Walking routes suitable for rough camping - advice and routes?!?!

Greg · 16 Apr 2013 at 14:50

Looking for some advice on areas and specific routes that you guys may have done or know of with regards to rough camping.

Myself and a couple of friends are looking to do some rough camping this year, we're ideally after a circuit route that would allow us to walk for a day, camp somewhere and then walk back a different path to our start location.

We're looking about 20 miles round trip, ish, this'll give us time to start walking, make camp and then walk back the next day.

We'll be travelling from the Milton Keynes area and are all fairly experienced walkers.

Does anyone have any suggestions of areas or routes.

Many thanks in advance

bitslice · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:11

Rough camping? Is this like Brokeback mountain or something?

alx · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:15

bitslice said:
Rough camping? Is this like Brokeback mountain or something?

Lol

. It basically means camping in the wild and not at a campsite with facilities etc.

dowie · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:25

erm... anywhere in Scotland basically... laws are different up there and essentially you can go about the countryside unrestricted...

As for walking around in a big circle for 20 miles.... do you really need a set route to do this since you're rough camping and can pitch a tent practically anywhere? Grab a map, plan a route....

Perhaps go stay in a B&B for the first night - Inverness maybe? then go walking, camping, walking... drive back....

Zogger · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:29

I would recommend a walk around Milton Keynes, try camping on a roundabout overnight. It's arranged in a convenient grid so it's easy to work out a circular route of about 20 miles which will take in a lot of very exciting similar looking roads

FTM · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:36

western lakes is good for this

you can start at seatoller/seathwaite in borrowdale do scafell pike and camp at sprinkling tarn or styhead tarn..both are well used by wild campers and sprinkling tarn has had some shelter built for tents as it can get windy up there

second day instead of heading straight back you could do great gable or great end then back down to your start point

its a great route and I have camped at both in the past..but lordy if its windy you need a decent tent

robj20 · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:39

Scafell pike via, Stonethwait is my usual route, can easily manage 30+ miles in a loop.

FTM · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:47

you can easily extend it for another day if you wanted to , thats why its such a great area...you could could do the langdale pikes and head down for an overnight in wasdale..you could go from great gable across honnister and up to dale head, high spy and catbells...theres loads of choice

yer_averagejoe · 16 Apr 2013 at 15:47

North of Arran would be a good shout.

Greg · 16 Apr 2013 at 16:07

FTM said:
western lakes is good for this

you can start at seatoller/seathwaite in borrowdale do scafell pike and camp at sprinkling tarn or styhead tarn..both are well used by wild campers and sprinkling tarn has had some shelter built for tents as it can get windy up there

second day instead of heading straight back you could do great gable or great end then back down to your start point

its a great route and I have camped at both in the past..but lordy if its windy you need a decent tent

robj20 said:
Scafell pike via, Stonethwait is my usual route, can easily manage 30+ miles in a loop.

FTM said:
you can easily extend it for another day if you wanted to , thats why its such a great area...you could could do the langdale pikes and head down for an overnight in wasdale..you could go from great gable across honnister and up to dale head, high spy and catbells...theres loads of choice

yer_averagejoe said:
North of Arran would be a good shout.

Take it you guys think the Lake District is the best place to go then? Do you have any links to specific routes, KML files or anything?

Thanks

pingwing · 16 Apr 2013 at 16:10

Zogger said:
I would recommend a walk around Milton Keynes, try camping on a roundabout overnight. It's arranged in a convenient grid so it's easy to work out a circular route of about 20 miles which will take in a lot of very exciting similar looking roads

Got to remember though that most people from Milton Keynes were born, raised and educated on the roundabouts so you have to really fight to find an empty one in term time for the true camping experience.

FTM · 16 Apr 2013 at 16:12

you could go to Torridon and not see another person for 3 days but you would get eaten alive by the nastiest midgies on the british isles.

that part of the lakes is a safe bet as it has decent paths for quick descents if you need to get down quick due to bad weather and you are never too far away from safe camping areas if the weather IS bad. plus it has a large number of classic routes and some tremendous scenery

you cant go wrong there

Russinating · 16 Apr 2013 at 16:16

I was going to do this in Exmoor which has lenient camping laws but never got round to it.

FTM · 16 Apr 2013 at 16:18

http://www.peakroutes.com/blog/lake-district-borrowdale-3-days-walking-wild-camping/

a wainwright book and an OS map is all you really need to plan a route there are proper campsites in borrowdale or wasdale you could use a base/start/end point

all you need then is to decide where you want to wild camp...most people use the high tarns as they tend to be in a little less exposed

last time I did an overnighter we didnt wild camp..we stayed at wasdale head, did crinkle crags then across windy gap and down into borrowdale and stayed overnight at the campsite at seathwaite

Hagar · 16 Apr 2013 at 16:27

Start Dungeon Ghyll, easier to get to than Seatoller, Seathwaite by road.

Day one Esk pike then the Scafells, both via waterfall, plenty of scrambling and tiring. Corridor route to Styhead tarn. Camp. Day two Great Gable, Green gable then Allen Crag, across the Langdale tops then drop back down to Dungeon Ghyll

Total 20 miles, a bit more on the ground, day two is easier.

fadetoblack · 16 Apr 2013 at 16:48

Op it's called WILD CAMPING

Not

Rough camping

Try asking here

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php?

TommyV · 16 Apr 2013 at 17:16

bitslice said:
Rough camping? Is this like Brokeback mountain or something?

Brokeback mixed with Bear Grylls, you have to 'eat' each other to stay alive.

Amp34 · 16 Apr 2013 at 18:33

The south west is pretty good for this sort of thing too, both totally legally and dubiously...

Dartmoor allows wild camping (with some limitations but if you're walking for a day beforehand and are away from roads then they don't apply). Also the Cornish coast is anothdr excellent place, the south west coast path is stunning, especially towards st ives/cape Cornwall/lands end. It's a bit of a grey area but there are plenty of deserted coves and other areas along the coast to pitch a tent. You can get there by train easily and the southern end around truro is so thin you can do both north and south coasts.

Greg · 17 Apr 2013 at 09:56

fadetoblack said:
Op it's called WILD CAMPING

Not

Rough camping

Try asking here

http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/content.php?

You still knew what I meant though!

Thanks for all the replies guys, I guess I'll have a looksie at all the recommendations and then share them with the others i'll be going with!

Greg · 17 Apr 2013 at 10:00

Amp34 said:
The south west is pretty good for this sort of thing too, both totally legally and dubiously...

Dartmoor allows wild camping (with some limitations but if you're walking for a day beforehand and are away from roads then they don't apply). Also the Cornish coast is anothdr excellent place, the south west coast path is stunning, especially towards st ives/cape Cornwall/lands end. It's a bit of a grey area but there are plenty of deserted coves and other areas along the coast to pitch a tent. You can get there by train easily and the southern end around truro is so thin you can do both north and south coasts.

I've never thought of going down to the far south west. Will look into this to!

like i said, thank you for all the replies and routes.