Wild camping

[Julian]

I've never done this in the UK (apart from Dunwich one year) as it's differently legal, but I rather want to give it a shot.  Those who have done:  any advice? How do you select a spot?  Have you ever had trouble with landowners or the long arm of the law?  Any favourite sites?

[Exit Stage Left]

I wonder what the proper form is 'camp wildly' or 'wildly camp'.

[Karla]

Selecting a spot: Same as for any campsite, really.  You want a spot that is sheltered from the wind if possible, and where the ground is firm enough to take pegs and is not waterlogged or likely to flood.  Don't camp beneath big trees.  A flat spot is always a bonus! 

Trouble with the law: No, never.  Try to be a bit discreet unless you're really out in the sticks, though.

[Tim Hall]

I wonder what the proper form is 'camp wildly' or 'wildly camp'.

I think it depends whether camp is a verb or an adjective.

[mrcharly-YHT]

I used to do it a lot in the Lake district. 'twas told that as long as I was over 1000ft altitude and kept quiet, nobody would mind.

Also done it in other areas, but under the principle that if no-one knows I'm there, then there isn't a problem.

So I used green tents, bivvi bags or hammocks.

Are you looking to 'camp rough' for the experience of it, or wanting to tour around and camp in nice-looking places?

[clarion]

I used to hide carefully, out of sight of any buildings, packed up & left early, and was prepared to move on quickly if challenged (hence using a bivvy bag rather than a tent).

I wouldn't fancy having to pack up my current gear with a shotgun-wielding farmer standing over me.

Biggest issue with wild camping is the toilet one.  it could be the only trace you've ever been there, so use a sensible method for disposal (and remember it's hard to bury it in a chalk or limestone landscape with a minimal depth of soil! )

[Jaded]

It isn't illegal everywhere in the Uk...

[clarion]

Whether it is illegal or not is an interesting debate when the person wanting you to move has a shotgun.

[mcshroom]

I've done a bit before when I was doing a lot of hiking, but I've not done any with a bike yet. (That will probably be changing next month )

If you want to avoid the legal worries, head down to Dartmoor as it's legal there*. Otherwise I've only ever been hassled while in the Peak District where the wardens are very hot on discouraging wild camping (we were scouts practising putting tents up and obviously had no sleeping equipment but the warden refused to accept that we wern't planning on camping).

Look for a sheltered spot, preferably above the wall/hedge lines and try and be discreet (arrive late, leave early). Generally try to leave the place as you found it.

The main differences between wild camping and camp-site camping is the absence of water and toilets, so be prepared for this (trowels at the ready )

If you get chance to wild camp, do try it. The isolation compared to camp sites means you really feel like you are cast away in the middle of nowhere, even if that's only half a mile from a tarmac road

* Part of Act that made the National Park

{eta}

It isn't illegal everywhere in the Uk...

No. It's legal in Scotland and in Dartmoor. It is legal in the rest of the UK if you have the landowner's permission, and in most mountainous areas it is tolerated if you are considerate

[Julian]

Are you looking to 'camp rough' for the experience of it, or wanting to tour around and camp in nice-looking places?

Both, really.  I like the idea of touring round without having to check where the nearest campsite is, or 'having' to be in a certain place by evening - wild camping would let me change my mind about where I'm going on a whim.

[Wowbagger]

I too fancy a bit of wild camping. If I'd had more water I would have done so at Aber Bach / Aber Mawr when I was in Wales a couple of years ago. I now carry with me a 10 litre Ortlieb water bag, which is mostly used as an inflatable pillow.

Like Julian, I camped on the flat stony area near the freshwater marsh behind Dunwich beach] (done that twice) and, with Charlotte, on a flat bit near the dunes at Dyffryn Ardudwy. This last was in defiance of the camp site owners, who intended to charge us £17 each for our small tents, which is the same charge that is levied for a 4*4 with caravan and awning. We were just outside the camp site, shielded by some bushes and small trees. The public footpath went through the camp site so we took advantage of their lavatorial facilities free. Had they told us £5 a night, they'd have made a tenner.

[clarion]

It's rather harder than having the relevant BSB pages.  Sometimes, it's not easy to tell from a map (and even harder from a GPS) whether a particular area is suitable, so you may head for one place off-track, find it's overlooked orotherwise unwsuitable, then have to go to another.  Can be time-consuming, and you may need to factor this in.

That said, it's a wonderful way to camp.  I'd definitely prefer to do it solo.  Although safety can be enhanced by going with a friend, you're much freer on your own to make decisions about what you're prepared to put up with.

Pubs are unlikely to be nearby.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Are you looking to 'camp rough' for the experience of it, or wanting to tour around and camp in nice-looking places?

Both, really.  I like the idea of touring round without having to check where the nearest campsite is, or 'having' to be in a certain place by evening - wild camping would let me change my mind about where I'm going on a whim.

That's the main reason I've done it.

My version of 'credit card touring' was to walk/ride through an area, have a meal in a pub early evening, then move on until I found a likely place to camp.

