Wild Camping in UK

[Nearholmer]

If you are open to paying to hire a patch of grass, and maybe getting basic facilities thrown in, have you tried Pitch-Up?

As regards fly-camping, I don’t, but I see absolutely zillions of places where you could, but maybe that’s because I cycle a lot on bridleways, restricted byways, and BOATs, which tend to be routes to the middle of nowhere.

[Sweep]

As regards fly-camping, I don’t, but I see absolutely zillions of places where you could, but maybe that’s because I cycle a lot on bridleways, restricted byways, and BOATs, which tend to be routes to the middle of nowhere.

I see lots of places as well - as I pedal around I store them to my Garmin etrex, then transfer them to OSMand on my tab so that I can see them in big picture offline maps.

I think psam needs to discover his later-life inner inter-railer.

[Tangled Metal]

I've met a few wildcamping cyclists up in the hills of lakes and Scotland. One lakeland upland cycle tourist was on an old steel rigid bike and of mature years. He was up there when the digital TV switch over was happening with this area among the first tranche of arad to have analogue turned off. Being a southerner he didn't know about the switch off up here. Also, it was only a issue because he was carrying a 12v car battery and a portable TV up towards the top of the hills around Coniston old man. He was very annoyed that he couldn't watch his corrie!

Another old guy was a bit of a cycling tramp. He travelled up and down the country. Down to Kent for fruit picking to pay for travelling, then back up north for touring somewhere nicer. Spent more time travelling than working. A little bit strange, not because of his lifestyle but because he had strange behaviour rmannerisms.

Anyway, he never had trouble finding places to camp. I guess you have to brazen things out occasionally but being very polite of confronted. Not done much myself but I have slept in a cowshed before. Surprisingly a good night's sleep.

[Bmblbzzz]

or pitched somewhere stupid like a village sports ground, you'll have no trouble even if and when people do see you.

No probs camping near a village sportsground surely as long as you are confident you won't be disturbed and don't damage any tended surfaces? May also be a tap. And a bit of shelter for cooking if the rains come.
I once camped in a freestanding tent on a cinder football pitch (like some Brit tennis courts) in Sardinia.

I meant pitching your tent on the village cricket pitch might not make you so welcome.

[Steve X]

So from an academic interest perspective (i.e. I'm not seeking advice), how practical is wild camping in the UK or in different areas of the UK (e.g. East Anglia or outside National Parks)?

Ian

I think a lot of this depends on your own attitude. I see loads of places you could tuck a tent, not Instergramable places, but nice and quiet where if you arrived late, and departed early, I doubt you would have an issue. But could you sleep for the worry of being caught. Truth be told I could not. I suspect its a case of the more you do it, the better you get at it.

So like many things in life. Give it a go and see what happens.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,

or pitched somewhere stupid like a village sports ground, you'll have no trouble even if and when people do see you.

No probs camping near a village sportsground surely as long as you are confident you won't be disturbed and don't damage any tended surfaces? May also be a tap. And a bit of shelter for cooking if the rains come.
I once camped in a freestanding tent on a cinder football pitch (like some Brit tennis courts) in Sardinia.

I meant pitching your tent on the village cricket pitch might not make you so welcome.

Tried camping on the village football pitch on pennine way and just got tent up and big boots copper with landy rolled up "you cant camp there!", If only I knew that they have no juristicktion on council land?
The copper actually said this is council land.

I normally arrive in the dark / just getting dark and plop down out of site of road / dwellings, only disturbed sometimes by dog walkers next day mostly not.

When I cycled the devon and cornwal coast in 2019, I ended up by chance in bus shelters for first three nights coincidenty 5 minutes either side of midnight, ( I have no idea what and where I was going to camp previous to setting off) Then found three more for rest of trip.
Chased off by a drunk from one.
The last was overgrown with vegestation, and was best by far as I was trully hidden.
Living in devon is heaven as dartmoor or plenty coast places, when everyones gone home.

