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Wild camping in the UK – where is it legal?
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Wild camping rules and local byelaws change, so always check the current position for the specific area before you go.
Pitching a small tent for a night on open country, away from any official campsite, sits in very different legal territory depending on where in the UK you are. In one country it is a clear, statutory right. Almost everywhere else it technically requires the landowner's permission — with one well-publicised exception that was settled by the UK's Supreme Court only in 2025. Here is how the law actually works, nation by nation, and what it means in practice for anyone planning a night under the stars.
In short (TL;DR)
- Scotland: a genuine legal right under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 — you can camp on most unenclosed land if you arrive on foot, by pedal cycle or by boat and follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
- England and Wales: no general right to wild camp. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 gives a right to roam on foot, but explicitly excludes camping. Pitching without permission is trespass — a civil matter, not a crime.
- Dartmoor is the one statutory exception in England and Wales. The Supreme Court confirmed in May 2025 that section 10(1) of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 includes a public right to wild camp on the Commons.
- Northern Ireland has the strictest position — no general right of access at all, and landowner permission is required almost everywhere.
- Trespass in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is civil matter, not a crime — you can be asked to leave, but you cannot be arrested simply for pitching a tent.
- Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park requires a camping permit in designated management zones between March and September, even though Scotland generally allows wild camping.
- Outside Dartmoor and Scotland, responsible wild camping high on the fells of Snowdonia, the Lake District and the Brecon Beacons is widely tolerated in practice — but tolerated is not the same as legal.
Scotland: the only general legal right to wild camp
Scotland stands out from the rest of the UK. The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, together with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code, gives the public a genuine right to camp on most unenclosed land — mountains, moorland and forest — provided it's done responsibly. The right comes with conditions that matter in practice:
- You must arrive under your own steam — on foot, by pedal cycle or by water. The right does not extend to recreational vehicles, trailers, campervans.
- Camping must not be part of an organised group activity.
- Two to three nights in any one spot is the practical maximum before moving on.
- You should camp away from buildings, roads and enclosed fields, and avoid causing disturbance to livestock or crops.
England and Wales: trespass, not a right
In England and Wales there is no general right to wild camp. This surprises many people, because the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (the "CROW Act") created a widely publicised right to roam across mapped open-access land and registered common land. That right covers walking, and a list of other activities — but it explicitly does not cover camping. Section 2(1) of the Act lists camping among the activities a person is not entitled to carry out on access land without separate permission.
Pitching a tent without the landowner's consent is therefore trespass. It is worth being precise about what that means in practice: trespass in England and Wales is a civil matter, not a crime. You cannot be arrested simply for camping on someone's land. The realistic consequence is being asked to leave — politely or otherwise — by the landowner or their representative. Prosecution or a fine for simple trespass is rare in practice, though not impossible, particularly where damage or repeated disregard for requests to leave is involved.
Dartmoor: the one statutory exception, confirmed by the Supreme Court
Dartmoor National Park is the single place in England and Wales where wild camping is a confirmed public right, rather than merely a tolareted practice. The legal basis is section 10(1) of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985, which grants the public "a right of access to the commons on foot and on horseback for the purpose of open-air recreation."
Whether that right included camping was disputed for years, and the dispute went all the way to the UK's Supremw Court. In January 2023, landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall won a High Court ruling that the 1985 Act did not include a right to camp. The Court of Appeal reversed that decision six months later. The Darwalls appealed again, and on May 21, 2025 the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed their appeal in Darwall and another v Dartmoor National Park Authority [2025] UKSC 20 — settling the question decisively. The justices held that "camping is a form of open-air recreation" in ordinary language, and that the words "on foot and on horseback" describe how the public accesses the commons, not what they're permitted to do once there.
It is worth keeping the scale of this right in perspective: campaigners from the Right to Roam group estimate that the land on Dartmoor with confirmed wild camping rights amounts to roughly 0.2% of the total land area of England. It remains, by a wide margin, the exception rather than a sign of a broader change in the law.
