Taming Wild Camping

Ken Thomson

In 2021, BritainThinks, a London-based consultancy, was commissioned to study "irresponsible behaviour when camping with tents outwith managed camping facilities", with the aim of "develop[ing] practical recommendations for engaging with these audiences to encourage more responsible / positive behaviour (or discourage irresponsible / negative behaviour) that continue [sic] to uphold the ethos of Scottish access rights". The report is available at www.gov.scot/publications/promoting-responsible-camping-scotland/.

Phase 1 of the study involved online interviews with 27 "stakeholders", i.e. staff from councils, national park authorities, Scottish Land & Estates, Police Scotland and Mountaineering Scotland. Phase 2 "recruited participants who had wild camped in Scotland in the last two years", and who were found by "targeting irresponsible wild campers" using 'snowball' contacts and social media. Phase 3 involved a workshop in March 2022 "to map potential behaviour change communications and interventions."

The following types of "irresponsible behaviour" were investigated, with numbers indicating frequency of mention amongst the 20 wild-camping recruits:

• Inappropriate campfires, including using deadwood, cutting down live trees, or leaving campfires or BBQs alight or with traces (15, who had left burning embers, ash or scorch marks during dry periods on grass or a beach; some had used an existing stone ring, feeling that to be more responsible. A few mentioned only lighting their fire if the weather was damp or the site safely away from woods).
• Irresponsible toileting behaviour, such as doing so next to water, or not burying faeces or used toilet paper (11, of whom a "very few" had consciously done so 30m away from open water; two had purposefully urinated in lochs and streams, thinking it to be more hygienic than on land).
• Antisocial behaviour, such as excessive drinking, causing loud noise, or socialising in large groups (9, most of whom saw these types of behaviour as integral to their camping trip; though others were trying to escape rowdy groups at campsites).
• Littering, from cans through to abandoned tents (6, some of whom distinguished between "decomposable" and other litter).
• Inappropriate locations, such as near historic sites or in heavily used areas, or camping for more than 3 nights in one place (2).
• Inconsiderate, dangerous or damaging parking, or off-road driving (2).

In a UK-wide sample of wild campers, there was no strong overall pattern by socio-economic group, but younger participants were often celebrating the end of exams (i.e. camping for social rather than recreational reasons), while some older participants were adopting quasi-survivalist behaviour (e.g. using chain saws), or were following a camping "tradition" of fires and alcohol. Most wild campers in Scotland came from within the country, but a sizeable minority (especially in the Highlands, and in particular near the North Coast 500 scenic route) came from the south-east of England.

Individual motivations did not seem to distinguish irresponsible from responsible wild campers, i.e. most did so to be close to nature or for a sense of adventure or freedom. Affordability or ease of access was important to some, e.g. no need to book ahead, and no campsite or Covid-19 regulations to observe. Recommendations or invitations from relatives or friends had drawn some from normal to wild camping.

Stakeholders were often concerned over lack of knowledge or awareness (e.g. of the risk of peat fires) leading to irresponsible wild camping, while participants themselves often relied on their own common sense rather than the Scottish Outdoor Access Code definitions of "irresponsibility", with which they sometimes disagreed when made aware of the Code.

Lack of facilities such as roadside toilets, or litter bins, may have led to some irresponsible wild camping (e.g. littering), as did bad weather or midges. Littering and noise were seen as most irresponsible, but there was uncertainty about the use of previous fire sites, or the use of local wood. Excessive alcohol (and perhaps drugs) was seen as irresponsible but also as an essential part of wild camping for some.

The researchers concluded that communication to encourage responsible behaviour while wild camping may take many forms, but needs to be accompanied by other interventions, such as outreach (education), infrastructure (e.g. roadside toilets and bins) and staffing (e.g. rangers). The Access Code needs to be explained — simply but positively — with attention paid to media such as advertising and websites which may otherwise increase the likelihood of environmental damage from cumulative use.

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