Author Topic: Wild / ad hoc camping  (Read 8126 times)

Mr. Blister

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Wild / ad hoc camping
« on: 10:40:23, 23/03/07 »
Not too sure what people think of this topic, so I thought I'd just throw it open for discussion.

I was always led to believe that wild camping was strictly frowned upon in walking circles, largely because it involves spending the night on private land, i.e. tresspassing ( :o), but some of the comments on here have led me to believe otherwise.

I have to say, I do camp out alot, on established campsites if I can (if they're convenient and cheap enough), but more often than not, in ad hoc places I find on the route.  I have in the past tried to obtain permission from landowners to camp the night in their fields, but am made to feel like the countryside equivalent of the Jehovas Witnesses  :)

Now then, in the current tentative light of walkers v famers, and countryside access, I'm wondering if I do the right thing.  I am aware of YH in some areas, but these are few and far between.

What say you?

Cheers

titaniumdude

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #1 on: 00:11:47, 25/03/07 »
Yeah it's generally frowned upon I suppose, but what can you do when there is no totally free public access land in England.  Scotland is of course the exception where wild camping is pretty much encouraged.  The other exception is Dartmoor where it is legal to wild camp.  But what about everywhere else?  My take is that if you follow some common sense guidelines then you shouldn't come across any difficulties.  The one 'rule' that crops up on forums all the time is 'pitch late,strike camp early and leave not a trace'.  If you do tyhis then a) Who's gonna know and b) What real problem have you caused.  Tresspass is only a minor offense and in the worst possible scenario you could only be asked to move on.  If this happens, just move on and be polite about it.  My family are farmers (though not in the UK) and they couldn't care less if someone camped on there land as long as they don't disturb crops or stock.  The location of most of their land makes it nigh on impossible to 'police' anyway.  Having said that I have camped in places that if they should become popular for this activity I would stop going there.  Aside from the fact I like the solitude of a wild camp the traffic would start to make a slow, but noticeable impact  Which would go against the above principles.  There are several popular sites in the Lakes which have succumbed to this and those in the know avoid them.  Don't know where you come from Mr. Blister, but just check out a map of the Peak District and loads of good sites for a wild camp leap out at you.  Up to Scotland in a weeks time and wild camping will be high on the agenda, even if it means getting away from the established path (that is of course if Mrs titaniumdude concurrs).
« Last Edit: 00:14:50, 25/03/07 by titaniumdude »
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summitzero

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #2 on: 14:19:25, 26/03/07 »
Hi Mr Blister

I agree with all the above, if you respect other peoples land and stock, tidy up and dont start camping as if your in the South of France, then i have never had a problem.
Also if Scotland is possible for you then you will have no worries what so ever, they do seem to be leading the way.
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solo backpacker

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #3 on: 17:59:31, 26/03/07 »
i think that walkers generally believe that if your above the last line of fenced / walled land then its fair game. again I'd agree heavily with low impact, pitch late, leave early philosphy, never near farm buildings and always out of sight. respect is the word. if your unsure you probably shouldn't, you could always ask first as well, most people are fairly good about these things when approached politely. never litter, take your poop with you!

it's a bit different for the wild camping i enjoy, which is mainly within forested land. i pretty much never do it in england or wales, just scotland which as mentioned before is open for wild camping. there are however some very good commercial campsites within wooded areas to be found in england and wales, look out for forestry commission owned sites or smaller independants - give me a pm for specifics or good areas in scotland.

common sense prevails again
Man, I see the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy [censored] we don't need.

Mr. Blister

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #4 on: 17:17:01, 27/03/07 »
Thanks for your comments there, fellas.  Appreciate it.  ;)

I wasn't aware that it was legal - let alone encouraged - to camp wild in Scotland, as it happens my in-laws are from Ayrshire, but haven't really explored that opportunity yet.

I'm based in East Yorkshire, Hull to be exact, unable to drive, and so am totally dependent on public transport or friends to give me a lift places, which is why when you've got something a little more ambitious in mind then your local country paths, camping is put on the menu.

We do follow the philosophy of settle late / leave early, taking all rubbish with us (except poo, sorry but that stays!  ;D)  Never yet have we been asked to move on, so far we have remained fairly discreet, though I have to say I have given up asking for permission - there's something about that look of horror that sweeps across a farmer's face that puts me off  :D

Some interesting ideas, so thanks again chaps!

myzeneye

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #5 on: 22:58:02, 27/03/07 »
bivvy bags and tarps are fairlt inconspicuos and i always manage to tuck myself away out of sight.... my problem is, i like a good camp fire, and this is not as easy to keep covert at night.
ive hostelled up in aviemore and cairngorms but never camp wild... any info would be appreciated and on the peak district.... im in the northwest, runcorn for that matter, so not to far.
one of my favourite places latly is a small homely cave me and my asbo walker pal found... off the beaten track along the sandstone trail with no real signs of life or other visitors in over six months of visiting.... gonna spend a night there soon.... only trouble is, whist it is remote its not desalate which is how i like it.
were gonna bivvi on the top of cadair idris this weekend again...up a peak near cregganan lake, thats a regular one for us as my mum lives at the foot of it. which is nice.

howardfernlover

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #6 on: 13:27:30, 30/03/07 »
I am surprised Wales hasn't been mentioned in any of the preceding posts. I have walked and camped wild in Snowdonia once a year since 1981. Once I've climbed up into the hills I want to stay up there, not come down to a campsite each night and then go back up again. 

