Is Wild Camping Legal in the UK? 2026 Rules by Nation

Last updated: 25 September 2026 · research-based guide

Wild camping is legal across most of Scotland, and on the Dartmoor commons in England where the National Park Authority permits backpack camping. Everywhere else in England and Wales, including the Lake District and Eryri (Snowdonia), you need the landowner’s permission to wild camp. Northern Ireland has no general right to wild camp either, so you need permission there too. Some national parks tolerate discreet, one-night camping high on the fells, but tolerance is not a legal right. A landowner can still ask you to leave.

This guide is based on research, not on trips we made ourselves. Each point was checked against the official sources listed at the end as of September 2026.

Wild camping law at a glance (2026)

England: permission first, almost everywhere

England’s main access law is the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CRoW). It gives a right to walk on mapped “access land” such as mountain, moor, heath, down and registered common land. Schedule 2, paragraph 1(s), excludes anyone who “engages in … camping”, and paragraph 1(e) excludes lighting fires. If you camp on access land without permission, you become a trespasser. Under section 2(4) you then lose your CRoW right to return to that land for 72 hours.

Off access land, camping without the owner’s consent is trespass. In most cases that’s a civil matter rather than a crime, but the landowner can ask you to leave. Byelaws on some commons, council land and National Trust land can make camping an offence, and police have extra powers in some situations, particularly when vehicles are involved.

Can you wild camp in the Lake District?

The Lake District National Park Authority is clear that wild camping is “technically not permitted without prior permission from the landowner”. It cannot give permission on private land, does not allow camping on its own land, and says camping in car parks or on verges is not allowed at any time.

The Authority also says discreet wild camping is “normally tolerated” if you camp above the highest fell wall, stay one night only, keep to one or two tents, light no fires and leave no trace. It warns that landowners “have the legal right to order you to break camp and move on”. Tolerance is an informal custom, and it doesn’t make wild camping legal.

Is England changing the law?

Not at the moment. No law extending wild camping beyond Dartmoor has been passed or introduced by the government as of September 2026.

• Labour dropped its pre-election pledge of a Scottish-style right to roam in 2023.
• In a House of Lords answer on 18 June 2025, the government said it “currently [has] no plans to extend wild camping as a guarantee in other national parks”. It said it would take the issue into account while it develops an access strategy.
• In May 2026, a Defra spokesperson pointed to new national river walks, the Coast to Coast national trail and the King Charles III England Coast Path. The government did not commit to Scottish-style access rights.
• A parliamentary petition to legalise wild camping in England closed in September 2026 with 239 signatures. That was too few to get a government response.
• Campaigners, a cross-party parliamentary group (APPG) and the Campaign for National Parks have proposed wider access or wild camping trials. These are proposals, not law.

You may also see online claims that changes to the Vagrancy Act have “legalised” wild camping. They haven’t. Nothing in that legislation creates a right to camp on someone else’s land.

Dartmoor: England’s legal exception

Dartmoor is the only place in England where you have a legal right to wild camp without asking the landowner. The right comes from section 10(1) of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985, which gives the public “a right of access to the commons on foot and on horseback for the purpose of open-air recreation”.

In January 2023 the High Court ruled that this wording did not include camping. The Court of Appeal reversed that ruling later in 2023. On 21 May 2025, in Darwall and another v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2025] UKSC 20, the Supreme Court dismissed the landowners’ appeal. The court held that camping is a form of “open-air recreation” and that “on foot and on horseback” describes how you get onto the commons, not what you may do once you’re there. The right is still subject to the Authority’s byelaws.

In practice, that means you need to follow the Dartmoor National Park Authority’s rules:

• Only camp in permitted areas. These are shown on the official DNPA camping map. Plenty of Dartmoor land, including enclosed farmland, is not included.
• Backpack camping only. Bring a lightweight tent and kit that fits in a rucksack you can carry, and stay “one or two nights max”.
• Stay out of sight of roads and buildings, use a small tent that blends in, and keep groups to no more than six people.
• No open fires or BBQs. Take all litter home. Bury poo and toilet paper under at least 15 cm of turf, which means carrying a trowel.
• Avoid disturbing wildlife, especially during lambing and the bird breeding season (1 March–31 July).
• No sleeping in vehicles. National Park byelaws don’t allow overnight stays in vehicles at the roadside or in car parks.
• Check the military firing programme. Some camping areas overlap live-firing ranges. Check the Dartmoor firing programme on GOV.UK before you go.

