Wild camping for beginners

Always fancied wild camping but don’t know where to start? You’ve come to the right place...

Trail pitches up in the Lake District for a lesson in overnight adventures

Wild camping is sleeping in the great outdoors, but not on an official campsite. It is pitching your tent on a mountain summit, snuggling into your sleeping bag in a secret cave, or sheltering under your tarp next to a tranquil tarn. It is a magical pursuit that will revive your verve for life and re-open your eyes to the wonders of the world. It is pure escapism. Fancy it? Of course you do.

But get it wrong and wild camping can be a torturous, sleepless experience. If you’re not careful, you’ll be lying awake all night as your tent is thrown around by the wind like a rag doll. Pack inadequate kit and you might find yourself shivering uncontrollably at 4am, or enduring what feels like a lumpy, slanting and wholly uncomfortable mattress for eight restless hours.

I’ve certainly had my fair share of wild camping horror shows, particularly as a novice cutting my teeth in the world of mountainside sleeping. In the Brecon Beacons once, my tent pole snapped in gale-force winds and torrential rain transformed the ground I’d pitched on into a squelchy, disgusting quagmire – basically

I woke up in a swamp.

So, to make the most of your wild camping experience and to avoid the schoolboy errors I’ve made, it’s important to get the basics right – and that’s where this guide comes in. Whether you’re a total newbie or an intermediate looking to skill up, the Trail team have compiled our ultimate step-by-step guide to wild camping, covering everything from campfires and toilet duties to water filtration and tent pitching. Give it a read and you’ll be all set for an epic, adventurous and responsible wild camping adventure in 2021.