Ramblings About My Easter Holiday Camping Plans

I have wrote a few posts with tips, guidelines and my experiences about all kinds of things concerning camping. A few posts into my blog I am sure you would like to know what my plans are for the future. It is currently early evening where I live. I am sitting over a delicious sandwich, and I am looking into the near future. To be explicit I want to go to a camping trip in the Easter holiday. I am not sure if I will be able to get out with my friends.

I am looking to go to some kind of backpacking trip. It might not walk or hike every day, but I don’t want to go and stay in a hotel, hostel or inn. I want to go and experience what nature has to offer. So the objective is to stay in nature, sleep in the best waterproof tent I have, and that way I might be able to really recharge my batteries. I might even take a hammock, put it up between two trees, and sleep in it. There is nothing better than an afternoon nap in the shades in my hammock.

So where should I go? I have an idea about a show I have watched a while back. It was about two fisherman, who were on a survival trip in all kinds of different places in the UK. In every episode they had to compete, and they could have only a select few pieces of gear to fish with. They could only eat what they have caught. Obviously I would not be competing with anyone on my trip, but the idea of eating only what I caught always appealed to me. There is something to only eating the pray that you have caught. (Unfortunately I was unable to find a youtube clip from the show. Once I find one, I will make sure to post it.)

I would obviously have to choose a natural water full of fish to pull this off. I have always been thinking of checking out the French rivers, maybe I could fish for trout. Fly-fishing has always been close to my heart, and the idea of rehearsing my French knowledge a bit makes the idea of this trip even more appealing.

From the little research I have done the Albarine river in South France looks very promising. Judging by the photos I have seen on this review about the river, it looks very promising. The river flows next to Lyon, and it looks like it is a quiet, yet fast river full of brown trout and barbel.

The above video made me want to go even more. However if I want to take full advantage of the local culinary, I will have to stay in a youth hostel in a village next to the river. That way I could fish multiple areas of the river, going from one place to the other. I would book the hostels from home, making sure that I don’t have to hike too much one day, I must leave myself time to fish as well. Whatever my decision will be, I will keep you posted about it in the future!

Camping at the River Ipoly

I have always had a passion for the outdoors and nature. I am very passionate about riversides, and the wildlife you can find there. The reason behind this is that rivers offer plenty of water for the local plants, which contribute to  a burgeoning wildlife full of plants, which provide shelter and food for the animals that live in the area. If you are lucky, you can find plenty of creatures in the plains and forests of these areas.

For me, camping is the best way to observe wildlife. You can wake up early in the morning, and you can observe the fish feeding from the top of the water. You can go birdwatching in the evening, and see birds who are feeding from the insects who come out early in the evening. If you have night vision, you can go on walks during the night and observe carnivores on the hunt. All in all camping allows you to stay in the wild, and not spend any valuable time with traveling when you could be enjoying the fascinating scenes that mother nature provides.

The River Ipoly

Ipoly is a river on the border between Slovakia and Hungary. Both countries are members of the European Union, so they are very easy to travel to for a European citizen. The best way to get to the river is bay car of course, but an international railway system allows you to approach the area by train. The area is famous for its advanced bike route system, in fact many hikers approach the area by train, and then they switch to bicycles.

The river is rich in chub, bass and perch, while some parts are rich in carp due to the slower current in these areas. You can find more information about fishing on the river on the website of the Hungarian Fisherman’s Association.

The river runs in between hills and mountains, but they are not that high. They are usually 500-800 meters high at their peak, so they are excellent for backpacking and hiking. The slopes are covered with fields of grape.

The wildlife of the area consists of small furry animals like rabbits, foxes and other critters, as well as bigger animals such as deer and wild boar. The area is a frequent destination of bird watchers as the birds visit the river in order to get some refreshment during the day.

The area is perfect for collecting mushrooms. Due to the hills in the area you can find many different kinds of forests. The different forests provide homes for different species of mushrooms. Always bring the mushrooms to an expert before you decide to eat them, the are hosts a bunch of  poisonous mushrooms as well.

The other reason why the area is such a great habitat for mushrooms is the frequent raining in the area. The rain adds to the water in the river, and helps the rich wildlife of the area thrive.

The frequent raining means that you need to have some kind of waterproof tent in order to have a successful camping trip in the area. I have an Eureka Apex 2x tent, that I have purchased after looking at reviews. However any tent or other shelter will do as long as it keeps you dry and warm during your trip. For example my brother prefers his Wenzel Current Hiker, but I just can’t stand the shape and design of that tent. To each his own, I guess.

And you don’t have to go stay in a tent, you can find good hostels and inns in the area. I have tried this one before with my dad and brother, and I had a great experience.

Unfortunately floods are commonplace in the area during spring. The snow melts in the Slovakian mountains, and collects in the river Ipoly. The river than carries the tide and floods the current villages. Due to these floods the area is unfit for camping during the spring. On the other hand it is stunning during the summer and autumn, and I would encourage anyone who loves wildlife to check it out.

The River Ipoly during a flood.

Image Source: Wikipedia