Your first solo wild camp: a step-by-step plan

Where can you wild camp legally in the UK?

Wild camping is legal across most unenclosed land in Scotland, on parts of Dartmoor, and anywhere else in England and Wales where the landowner has said yes. That covers the main options for a first solo night.

Scotland's right comes from the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and the Scottish Outdoor Access Code sets the terms: lightweight camping, in small numbers, for two or three nights in any one place, away from buildings and roads. One exception catches people out. Parts of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park are camping management zones, where you need a permit to camp between 1 March and 30 September.

In England and Wales there is no general right to wild camp. Dartmoor is the exception most people mean: the Supreme Court confirmed in 2025 that backpack camping is allowed on the Dartmoor Commons, and the Dartmoor National Park Authority publishes a map of where. Everywhere else, ask the landowner. Plenty of farms will say yes to one small tent for one night, and the nearly wild camping guide covers quiet sites that feel close to the real thing.

The wild camping hub goes into the law in more detail.

How do you choose a spot for your first solo wild camp?

Choose a first wild camp spot that is legal, sheltered, close to a road, and one you have walked past in daylight. A remote summit can wait for the third or fourth trip.

A walk in of an hour or two is plenty. It is far enough to feel away from everything and short enough that you can walk out at 2am if the wind gets up or you simply want your own bed. Nobody has to know you did.

On the map, look for flat ground that is out of sight of paths and houses, with running water nearby but not right beside the tent. Contour lines that spread wide apart mean flatter ground. Avoid the lowest point of a valley floor, because cold air and rain water both collect there overnight.

What should you pack for a first solo night?

Pack a tent, a sleeping bag rated for the night's forecast low, an insulated sleeping mat, a stove with fuel, water, food, a head torch, warm layers and waterproofs. The wild camping kit list goes through each item.

Two items do most of the work for a comfortable night. The sleeping bag's ISO 23537 comfort rating should sit at or below the coldest temperature forecast for your spot. The mat matters as much, because the ground takes heat from you faster than the air does; our guide to mat R-values explains the number to look for.

The First Solo Night Kit puts a one man tent, a 3-season sleeping bag, a sleeping mat and a head torch together. If you are still choosing a shelter on its own, one man tents are the obvious pick for solo trips. Our guide on one man versus 2 man tents covers when the extra room is worth carrying. A bivvy bag is lighter still, though it is a harder first night.

Should you practise before a solo wild camp?

Yes. Pitch your tent at least twice before a solo wild camp, once in daylight and once in the dark with only your head torch.

The first pitch shows you how the tent goes up. The second shows you what you will actually be doing at 9pm on a hillside, when your hands are cold and the instructions are in the car. If you can do it in under 10 minutes with a torch, you are ready.

Sleep one night in the garden or at a campsite with the same kit if you can. You find out whether the mat is warm enough, and whether you have left anything at home, with your front door a few metres away.

Who should you tell before you go?

Tell one reliable person where you are camping, the route you are walking, and a set time you will message them the next morning. Agree what they should do if that time passes without word.

Send them a map pin or a grid reference, not a place name. Then stick to the plan, because a changed route that nobody knows about is the one that matters if something goes wrong.

It is also worth registering your phone for emergency SMS before you go. You text 'register' to 999 and follow the reply. Once registered, you can text 999 where there is too little signal for a call, and ask for the police and then mountain rescue.

When should you arrive and pitch?

Arrive at a wild camp spot late in the afternoon or early evening, pitch shortly before dark, and pack up early the next morning. This is the long-standing etiquette of wild camping.

A late pitch and an early start mean fewer walkers see the tent, the land looks untouched for most of the day, and you get a sunset and a sunrise for the effort of one night. In midsummer that can mean pitching at 9pm; in October it may be closer to 6pm, so check sunset times when you plan.

What does Leave No Trace mean on a wild camp?

Leave No Trace means that nobody arriving the next day can tell you were there. It is the whole bargain that keeps wild camping allowed where it is allowed.

Carry out all rubbish, including food scraps and teabags. Cook on a stove and do not light an open fire; scorched turf takes years to recover. For toilet waste, dig a hole 15cm to 20cm deep, at least 60m from water, paths and your tent, then fill it in. Pack out used toilet paper in a sealed bag.

Before you leave, walk the pitch once and look at the ground. If the grass is flattened, fluff it up with your hands.

What if your first solo wild camp goes wrong?

If your first solo wild camp goes wrong, walk out. Choosing a spot close to a road is what makes that a sensible option, and it is the right call more often than people admit.

Noises in the dark are nearly always sheep, deer or wind in the flysheet. Cold is the more common problem, and the fix is to put on every layer, eat something, and get the mat under you properly. If you are still cold after that, it is time to pack up.

One good night is all a first trip needs to achieve. The solo camping hub has what to try next.