ditching the good life

Ditching the good life

The man who wakes up in a ditch... then goes to work at Sotheby's

Anushka Asthana meets Hugh Sawyer, 32, who has taken downsizing to a new level to prove that we can all get by with much less.

At 6am Hugh Sawyer wakes up to the persistent ring of his alarm clock. He rolls over with a grimace and flicks on Radio 4's Today programme. He gets up, has a wash and a shave, grabs some breakfast and rushes down to the bus stop to commute to London.

When he gets to work in the bids department of Sotheby's he is always spotlessly turned out in a Gieves & Hawkes suit, a stylish tie and polished shoes. The Oxford law graduate is a regular at the gym and often meets friends for drinks in the capital's bars.

In short, Sawyer leads the archetypal city life - with one exception. When his counterparts return home to their Shoreditch loft conversions or Notting Hill maisonettes, Sawyer heads to a ditch in the woods near Oxford.

It is the ultimate in downsizing. The 32-year-old has given up every luxury to spend a year living outdoors. He hopes to prove he can lead a full and fun life with a fraction of his normal comforts.

'I want to make people think about how much they consume that is not necessary,' said Sawyer, who has been living in the woods near the village of Lewknor, Oxfordshire, since June. 'I am trying to prove it is possible to do everything you normally do, maintaining a full existence, while cutting back. I have realised I can lead my life without television, carpets, sofa, electricity, chairs, tables, a fridge and a freezer.'

Nicknamed 'ditch-monkey' by his friends, Sawyer tells stories of his new-found life on an internet blog - being woken by owls and fawns, having to choose a new ditch after nearly being mugged and falling ill when he tried to make Thames water drinkable with one purifying tablet.

Before he began his challenge, he cut down his belongings to just a few clothes, books and photographs that fit into his rucksack. At night he has a sleeping bag and cooking stove. If he thinks it might rain he has a piece of tarpaulin to attach to the trees, but he recently discovered the hard way that it failed to stop ground water gushing over him.

Despite the difficulties, Sawyer is enjoying his task. He began with a six-week trial but after finding that 'quite easy' extended the experiment. He says he feels 'completely at ease' and extremely healthy and is enjoying living in the countryside.

'When I first wake up I think: "Oh my God I am living in the woods," but then I get up and it really nice being surrounded by country. The amazing views on the way to the bus stop make it worthwhile and you can spot the changes in season.'

As well as raising awareness, Sawyer is raising money for the Woodland Trust. Staff at the charity were surprised when he first told them his plan. Christine Punter, regional development officer, said: 'As well as earning money for us he is showing that there are alternative ways to live.'

Nevertheless, colleagues and friends are bemused by Sawyer's unusual decision. 'It is pretty eccentric,' said Mark Chisholm, a 24-year-old who also works at Sotheby's. 'It is unbelievable that he can live in the woods and combine it with a nine-to-five job.'

Sawyer's morning 'wash' involves a few wet wipes and a shower in the gym or at work. When you meet him, Sawyer is smart and clean-shaven, with short blond hair. He is ambitious and hopes one day to become an art dealer.

When he first moved into the wilderness, it shocked his then girlfriend, 24-year-old Natalie Skidmore. 'I was really confused and not sure if he was serious,' she said. 'My friends think it is strange when I say he lives in the woods but now I am really proud of him.' But the student at the London School of Economics admits it shocked her parents. 'They were a bit disappointed he wasn't a home owner and were certainly perplexed.'

For Sawyer's own parents it did not come as a surprise. 'He was always interested in the environment,' said his mum, Diane. 'I think he is streetwise and able to be self-sufficient.

'Of course I worry but I am not drastically frantic about him and I am really proud.' She adds that she hopes he won't get cold, but Sawyer has yet to experience the British winter without central heating.

He admits to nerves about it. 'It will be dark when I get up and go to sleep and it will be miserable, wet and bleak.'

Another difficulty may be returning to full-time city life when Sawyer's time in the outdoors ends. 'The real question is what happens when he finally stops,' said Professor John Collings, a consulting psychologist from Leeds. 'If he sticks it out for a year, it will be difficult to return to the noise of the city.'