We’ve teamed up with You Tuber and Wild Camper Andy Beavers for some top tips on wild camping. Andy spends most of his spare time wild camping in remote locations and in some extreme conditions. He is without doubt, the go to person for advice on wild camping. You can follow Andy on YouTube here https://www.youtube.com/c/AndrewBeavers/featured
All photos courtesy of Andy Beavers
Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
Make a kit list, that way you shouldn’t forget anything. Plan your route in and out thoroughly, check sunset and sunrise times, and pack your rucksack with your tent near the top of the rucksack. You really don’t want to be pulling out your overnight clothes and sleeping bag to get to your tent, especially if it's raining. Plan your pitch, if possible you want somewhere flat, away from footpaths, out of sight, not directly next to water or bogs, and ideally of soft grass, with no rocks sticking up that could rip your ground sheet. Check the weather, which way is the wind blowing and are you going to pick a pitch where your tent is going to be buffeted by the wind all night, or are you going to find a pitch that’s a bit more sheltered on the lea side of a hill. Put your food into containers and dispose of the packaging at home, this can save some extra weight and it’s less likely for any packaging to be left on the site or blown away.
Think about your water source
If possible try and find a pitch near to a water source, but not too close for a number of reasons, midges, flash floods, cold air sinks etc. If you don’t use a water filter then make sure you boil everything you drink with a fierce boil for at least 3 minutes, this will kill any nasty bugs like Cryptosporidium. If there is no water source then you will need to carry in at least 2 litres of water. If you go to the toilet do it well away from your campsite and well away from the water source. If you decide to wash your pots in the water source do this downstream from where you’re taking your drinking water.
Make sure you have the right kit for the season
This may sound like common sense but you really don’t want to be pulling that 2 season sleeping bag out of your rucksack when the temperature is well below freezing. The higher the season rating the warmer you’re going to be. A good stove will be your best mate, but light it outside the tent because if the gas canister is cold and the gases inside have separated the stove can flare up when you light it, and the last thing you need is your tent catching fire. Carbon monoxide poisoning is also a real threat.
Keep warm
Take a set of dry clothes with you, wrapped up in a dry bag in your rucksack. Only put these on, once your tent is up and you’re inside your tent. You don’t want to be spending the night in the clothes that you’ve walked up the hill in, as they will be damp and you’ll be cold. In winter months make sure your dry clothes are warm enough and make sure they include a thick warm jacket, synthetic or down it doesn’t really matter as long as it does the job. Also make sure one of your layers has a hood, as you lose a lot of heat through your head. Try and insulate yourself from the ground with a silver foil blanket and decent sleeping mat, the ground can drain the heat from you. Avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol, not only is it extra weight to carry in, but alcohol lowers your body temperature. Plus getting up in the middle of the night for a beer wee when its raining means you’ll likely get your dry clothes wet.
Emergency protocol procedure
Have an agreed procedure with your partner/next of kin, so if you’re not home by a certain time then they can raise the alarm. Also let them know where you’re going and leave them a grid reference or location of where you’re planning to pitch.
We know that one of the reasons for wild camping is to get away from the rat race and modern technology, however phone signal permitting, a quick text home once you’ve set up, one when you’re heading down the hill and one when you’re back at the car won’t hurt. Remember that you don’t need as much of a signal to send a text as you do to make a call. Have the free OS locate app on your phone which can give you your grid reference in seconds, the app then allows you to send this via a text message in an emergency.
Fully charged mobile phone
A fully charged mobile phone will be your best friend if an emergency were to occur, and carry a portable battery charger with you as well, to keep your phone topped up. Some phones don’t like the cold and will drain the battery life if they get cold, so keep your phone in an inside pocket, or your sleeping bag to keep it warm.
For lighting, always have a backup
A decent head torch is a must, with some spare batteries and/or a spare head torch. Some sort of lightweight light for the tent is handy as it lights the tent up for them starry night photographs.
Arrive late and leave early
Wild Camping is technically illegal in England without the landowners permission, apart from areas of Dartmoor, but it is tolerated in certain areas. Don’t take the mickey by pitching up in the middle of a field, find somewhere remote and out of sight. Arrive late, pitch your tent just before sunset, and pack up early the following morning. You’ll want to be up to watch the sunrise anyway.
Leave no trace
When you leave, make sure that your campsite shows no signs that you were there. Don’t light any fires, don’t move rocks, boulders or moss, and take your rubbish home with you. It’s also a good idea to remove any rubbish left by other wild campers, because anybody passing will think it’s yours. If the few of the last remaining wild camping sites are trashed, then land owners, gamekeepers and wardens are more likely to keep an eye on the site and move you on.
Eat late
By eating late, your body is still burning the energy of the food and helps keep you warm while you’re sleeping. Dehydrated foods are lightweight and their tastes have vastly improved over the years. Simply add some boiling water, wait a few minutes and you’ll have a decent meal that’s high in calories.
