Wild camping in the UK: the rules for England, Wales and Scotland

"Can I just pitch up on a hill?" is the most common camping question we get, and the honest answer is: it depends where the hill is. The law differs sharply across Britain, and the difference matters.

Scotland: yes, with responsibilities

Scotland's Land Reform Act 2003 gives everyone the right to camp on most unenclosed land, provided they follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. The key points:

• Camp in small numbers, for two or three nights at most in one place
• Stay away from buildings, roads and enclosed fields with crops or livestock
• Leave no trace: no fire scars, no litter, no toilet paper
• Take extra care with fires in dry conditions — and never light one on peat

The one big exception is Loch Lomond & the Trossachs, where seasonal byelaws (1 March to 30 September) restrict camping in the busiest lochside areas to permit zones and designated sites. The Scottish Highlands beyond the park are unaffected.

Note that the right to roam covers people on foot. It does not cover sleeping in campervans or motorhomes in lay-bys, which is why the North Coast 500 has such a strained relationship with van tourism. If you're on wheels, use a campsite.

England: no — except Dartmoor

In England there is no general right to wild camp. Camping on land without the owner's permission is trespass, a civil matter rather than a crime, but you can be asked to leave and landowners are within their rights to insist.

The exception is Dartmoor. After a lengthy legal battle that reached the Supreme Court in 2025, the right to backpack camp on designated areas of Dartmoor common land was confirmed. The rules are strict: tents only (no vans), one or two nights, small groups, out of sight of roads and houses, and nothing left behind. The National Park publishes a map of permitted areas.

Elsewhere, upland "stealth" camping — arriving late, leaving early, above the highest wall — is widely tolerated in places like the Lake District fells, but it is tolerated rather than permitted. If a farmer asks you to move, move.

Wales: no, but ask

Wales has the same legal position as England: you need the landowner's permission. In practice, many hill farmers in Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons will say yes to a polite request, sometimes for a few pounds. Knocking on the farmhouse door is not an outdated custom — it still works.

The wild camper's code (everywhere)

Whether the law is on your side or not, these habits keep the goodwill flowing:

1. Arrive late, leave early. A tent that's up for twelve hours bothers no one.
2. Pitch out of sight. Away from paths, roads, houses and other campers.
3. No fires. Use a stove. Fire scars last for years.
4. Carry out everything. Including food scraps and toilet paper.
5. Go to the toilet properly. At least 30 metres from water, dig a hole, cover it.
6. One night, one spot. Then move on.

When a campsite is the better choice

Wild camping is wonderful when you're fit, travelling light and the weather is kind. It is much less wonderful with a family, a car full of kit or three days of rain. Small farm campsites in the hills give you most of the solitude with a hot shower at the end of it — browse every destination to find one.