ok so discussing an up coming camping / bike trip with the other half last night and she made the statement “well we will have to allow time to take down and put up the tent each day”

I thought this was a bit odd as we are planning to stay in the same location and ride different routes using the tent as a base camp

so heres the idea. we will be driving up to the cairngorm national park and pitching our tent on a beach alongside a fairly popular road, everytime I’ve camped here previously others have been camping nearby.

she seems to think that beacause its a popular area folk may steal the tent or damage it while were away, and that it would be better to pack it back in the car each day.

so what would the STW hive mind do….leave it up? or spend 30 mins each day taking down and re-pitching….are folk really that evil???

I’d not leave anything valuable in the tent but would leave it pitched.

allthepies – Member
I’d not leave anything valuable in the tent but would leave it pitched.

This

would you leave your tent up during the day

not if I was wearing baggy pants

let me know when you go, i could do with a new tent.

What colour is it ?

THAT – EDIT: leave nothing valuable in it

Take a spare tent if she is really worried?

Unless its made of pure gold and/or filled with precious gems I wouldn’t worry about it.

I wouldn’t camp roadside for multiple days full stop. Getting towards the edge of what is acceptable if not over it.

I would not leave a tent up during the day in that sort of spot

http://www.mcofs.org.uk/assets/pdfs/wildcamping.pdf

If you are on a proper campsite – fine. Wild camping, no.

tj and your OH is right.

overnight wild camp fair enough , if you want to leave it pitched for mulitiple days then pay up for a campsite.

tents are an eyesore in beautiful locations – perhaps you want to wake up in said location and i can appreciate that but leaving your tent pitched for multiple days in the location is a liberty imo.

ps im guessing loch morlich ? – if so you “might” find a note/ tent removed for you if left unattended for more than a couple of days….. i know one of the rangers up there and they are not ammused by tents pitched for days.

If you are on a proper campsite – fine. Wild camping, no.

This.

Not so much because people will steal a tent, it’s just a bit rude to leave it pitched.

Exceptions made for not-car-camping. Leaving a tent pitched halfway up a mountain whilst you make your onwards is acceptable.

If you are on a proper campsite – fine. Wild camping, no.

+1

My tent’s are all cheep and no one would nick them, but still feel’s wrong leaving them up when not on a campsite.

Maybe get one of those pop up tents that only take a couple of seconds to pitch from the car? Useless if it’s windy though.

to taking that further.

is it ok to ‘wild camp’ in the same spot day after day, leaving the car there but taking the tent down each day?

i would think no……?

is it ok to ‘wild camp’ in the same spot day after day, leaving the car there but taking the tent down each day?

I tend to reckon it’s a bit cheeky to wild camp in the same spot for more than a day when you’re clearly car camping.

Soobalias – its certainly getting to the edge of what is acceptable if not beyond it – the MCofS guidance linked above is about as close as we can get to a guide as to what is reasonable.

MCofS, TJ, Trail_rat, tinas, Aidy, TooTall all have it correct.

I assume you are referring to Loch Morlich?

campsite

Camp at Glenmore or Rothiemurchus?

If I were spending all day in bed, I’d be quite chuffed if I could even manage it.. oh hang on.

“well we will have to allow time to take down and put up the tent each day”

She’s just informing you that this will be “busy” holiday for you in the bedroom department. I’d think about iron supplements and staying away from the jazz mags for a week or two beforehand.

I’ve always tried to stick to the rule of pitching late and striking early if I’m wild camping.

If I’m somewhere that’s likely to have any other people (e.g. a summit, or somewhere visible from a mountain path), then I’ll often leave the tent in the bag until it’s quiet, unless the weather is really bad.

We were on the first boat out to Loch Coruisk (Skye) the other week and when we arrived at 10am there were two groups wild camping just by the loch, lazing around by the tents. IMO that’s pretty poor form, it’s such a beautiful and untouched place, it’s not difficult to have struck your tent by 10am on a sunny day (or to pitch it out of sight).

Three forms of camping in my mind:

on a site, leave it as long as you pay for.

wild camping (real), pitch one night two max but only if in area.

wild camping (car), join the lager drinking, bbq leaving brigade.

We were on the first boat out to Loch Coruisk (Skye) the other week and when we arrived at 10am there were two groups wild camping just by the loch, lazing around by the tents. IMO that’s pretty poor form, it’s such a beautiful and untouched place, it’s not difficult to have struck your tent by 10am on a sunny day (or to pitch it out of sight).

