Basic Campsite for Backpacking

Q. Does anyone know of any websites listing very basic campsites for
backpackers?

Dominic Jaume

A. Hi - we own a farm near Tavistock - right out in the countryside, stunning views, sheep, cows and are thinking of doing basic camping. Is anyone interested and what would you be looking for?

Judith Reddicliffe, Tavistock

A. Your field sounds ideal, it is just the type of place we have been looking for.

Kay Tunney, Swansea

A. Field? badgers? Stream? Your field sounds ideal. It's great that you may be making it accessible legally while acknowledging the spirit of the wild camping.

Jonathan Andrews, Bedford

A. We have a field with pretty stream and badger set, lovely veiws with great walking. Located in a quiet area of North Cornwall, yet accesable to all the regular delights of Cornwall.

We are considering offering very basic camping on a small scale - any one interested?

Jo Hughes, Wadebridge

A. Sound like something we might think about - would anyone else find this useful?

Mike (Editor)

A. I've recently bought a tent to take my very young family for their first camping trip, having trawled through loads of websites featuring caravan parks by the thousand I can vouch for the fact that their is a need for a site featuring more basic campsites.

All I want is a field, a tap (or stream) and a good view, a toilet block would be nice but showers are an absolute luxury and an electric hook-up is missing the point of camping entirely.

The thought of a caravan park sends a shiver down my spine.

If you could recommend any good campsites in the Cambridge area I'd really appreciate any info.

Thanks very much

Al Capeling

A. I too would like help in finding campsites that just for families and their tent.

It is practically impossible to find a 'nice' campsite, ie just tents, no caravans, mobile homes and open till late disco's.

To us camping is for being outdoors and having space to run and play with the children whilst enjoying the countryside.

Victoria Purbrick, Basildon

A. Wild Camping and The Law in England, Scotland and Wales.

Tents cannot be pitched just anywhere because every piece of Britain is owned by some individual or some organisation and according to the strict letter of the law permission must be obtained prior to pitching tent and camping.

In practice however, this is often impractical and wild camping is usually tolerated in the more remote areas - typically, more than half a day's walk from an official campsite or other accommodation providing you:

Keep groups small
Camp as unobtrusively as possible
Leave camp as you found it
Remove all litter (even other people's)
Carry out everything you carried in
Carry out tampons and sanitary towels (burying them doesn't work as animals dig them up again)
Choose a dry pitch rather than digging drainage ditches around a tent or moving boulders
Toilet duties should be performed 30m (100ft) from water and the results buried using a trowel
At all time, help preserve the environment
And if you are in any doubt about what you're doing, find out more

In Scotland, the current access legislation (which came into effect in early 2005) is explicit about your right to wild camp on hill land. However, there are exceptions. Since March 2011 you are not permitted to wild camp between Dryman and Rowardennan on the shore of Loch Lomond. See Loch Lomond Wild Camping Ban for more information.

There appears to be an exception to this with respect to camping in Dartmoor National Park where the right to wild camping is actually enshrined in the National Parks & Access to the Countryside Act, 1949 amendment Dartmoor Commons Act, 1985 - see Wild Camping in the UK for more details.

For the definitive answer with respect to wild camping in Scotland see the answer supplied by the Scottish Natural Heritage

For a few (tongue in cheek) tips on wild camping see Some Wild Camping Tips.

NB. go4awalk.com cannot offer any advice on suitable locations for wild camping - but click here for walks from exisiting campsites.

Hope this helps

Mike (Editor)

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