Wild camping

Wild camping is technically not permitted anywhere in the Lake District without prior permission from the landowner. 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 small amount of land that we own. Camping in car parks or on roadside verges is not allowed at any time.

Parking in campervans and motorhomes is not considered wild camping, however please plan ahead to check where you can park. Read our advice for where you can park campervans and motorhomes in the Lake District.

If you choose to wild camp, it is normally tolerated if you:

• camp above the highest fell wall, well away from towns, villages and lake shores
• leave no litter - this includes not burying litter and removing litter if you find it
• 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/sanitary towels, burying doesn't work, animals dig them up
• choose a dry pitch rather than dig drainage ditches or moving boulders
• do toilet duties min. 30m from water, bury with a trowel; read outdoor toilet tips
• at all times, help protect the environment, respect other visitors and communities

Wherever you pitch, please remember that the landowners or their representatives have the legal right to order you to break camp and move on.

Search and book your Lake District campsite

Useful links

• Camping sites 
• Guide to Sanitation - Mountaineering Council of Scotland
• Green Guide to the Uplands - British Mountaineering Council