Note – This applies to England so you Scots with your right to Roam can be smug else where

So I am toying with the idea of a nice summer trip to the beach with a nice bivy on a quite beach, fish and chip and a few beers with friends. Now my question is this; Whee does the law stand? Of course we would aim of a more out of the way beach and would just be using sleeping bag and bivvy bag.

below the high tide mark I think you’re ok 😉

I cannot imagine anyone would care in the least.

Take a fishing rod and you can do what you want

Not actually factually correct but it seems like no one with bother you

Arrive late, leave early, don’t make a mess, light fires or otherwise cause a nuisance and no-one need know you’d been there. Legally I’ve no idea plus there may be local by-laws specifically prohibiting overnight stays. You’ll have to do your own research on that!

below the high tide mark I think you’re ok

Thanks for the helpful advise! 😆

Take a fishing rod and you can do what you want

That’s a very good point. Anyone got any recommendations for locations in the South West pref South Coast?

Homeless immigrants do round our way. They get moved along by brexiters.

Watch out for smugglers loading/unloading their booty in the night.

Or pesky immigrants.

Anyone got any recommendations for locations in the South West pref South Coast?

Some of the coves round Devon and Cornwall I think may be private. You might run into trespass issues. More often though people get cut off in them when the tide comes in, plus many the tides will come right in. Check the tide charts!

sirromji we should be fine then if we plant a few Union Jacks and claim we are protecting the boarder?

unloading their booty in the night.

good point – make sure you consider where you’ll take a dump.

Anyone got any recommendations for locations in the South West pref South Coast?

which bit? there is about 300 miles of it.

Depends on your physique. You don’t want to be woken up by surfers and enviromentatists rubbing you with suncream and trying to re-float you.

Your biggest problem will be where to park overnight.

I’ve done it several times, after parties on the beach when young. It was always very cold, and less fun than expected by about 02:30 hrs.

But then again I only took a thick jumper, a bottle of Jack and 20 Marlboro to keep out the cold.

Your biggest problem will be where to park overnight.

Maybe not clear but bikes will be the mode of transport!

good point – make sure you consider where you’ll take a dump.

No one likes a sudden performance with no warning now.

smoke some opium and do it in Thailand, problem solved

Not legal but shouldn’t be an issue if you are out of the way and packed away reasonably early. Only potentially a civil offence between you and the landowner AIUI so little that can happen to you other than being told to move on and that’s unlikely to happen during the night. Some more public beaches do have signs about overnight camping but I suspect you’ll be avoiding those anyway

Not legal but shouldn’t be an issue if you are out of the way and packed away reasonably early. Only a civil offence between you and the landowner AIUI so little that can happen to you other than being told to move on.

I believe most beaches are technically ‘owned’ by someone, so it really depends of whether you’re caught. 🙂 I’d do it here on the IoW; I can’t imagine the NT would be overly worried assuming you leave no trace and don’t set-up camp for the summer.

Depends on your physique. You don’t want to be woken up by surfers and enviromentatists rubbing you with suncream and trying to re-float you.

😆

A friend who’s into fishing tells me that this is why fishing “beds” are actually really big, flat “chairs”
So you can claim you aren’t actually sleeping on the beach overnight. Just having a nap before doing some proper fishing.

He’s wrong about loads of other stuff though, so I don’t know why this should be any different 😆

sirromji we should be fine then if we plant a few Union Jacks and claim we are protecting the boarder?

What if the waves are rubbish and they go home?

What if the waves are rubbish and they go home?

Damn my poor grasp of the English language!

You can legally camp on the foreshore (the bit between high and low water marks) on a beach or tidal river in England and Wales. You might want to check tides before doing so.

And in Scotland you can take your shotgun and “catch” dinner.

If caught:

“I’m not camping here, I’m stargazing, and it’s a bit chilly so I put on this lovely snuggly warm arm-and-legless onesie…”

Did it a few years ago on Pwll Du beach on the Gower south wales. Horrible experience. Rats and sand fleas everywhere.

If you’re don’t leave a mess, don’t make a noise no one gives a shit.

I camped on Fistral beach in Newquay with a mate when we were young and saving hard for booze. Little tent. We got woken up at 5ish my beach patrol/whatever they were and told they’d be back in 10 minutes and if we weren’t gone, we’d have a £1K fine each for sleeping on the beach.

So I’d avoid Fistral in July/August, but, as above, you were probably planning to anyway.

Vast numbers of fairly secluded National Trust beaches in the south west, over the weekend we were at Towan which is buried away at the bottom of the Roseland so will be fairly quiet. Went over lunch the week before Christmas and we literally had the entire beach to ourselves.

Towan has a toilet block that is open in winter, whether that’s a good thing (a proper loo!) or bad (more likely that there are wardens present?) is debatable.

I personally think if you tuck yourself away, don’t make yourself obvious and don’t light a fire then you are fine, check it is not a nature reserve or private land and if anyone does ask you to move on, do so with no argument.

don’t light a fire

Huh?

Can’t imagine it’s going to be much fun stood around on a pitch-black beach freezing your bollocks off. A good burn-up is half the fun!

Has anyone mentioned it would be fine in Scotland?

Why not come up to Scotland and do it? There are some really nice beaches. There’s one that has a (paid) campsite that is amazing up just past Arisaig.

Sleeper train to fort william, some riding, camp on the beach, ride back, sleeper home?

Can’t imagine it’s going to be much fun stood around on a pitch-black beach freezing your bollocks off. A good burn-up is half the fun!

If you’re just there for the fire and not to be on a serene beach, have the fire in your back garden.

Seen it here before, some dumb Facebook group called “Norfolk microadventures” constantly posting pics on FB of them sleeping on the beaches in big groups, big fire going and now it is really difficult for those of us that want to have a quiet bivvy and get away, the beaches here mostly are private land and they have wardens kicking you straight off when before they were tolerant