Technically, this letter does not cover a week, being an account of my leave-taking and subsequent, somewhat unwelcome, adventure on my way to spend Christmas with my parents and four of my five sisters.
It was not expected and, at times, I was considerably more frightened than at any point in the preceding eleven weeks spent alone in the woods. I think, if you add other humans into the mix, especially those you love, fear of incident or accident becomes more real, at least for me. Alone, I knew I was well equipped and experienced; alone, I knew I was sensible and took few risks; and alone I was confident the woods and coast would look after me. Once back in civilisation, however, events became difficult to control…