Wales: permission needed, including in Eryri

Wales has the same CRoW Act framework as England, so camping on open access land is excluded unless the landowner agrees. The Eryri National Park Authority says “wild camping is not permitted anywhere in Eryri without prior permission from the landowner or farmer”. It adds that camping in car parks or on roadside verges “is not allowed at any time”. The Authority owns little land, so it can’t give consent on farmland, forestry, National Trust property or open access land.

Eryri recommends official campsites or hostels. If you do have permission, it asks you to follow its Wild Camping Code:

• Camp high, away from houses and farms.
• Pitch late, leave early and stay one night only.
• Use one or two tents at most, with no groups.
• Light no fires and use no disposable BBQs.
• Go to the toilet at least 30 m from water and paths, and bury waste at least 15 cm deep.
• Move on without argument if the landowner asks you to.

The same principle applies in the Bannau Brycheiniog (Brecon Beacons) and Pembrokeshire Coast national parks and across the rest of Wales: get permission first.

Access reform has been discussed in Wales for several years. Outdoor Alliance Wales has called for trials of expanded wild camping on some Welsh Government land. No change to the law has been made.

Scotland: a legal right, with responsibilities

In Scotland, the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 gives statutory access rights over most land and inland water, and those rights include wild camping. The Scottish Outdoor Access Code, maintained by NatureScot, explains what exercising the right responsibly means. It covers “lightweight camping in a tent, in small numbers and for no more than two or three nights in one place”. Under the Code you should:

• Use small tents and camp well away from buildings and roads.
• Avoid enclosed fields of crops or farm animals.
• Pee at least 30 m from lochs, rivers and burns. Bury poo in a shallow hole and replace the turf, or bag it and carry it out.
• Take away all belongings and litter, and leave no trace.
• Remember that access rights don’t cover motor vehicles, so they don’t cover camping in a campervan either.
• Use a stove. The Code’s guidance says never to light an open fire during prolonged dry periods, or in forests, woods, farmland, on peaty ground, near buildings or at heritage sites, and to follow local advice and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service wildfire warnings.

Loch Lomond camping permits

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park has Camping Management Byelaws that apply from 1 March to 30 September every year. They create camping management zones along popular lochshores, covering less than 4% of the park. Inside these zones you must either stay at a campsite or buy a permit for a designated permit area. The Authority’s permit page, updated in August 2026, gives these terms:

• Permits cost £4.50 per tent (or motorhome/campervan) per night. You need one for each tent.
• You can book up to three nights in one area, up to four weeks ahead.
• Tents can arrive from 1pm and must leave by 11am.
• Organised youth groups such as Duke of Edinburgh and Scouts can apply for free permission.
• The byelaws also cover irresponsible fire-lighting, including collecting firewood. Breaking them can lead to a report to the Procurator Fiscal and a fine of up to £500.

Outside the zones, or outside the March–September season, normal Access Code rights apply.

Northern Ireland: no general right to camp

Northern Ireland has no Scottish-style access legislation and no general right to roam. The Access to the Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 lets councils secure access to open country, but according to DAERA that power has never been used. Access mostly depends on public rights of way or the landowner’s consent. Wild camping therefore needs the landowner’s permission, and that includes popular areas such as the Mournes and the Sperrins. DAERA consulted on outdoor recreation access in 2021 and announced an Outdoor Recreation Action Plan in July 2026. No Bill that would create camping rights is currently progressing.

How to wild camp responsibly

These habits come from the Dartmoor, Lake District, Eryri and Scottish codes, the Countryside Code and Leave No Trace principles. They’re the etiquette landowners and rangers tend to tolerate, but they don’t replace permission where the law requires it.

