"Currently without the landowners concent it is illegal to wild camp on the moors, mountains, National Parks and MOD land. It is time to give people the same rights as those given North of the Border in Scotland to allow them to wild camp in these places without threat of legal action."
Do I understand the petition was asking for the right to wild camp in National Parks? and MOD land? What all of it, like my back garden? and the firing ranges? Kinder scout would be covered with campers and beer cans if this was allowed. Its' one thing in an inaccessible place with low density population and another when that place is within an hours drive of major population centers.
Why shouldn't people wild camp in national parks? Done responsibly, it causes no/very little damage.
And why not neccessarily MOD land? Their are firing ranges up here too, but cooperation between walkers and the MOD is generally very good, and no one will really walk onto a firing range in use anyways.
I think camping in someones direct garden is not allowed even in scotland, but when someone's "garden" gets into numbers of acres and is only cut grass or forest, I think camping should be allowed.
I'm totally against having to ask landowners permission to camp on thier land, and especially to whoever it was who suggested doing work for them for the right to camp. Some landowners, a fair few up here, are extremely anti walkers, but that doesn't stop me going thier. Indeed, if some landowner tries illegally to restrict access, it can even attract me to the area.
What I think should be done is have massive penalties for littering, and lots of enforcement.