Wild camping

[TheShrike]

I wasnt sure where to post this...

My wife and I are keen walkers and quite fancy multi day hike with a wild camping night but have no idea about:

1) How you guys feel about people camping on your land (providing we follow the "leave no trace" principle) and remain very inconspicuous, and
2) How we'd go about getting permission to do so? I'm pretty sure you dont want unsolicited door knocks.

We'd potentially be looking at somewhere on the South Downs.

Cheers,
Shrike

 

[Uggman]

I wasnt sure where to post this...

My wife and I are keen walkers and quite fancy multi day hike with a wild camping night but have no idea about:

1) How you guys feel about people camping on your land (providing we follow the "leave no trace" principle) and remain very inconspicuous, and
2) How we'd go about getting permission to do so? I'm pretty sure you dont want unsolicited door knocks.

We'd potentially be looking at somewhere on the South Downs.

Cheers,
Shrike

Can I come and camp in your garden as long as I don't leave anything behind and you won't know I've been there!

 

[Hfd Cattle]

Wild camping is becoming the 'in thing' .
No facilities needed just somewhere to pitch a tent and a bit of water .

Good money can be earned just by using a bit of secluded waste land

 

[Humble Village Farmer]

I would post on here, the region or area you want to camp in. If you are paying, I'm sure you would get some offers by return.

Not all farmers hate the people who consume our produce.

 

[Hfd Cattle]

I wasnt sure where to post this...

My wife and I are keen walkers and quite fancy multi day hike with a wild camping night but have no idea about:

1) How you guys feel about people camping on your land (providing we follow the "leave no trace" principle) and remain very inconspicuous, and
2) How we'd go about getting permission to do so? I'm pretty sure you dont want unsolicited door knocks.

We'd potentially be looking at somewhere on the South Downs.

Cheers,
Shrike

Pm sent

 

[Uggman]

I would post on here, the region or area you want to camp in. If you are paying, I'm sure you would get some offers by return.

Not all farmers hate the people who consume our produce.

No nor do I but it almost sounded though he was asking if it's ok not to ask and it's a complete different thing to having a complete wild camp up and gone before dawn leave no trace almost SAS type thing then to go to a farm that does camping and asking to wild camp.

 

[paul&mandy]

I wasnt sure where to post this...

My wife and I are keen walkers and quite fancy multi day hike with a wild camping night but have no idea about:

1) How you guys feel about people camping on your land (providing we follow the "leave no trace" principle) and remain very inconspicuous, and
2) How we'd go about getting permission to do so? I'm pretty sure you dont want unsolicited door knocks.

We'd potentially be looking at somewhere on the South Downs.

Cheers,
Shrike

I'm guessing your doing the sdw, we done it all a few times now. Few places to camp on route. Odd place we didnt make the camp site that we planned to stay at. Personnelly we just threw the tent up next to the path if needed and left very early.
We probably walk too fast as we did it in 4 days.

 

[7610 super q]

I would post on here, the region or area you want to camp in. If you are paying, I'm sure you would get some offers by return.

Not all farmers hate the people who consume our produce.

I do !!!!

 

[egbert]

hmm.
Hats off to you for having the decency to ask.
We've already just had a post from someone who evidently doesn't always ask.

I'm a long way off, in a national park, and have wild camping infestations all summer.
Most of them, when I go and gently explain that this is in fact private land, are reasonably sensible.
I generally let them stay for a few quid.
They all claim ignorance, which is clearly usually a lie.

Others are aggressive/abusive/violent.
Not one of them considers how i feel about the dozens of strangers sh1tting in the bracken 100 yards back from one or two popular spots.
I suspect it never occurs to them that everyone has the same needs.
(some obligingly dig little holes for their poop, so the badgers can spend a happy time digging it up again)
They light fires, tear down branches/signs/gates.
They unhang locked gates to get nearer with 4x4s.
They leave bbq's, beer cans etc, they bring dogs that enjoy healthy exercise chasing my yows.
If I don't check a couple of key sites every weekend, I'm letting them do something that several then post about online.
One sent up a drone, and posted all about the fantastic wildcamping spot he'd found.

It's feckin misery, and dealing with it is a horrible way to have to spend my weekend evenings.
On balance, you are to be commended for trying to do the right thing- but do understand what it's like our side of the drystone wall.

 

[Wigeon]

A slight aside, but I once did a charity walk/run thing along the SDW. 100kms non stop.

Would much rather have camped. My leg still hurts, 10 yrs later.

Sorry, you'll probably have more helpful replies than this...

 

[steveR]

hmm.
Hats off to you for having the decency to ask.
We've already just had a post from someone who evidently doesn't always ask.

I'm a long way off, in a national park, and have wild camping infestations all summer.
Most of them, when I go and gently explain that this is in fact private land, are reasonably sensible.
I generally let them stay for a few quid.
They all claim ignorance, which is clearly usually a lie.

