Wild camping Lake District Scotland Helm 2 Compact Tent
Wild camping in the Lake District – you can’t beat it! I’m not one for sharing exact locations of wild camps so they don’t get too busy and trashed with litter & fires by the small minority of numpties – but the adventurous amongst you should be able to figure out the location as it’s near a well-known Lake District reservoir. I also think all the fun in a wild camp is just plotting your own adventure and see where you end up! It’s more rewarding that way.

 

 


A Wild Camp in the English Lake District

 

With a free day & night and the weather looking pretty decent and mainly dry I took off into the high fells of the Lake District with my wild camping gear in my backpack in search of a place to pitch my tent for the night. I’m always drawn to water, and the tarns of the Lake District are like a magnet to me as I love their solitude and peaceful atmosphere as they are usually sheltered from the wind by the surrounding fells.

 

Wild camping Lake District Scotland Helm 2 Compact Tent
I‘m a sucker for a view and found this perfect little flat spot to pitch my Helm 2 Compact tent high above one particular Lake District Tarn – can you guess which one it is?

 

Once the tent is up it’s time for a rewarding brew, get the boots off, have a chillax and soak up this amazing place 

 

Wild camping Lake District Scotland Helm 2 Compact Tent
What a beauty camping spot. With no one at all around it felt quite remote – just how I like it 🙂 If I can I’ll try and wild camp during the week or on a Sunday night as your more likely to have these places all to yourself.

 

Wild camping Lake District Scotland Helm 2 Compact Tent
It was quite surreal being at the same height as the clouds and watching them role in and envelop you in the mist. The weather forecast had an hour or so of evening rain forecast so I decided to pitch my tent before the rain arrived and I’m glad I did as I had somewhere to shelter for a while. 

 

The rain lasted an hour as forecast and soon passed whilst I read a book in the tent. Once I’m pitched up I like to just amble around the immediate area, find a water source, enjoy the views and make sure I’m prepared for when the sun goes down 

 

Wild camping Lake District Scotland Helm 2 Compact Tent
The evening quickly turns to dusk and it’s time for a bite to eat and a couple of cans to savour this quiet and peaceful spot, where the only sound on this windless evening is the distant cascading waterfalls 

 

One of the great things about wild camping is if you are lucky to get clear skies the sheer amount of stars you will see with the naked eye are mind blowing!

 

 

Wild camping Lake District Scotland Helm 2 Compact Tent
I’m up early and before sunrise on the chance I may well get to see the sun come up – and I luck out on the weather – what an amazing sight to see the ball of fire appear in the sky

 

It’s time for one last brew before I pack up, get outta here and leave no trace that I was ever there. 

 

I find a nearby crystal clear infinity plunge pool with cascading waterfalls flowing into it and it’s makes for a superb place for a refreshing dip! After it’s time to move on – What a quality little trip it has been!

 

Hope you’ve enjoyed that little write up and it inspires you to try your hand at Wild Camping! If you do want to plan your own wild camp and you’re just a beginner – check out my blog post below:

BLOG POST BY STUART HODGSON

THE HIKING PHOTOGRAPHER

I hope you've found this info useful and it helps to plan your own adventures! I share my stuff simply to help others enjoy the great outdoors and reap the many physical & mental health benefits of being in nature.

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More people enjoying the outdoors is great - but a small minority are leaving increasing amounts of rubbish behind. No one gets paid to clean up natural beauty spots, so please take all your litter home and also don’t scorch the earth with fires & BBQs which takes ages to recover. You'll be an absolute outdoors legend if you pick up & dispose of any rubbish you do see left by the numpties. Furthermore, anyone sharing nature's beauty on social media is an influencer in some way — so as well as sharing photos, let’s also encourage responsible & sustainable enjoyment of the outdoors too!

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