A field near Segesta

By the time I was done visiting Segesta this afternoon, I had very little daylight left, and thus precious little time for stopping and finding a campsite. Thankfully, however, I didn't need to go very far, or to look very hard: all around Segesta was rolling farmed countryside, much of it perfect for rough camping, and packed with little dirt trails and often-unfenced fields. So I only rode for about 20 minutes more — crossing under the nearby autostrada and train line in the process — before I found a spot that was just right for me. Nothing grand: just a little vineyard, with a long road leading into the heart of the fields, and with a fence that was missing in many places; and with plenty of nice, green space amongst the vines for pitching my tent, and far enough away from the farmhouses to afford some privacy as well.

Camped amongst the vines.

I was a bit reluctant to squat in a vineyard at first — normally, so far my rough camping has been in ploughed fields that are semi-disused; and this place was clearly in use. Plus, there were a few dogs barking just over the ridge; but thankfully, they didn't discover me, or bother me apart from making a bit of noise. It was still windy in the evening: I was hoping that the vines would afford me some protection; but they were hardly a help at all, the tent still got reasonably buffeted. Anyway, I managed to set up and to cook and eat just fine, and I got a solid night's sleep.