Others are aggressive/abusive/violent.
Not one of them considers how i feel about the dozens of strangers sh1tting in the bracken 100 yards back from one or two popular spots.
I suspect it never occurs to them that everyone has the same needs.
(some obligingly dig little holes for their poop, so the badgers can spend a happy time digging it up again)
They light fires, tear down branches/signs/gates.
They unhang locked gates to get nearer with 4x4s.
They leave bbq's, beer cans etc, they bring dogs that enjoy healthy exercise chasing my yows.
If I don't check a couple of key sites every weekend, I'm letting them do something that several then post about online.
One sent up a drone, and posted all about the fantastic wildcamping spot he'd found.

It's feckin misery, and dealing with it is a horrible way to have to spend my weekend evenings.
On balance, you are to be commended for trying to do the right thing- but do understand what it's like our side of the drystone wall.

Not experienced anything as bad as this, thank goodness, but have definitely had some less than welcome "campers".... I suspect the "leave no trace" types are pretty few and far between. Too many leaving rubbish IME.

Even had a group of local lads ask if they could pitch a tent overnight to which I agreed, and the following morning the bottles, cans and wrappers took half a dustbin bag... Not keen on campers now...

 

[Wood field]

We used to wild camp when I was in to mountaineering, unwritten rules were take nothing, leave nothing, pitch discretely above intake walls and be up and away early
It was even part of the mountain leader training to have so many “wild camps”
Now unfortunately it seems the “in thing “ even magazine articles telling the best places ffs
Even back in the nineties I remember the filth in angle tarn dumped by some twits , carrier bags and general shite bobbing below the surface
Not saying the OP is like this by any means (and good luck with your walk) but there’s a lot of mistrust now brought about by a few selfish idiots

 

[Hilly]

Ive a place people like to so called wild camp , not once ! Not once has anyome ever asked permission, i dont bother them just let them but always drive past and just think you cheeky barstewards .

 

[toquark]

Since covid wild camping has exploded. I had a couple rock up one evening last year and pitch up in a field of lambing ewes. I didn’t notice them until I went out to do my evening check and found them cooking a fry up! tbf, they were quite polite when I asked them to leave but I just couldn’t believe that they thought that was an appropriate thing to do.

 

[steveR]

Since covid wild camping has exploded. I had a couple rock up one evening last year and pitch up in a field of lambing ewes. I didn’t notice them until I went out to do my evening check and found them cooking a fry up! tbf, they were quite polite when I asked them to leave but I just couldn’t believe that they thought that was an appropriate thing to do.

Needs one of those big arse Spanish sheep guard dogs......

 

[TheShrike]

Blimey...thats not on @egbert ..sorry to hear that.

Im the kind of bloke who goes walking with a bin bag and my litter grabber so Id like to think Im one of the good ones.

Thanks for all your replies. This doesnt sound like its going to be as easy as I thought as we dont want to be arseholes.

Back the drawing board!

 

[Sharpy]

Ive a place people like to so called wild camp , not once ! Not once has anyome ever asked permission, i dont bother them just let them but always drive past and just think you cheeky barstewards .

Surely they don't need to ask under the Scottish access rules? Although obviously it would be nice to be asked.

 

[TripleSix]

Blimey...thats not on @egbert ..sorry to hear that.

Im the kind of bloke who goes walking with a bin bag and my litter grabber so Id like to think Im one of the good ones.

Thanks for all your replies. This doesnt sound like its going to be as easy as I thought as we dont want to be arseholes.

Back the drawing board!

Come and stay here in our woods next to the river.
As long as you don't tell others where it is.
Helmsley North Yorkshire

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Ive a place people like to so called wild camp , not once ! Not once has anyome ever asked permission, i dont bother them just let them but always drive past and just think you cheeky barstewards .

You’re a very nice person though. The last ones I spotted in summer last year I was going out in waggon, rang our kid and told him to go spread a load of shite from the midden down side of wood field. Do not stop for anything, just keep spreading. They had packed up and gone 2 hours later when I came back.

Got no problem with people knocking on. If they ask the answer is always yes, £5 and do they want any water?
If they don’t ask I count it as trespass. Too many times I just ignored them and the next day was left with a pile of rubbish, burn patch in the field which only grew nettles and on one memorable time someone couldn’t be bothered too dig a hole for their waste
So now as soon as I spot them it’s passive aggression until they move on. Muck spreader or letting the young stock into the field works 99/100.

 

[Wood field]

Blimey...thats not on @egbert ..sorry to hear that.

Im the kind of bloke who goes walking with a bin bag and my litter grabber so Id like to think Im one of the good ones.

Thanks for all your replies. This doesnt sound like its going to be as easy as I thought as we dont want to be arseholes.

Back the drawing board!

We are near the pennine way and West Yorkshire moors, you can stay here if your walking in the area