hi im new to this and want to start wild camping i live in cheltenham and was wundering if any of you would share the best places i can go in the cotswolds or my surrounding area? thanks
I keep a low profile, pitch after dark and strike at dawn and have never had any trouble.
Yes, I'm very law-abiding too, but when walking the Cotswold Way a couple of years back it was odd that I found myself benighted in bad weather every night and had to wild camp. I can't say it was easy to find a spot, but it is possible. One night it was p..ing down and I pitched after dark at the end of a lane only to find in the morning that it was where all the locals came for early morning dog walks. I packed up and walked on and found that if I had walked about 400 metres further I would have found the perfect spot, which sounds rather like the one Spandit mentioned. Personally, I keep a low profile, pitch after dark and strike at dawn and have never had any trouble.
Good advice, Spandit. I never leave anything, even footprints if I can manage it and take nothing, not even photos! Seriously though, minimum impact camping is my religion and it sometimes leaves me uneasy about some aspects of bushcraft. On one hand I'm glad to see growing interest in the natural world, but the sheer numbers of people doing it has had an adverse effect on the attitudes of the authorities. It heartens me to know that jrcash1234 is seeking advice I wish there were more like him/her. Its those who through ignorance do damage and turn people against wild campers that we need to worry about. This forum is a great place to share knowledge and learn and it it evident that many members do a lot of good, either formally through organisations like scouts and cadets or informally with family and friends, to pass on the knowledge. I'm proud to be a member of BushcraftUK!