Why Etiquette Matters in the Uplands

Britain's hills are not wilderness in the grand, empty sense. Every ridge, bog and crag has been shaped by centuries of grazing, burning, drainage and footfall, and much of what looks rugged is really a thin skin of soil, moss and lichen stretched over rock. A tent pitched on the wrong patch can crush a community of arctic-alpine plants that took decades to establish, and a few seasons of careless camping can turn a lovely shoulder of hillside into a worn, muddy scar.

Wild camping is tolerated or permitted in many of our national parks, but it is never something to be taken for granted. The people who manage these landscapes — farmers, estate staff, rangers, volunteers — judge wild campers by what they leave behind. When we get it right, the case for keeping that access stays strong. When we get it wrong, we all lose a little of it.

Arrive Late, Leave Early

The oldest trick in the book is still the best one: turn up at the end of the day, camp quietly, and be gone before most people are on the hill. You avoid the busiest hours, you disturb far less, and you rarely have to explain yourself to anyone.

• Aim to pitch in the last hour of daylight, once day walkers have headed down for their tea.
• Cook and eat before dark, so you are not clattering about with stoves and pans at midnight.
• Be packed and walking by mid-morning at the latest — earlier in summer, when car parks fill fast.
• Keep voices low after dusk. Sound carries astonishingly far on a still night, and you may not be as alone as you think.

There is a real bonus here, too. Late arrivals mean you often get the sunset, and early starts mean you get the mist, the birdsong and the empty ridge before anyone else.

Pick Ground That Can Take the Weight

Your tent will sit in one spot for perhaps ten hours. Choose that spot as though you were choosing it for the plants as much as for your own comfort.

• Avoid short, springy turf and cushion moss; it marks badly and recovers slowly.
• Stay off bare, thin soil, lichen crusts and limestone pavement. These are the slowest habitats of all to heal.
• Give blanket bog, machair and dwarf shrub heath a wide berth. Bog is waterlogged, delicate and miserable to camp on anyway.
• Keep away from stream banks, loch shores and tarns. Erosion there is quick and lasting, and the water is often someone's supply.
• Never pitch on or beside archaeological remains — cairns, hut circles, old shielings and dykes. They are far older than they look and far softer than they look.
• Hard, stony ground is often the kindest option, provided you use a good mat. Firm gravel or dry, well-drained grass handles a night of pressure without complaint.

Carry Out Everything — Including the Awkward Bits

There is no such thing as a bin in the hills, and burying is not the answer in thin, peaty or rocky ground. Everything you carry in comes out with you, and that includes the unglamorous items.

• Food wrappers, fruit peel, tea bags, bottle tops, cable ties and tent pegs — pegs especially, which vanish into the grass with remarkable ease.
• Used tea lights and spent matches, plus any tinfoil that has touched food.
• Human waste and toilet paper. Carry it out in a sealed bag. Proper waste bags, doubled up, work fine and are standard kit in sensitive areas.
• Wet wipes and hygiene products, whether used or not.

A good habit is to pack a spare stuff sack for rubbish before you set off, and to do a slow, deliberate sweep of the pitch before you leave. If you can, pocket a bit of other people's litter too. It takes thirty seconds and it is one of the kindest things you can do for the next person up that path.

Respect Wildlife, Livestock and Other Folk

Upland Britain is working land as well as wild land. Ground-nesting birds such as curlew, lapwing, golden plover and skylark nest on open moorland between roughly March and July, and a tent placed on or beside a nest can end a breeding attempt in a single night. Deer stalking takes place on many estates through the autumn, and quiet, solitary camping on the wrong hill in the wrong month can disrupt a day's work.

Sheep, cattle and ponies wander freely in most national parks and are curious, hungry and inventive. Keep tents well away from established paths and gates, never leave food outside, and close any gate you open. Also, remember that a bothy is a shared shelter, not a private cottage — keep it tidy and take out more than you brought in.

Know the Rules and Leave No Trace

Access differs across the UK. In Scotland, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives a right of responsible access, including lightweight wild camping, provided you follow the outdoor access code. In England and Wales, wild camping on open country generally requires the landowner's permission, with a few long-standing exceptions. Always check the rules for the specific national park and the specific patch of ground before you go, and if you are unsure, ask.

Finally, treat the whole business as though you were never there. No fire scars, no flattened grass, no cut branches, no stones moved for a windbreak. Take a photo of the spot as you leave — if it looks untouched, you have done it properly.