• Arrive late, leave early. Pitch in the evening, pack up in the morning and stay one night, or two to three in Scotland.
• Camp high and out of sight. Stay well away from houses, farms, roads, lake shores and popular paths.
• Keep it small. One or two tents is ideal. Dartmoor’s upper limit is six people. Choose tents in muted colours and keep noise down.
• No fires or disposable BBQs. Use a stove on a stable, non-flammable surface.
• Human waste: go at least 30 m from water and paths, and bury it at least 15 cm deep with a trowel, or bag it and carry it out. Always carry out toilet paper and sanitary items, because animals dig them up.
• Leave no trace. Carry out everything you carried in, including food scraps. Don’t dig drainage trenches or move rocks.
• Protect water. Don’t wash with soap in streams or lochs.
• Respect wildlife and livestock, especially from March to July when ground-nesting birds are breeding and lambs are young.
• Leave politely if asked. If a landowner or ranger asks you to move, pack up without argument.
• Don’t sleep in the car. Roadside and car park sleeping is banned by byelaws on Dartmoor and not allowed in the Lake District or Eryri.

What to pack for a wild camp

Wild camping means carrying everything you need, and packing out everything you bring. Our hiking and camping gear checklist covers the full list. The essentials are a lightweight, low-profile shelter (our research-based round-up of the best backpacking tents for 2026 will help you choose), a sleeping bag and mat suited to the season (see what temperature sleeping bag you need in the UK), a stove and fuel, a trowel and bags for waste, a head torch, a water filter, and a map and compass. UK upland nights can be cold even in summer, so read our guide on how to stay warm in a tent before you go.

Wild camping FAQ

Is wild camping legal in the UK?

It depends on the nation. Wild camping is legal on most unenclosed land in Scotland under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, provided you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. In England, it’s legal without permission only on the Dartmoor commons where the National Park Authority permits backpack camping. Everywhere else in England and Wales, and throughout Northern Ireland, you need the landowner’s permission.

Can you wild camp in the Lake District?

Not legally without the landowner’s permission. The Lake District National Park Authority says wild camping is technically not permitted without prior permission. It is normally tolerated if you camp above the highest fell wall, stay one night, keep to one or two tents, light no fires and leave no trace. A landowner can still ask you to move on.

What are the wild camping rules on Dartmoor?

Following the Supreme Court’s May 2025 ruling in Darwall v Dartmoor National Park Authority, you can backpack camp without permission on the areas shown on the Dartmoor National Park Authority camping map. Stay one or two nights at most, keep groups to six people or fewer, stay out of sight of roads and buildings, light no fires and leave no trace. Check the military firing programme before you go.

Do you need a permit to camp at Loch Lomond?

Yes, if you camp in a camping management zone between 1 March and 30 September. Permits cost £4.50 per tent per night in 2026 and can be booked for up to three nights in one permit area. Outside the zones, or outside that season, normal Scottish Outdoor Access Code rights apply.

Is wild camping legal in Wales?

No, not without the landowner’s permission. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 excludes camping from the right of access on open access land. The Eryri National Park Authority says wild camping is not permitted anywhere in Eryri without prior permission from the landowner or farmer.

Plan your route with our free trail guides app

Once you know the rules for the area you’re visiting, plan the walk itself with the free Peak Outdoor Guide UK trail guides app, and check how long it will take with our walking time calculator.

Sources

• UK Supreme Court: Darwall and another v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2025] UKSC 20
• Dartmoor National Park Authority: Camping map
• Dartmoor National Park Authority: Camping and backpack camping code
• GOV.UK: Dartmoor firing programme
• Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, Schedule 2 and section 2
• Lake District National Park Authority: Wild camping
• Eryri National Park Authority: Camping and wild camping
• Natural Resources Wales: Open access land
• Scottish Outdoor Access Code (NatureScot): Camping
• Scottish Outdoor Access Code: Open fires and BBQs guidance
• Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park: Get a permit
• Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park: Camping Management Byelaws
• Access to the Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1983
• FactCheckNI: What rights do the public have to walk in the countryside? (September 2026)
• GOV.UK / Natural England: The Countryside Code
• Hansard (House of Lords): Wild Camping, 18 June 2025
• UK Parliament petition: Legalise wild camping in England (closed September 2026)
• The Guardian: Defra statement on access rights (2 May 2026)
• Campaign for National Parks: Wild camping in national parks