You need a bit of level dry grass, close to water - stream or pool - but not too near in case of flooding, shelter from winds, and privacy from any farmer who might spot you from a great distance. For that reason all my clothing and gear is olive or green, though it still stands out.

Seeking permission is the proper thing in theory but completely impractical, even impossible, in practice. I have never had a problem in 25 trips. When I move on in the morning, I leave no sign of my stay other than a bit of flattened grass, which I am sure soon recovers, and elsewhere my excrement is buried.
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Snowman

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #7 on: 12:33:20, 31/03/07 »
myzeneye - if  you want desolate, try the Dartmoor ranges, only don't forget to make sure the army aren't just about to have some firing practice.

howardfernlover - I totally agree about 'not too close to water'.   I spent a lone night next to a stream in Europe, miles from the nearest hamlet let alone village, and had a lousy night because I could hear voices in the tinkling of the stream.    You know that phase of sleep when you're not quite asleep, but not fully awake, well I could actually discern full conversations until I brought myself back to full consciousness.

S

howardfernlover

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #8 on: 13:54:59, 31/03/07 »
Yes, Snowman, the trickling and gurgling noises of water can sound a bit weird in the middle of the night, as can sheep chomping grass nearby, but have you ever woken in the morning to hear a pair of grouse near your tent? They really do sound like people muttering to each other! 

In the middle of the Moelwyns I did actually have two talking men walk past my tent at 5:30 a.m, before it was light.  My worst experience was being woken at 2:00 a.m. by a shotgun being fired close by.

My advice not to camp too close to streams was based on a couple of occasions when it poured with rain in the night and the little watercourses I was near became raging torrents. It is so difficult to predict when this might happen, for it can be after the most serene of evenings. However, when it rains in the mountains, it really rains, and any patch of grass that looked good for your tent soon becomes a 3-inch-deep pool, or in the path of an impromptu flow.



 


Mr. Blister

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #9 on: 15:34:21, 31/03/07 »
The only problem I've had while camping near a stream was when, on a warm Summer's night, me and a friend decided to do away with the tent and just sleep out in our sleeping bags.

Very dopily, we were camping on a slope, with the stream at the bottom.  (You can already see where I'm going with this, can't you  ;)).  The slope was so slight that neither us gave it any thought.  However, the pair us were new to this camping lark and went to sleep regardless.  I woke the next morning at some ungodly hour, after spending the night arguing with a frog, who kept insisting that I shift, to find my friend, still sleeping, had slid down the slope and was laying with the bottom of his sleeping bag in the stream.

Hilarious.  When he woke - to the sound of my laughter - he said his feet were numb!  ;D

Snowman

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #10 on: 10:32:09, 01/04/07 »
Great trail tales.   I reckon that by now most people will have got the message - stay away from water. :)

solo backpacker

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #11 on: 20:05:26, 02/04/07 »
thats why i love my hammock, i never have the problem of sloping ground, wet ground or curious mammals entering my sleeping bag.

i've spent some weird nights in the galloway forest but tend to sleep easier in the woods than at home. i'm more paranoid by the strange sounds my family house makes than the sounds of the forest. it'd be an amazing piece of luck to come across me sleeping in my hammock in thick forest.
Man, I see the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy [censored] we don't need.

summitzero

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #12 on: 12:17:47, 03/04/07 »
Aviemore, Glenmore and Rothiemurise, are great places to wild camp. Their is loads of areas to pitch or use your hammock. What better view when you awake, also many times when i have been getting water you will be passed by deer & stags. Also got some great botheys. :D
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solo backpacker

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #13 on: 09:22:07, 05/04/07 »
just looking at glenmore on google maps and marking it down as a definitely for a trip this summer
Man, I see the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. God damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy [censored] we don't need.

summitzero

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Re: Wild / ad hoc camping
« Reply #14 on: 15:35:59, 05/04/07 »
if you turn off the ski road and follow the road around for about 3 miles their is a car park, were you can leave your car for a few days if you wish, the rangers are cool and its no problem ;)
Are we there yet ?   http://walkingforlife.piczo.com

 

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