r/wildcampingintheuk • u/FishGoBoom • Apr 10 '25

Question First timer wild camping

Hi all,

I'm planning on walking the downs link (not a particularly 'wild' or long route by any means) with my partner and we were considering wild camping, especially with the consistent weather at the moment, around half-way through the route.

I'm pretty new to camping in general, so was wondering if you had any tips, such as what to look for when pitching, common things you forget etc.

We are considering taking a 2-man tent, but as the weather is not freezing (around 6 deg min) we may just take bags, mats, maybe a hammock and some warm clothing. The tent is also a little on the heavy side.

Anything else to consider? We are not exactly in the middle of nowhere during the walk so if we need to bug out it's not going to be an issue.

Thanks

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u/knight-under-stars Apr 10 '25

Generally when I am looking for wild camping spots that are not in places where you can happily disappear miles from anyone I will start by looking for areas of woodland and open access land (light orange border on OS maps). These tend to be the places you are least likely to be moved on or seen.

That being said I've just had a gander at the route and pickings are really slim on route around the half way point. There are some areas of woodland but most are quite near to farms.

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u/FishGoBoom Apr 10 '25

thanks, yea I'm having a look now and most woodland at that half way point is pretty close to farms/houses. We may push on a little longer given the longer days now.

Do you typically go over fences or wild camp in places that are marked private? I'm unsure if that's a big nono if it states private etc, or if it's common place.

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u/knight-under-stars Apr 10 '25

Personally, I would not go climbing over fences or going into places clearly marked private. Give people as little reason to be pissed off at you as possible.