Where do hikers go to the loo?

[borisescomb]

Not a poo troll, ask MN to check etc etc etc.

My New Year's resolution is to walk more and I've started exploring and going further afield. But I have quite bad IBS that can come on suddenly and urgently. This is putting me off going to certain places. I want to do the likes of ladybower and other popular tourist hikes but the thing is they are still too busy to just be able to pop into a bush. I can the the only person who has these sorts of issues. I wondered how you cope if you're the same? I feel like it's hampering my life and stopping me doing things I'd like to do more of.

Empty Pringles tube.

I cured my IBS by switching to a ketogenic diet @borisescomb no more bloating let alone the hideous panic and embarrassment-ridden urgency. If you’ve not yet tried it, I strongly recommend that you give it a go for a few weeks (there is an immediate relief, but a few weeks/months of healing before total eradication of symptoms).

Oh @viques - I forget that it's actually necessary to say such thing

Useful info here www.mountaineering.scot/safety-and-skills/health-and-hygiene/outdoor-toileting

Yep we really do just go behind a bush I'm afraid.

This is why I hate the countryside and walking. I need to wee a lot. Its bad enough that there is a dearth of public toilets these days but planning around tea rooms or pubs etc means that you have to buy something from those placements, usually a drink which makes you wee more

I need to keep very hydrated and its hard enough when driving around. I have to find supermarkets which have loos, they dont all have, and neither do all petrol stations. There are apps which show you where loos are but its unreliable as some are not open or need disabled keys.

I like the look of the countryside but when it comes to thinking about the logistics its impossible to enjoy it on foot. I cant wee behind bushes, I need to sit down and cant balance and struggle to stop it going over shoes etc.

Fortunately, I've never been caught short for a no.2 but had lots of wild wees. I don't use paper in that situation so it helps to wear a panty liner in case of drips! I hate seeing toilet paper litter in the great outdoors.

So many people not reading or understanding this. OP has IBS - it's a terrible condition to live with. You don't choose when you need or can hang on FGS. @borisescomb i think you are going to have to choose your areas carefully and fill yourself up with masses of immodium for that day. Are you on special meds for it from the gastro?

Have you checked out the Slow ways site? It’s mapping all the walking paths in GB and some of these will be quieter. I second poo bags and wipes. And one tip I saw on a wild camping group suggested using Vaseline on your bottom hole beforehand so you make less mess - sorry for graphic description 🤭

This thread has taken me to my army days when.i was the only female in the troop. On one occasion I took what I thought was a trusted male to stand guard while I had a wee behind a bush. He spent the while time shouting as loud as he could ",don't come down here she's having a wee,'

Another time I snuck off on my own to hear shouts of 'you should have taken.your hi-viz off'

My DM has IBS and her bowel issues result in a "rush", shall we say, so there is absolutely no way she could hold on until she got home.

When she's out on a walk she makes sure she has toilet roll in her pocket and dog poo bags (which she has anyway, as she has a dog) and will sometimes have to disappear in to the trees, but will clean up after herself.

I know many people say they couldn't do it, but the alternative to a wild poo is much worse!

😅😅

Where I walk it is always wet and cold

Hot sunny days maybe have a sarong for example

There's medication for that. I'm the same and meds have transformed my life.

I take this in a rucksack for my daughter, can't see why an adult couldn't use it, take an extra bag to store the liners in until you get to a dog poo bin

potette.co.uk/product/potette-plus/

LakieLady, my car does have four doors. But not much use for providing cover for a pee when stuck in the outside lane next to a crash barrier! And the lorry driver stuck behind me would still have had a grandstand view from above…
No, there was no option but to use the grass verge beside the hard shoulder. Believe me, had there been, I would have taken it!

Depends what sort of walking it is...Sometimes if it's walking the flats I need to find somewhere to pee quite often. I carry some loo roll and a sanitary sack.

If I'm on one of my mad hikes and I've been known to do over 40 miles in a day, as part of the challenge, then I'll very rarely pee at all. Probably to do with body holding onto as much fluid as possible and I'm probably not drinking enough to pee anyway.