Wild Camping

What is Wild Camping ? Is it legal ? Is it safe ?

All valid questions and here we will answer them with our opinions and knowledge but this doesn’t mean there right or wrong so please do your own research before undertaking a wild camp.

In answer to the first question lets start with what we class as NOT wild camping, such as staying overnight somewhere in a van or car, staying on a campsite without electricity or pitching up in a field near a town or village with 10 or more of you partying all night. These examples are not wild camping and the latter is something that happened a lot through lock down which has spoilt the proper wild camping for the majority of us who have been doing it for years creating restrictions, hate, judgement and difficulties.

Wild camping to us is going out hiking with a tent on your back with everything you need for the night, getting away from civilisation seeking isolation, wilderness, nature and adventure. Going unnoticed is the main thing, arriving late in the evening and leaving early in the morning with no trace of ever been there, this is the key for us and the exciting and rewarding part.

Officially within England and Wales wild camping is now illegal. In Scotland it is legal and tolerated mostly. However saying this for many many years people have been wild camping in England and as an unspoken rule wild camping is tolerated above the highest fell walls which is roughly 400m high and away from any buildings and watercourses and for one night only.

Any No Camping signs, Private Land or keep out signs should be obeyed and if you are asked to leave by a landowner you should politely apologise and leave quietly. If you are aware of the landowner it is always worth approaching them and asking if they would let you stay on there land you may be surprised !

It goes without saying the countryside code should be followed at all times. Always make sure you leave no trace and if possible make it even better than it was beforehand.

When it comes to safety ………… well our opinion is when your out in the hills miles from anywhere the chances are your the only crazy ones out there and safer than you would be walking the streets at home. We have quite a few wild camps between us under our belts and have never felt unsafe or had issues. However you should always trust your gut feeling, if we have an uneasy feeling in an area we would find somewhere else. Even if it was safe and quiet you mind will not allow you to relax and your imagination will run wild !

Here are a few rules which we use to ensure a peaceful nights sleep …………

Stay away from urban areas.

Avoid known spots where anti social behaviour happens.

Don’t pitch up in plain sight or on paths.

Stay off private land or enclosed land.

Try to scope the area out in daylight first.

Keep it to yourself. The less people know about it the better.

We have been pitched up and sat in our tent watching people walk past oblivious to us been there as we had pitched wisely. So yes we think it is perfectly safe to wild camp.

We are pretty lucky over here in the U.K in regards to wildlife, we don’t have any that want to kill and eat you or any of the many poisonous creatures other countries have although be careful you don’t pitch up in a field full of cattle or other livestock as they can be inquisitive and we wouldn’t fancy a cow inside our tent in the early hours.

We have had foxes snooping around and an owl hover in front of the entrance while we were drinking our hot chocolate before now and these are things that make trips memorable.

One of our wild camp trips was on New years eve in the Lake District and its memorable not only for the fireworks at midnight going off below us but also because the wind had gotten up in the early hours and the tent was blowing inside out and I was fearing the poles would snap and had to hold them to prevent them bending too much. Its events that seem bad at the time that also make trips memorable. If everything went right and the weather was perfect all the time then trips would all be similar, you wouldn’t remember one from the other however its the camp in the eye of a storm, the hard hike up the mountain with 15kg on your back, that noise that woke you up at 2am, the night where everything froze or the time you forgot your pegs, its these ones that you remember and look back on as a great adventure. In case you were wondering yes they are some our personal experiences and memories.

If your not ready to go wild camping why not find a small basic campsite where you can feel isolated or find a campsite which specialises in wild camping experiences, or find a landowner/friend with a large bit of land you can camp on this will feel safe but also give you the wild camp experience, if you have a family there’s nothing like a camp in the garden to feel free and get used to the tent and camping gear with the security of the house just incase.

For your first camp maybe take some friends along, look for a place where you can park the car a short distance away as a back up this will help you feel more secure. You don’t need all the new fancy top of the range gear as long as you can carry it obviously the lighter the better but you can make do with basic camping gear and small tent until you decide you like it then invest slowly into better gear. Our wild camping gear is not top of the range and my pack still weighs in at around 12- 13kg our winter tent is around 6 years old but despite this we still manage to have an enjoyable experience and make great memories.

We have created a list of Wild Camping essentials and the basics you will need along with the more desirable but not essential kit HERE.

Let us know your thoughts and share your experiences with us and any other tips you may have we may have missed.

Get outside, Explore, Adventure.