MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE WILD CAMPING SPOTS

Wild camping to me is about far more than simply spending a night outdoors, it’s about seeking out places that make you stop and appreciate the sheer beauty and grandeur of the natural world and make you glad to be alive, fit & well to see these magnificent places.

Over the years I’ve been fortunate enough to pitch my tent in some of the UK’s most breathtaking locations, from the rugged mountain summits and secluded tarns of the Lake District to dramatic coastal cliffs where the sound of the waves soothe you to sleep.

In this collection, I’ve gathered photographs from my favourite wild camping spots, mainly to remind me of some stunning trips and each chosen for its unforgettable scenery, spectacular sunrises and sunsets, and the sense of peace and adventure they provided. But I also hope these images encourage you to also appreciate the beauty of nature and maybe even plan your own wild camping adventure.

Ps. Sorry I haven’t shared exact locations – as I think the best thing about wild camping is the sense of adventure, discovering spots for yourself and I also think it’s important for these precious places to be over run with wild campers,

BEST WILD CAMPING VIEW:

This Lake District spot holds a special place for me as seeing images of this tarn in a library book many moons ago is what inspired me to go on my first wild camp and explore the Lake District further. It’s still my favourite wild camping view.

BEST BEACH WILD CAMP:

This is one of the best beaches I have ever been too and it was very hard to get too. Believe it or not it’s in Scotland in the Inner Hebridies and it’s a well hidden beach that can only be accessed at low tide, which makes it even more special.

BEST WILD CAMPING MOUNTAIN VISTA:

This spot is in Upper Eskdale in the Lake Distrcict. When I pitched my tent at night the mountain summits wher shrouded in cloud – but upon waking I was granted suprise and unforcast clear skies – with stuning vies of the Scafell Pike range,

MOST DRAMATIC WILD CAMP:

Perhaps one of the most difficult campijg spots to get to, after requring a long and steep 9 mile walk, this spot is below Pillar Rock in the wilds of the Ennerdale Valley in the Lake District.

BEST WILD CAMPING SET-UP:

I call this the best wild camping set up as I took a chair and mini table (luxury!) haha it was a pefect spot to see the sunrise over Haweswater valley.

MOST REMOTE WILD CAMP:

They say that Great Moss in the Lake District is the most remote part of this amazing National Park – so I made the trip here one summer and didnt see a soul up these parts on that trip.

BEST WILD CAMPING SUNSET:

Sunsets and sunrises are an elusive thing to capture – but this photo reminds me of my favourite sunset. Not only for the sky, but because it was at the end of a long winter in the back-end of March – on a suprinsingly warm evening for that time of year. So I was sat in my shorts and tshirt admiring this stunning sky for quite a while, and pleased to at last get some outdoors time and my first camp of that year.

BEST WILD CAMPING SUNRISE SPOT:

Looking east over Ullswater and onto the Pennines must be one of the best places to see an un-obscured sunrise.

BEST WILD CAMP NIGHT SKY:

One of the best things about wild camping is the amazing stary night skies you can see if the air is free of cloud. On this camp I managed to grab a photo that shows a realistic view of what you can see with the naked eye,

MOST DRAMATIC COASTAL PITCH:

Scotland is a greta place to wild camp as there arent that many restrictions compared to England. This spot on Scotlands south-east coast is a really special rugged stretch of coastline. 

SCARIEST WILD CAMPING PITCH:

People often say to me, “Don’t you get scared wild camping” And my answer is no, when out in the wilds I feel perfectly safe and any outdoorsy wild camping people you do come across are really sound people. Only once have I woke up in the night when the heart starts racing and it is at the above pitch, near Haweswater. It was a full moon that night – rather strange as you didn’t need a torch in the night due to the brightness. I woke in the night to a subtle sound of something outside the tent. Straight away the Adrenaline kicked in, could it be a sheep, a deer? Or just a mouse in search of food haha? I had that strange feeling of being watched. I’ve not had that before – was my mind was playing tricks? I couldn’t just stay in the tent could I. Because of the full moon I knew no torch was needed –  so I opened the tent door – not knowing what could confront me, and guess what….nothing. Nothing at all to be seen and I had a good look around. Maybe it was somehting small that was rumaging around and then disppeared. So it was back to sleep. Upon waking I realised I was actually not that far pitched from a footpath that is known as the Old Corpse Road. A route where the residents of the now flooded village under Haweswater, would carry their dead to the nearest church at Shap. Now I don’t believe in all that afterlife stuff – but it turns out a few people have had spooky experiences on the Old Corpse Road. 

MOST EDGIEST WILD CAMPING PITCH:

And finally, this photo reminds me of the closest I have pitched next to a cliff edge. It was about a 600ft sheer vertical drop down to the valley below here and I’m about 10ft from the edge. This is definitely not a spot to have a few drinks or for sleep walkers haha! 

MY FAVOURITE WILD CAMP SPOTS SUMMARY

I’ve done countless wild camps over the years – and this is just a short post on some highlights that live long in the memory. To be honest in the early days I didn’t even take photos. Wanting to travel light often means sacrificing big cameras – but when smart phones came on the scene I started documenting my camps more. I hope some of these photos inspire you to go on some unforgetable adventures, and if you do – just remember to follow the wild camping code – Leave No Trace! The blog post below may help if you are new to wild camping.