The Spirit of Wild Camping

Wild camping is one of the most rewarding ways to experience the UK's hills, but it comes with a simple bargain: you get solitude and a night under the stars, and in return you leave the place exactly as you found it. In England and Wales, wild camping is generally not a legal right outside of places like Dartmoor, and even there it is subject to restrictions. In Scotland, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act gives you the right to camp on most unenclosed land, but that right is conditional on responsible behaviour. Wherever you pitch, the same etiquette applies: arrive late, leave early, pitch discreetly, and remove every trace.

Timing Your Arrival and Departure

The simplest way to avoid conflict is to be invisible. Arrive late in the day and leave early in the morning. Aim to reach your chosen spot an hour or so before sunset — enough light to pitch safely, but late enough that you are not setting up in full view of daytime visitors, farmers, or rangers.

In the morning, be packed and walking away by 8am, or earlier in summer. Pack quietly: no shouting, no rattling pots, no loud zips. A quiet departure is a respectful one.

Choosing and Pitching a Discreet Spot

Discretion is not about hiding; it is about blending in. Look for a flat, well-drained patch away from paths, water sources, and historic features. Avoid viewpoints, car parks, and wide-open fields. A small hollow behind a rock or a patch of longer grass is ideal.

Use a low-profile tent in a natural colour — green, grey, or brown. Pitch late, and if you are in a group, spread out rather than clustering. Do not dig trenches around your tent; choose a better spot instead. Never pitch on fragile plants or ground that looks like it floods.

Leave No Trace: Waste, Fires and Food

Everything you bring in must go out with you. That includes:

• Apple cores, orange peel and tea bags
• Used toilet paper
• Any food packaging, however small

These do not decompose quickly in the UK climate, and they harm wildlife. For human waste, walk at least 30 metres from any water source and dig a hole 15 to 20 centimetres deep. Use a trowel, not a stick. Afterwards, fill the hole and cover it with leaf litter. Carry out your toilet paper in a sealed bag. In some popular areas, you may need to carry out all waste, so check local guidance.

Fires are increasingly discouraged. They scar the ground and can spread out of control. Use a camping stove instead. If you must have a fire, use an existing fire ring, keep it small, and burn only dead wood already on the ground. Never cut live trees. Douse the fire with water until it is cold, then scatter the ashes.

Respecting Wildlife, Livestock and Other People

You are a guest in the landscape. Keep noise to a minimum, especially at dawn and dusk when wildlife is active. Ground-nesting birds such as curlew and lapwing are easily disturbed, so avoid long grass in the breeding season. If you see deer, keep your distance.

Livestock are a fact of life on access land. Close all gates behind you, even if they were open when you arrived. Give cows with calves a wide berth. Keep dogs on a lead around livestock and during the bird breeding season.

If you meet other campers, give them space. Do not pitch within sight or earshot of another tent unless you have no choice. A friendly wave is fine; a loud conversation at 6am is not.

The Final Check Before You Leave

Before you walk away, do a slow sweep of your pitch. Get down low and look for micro-trash: a stray bit of foil, a hair band, a tent peg. Flatten any grass you have flattened, and replace any stones you moved. Take a photograph of the spot as you leave — it is a surprisingly good way to spot what you might have missed.

If you can stand back and not tell that anyone camped there, you have got it right. That is the whole art of wild camping etiquette: leave no trace, so that the next person can enjoy the same wild night, and so that landowners and national park authorities continue to tolerate this fragile privilege.