Wild Camping in the UK
If you are planning to use campsites, check out the 'places to go' tab at the top. Or if you are like us and prefer to Wild camp just ensure you are familiar with the regulations.
There are many great camp sites all around our mountains in the UK its just knowing the one for you. Such as:
- Family camp sites have all of the amenities you would need. I.e. they provide electric link up, toilets, wash rooms and showers. And most come with a small camp site shop.
- Back packer camp sites normally at the base of climbs or mountain treks just have the minimum required, toilets and some where to wash.
Most of the back packer camp sites are just small plots of a farmers land they have transferred to make a little extra money and only charge a few pounds for the night. But many sites do not have ample space for motor vehicles. So plan ahead and get maximum people to one vehicle. But what makes them nice places to use is that they are never over crowded with children playing around the tents and they never have those awful caravans and trailer tents taking up all of the space and making it look untidy. So if you are one of these people who use those things, these camp sites are not for you so we recommend the family camp sites.
Family camp sites usually cost a lot more from the farmer's fields and depending on the amenities the costs vary as well. I have know them to be from 5 pounds a night to 15 pounds a night with electric link up so you can't miss your precious soap's on TV.
But the best way to camp is to wild camp, no one around except your self's no one to pay for the use of the land and no dreaded caravans and trailer tents because they can't get there. But if you are going to wild camp there are a few rules you need to know and obey.
In England and Wales every bit of land is owned by somebody so you would need to get permission from the landowners like wise the National Parks forbid any wild camping. But there is a catch to all of this. Both parties know that there is a very large tradition in the UK for wild camping in the hills and mountains and they can't stop it completely. So with this in mind we have written a few guide lines you should follow.
- You should be 3 to 4hrs away from any recognised camp site and not in a low altitude.
- When pitching your tent make sure you are not insight of a marked track or path as this will spoil the view for others.
- Do not move boulders or dig trenches for flat and dry pitches. Try to find a natural dry flat space to pitch your tents.
- Keep the group to a minimum of people.
- Take all rubbish out with you. (Even other peoples).
- If you need to deficit or urinate, do so but a minimum of 30metres (100ft) from any water source. (First dig a hole for your excrement and burn the paper once used). Do not burry sanitary towels or tampons due to the wildlife will just dig them up so remove as rubbish from the site.
- Leave the land as you found it.
- Be prepared to leave the site at the request of the landowner at any time.
- And be discreet in sticking camp. Most walkers start up in the mid morning and leave the hills mid afternoon. By this I mean strike camp after 1700hrs and collapse camp by 1000hrs.
So you can see from this that wild camping is permitted if you follow these simple guide lines. However Scotland is a little bit different.
In Scotland, the current access legislation (which came into effect in early 2005) is explicit about your right to wild camp on hill land providing you are at least 100 metres away from a public road. So it is completely legal, but with a few exceptions to areas. Loch Ossian or in Glen Muick owners have been know to cause small problems in the past. But high up in the Glens have never caused any problems.