Northern Ireland: the most restrictive approach in the UK
Northern Ireland is in a legal position similar to — arguably stricter than — England and Wales before the CROW Act existed. The Access to the Countryside (Northern Ireland) Order 1983 provides some access rights, but it does not extend to camping, and there is no equivalent right-to-roam legislation. There is no Dartmoor-style exception anywhere in Northern Ireland. Landowner permission is required as a matter of course, and there are no widespread informal tolerances of the kind seen in parts of England and Wales — though discreet, low-impact wild camping in remote areas such as the Mourne Mountains is reported to be common in practice and rarely challenged.
National Parks often have their own, more restrictive regulations
Even where the general national law might suggest some flexibility, individual National Park authorities frequently impose tighter restrictions of their own. The Lake District National Park, for example, prohibits wild camping outside designated sites entirely, regardless of the general English position — landowner tolerance on remote high fells exists in practice, but the park authority itself does not sanction it. Snowdonia National Park in Wales similarly prohibits camping without permission, even on land that is otherwise open-access for walking. Always check the specific National Park Authority's current guidance rather than relying on the general national position, since local byelaws frequently override what you might expect.
How to wild camp responsibly, wherever it's permitted
Whether you're camping under a clear legal right in Scotland or Dartmoor, or relying on long-standing informal tolerance elsewhere, the practical etiquette is the same — and it matters more than ever, since landowner patience with wild campers has visibly thinned in recent years following incidents of littering and antisocial behaviour.
- Pitch late, leave early: arrive close to sunset and pack up at first light, minimising your visible presence on the land.
- Leave no trace: pack out everything you brought in, including all litter, and leave the ground exactly as you found it.
- Forgo open fires: campfires are damaging to vegetation and soil, and present a genuine wildfire risk on dry moorland and heath — most informal codes of conduct ask wild campers to skip them entirely.
- Camp on durable ground: choose hardwearing surfaces and avoid damaging vegetation, marshy ground, or areas where water collects in rain.
- Stay well away from paths, roads and buildings, and keep your group small — large groups draw attention and have a disproportionate environmental impact.
- Respect livestock and wildlife: avoid pitching near grazing animals or signs of large wildlife, and keep a respectful distance.
If you're heading into remote terrain for an overnight wild camp, plan your kit around minimising impact as much as around comfort — the two goals are closely linked in practice.
FAQ
Is wild camping illegal in England?
Outside Dartmoor, yes, technically. Camping without the landowner's permission is trespass under civil law. It is
not a criminal offence, so you cannot be arrested simply for camping — the realistic consequence is being asked to
leave. In practice, responsible wild camping high on remote fells in places like the Lake District and Snowdonia is
often tolerated, but that tolerance carries no legal protection.
Can I be arrested for wild camping without permission?
No, not for simple trespass. Trespass in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is a civil matter rather than a
criminal offence. A landowner or their representative can ask you to leave, and in rare cases pursue a civil claim,
but the police generally cannot arrest you purely for pitching a tent without consent.
Does the Dartmoor ruling mean wild camping is now legal everywhere in England?
No. The Supreme Court's 2025 judgment concerned only the specific wording of the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 and
applies solely to the registered Dartmoor Commons. It does not create any general right to wild camp elsewhere in
England or Wales. Campaign groups are actively lobbying for a wider Right to Roam Act, but as of 2026 no such
legislation has been passed.
What's the difference between the "right to roam" and a "right to camp"?
The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 created a right to roam — to walk across mapped open-access land — across
England and Wales. It did not create a right to camp; section 2(1) of the Act explicitly lists camping among the
activities not covered by that access right. The two rights are legally distinct, and confusing them is one of the
most common misunderstandings about UK camping law.
Do I need a permit to wild camp in Scotland?
Generally no, provided you follow the Scottish Outdoor Access Code — arriving on foot, pedal cycle or by water,
keeping to
small groups, and moving on after a couple of nights. The one significant exception is Loch Lomond & The Trossachs
National Park, where a permit is required to camp in designated management zones between March and September.