P.S. the spell check has stopped working

[Sweep]

When I cycled the devon and cornwal coast in 2019, I ended up by chance in bus shelters for first three nights coincidenty 5 minutes either side of midnight, ( I have no idea what and where I was going to camp previous to setting off) Then found three more for rest of trip.
Chased off by a drunk from one.
The last was overgrown with vegestation, and was best by far as I was trully hidden.
Living in devon is heaven as dartmoor or plenty coast places, when everyones gone home.

I know they are favoured by the audax set but aren't you too visible to passing traffic in most bus shelters?
I would always try to stay out of sight as a first line of defence.

[rjb]

Came upon a lady in the village I had not seen for 12 months. She was made redundant during the lockdown so decided to go on a round the UK trip in her VW camper. Rented out her house for 12 months and set off, only returning to the village to have her camper van serviced at the local garage. She has been wild camping mainly in residential streets for a couple of days at a time before moving on. Goes to a gym for a shower every couple of days or swims. She's not going through another winter and said she'll be back before the year end. Last seen heading off towards North Devon. Sounds idyllic but not for me, I like my creature comforts.

[Nearholmer]

Did she meet Alan Bennett?

[rjb]

Did she meet Alan Bennett?

That thought crossed my mind too.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Fortunately my bus shelters were not on busy routes, plus the fact that overnight from 12 o'clock to say when it got lights which would be 5 o'clock, there's not a lot of traffic anyway.

Plus a bus shelter if it's enclosed on three sides makes an ideal shelter, also you can get your bike inside.
Nobody is going to be using them from 12 to 5 o'clock in the morning are they.

Ideally you want to be out of sight and not insight of car lights of course.

Otherwise some good Samaritan is likely to report you as homeless!

One morning I was just packing up and a mounted police woman came by on the pavement with her horse said good morning and Road on.
I'm not 100% sure that somebody had seen me And phone the police?
But simply there was nothing to report.

If you manage to get behind something solid away from the road,
You likely have a quiet night.
Dartmoor of course is easy because it's quite legal and ideally you should always be out of sight of the road and out of sight of a dwelling and not in a water catchment area.
I'm not sure without looking but I think it's something like 500 m from a road or dwelling, but it's not necessary to be out of sight though you would probably try to do so

[Mike Sales]

Unlike rjb's lady's, Miss Shepherd's van was not auto-mobile: she had to get Bennett to help push it to a new bit of road.

[horizon]

I think a lot of this depends on your own attitude. I see loads of places you could tuck a tent, not Instergramable places, but nice and quiet where if you arrived late, and departed early, I doubt you would have an issue. But could you sleep for the worry of being caught. Truth be told I could not. I suspect its a case of the more you do it, the better you get at it.

Caught for what? There really isn't a problem with a cycle camper (or two) making a quick overnight stop on a grassy verge or in a field that has an open gate (= no animals). In my hitch-hiking days I camped every night more or less by the roadside. It might be that there is an objection but it is very unlikely.

No, you were right when you said,

I think a lot of this depends on your own attitude.

.
You might be disturbed during the night - I'm sure I've posted somewhere about being woken up by lampers (no, not glampers, though they do often disturb me) in a field on the Ashdown Forest. But that's different.

My take on this nowadays is that a campsite gives you three things that wild camping doesn't:

1. The right to be there
2. A water supply
3. Security

Being on a campsite means being able to spread out you paraphenalia and relax. They aren't perfect (and wild camping is almost as good if not better in some respects) but they do give you these basics and may even throw in a loo, a hot shower and the chance to charge your phone. My last short tour cost an average of £10 per night.

So in answer to the OP: yes, there are lots of places (really lots and lots) to wild camp and yes it's fine and yes I have done it. And yes, campsites can sometimes be awful. But those three things are jolly nice to have.

[700c]

I live at the southern tip of the Forest of Dean (north of Chepstow) = 100s/1000s places to wild camp.
Anyone who wants to can come and wild camp in my garden/allotment.

[horizon]

https://goo.gl/maps/ayoj5BiWiY9isnFb7

Last year I came across two cycle campers wild camping just here on my evening walk. Perfect.