Hi,
After many years camping and walking in the Lakes and the UK, I have just completed my first 'wild camp' starting in Borrowdale valley using Chapel House Farm campsite as a base, walking along Sourmilk Gill to Green/Great Gable, Glaramara area, heading back to Borrowdale valley via Langstrath valley (lovely low level walk btw).
I don't think I am giving away any 'secret spots' when I say I stopped at Sprinkling Tarn and Angle Tarn for the nights!
Lovely locations but what I am really surprised at is the amount of litter and rubbish that had been left at flat patches at the tarns.
I had heard a few days before about this problem of wild camping in the Lakes and 'rubbished' it (excuse the pun) as nonsense, but my first choice of pitch at Sprinkling Tarn had an empty 500ml water bottle and a Tupperware type food container just dumped behind a rock. Unbelievably, a few feet next to it was a cheap, torn, rolled up foam sleeping bag, dumped.
Presumably with the sleeping bag, it did not perform as the occupant thought it would so just left it!
Now, I am no paragon of virtue, but what I carried into the area, I brought out and I appreciate, collectively we ought to try to collect other peoples rubbish, but I am certainly not prepared to carry wet, dumped sleeping bags down when my own pack was breaking my back.
At my second night stopover, a lovely flat spot at Angle Tarn was littered with McDonalds chip bag packaging, which I did tidy up. I cannot think how appetising the McDonalds would have been though, but I hope they enjoyed it.
The point of my post really is to bring this issue to other peoples attention before 'authorities' crack down on wild camping which I understand is only tolerated in the Lakes.
I am positive this is only a small minority of people doing this, but they could easily spoil it for the majority of responsible wild campers if the situation does not improve.
I hope to go on more wild camps in the future and am worried these idiots are going to stop me from doing this.
Rant over and please spread the word.
Thanks.
Barry.