Wild camping
The Lake District National Park has many campsites, often in fairly wild and very beautiful locations. You can see a list on our Camping and caravanning page.
Camping away from an organised campsite is called wild camping. Legally wherever you camp you must have the permission of a landowner to camp on their land, though there is a tradition of wild camping in the Lake District.
In the past, camping has often been tolerated as long as people:
- camp above the highest fell wall, well away from towns and villages
- leave no litter - this includes not burying any litter and removing other people's
- don't light any fires, even if there is evidence that fires might have been lit
- stay for only one night
- keep groups very small - only one or two tents
- camp as unobtrusively as possible with inconspicuous tents which blend in
- leave the campsite as you would want to find it
- carry out everything you carried in
- carry out tampons and sanitary towels. Burying them doesn't work as animals dig them up again
- choose a dry pitch rather than digging drainage ditches around a tent or moving boulders
- perform toilet duties at least 30 metres - 100 feet - from water and bury the results with a trowel
- at all times, help protect the environment
Sometimes groups, such as young people on awards schemes, have arranged permission for camping in advance. However this does not mean these sites are open to everyone. Please check. Camping in car parks or on roadside verges is not allowed.
As the National Park Authority we do not have the power to allow camping on private land and we do not permit camping on the land that we own.
Wherever you pitch, please remember that the landowners or their representatives have the legal right to order you to break camp and move on.
Latest news
Published 26 July 2010
Concern is mounting over increasing levels of damage caused by wild camping at a popular Duddon Valley riverside beauty spot.
Almost every weekend sees tents going up at Ulpha Flats and Ulpha Bridge, in the south of the national park, which have been popular with picnickers for generations.
Amid mounting concern from residents about litter and toilet waste, Lake District National Park area ranger, Chris Berry, says he is working closely with police on a “very worrying situation”.
He explained: “We know how much people enjoy this very special place; families have visited the area for generations. But we are now seeing groups of young people putting up four or five tents on many weekends, despite the ‘no camping’ signs, and it is causing concern.
PC John Baldwin, Ulverston’s rural community and wildlife crime officer, said Cumbria police were taking the matter seriously.
He added: “We are working in close partnership with LDNPA on this matter. At a recent Safer Stronger Communities meeting, local residents identified anti-social behaviour in the valley during summer months as their policing priority. This includes illegal camping, as well as litter, fires and parking issues.
“We take all calls seriously and deal with them on their merits. A firm line is being taken, where appropriate, to try to control these issues for the local community and wider population.”
LDNP’s Chris Berry added: “Confrontation is the last thing we want. We hope education and persuasion from ourselves and police will convince wild campers to use authorised sites, including a farm at Seathwaite, only four miles away.
“Turner Hall Farm is a lovely campsite, has plenty of space, and is a great base to explore the Duddon Valley. The owner of Ulpha Flats - Dunnerdale Estates – wants the current danger to environmental health and animals removed.
“Although most people are thoroughly reasonable when approached, we can’t get away from the consequences of wild camping.
“Fires leave holes in the grass and increasing volumes of litter are not only an eyesore but a threat to grazing sheep too. Worryingly, the backs of walls and bushes are being used as toilets.
“We hope people realise both we and the police are taking a strong line on this matter.”
Useful links
- Camping and caravanning
- Striding Edge Hostel
- Guide to Sanitation - Mountaineering Council of Scotland (opens in new window)
- Green Guide to the Uplands - British Mountaineering Council (opens in new window)
Want even more visitor information?
Visit Golakes (opens in new window), the official website of the tourist board for The Lake District and Cumbria. Browse and book accommodation and attractions online and see what's on in the area.