Eh? Why? Does everybody have to rush around like nutters? Coruisk is one of the wildest most beautiful places I’ve ever seen and I’d be more than happy to spend a couple of days there relaxing and enjoying the scenery. Why on earth would a tent or two spoil the place?

Globalti – read the guidance

basically what would happen if everyone does it? I always take care to try to tuck my tent out of sight / away from busy areas

Eh? Why? Does everybody have to rush around like nutters? Coruisk is one of the wildest most beautiful places I’ve ever seen and I’d be more than happy to spend a couple of days there relaxing and enjoying the scenery. Why on earth would a tent or two spoil the place?

Who said anything about rushing around like nutters?

I was having a whinge that someone decided to set up camp (2 tents, tarp and some make shift chairs) just as you get to the loch.

As you’ve pointed out, it is one of the wildest and most beautiful places I’ve ever seen too, which is why I thought people who decided to set up camp in the most conspicuous place possible would have moved it by morning.

That particular area they had chosen is where tourists not wanting to take a long walk round the loch tend to wander and take pictures.

It’s not that hard to pitch out of sight. It’s just a wee bit inconsiderate IMO.

Doesn’t the code say that it is not wild camping if you are just by the car. Not really in the spirit of it. For multiple days I’d pay for a campsite.

My view on this is wild camping should be 1 km from a road to prevent the camping by car – unless the landowner is prepared to allow informal car camping.

I think it was a mistake in the LRA to allow car camping

It’s worth remembering that taking a car off the public highway and on to land alongside it requires the permission of the landowner. I guess that existing laws, if enforced, could reduce the amount of car-based wild” camping.

The campsite at Loch Morlich is expensive…but the showers are good,which would be just the ticket after a long day on a bike. Anywhere else more than one night stay and you are most def taking the pee.I could see the sides of the loch going the same way as Loch Lomond, as it can be a busy,noisy place with all the car camping that goes on there.

As with Peterfile’s post ^^^, arrived at the standing stones at Callanish one lovely afternoon at around 5pm. Some mangy hippy had pitched his tent actually within the perimeter and was sitting in front of his tent, smiling at everyone. I’m all in favour of happy, smily hippies wild camping but that was a step too far. Ruined the view / photos for all the other visitors.

Later though, I ran back up the path as the hint of a sunset was beginning to happen. Hippy-boy was at the middle of the stone circle taking snaps of his hippy girlfriend, who was babbling something along the lines of, “Oh YES! It’s just as I dreamt it. The master was over there and everyone was chanting!”. She was actually pretty hot, and was obviously smuggling peanuts, so I started shooting away with my Infra-red film camera.

Hippy boy wasn’t very happy, but she revelled in the extra attention!

I don’t see the issue with “car camping” so long as you leave no trace.

People messing up the countryside is the main objection that locals have to wild camping in their area. So long as you clean up after yourself I don’t see why the law should diffrentiate between people that parked up the road and pitched a tent and people who have got there on foot.

Its idiots – regardless of their chosen method of camping leaving a mess thats the problem – that was the issue on Loch Lomond anyway

Later though, I ran back up the path as the hint of a sunset was beginning to happen. Hippy-boy was at the middle of the stone circle taking snaps of his hippy girlfriend, who was babbling something along the lines of, “Oh YES! It’s just as I dreamt it. The master was over there and everyone was chanting!”. She was actually pretty hot, and was obviously smuggling peanuts, so I started shooting away with my Infra-red film camera.

Without a doubt one of the best posts on STW 🙂

As a pursuant of “wild camping” in a van I’d be a hypocrite to not agree with the above to a certain extent. When I “wild camp” the van (I know it’s not really the right term, but its the one used) I normal turn up just before it goes dark and am gone before most folk are up and about. No use of awning or chairs etc either – just try to be subtle. A bit tricky to be too subtle with a tent right next to the road though.

I agree with others – multiple days is the sort of thing you do in a camp site – so much more relaxed that way too with nice showers etc and less worry about stuff disappearing when you are away.

Without a doubt one of the best posts on STW

But useless without pictures 😀

There is, of course, the sanitation issue.

>everytime I’ve camped here previously others have been camping nearby.<

Would that be the ones a few 100 yds behind you subsidising your toilet trips?

Later though, I ran back up the path as the hint of a sunset was beginning to happen. Hippy-boy was at the middle of the stone circle taking snaps of his hippy girlfriend, who was babbling something along the lines of, “Oh YES! It’s just as I dreamt it. The master was over there and everyone was chanting!”. She was actually pretty hot, and was obviously smuggling peanuts, so I started shooting away with my Infra-red film camera.

“Our reporter made his excuses and left”