Digital detox in the New Forest.
ADVENTURES #4: UNPLUGGED
I usually squeeze some videogame chat into these posts somehow, but it was somewhat more difficult with our latest trip. Board and card games were our primary entertainment – I’ll make up for it in a subsequent post however, as upon returning from the trip I received a package that would make most gamers happy.
Lottie and I reached our first wedding anniversary in December and after quite a difficult year health-wise, we decided to hide in the wilderness for a few days to celebrate and to reflect on all that has happened over the past 12 months. As such, we booked a few days away in a cabin for a digital detox. I was somewhat unfamiliar with the concept myself, but after being shown what exactly it was, I was all for it. We booked with a company called Unplugged, and went for their Loki cabin in the New Forest. We booked this quite some time ago, and it was something we had been looking forward to for a long while.
On the morning of the 27th, we packed our things (sans electricals, although we had our phones for emergencies en route) and embarked on a rainy journey to what has somehow become our most frequented region of England – Hampshire and Wiltshire. Lottie found the accommodation and did all the work in booking it, and so as we drove westward, I grew eager to see it in person, having only briefly looked at the photos some weeks prior.
The nearest village to the accommodation (Plaitford) was actually just a little outside the New Forest, and as we drove through, we edged ever closer to the farm through which our home for the next few days was situated. Many gates and many more muddy puddles later, we found ourselves in a little clearing in the woods with a small field opposite, a spot for the car a little walk away, a small shed which contained a supply of firewood, and a trolley for us to haul our bags to the hut. Once all our belongings were dumped inside, we switched off our phones and locked them away in the box provided. Once they were out of sight, we were left with rather more basic tools. We had a map of the region and an old-style Nokia handset just in case. Along with these luxuries, there was a hand crank torch, a FM radio/tape deck, a log fire, a gas hob, a small fridge, a manual coffee grinder, a very basic toilet, a lovely comfortable bed, a very nice shower, a fire pit, and a bunch of board games. After checking out what was supplied, we stowed the food we brought and put the kettle on. Ten minutes later, and after having gotten the fire going, we were sipping hot drinks and playing a bit of snakes and ladders, solitaire, and draughts.
Sealing our phones away, I thought, might be somewhat challenging, but we both found it liberating. Having no connection to the outside world was blissful and allowed us to focus on the simple things for a while. Normally I’d make a coffee with the expectation of drinking it within minutes, in the cabin however, it was a longer process, and arguable more rewarding. I wouldn’t ever shun technology entirely, but I think fewer social media apps and overall screen time (or at least utterly fruitless screen time) would be an entirely good thing.
The next morning, we woke to the sunrise without alarms and began the day anew. We lit the fire, got the water boiling for a drink, and popped a tape on. We had purchased a festive puzzle before arriving at the cabin, and so we cracked that open and it successfully kept us busy for the morning. We forgot butter in our pre-holiday shop, so we held off on having our eggs until the afternoon. This meant that we were incredibly hungry after a very long walk. This took us deep into the woods, along farm tracks, and over streams. About three hours later, we ended up in a pub for a pint and some crisps, and after popping to a garage, we picked up some sweets and a stick of butter. We got home just as the light was fading and after we relit the fire, we got to work frying some butter-soaked bread and some seasoned eggs. This revitalised us for the evening, and after spending a few hours reading and tackling the puzzle for a bit longer, we headed out to another local pub for our anniversary meal. Lovely cosy place with a nice atmosphere, and delicious food to boot. Once our fish, chips, and steak were consumed, we had some sticky toffee pudding and enjoyed a phone free conversation. After paying up, we made for the hut again, settling down for some drinks, games, and fire enjoying.
The next day we woke early again and enjoyed more puzzle piece finding. This kept us busy until about 10 when we headed out for a lunch we had booked at a beautiful manor house called the Pig in a nearby village. There we enjoyed a pulled pork stew and a Bolognese in the greenhouse before retiring to the library for some coffee and a game of Monopoly. The staff there also brought out a little token for our anniversary (pig shaped biscuits to match the name of the restaurant). After we finished our game and drinks, we explored the grounds before going for a bit of a drive. We found a small farm shop on our way back, and after picking up some treats we returned to the hut. We settled in for the night then, piling some wood up in the fire pit for roasted marshmallows. There we sat bundled up under the stars long into the evening as the logs crackled and embers rose into the sky. As the flames died down, we went back inside to play some more games.
The next morning was our last, and we made the most of it by rising early again, brewing some coffee and tea, eating more eggs, and watching the last of our stock of logs slowly burn away. Once we had eaten, we packed our belongings, cleaned the hut, and hauled our stuff back to the car, reflecting on our detox as we went. We retrieved our phones as we left, and both of us had mixed thoughts about handling our devices again. We were pleased to be able to speak to our family and friends, and to check whether we had any money left in our bank account, but neither of us had any desire to use the phone for longer than was necessary, and this has persisted almost two weeks later. It has certainly brought into focus just how much of a waste of time almost everything we do on our phones is. Scrolling is the prime suspect, and one habit we’re both keen to kill off.
Returning home however, I was sucked back into screen time (although in my opinion, a far less wasteful one), as I had received the Steam Deck I ordered. Much was sold on eBay to afford it, and I wasn’t going to squander the rare excitement of obtaining a new gaming device! I’ll be writing more about this in a future post, but for now, I’m going to be restraining my (pointless) phone use in favour of more family time (and yes, more gaming time).
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