Camping in woodland, you will nearly always end up under trees. Camping with a hammock, well, trees are kind of required 

Paper OS maps make this a bit easier, because they show areas of woodland. A small copse of pine can be quite good. Avoid places that a verdant and pretty - they are usually also boggy and full of midges or mosquitoes.

In summer, you can rough it easily with the right gear. Forget a tent - so much bulk and they need a big space when pitching. A bivvi bag or something like a buffalo bag means you can just pick a body-sized bit of ground and pitch up. If out on a moor, it is amazing how cold this can be - tents keep in a lot of heat and prevent windchill.  Some people are fans of tarps, I've never used one. 
My attraction to hammocks was the number of likely copses that are on hillsides. Unusable if you are trying to sleep on the ground. Dry, protected and quiet if you are kipping down in a hammock.

[Chris S]

Thread's a bit stale now, but see also:

http://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=43882.0

I'm still interested in trying it at some point - probably with a Hammock.

[shyumu]

I have a colleague in Finland who camps in the wild, he supports his blog with really good quality photographs.  Truly evocative and inspiring.  On the back of this you just want to get out there yourself.

Yeti Rides

[bobb]

Whether it is illegal or not is an interesting debate when the person wanting you to move has a shotgun.

It's a bit of an urban myth (as I'm sure you know!) that farmers patrol their land 24/7 with shotguns. I've had plenty of run ins with farmers and none of them have ever been armed with anything more than colourful language.

I've wild camped a bit and I always find it a bit stressful - you're never quite sure who's going to come along and start gobbing off at you.

Church yards are a favourite of mine. A true man of God wouldn't turn you away and he certainly won't have a shotgun!

[Chris S]

Church yards are a favourite of mine. A true man of God wouldn't turn you away and he certainly won't have a shotgun!

He may have a cross though - and they can be scary when wielded by the righteous.

[clarion]

I agree bobb.  I've only once been challenged for wild camping, in the Peaks.  I've often been challenged when walking on footpaths, several times by armed men.  Never been shot at, though, unlike my friend Mac, who had a shotgun discharged to get rid of him (pointed at the sky, he thinks - hard to see when you're running).

[mrcharly-YHT]

I've often been challenged when walking on footpaths, several times by armed men.

Where they wearing camo, helmets and insignia?


It won't be farmers chasing people off with shotguns, but gamekeepers. Never had to do it, but I reckon I could persuade a gamekeeper to let me camp for a night in a copse - they just want to be sure you aren't a poacher and won't disturb the birds.

[Wobbly John]

I've wild camped in Norfolk several times. I usually just have the sleeping bag & bivvi if it is damp. I tend to go for an area I know - I've used the sand-dune area of beaches a few times (dog-walkers will be around very early), and woodland that I am familiar with (dog walkers & bird-watchers will be arround very early  ).

In coastal areas, you can often sneak into caravan parks to 'use the facilities'.

I once wild camped in the shell of a house that was being built and used the site toilet provided by the builders.

Generally: arrive late; leave early and don't get caught are the rules I aim to maintain.

[mcshroom]

Surely any audaxer whos slept in a bus stop / disabled loo / field has wild camped

[bobb]

Surely any audaxer whos slept in a bus stop / disabled loo / field has wild camped

That's just crashing! To wild camp you actually need to make a camp of some sort. And I hope anyone sleeping in a disabled toilet gets pissed on by a disabled person using the facility for the purpose it was intended for....

[LEE]

I only ever wild-camped once, up on the South Downs, with a few others.

We were 100 yards away from the actual South Downs way path, in the middle of bush & scrub.  We arrived fairly late (7pm ish) and saw a couple of Dog Walkers in the distance but nobody came near.  We had a big fire through the night, lots of booze and had a great time.

I think a hammock and tarp would make it easy to lose yourself in a wood, you can be set up at a moments notice and you don't need to worry about finding a flat grassy area.

Great Hammock solution

[ferret]

There's a fair bit of wild camping going on in the forestry around us and on the mountain above us, nobody seems to care, the park wardens don't work weekends bloody lightweights, despite camping not being allowed,
Julian you are more than welcome to come and wild camp at our place, you can have the choice of front lawn to fairly isolated riverside
spot or right opposite the local church, (they don't ring bells  )
if your ever in the area, I'll even come and shout get orff moi land if you like 

[PH]

Whether it is illegal or not is an interesting debate when the person wanting you to move has a shotgun.

I assumed Jaded was referring to that Scotland part of the UK, where there is no debate about it, the access rights include wild camping with very few restrictions.   If you're looking for the experience, without the possible hassle, I'd recommend it, there's also a lot more wild to camp in.
Much as I love touring Scotland, I've done most wild camping in the Peak District, an easy ride after work on a Friday, I tend to use the same few spots, I doubt anyone has ever seen me there, arrive late, leave early.   I don't always find it easy to spot good pitches from the road, there's been a few times when I've pushed the bike a fair way off the road only to be disappointed.  The satellite view on Google maps is great for finding likely spots, though that takes some of the spontaneity out of it.