I headed up to the Shropshire Hills for a quick overnight camp. It was already 4:30 p.m. after a week of relentless rain, but I saw a small window of good weather, so I took the opportunity. A short 1.9-mile hike up to Callow Hill and I was set. The weather had been miserable—showers, hail, and gusty winds—but I caught a break.

By the time I arrived, it was cold, around 5°C with a sharp wind from the northwest. Not ideal, but it’s what I expected. I threw on my Buffalo gear and the old woolly hat I got in Canada back in 2010. Took some time for photography and got a few good timelapse shots.

Used an 85mm portrait lens for the video—challenging, but it worked when it wanted to. Not perfect for the whole shoot, but it added something different. Had the wide-angle on the time-lapse camera and planned to shoot some astrophotography later. Only issue was the moon rising and washing out the sky.

After sunset, I settled in for some stargazing, astrophotography, and, of course, steak. The winds died down and it turned into a cold night, but that’s how it goes. It was quiet, aside from the sheep and rabbits roaming around. Got some good timelapse sequences of the stars.

Woke up to a cold morning, just above freezing. A much-needed black coffee to kick things off. The temperature was low, but the winds had eased off. It was a solid night wild camping in the hills—clear skies, shooting stars, and the Northern Lights made a brief appearance. Got some good views of the Milky Way, and I couldn’t ask for more.