One note: hitch-hiking in this area is very good if you're carrying a rucksack. I've had to get from Vignes to Rodez to get a flight home and hitched it quickly and easily.
Try to get a copy of "Worrals on the Warpath" (Johns) to read before you go. Very evocative about the landscape.
I hardly ever use a tent - nearly always now a bivi or nothing. But I'd still agree with the consensus above and start with a tent. Bivi (& probably tarp, which I've never used) is fine under reasonable conditions, but in Britain midges and farther south mosquitoes can be a nightmare. And two or three days of solid unceasing rain make them quite demanding. Get experience with tent, then shift.
I love a real fire and feel that theres a bit of puritanical nonsense going on here.
Like many things its a matter of common sense, and of course experience ( which you get by making mistakes) . Stay sensible, pretend you're a sixteen-year old setting out to explore the world, and you'll manage fine.
Obviously sleep upwind of the fire, and not too close. Pretend you're on the run, and make sure before you leave that every trace of your fire, and your camp, is invisible to pursuers.
This terrific series was on last week at 1.45 lunchtimes every day last week. Still available on 'listen again'. I'm not at all interested in birdwatching, but I found this fascinating.
Kish Logan
