Life between London and the Yukon wilderness

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Our cabin on the Yukon
Neil and Lou’s story
We live very remote, in a log cabin in the sub Arctic Yukon bush. We are off the road system, off the electricity grid (and off our heads). We came to the Yukon in 2012 from inner city London, two urban middle-aged professionals with not much in the way of survival skills.

I worked as an actor, Neil was a manager at BSkyB.

We'd never used a chainsaw, ridden a snowmachine, driven a boat, got firewood, fished, hunted, pickled... we'd never even made jam but were pretty hot with internal communications plans and line learning.

I always wanted to live in the Alaskan wilderness, Neil didn’t. In fact, far from it. 
Alaska!

 I'd watched a Disney film called The Wilderness Family as a small child growing up in Plymouth and fell in love with the freedom and excitement that Alaska seemed to offer. I later found out the film was made in Colorado and set in Canada, so this has all been based on a mistake.

Neil grew up in quiet suburb of well-to-do Winchester. His dreams of adventure didn't extend beyond Dungeons & Dragons gaming with his friend Chris. As an adult, he was more drawn to a cosy pub for a pint and a packet of crisps than the freezing wastes.
The High Street, Winchester

 Somehow we have made it work since 2012. (See How we ended up living in the wilderness.) We return to London for the summers to work, see friends and family and put on weight.

There is no big dream. We are just muddling along, much the same as we did in London but with different furniture and more chances to die. This blog is about trying to stay alive and make it work. 
Where we are now

Our house in London
We are in south-east London. So life is about catching up with friends and family, making money and organising ourselves for our return to the Yukon wilderness.

Comments

  1. Unknown4 August 2020 at 17:22

    Do you live near Sisters Island? I drooled over that place when it was for sale maybe 8 or 10 years ago...but being in my late 50's at the time....couldn't consider it...and with an unwilling husband to live that remotely :-( .... aahh...my lost opportunity...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Louise Dumayne5 August 2020 at 10:48

      Yes some hard work to get the hubby convinced! We live down closer to forty mile but a v good pals with guys at sisters island. They have a Facebook page- look them up. Sisters island.

      Delete

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