How to find better wild campsites

A night under the stars atop a mountain will revive your verve for life and open your eyes to the wonders of the world. But how do you find an amazing wild camping spot?

Gimme shelter

Many people go in search of that Instagramfriendly wild camping spot where your tent door opens out to an impossibly idyllic horizon of jagged mountains and shimmering lakes. But the reality is that when you’re starting out, it’s better to prioritise the basics. Seeking shelter and seclusion might mean a less photogenic camp, but you’ll probably have a safer and comfier experience.

Your ideal wild camping spot should be not too rocky, and not too wet. A patch of soft, mossy grass will be ideal, and then it’s just a matter of pitching your tent correctly – make sure it’s taut, stable, well-ventilated and angled correctly to the wind. With a quality backpacking tent, such as the Nordisk Telemark 2.2 PU (£350), this will be easy to achieve, thanks to its sturdy construction and simple-to-adjust design.

To save you lugging water for drinking and cooking to your camp, a water source nearby is also useful, and it can range from a small stream to a large tarn – but be mindful that some bodies of water act as crowd-magnets (see below).

Get away from the crowds

For a peaceful wild camp, you’ll want to avoid popular hotspots. Popular tarns in the Lake District seem to be a particular magnet for wild campers and they do tend to get overcrowded, particularly in summer, so a better bet is to head off-piste and find your own hidden corner.

Give yourself an hour or two before dusk to scout out potential camp spots off the beaten track, and you might just stumble across a perfect secret site. Seldom-walked slopes, remote valleys, unvisited ridges, pathless cols and undulating plateaus are good places to explore – and, once you’ve found somewhere, don’t tell anyone about it. This is your own slice of the Scottish Highlands or Snowdonia, for one night only. Keep it special.

Add the wow factor

Shelter and water are the essential building blocks for a good wild camp, but once you’ve built up a bit of experience you can start adding some wow factor by moving up to summits, ridges, valley heads and the edge of high plateaus. These are some of the best places for mesmerising views, although beware – they can very exposed to wind and rain, so it’s best to keep a close eye on the mountain weather forecasts and a pick a calm weather window. But with experience, you can get a good feel for how wind and weather are affected by small variations in the landscape: even a low rise can provide enough shelter from the wind to make a camp tolerable, while giving you plenty of open space and views.

Think about the lie of the land…

If you want to get really technical, it also pays to give some thought to the surrounding landscape, to optimise the views you’ll get. If the nose of a ridge you’re camping on rises directly above a curved lake, you’ll get a majestic – almost bird’s eye – perspective of the landscape. But a nearby summit, with a differently angled outlook over the topography, might have really boring, uninspiring views. Choosing wisely can make all the difference. Using an app that tells you where and when the sun will rise and fall can also help you catch the swirling colours of a mountain sunrise or sunset.

…but don’t overthink it

Ultimately, choosing an awesome wild camp spot shouldn’t ever be an over-analysed thing. There’s something wonderful about going with the flow, embracing the unpredictability of adventures and camping wherever you can find. You might win some, you might lose some – but the good times will always outweigh the bad. Happy camping!