Outback Adventures & the Case of the Corrupted SD Card

Whilst attempting to tidy up my desktop yesterday (a task usually reserved for the sort of optimism you only get after coffee), I stumbled across the following article. I wrote it earlier this year, fully intending to publish it a week or so after the actual Outback review - here, but upon returning home, I discovered the SD card had corrupted itself and taken most of the photos with it.

Fellow Mud lifer, I sulked.

So here we are, resurrecting it anyway. Because if you haven’t already worked it out, the basic premise is this: I went car camping in a Subaru Outback. In Wales. Had a cracking time, and lost most of the evidence.

It all began around 4:00pm on a Tuesday. I’d finished up at one of the schools I work at (as a therapist), and had the following day completely free. A rare thing indeed. Naturally, a sleep-over was immediately planned, because when a free day appears, you don’t waste it scrolling or doing DIY, you point a car vaguely west and see what happens.

I packed light but sensibly: the EcoFlow Glacier fridge freezer, sleeping bag, mattress, and a Peli case stuffed full of cooking tat.
I then ventured off into the great unknown… or Wales, as it’s officially known.

My destination was a huge reservoir in North Wales, complete with a dirt track that skirts most of the shoreline, the sort of place that immediately makes you exhale when you arrive.

As I’ve written before, the Outback does that wonderful Subaru thing where it just irons out the worst of our utterly broken roads. That talent translates beautifully onto mild green lanes too - smooth, composed, and never flustered. It’s not pretending to be a rock crawler, but it’s very, very good at being exactly what it is.

After locating my favourite spot, it was technically a bit too early for a beer (I know, amateur hour), so I set up the table, chair and Wolf and Grizzly camp fire trio, made myself a brew, and sat overlooking the reservoir. I promptly disappeared into my own thoughts, something I’ve got quite good at over the years. I count it as self-care. Cheaper than charging myself for therapy, and the views are better.

Wolf and Grizzly camp fire trio and Buck Compadre Camp Axe

As the temperature dropped, hunger crept in. So out came the Vango Scran hot plate, plugged into the EcoFlow Delta 2 Max, and the plan was simple: ham, cheese and mustard toasties.

Easy. Dangerous. Ridiculously tasty.

Get the hot plate up to temperature, add a smidge of oil, and toast the two halves of the bun. Another drizzle of oil, then a good handful of sliced ham, pressed down occasionally like you mean it. Flip once cooked and add three slices of square ‘cheese’ on top, while English mustard goes on one half of the bun and mayo on the other. When the cheese has melted, sandwich the lot together and devour.

I may have eaten three.

Suitably stuffed, I cracked open a can of Guinness and settled in as the fire pit kept me warm and entertained. Flames dancing, head emptying. Whether it was the fumes, the full belly, or one Guinness too many, I soon found myself nodding off. So I retired to the back of the Outback.

The Therm-a-Rest NeoAir and my trusty Outwell sleeping bag delivered a cracking night’s sleep - the kind you only get outdoors, where your brain actually switches off.

Morning arrived a bit earlier than planned. Entirely my fault for not bringing window blinds. That, and a rather full bladder.

Deciding to stay up rather than attempt more sleep, I made a proper coffee, lobbed a few more logs on the fire pit, and watched the sun rise over the reservoir - another day quietly getting started on planet Earth.

The plan was simple: after breakfast, head to Blaenau Ffestiniog, then Porthmadog, and finally up to Caernarfon, before joining the A55 for the trip home. Oh, and a stop-over on Abergele beach for a snack, obviously. This gave the Outback a proper mixed-road workout, from twisty Welsh tarmac to dual carriageway slog.

I may have mentioned this in my original review, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time with the Outback. If I didn’t need a 4x4 with proper ground clearance, I’d buy one in a heartbeat, fit a roof tent, add an awning, and disappear for a bit.

In fact, re-reading this now just before finally posting it on the website, I’m half-tempted to drop the Subaru PR team a message (Brian, I’m looking at you) and see if another one might accidentally find its way to Muddy Towers…