Author Topic: Why do people want to know wild camping spots in advance of a walk?  (Read 5737 times)

GnP

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My point was more that half the fun of the outdoors, especially in poor weather, is not having everything in front of you planned and regimented.  If you're walking a long distance path in the UK it is different as the route is laid out in front of you and there isn't much deviation possible - but for me there is a joy to navigating on the fly, changing your route or camp-site based on conditions and how your body is feeling.
I do think though that beginners (as in most things) also need help or advice or suggestions for wild camps....and maybe when those beginners become more experienced they too can then camp/hike on the fly...we all have to learn at some stage..maybe we forget what it was like to be a novice..ps I still feel like a novice at life..never to late to learn..
A night under silnylon. Doesn't have the same ring to it.

richardh1905

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Satellite imagery is useful too - Google Maps and Bing Maps.

I have a hankering for a night wild camping in Coire Mhic Fhearchair, one of the most spectacular spots imaginable.

Photos:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Coire+Mhic+Fhearchair&FORM=HDRSC2

I've been looking at walk descriptions, trip reports, images, satellite but still can't decide whether there is a decent pitch amongst all the rock, scree and heather. Not going to stop me trying sometime though!
« Last Edit: 17:03:54, 01/03/19 by richardh1905 »
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astaman

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Satellite imagery is useful too - Google Maps and Bing Maps.

I have a hankering for a night wild camping in Coire Mhic Fhearchair, one of the most spectacular spots imaginable.

Photos:
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Coire+Mhic+Fhearchair&FORM=HDRSC2

I've been looking at walk descriptions, trip reports, images, satellite but still can't decide whether there is a decent pitch amongst all the rock, scree and heather. Not going to stop me trying sometime though!


Just a quick FIY. I have seen tents near the loch in the Coire although I've never camped there myself Richard. On the general point I don't mind not knowing if there's a decent pitch at the end of the day but all knowledge is useful and forewarned is forearmed. Even my cliches are cliched.

richardh1905

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Thanks astaman, As I said, not knowing would certainly not stop me going, but nice to know of a good spot all the same.
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humansnail

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Re Richard - [font=]Coire Mhic Fhearchair is an amazing spot!  About a year and a half ago I spent a great night up there. It was mainly the bogginess of the ground that made it a bit tricky to find a spot at first, but there are quite a few good pitches at the far end  - in fact it was very close to that bit of old machinery that popped up on your link. O0  

Innominate Man

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........it was very close to that bit of old machinery that popped up on your link. O0
Which unfortunately looks very much like the engine from a crashed aircraft:- A quick google reveals that it was a Lancaster bomber on a training exercise in 1951. It crashed into the butresses. The poor souls onboard all lost their lives and due to the poor conditions it was two months before they were recovered. 
« Last Edit: 20:28:51, 01/03/19 by Innominate Man »
Only a hill but all of life to me, up there between the sunset and the sea. 
Geoffrey Winthrop Young

andybr

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Presumably there are four of these engines somewhere in the coire. I came across one years ago which was sat in the bed of a stream in a completely different location to the one in the photograph. The castings were clearly marked as Packard which was confusing but apparently they made Merlin engines under license for Lancaster's.

Doddy

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I wouldn't give out wild camp sites and have probably used over 300- all different except one.
If popular sites are given out they soon get degraded and the land owners miffed at publicising their land.[/color]  

I would help newbies by asking them to think about the distance likely to be walked each day; look on the maps around that mileage and think about their water needs.[/color]  

I look at my route and seek for somewhere 15 mile on; preferably in woodland for privacy and with a stream sometime before to get water. I like to walk after the clocks have been changed so I can walk into the evening.


Slogger

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I don't generaly ask the question but I do suss terrain out etc from the map beforehand. I like to walk from pre sunrise to sunset to get the miles in, and so have a rough pre-determined idea of where I would want to stop each night. If wanting to average 40 miles a day it is neccesary to know that there is a wild camping possibilty around the 40 mile mark each evening. Some times this just doesn't work out and I end up retreating to a B&B.

mananddog

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Sometimes it is handy to have local or inside knowledge, especially in Scotland where you could come to the end of a long weary day without any suitable spots for miles of heather, bog and tussock grass not always apparent on maps or images. In busy places it is handy to have knowledge of places that are a bit out of the way so you can get some privacy.


It does not always work, a friend told me of a nice sheltered spot in the Monadhliaths and the only spot for miles. When I got there I found a dead and very smelly decomposing deer on the spot and I had to walk quite a lot further.

Snowman

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I have to say that while I have wild camped, it's not my preference when trekking.   I do try to aim for somewhere with a pub that, with advanced planning, also does accommodation (it's nice to have a pint and something to eat, a shower and a warm bed for the night).   I don't book because I usually do the walks during school term time, so accommodation is often not a problem and I'm not tied to a specific distance each day.   However there are times when there's nowhere, or the pub (or sometimes a B&B or Youth Hostel) is full in which case I walk on another mile or so until I find somewhere quiet.   I do seek permission if it's obvious who the landowner is, but provided you stick to the basic rule and leave the site completely as you found it in the morning, I wouldn't expect, and never have had any issues.   If you strike camp before breakfast, then even if a landowner/ranger does spot you cooking breakfast, then there's nothing to indicate you spent the night there.


Youth Hostels are generally OK since most of them are licensed and do food these days, however the YHA's policy in recent years of closing the more remote hostels to pay for upgrades to city locations has diminished their usefulness.

gunwharfman

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A wild camping suggestion around Keswick would suit me fine, in my opinion the Camping and Caravan Club sites nearby charge a lot of money for a patch of grass!  :)

 

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