Whether you're attending a festival or simply enjoying the great outdoors camping makes a wonderfully cheap break.
Camping is a wonderful way to enjoy the great outdoors. Follow our guide to camping to make your trip perfect for both you and the environment. When camping and trail walking, there are certain things that have to be taken into consideration, not just for your own safety and enjoyment, but for the wellbieng of others and the environment too.
Here is a short list of tips to bear in mind when camping or trail walking:
Package food in sturdy plastic bags and take away all rubbish
Select a campsite that has good natural drainage and where you will not crush delicate vegetation
Check overhead for dead tree limbs to avoid being hit by them if they fall
Use a backpacking stove and avoid using wood for cooking. If you must set a campfire - and it is allowed by the owners of the land you are staying on - take care to destroy the evidence of any fire you light. Care should also be takem to light any fire away from other tents - your own and others - as well as overhanging trees or outbuildings. Bear in mind also the direction of the wind and don't build too large. A smaller campfire kept well-fed with is more efficient than a large one!
Where possible try to use tents and wear clothing in colours that blend with the environment. At festivals - or even on very busy camp sites - you might want to consider the potential problems of finding your tent again - especially late at night. Rather than purchase the most garish coloured tent you can find why not take a leaf out of the Boy Scout movement and use a 'natural' coloured tent - with a small distinctive flag or pennant attached to the highest tent pole? This will enable you to get your bearings from some distance away easily
Wear soft-soled shoes or trainers around campsites to avoid crushing plants with heavy hiking boots
Enjoy, but do not pick, any flowers or plants
Wash clothes, dishes and yourself at least 200ft from any water source and use biodegradable cold water soap for clothing and personal hygiene
Leave dogs and portable radios at home - enjoy the peace, the solitude and the scenery as it was meant to be! If you must take a dog with you, be sure to keep it leashed - loose domestic dogs can 'worry' sheep and cause problems for farmers and other walkers/campers
Never scare or feed the local wildlife - most human food is not good for animal diets. Enjoy observing animals at a distance and treat them with respect
Observe The Country Code at all times - lock gates after you, take care on styals and protect woodland and walls by only walking/crossing at designated points
When pitching a tent, inspect your site carefully before you leave and remove all evidence of your visit. Never leave waste materials behind, even if you consider them 'biodegradable' - aim to leave sites better than they were when you arrived!
String a line between two trees and place your food in plastic bags. Hang them from the line with clothes pegs to stop animals forraging in your tent
Hike and camp in small groups - this is good for safety (in numbers) but also good to minimise erosion of sites - large groups more easily do unintentional damage (think of Glastonbury Festival and the mud bath that those fields become for an example of this!)
Plan to stay no more than one or two nights at each campsite
Use established trails and switchbacks to reduce off-trail erosion these often have the advantage of convenient toliet and information facilties
The following links may be useful:
Natural England
Open Access
Countryside Access
Countryside Council for Wales
Scottish Natural Heritage
The Camping & Caravaning Club
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