and a cold but sunny weather forecast, I drive for two hours to the north west coast of Scotland, then follow a 5km trail to a remote beach, Slaggan Bay. Gorgeous desolate scenery on the way there, and my first glimpse of the beach makes me feel so happy – it is deserted, the view is stunning, and there is plenty of flat ground at the edge of the beach for my tent. It couldn’t be better.

Actually, there is one drawback to this particular camping spot – once I’ve set up my tent I realise there is no phone signal or 4G. Yikes. That’s quite a thought. It’ll be dark from 5pm, so that’s a long evening out of contact with anyone and without social media. Not to mention the ability to call for help. But there is no way I’m going to move my tent and, even if I was inclined, a quick wander about the beach makes me realise there is no signal anywhere unless I climb back up the cliffs that surround the beach. Oh well.

I have about an hour before the sun will set so I trustingly leave all my expensive kit in the tent and head north to explore the cliffs. More stunning views and a short adrenaline rush as I make my way over rocks to take a photo and video clip of a fissure in the rocks which is being violently assaulted by the sea. The forces of nature are amazing. Thankfully I don’t fall in and die, but make it back ‘home’, where I make some supernoodles for my tea and feast my eyes on the beautiful glow of the sun setting.

After my gourmet meal, I wander about the beach until it’s completely dark, then heat some water from a nearby stream with my jetboil, fill my empty water bottle, then pop it into my sleeping bag to warm it up. Around 5.30pm I film a short clip for Tiktok (which ends up being my most successful Tiktok ever, with 126k views and almost 600 comments at the time of writing), although I can’t post it immediately. For one thing, I would never post my location in real time on social media, especially when on my own and feeling a touch vulnerable. And also because I have no access to the internet or any form of communication with anyone. This is alarming, as I am somewhat addicted to my phone, but that’s one of the reasons I feel that a trip like this is good for my soul. I’m reconnecting with my younger self, who went solo-travelling pre-internet and pre-mobile phones, and loved it. One of the main reasons I enjoy wild camping in remote places is the sense of getting away from everything, and being alone in the natural world. It’s time away from the troubles of life.

I get into my sleeping bag and read (Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry) for three hours, then pop out of the tent to pee before going to sleep. The sky is clear and filled with stars. I’m wandering about near my tent, wearing my merino wool long johns and top, my bare feet in my unlaced boots, staring up at the beautiful star-filled sky. Nothing can beat this.

I use the jetboil to reheat the water that’s warming my sleeping bag and am amazed to sleep from 9pm until 7am, waking for a while around 5am when a heavy downpour makes a thunderous noise . The feeling of being so cosy in my sleeping bag while listening to the rain on the tent and the waves crashing on the nearby shore is just fantastic.

It’s cold damp morning, and getting out of my warm cocoon is uncomfortable, but by the time I’ve made some porridge and packed up, the sun is rising as I heave my rucksack onto my shoulders and set off back to my car.