thinking of a two man light camping/bivvi trip and just wondering what the general concensus is for setting up camp in fields/by the side of trails etc.
I can imagine the official response is get the owner's permission...and wouldnt want to trespass, but is it a big deal?
would welcome any 'git orf may laand' stories!
It all depends on who's land you decide to camp on without asking permission. You could be fine, or you could find yourself woken up at 2am and asked politely to move.
General guide lines are.
Pitch late/leave early
Camp above the wall/fence line
No fires
50m from paths, tracks or roads
Leave nothing behind
Use common sense
I think the last one is possibly the most important 😉
last time i camped on a farmers land was down at kirroughtree, the farmer came over to say hello, nice guy!
What do you mean by farming land? Pretty much all non-urban “landscapes” in the UK are farmed to some extent – with the exception of forestry and some estates managed for shooting (many of these are “farmed” too), and some other exceptions where it is a little more blurred.
If I was bivvying/camping anywhere near a house or habitation and thought there was a possibility it might be a problem, I'd ask. The only problem I've had in the past is more along the lies of “oh, come in- d' you not wanna stop in the byre/on the lawn...”. Though I'd imagine this might not be the case in some areas.
As above, generally speaking, pitch at dusk, out of sight, leave no trace and be moving on by dawn. Don't camp amongst stock or in crops. No fires where you will damage rocks or soil (so often a no-no). No washing in watercourses. No crapping all over the place- burn toilet paper, dig a small hole to bury any waste. Carry away everything you carry in. No camping or bivvying alongside routes/tracks/paths is often a maxim for some, but IME this varies on where you are.
Scotland is ok for this. Just common sense needed.
I pulled into a field one night in my old people carrier and got my head down for some sleep, next thing I know it's morning and a landie pulls up behind me, I try and pretend I haven't slept there all night and the farmer just nods and I get a 'morn in' from him as he walks past.
if you do it right they won't know your there / been there.
I am in favour of arriving just before dark - minimises use of torches etc. when setting up.