Wild camping in the Lake District

Can you wild camp in the Lake District?

Not as a legal right. Wild camping in the Lake District needs the landowner's permission, but the Lake District National Park Authority says it is normally tolerated if you camp high on the fells, above the highest fell wall, for one night, with one or two tents, and leave no trace.

Tolerated is a weaker word than permitted, and the difference matters. A landowner, or someone acting for them, can ask you to take your tent down and move on at any time, day or night. If that happens, go, politely. The Authority can't give permission for private land, and it doesn't allow camping on the small amount of land it owns.

Why is the Lake District different from Dartmoor and Scotland?

England has no general right to wild camp. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 opened a lot of fell and moor to walkers, but it gave no right to camp on that land. Dartmoor is the exception because of its own Act of Parliament, and Scotland has had wider access rights since 2003.

The Lake District has neither. What it has is a long, informal tradition: campers who pitch late on high ground, well away from farms and villages, and leave early without a trace have usually been left alone. The Authority's guidance writes that tradition down.

What does the National Park Authority say?

The Authority's wild camping guidance sets out when wild camping is normally tolerated:

• Camp above the highest fell wall, well away from towns, villages and lake shores.
• Stay for one night only.
• Keep groups very small: one or two tents.
• Pitch as unobtrusively as you can, with a tent in a colour that blends in.
• Don't light a fire, even where someone else obviously has.
• Leave no litter, and don't bury it. Carry out everything you carried in, including sanitary products.
• Choose a dry pitch rather than digging drainage ditches or moving boulders.
• Go to the toilet at least 30 metres from water and bury it with a trowel.

Camping in car parks or on roadside verges is not allowed at any time, and that includes sleeping in a car or campervan. For those, the Authority points to campsites and its campervan parking advice.

What is the highest fell wall?

It is the top boundary of the enclosed farmland: the last dry-stone wall you cross on the way up, often called the intake wall. Below it are the fields and valley pastures farmers use for sheep and hay. Above it is open fell. If you are still climbing past walls and gates, you are not high enough yet.

On an OS map, the fell wall usually shows as the point where field boundaries stop and open access land begins. It sits at different heights in different valleys, so read the ground as well as the map.

Where in the Lake District suits a first wild camp?

Choose a fell you have walked in daylight, somewhere above the fell wall with a comfortable walk down to a road in the morning. A first night is about sleeping well, so pick familiarity over a famous summit.

Look for a flat, dry patch of short grass away from paths, with some shelter from the wind. Stay well clear of lake shores and tarn edges, which are the most worn and most visible pitches in the park, and are exactly where the Authority asks you not to camp. We don't publish grid references for pitches: the popular spots are already overused, and a pitch shared online stops being quiet quickly.

How do you get to the Lake District without a car?

The branch line from Oxenholme on the West Coast Main Line runs to Windermere, and Penrith on the main line is a bus ride from Keswick and the northern fells. Local buses link Windermere with Ambleside, Grasmere and Keswick. Check Traveline for current times, especially for the first bus out of a valley on your way home.

If you drive, use a proper car park and check its signs. Overnight parking rules vary, and some car parks close their gates.

When is the best time to wild camp in the Lake District?

May to September gives the longest days, and June has the most light of all, but expect rain in any month. The fells make their own weather: cloud can sit on the tops when the valleys are clear, and wind above the fell wall is often far stronger than at the car park.

Spring and autumn are quieter, and the colder nights mean you need a warmer sleeping bag and mat. Winter camping above the fell wall is for people with winter skills and kit.

What kit do you need for the Lake District?

Pack for rain and wind first. A small, low tent in green or grey that pitches quickly in bad weather suits the Authority's guidance and the conditions.

• A tent with a flysheet you trust in heavy rain, and every guyline used.
• A sleeping bag rated comfortably for the coldest night you expect, plus a mat with an R-value of about 3 or more.
• Waterproof jacket and trousers, a warm layer for camp, and a dry set of clothes kept in a dry bag.
• A stove, because fires are out.
• A trowel, a bag for rubbish and a bag for toilet paper.
• A map and compass, and the confidence to use them in cloud.

The Wild Camp Kit puts together the tent, sleeping bag, mat, rucksack and stove for a first night on the fells.

What if you'd rather have permission or facilities?

Book a campsite. The Lake District has plenty of small sites in the valleys, some with pitches that feel almost wild but come with a tap and a toilet. The Authority lists campsites across the park. Our guide to nearly wild camping explains how to find the quieter ones, which also make a sensible first step before a night above the fell wall.

How do you stay safe on the fells?

Tell one person your route and your return time, and check the mountain forecast the day before and on the morning you set out. The Met Office mountain forecast covers the Lake District fells.

Pitch where you can walk off in poor visibility: close to a path you know, and not on a ridge or summit where the wind has nothing to stop it. Streams rise quickly after heavy rain, so don't plan a morning that depends on crossing one. In an emergency, call 999, ask for the police, then ask for mountain rescue.

Questions people ask

Is wild camping illegal in the Lake District?

Camping without the landowner's permission is trespass, which is usually a civil matter rather than a crime. It is not permitted, but the National Park Authority says it is normally tolerated if you follow its guidance. If a landowner asks you to leave, you must go.

How many nights can I wild camp in one place?

One. The Authority's guidance is to stay for one night only and then move on.

Can I wild camp next to a lake or tarn?

The Authority asks you to camp well away from lake shores, above the highest fell wall. Pitches by the water are the ones it most wants to protect.

Can I sleep in my car or campervan?

Not in car parks or on roadside verges. Use a campsite that takes vehicles.