I want to do a walk by myself where im walking and wild camping through countryside over a period of about 1 and a half weeks. i am inexperienced in camping out and walking and any help would be greatly appreaciated, I have never wild camped before, which area in england would be best for uninterrupted long distance walking where i could camp wild. i was thinking of either going to Cornwall or the Peak district, i live in nottingham and have to be in cornwall in a few weeks anyway so dont reallt want to go north, but is wild camping possible in cornwall? does cornwall have woods,forests mountains, or is it mostly flat seascapes?
thanksyou, my email is
dan, greggers0@hotmail.com
P.S - whats the deal with water, will i be able to get enough water from streams for everyday drinking water
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 Dan
Every square inch of England is owned by someone. Officially you are supposed to get that landowner's permission before you camp on their land. Unofficially, on the moors and mountains wild camping is tolerated in many places provided you are descrete and do negligible damage. Arrive late, leave early and don't stay more than one night.
There are some areas, and the Peak District is one, where the authorities discourage wild camping for environmental reasons (eg the risk of fire on peat moorlands in summer).
On water, opinions vary. I've no compunction about drinking from clean-looking streams once well up the hill above habitation, but others are more cautious and boil it, or use puritabs or a filter. Water is heavy stuff. Carrying enough for a 24 hour supply is too much.
Frankly, my advice if you're new to the game (and it sounds like you are), would be to plan to camp at campsites for most of your week and a half. It's easier that way & there are plenty of sites to choose from. Don't try to be too ambitious. Maybe scout out the locality and maybe try to get in one or two nights of wild camping - because it is fun.
John
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 Ditto John's advice. Try wild camping for one or maybe two nights max and see if you like digging holes to crap into and burning the paper; seeking out water from a map etc.
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 In my experience Dan there is very little scope for wild camping in the SW and very little water not poluted by cattle etc.
However you also say you are not experienced, well we all had to learn somewhere. My advice would be as John said go to a camp site, one in the lakes would be good and try to hone your skills then try the odd night up high somewhere with a good water supply.
Even better go on a couple of OM meets or join the backpackers club because you will have a huge wealth of knowledge to call on then.
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 I started my illegal solo camping career in the Chilterns at 16, hiding the tent in woods and filling with water up from public toilets (the taps not the bogs). Spent several enjoyable summers on my Falcon touring bike travelling all over the English Midlands and Wales, tent bungeed between two panniers full of unsuitable gear, before realising that walking was a lot easier than cycling.
I think I must have made every single mistake in the book, including drinking my own pee (yes by mistake) and impregnating all my clothes with margarine one memorable summer's day in Shropshire. I also once went to Scotland for 2 months with no other wet-weather gear than a black rubber mac, and only one pair of footwear (some lovely leather Hawkins boots - the soles fell off somewhere on the 5 Sisters of Kintail).
I'm not sure if this constitutes advice or not, but hopefully it will encourage you to have a go, as it would probably be impossible for anyone to get it as wrong as I did.
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I feel i have to agree with everyone have a go without spending an absolute fortune because if you dont like it then you lose very little. Get good quality waterproofs though and take some kind of emergency kit eg survival bag, whistle, torch with spare bulb and batteries.
Tell someone where you are going and how long you expect it to take. Where you are most likely to stop and what you plan to do in an emergency (tent blows away etc).
See if there is someone who can take you out for a few nights and teach you the basics and practice your navigation skills.
But most of all get out there and check out our most green and pleasant land, experience the silence and solitude of a Lakeland Valley, Peak District fell, or Scottish Glen.I guarantee you wont want to come back.
<continues to wax lyrical to ones self>
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 Personally I would head for Wales, Yorkshire or SCOTLAND to wild camp, definately the better choices.
Dito the general minimum impact advice. But i cannot agree with the burning paper, put it in a sealable food bag and dispose of in civilisation (the paper only) as lighting fires in the wild is fairly irresponsible, but that's just my take on it (before anybody starts a discussion). Having said that I have had fires but I make it fairly safe, I just won't be telling others too light them.
Take water where it is fast flowing and preferably above 200m or the livestock line (imaginery but you learn as you go along), a tin cup is useful to check the clarity of the water before commiting your larger vesicle or carrying device. There are plenty of purification kits as well.
Not too knowledgeable on Cornwall, but would imagine that Exmoor & Dartmoor would be good places to go.
If it's in the Highlands of Scotland then I may be more helpful.
Have a good time.
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Rich - can I just say with the burning loo papar thing - of course I only do it where there is no fire risk and I don't wild camp in danger-fire areas.
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That's good to know.
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 I have done a lot of wild camping and bivvying on Dartmoor in the past and it's fine for that.
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 Dan,
quite apart from the advice above on 'watering down' your first trip have you considered the mental effect of 10 days with little or no conversation.
I walk solo for the majority of my time in the hills but after a couple of days it can get a bit freaky!
On the water front, do some research and filter/purify your water by whatever method you decide is best but don't rely on the 'fast flowing up high' method... shit can get anywhere!
As for the shit itself.. double bag it and carry it out; if the enemy find it you will have betrayed your presence... oh hang on, that's advice from a previous life.. ;)
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 Following on from Mark's advice, when I'm out for a few days on my own I take a tiny radio with me, so I can get some burbling conversation in the tent. (Though one time in Norway the only station I could get was playing a Cliff Richard country & western night. I did go insane that night)
Sorry if I patronise but I'd really recommend practicing like hell with a map and compass if you're inexperienced with navigation, esp somewhere like Dartmor. Take bearings off anything you can see, get your head around dealing with magnetic deviation away from grid north, and so on. Eric Langmuir's "Mountaincraft & Leadership" is worth having on your book shelves. Oh, and reading too.
Enjoy. Wild camping is the most fun you can have (a) by yourself and (b) without use of substances (though a hipflask is a nice thing to treat yourself in the quiet of the evening as the pans bubble away on top of the stove... bliss.)
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Re the loneliness bit; I expect it affects people differently, but in my experience, the first couple of days are fine because it's a new adventure. Days three, four and five are lonely and depressing and I want to give up. Days six and onwards it gradually improves, and by the end I'm really into it, I don't want to go home and normal life, work, politics etc seem pointless.
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 Work, politics etc are pointless :-)
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I always find the first day & night toughest when exploring on my own, just leaving the company of people to start off, once have spent a night out on my own just tend to get on with it and have a lovely wander enjoying the scenery and the escapism.
That way when you spot fellow lonely explorers you can have a good spot of banter and a nip of whisky (life saving technology) and enjoy the peace.
Now better get sorted for the A'Chir ridge on Arran...............................
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I would highly recommend...
1. Definitely having a go. Its a fantastic freedom wild camping, and takes you very sharply away from the dreary bill paying that plagues most of our lives.
2. Go with someone else. Racing off into the hills with little experience is a mug's game. Even if your nav is good, it's all to easy to make a mistake and get temporarily lost. Getting lost with a mate, can actually be almost amusing. Getting lost on your own is not funny at all.
3. Go out for a night the first time. Dont go too far. Just use it as a test to work out what you really need and what is useless. If you jump in at the deep end, you will need to carry an absolute shed load, and if you pick up an injury on day one you'll be put off it forever.
4. Do it in summer the first couple of times. Winter wild camping has its merits but it really helps to have a bit of experience. If you get stuck out in freezing rain, possibly on your own, you just wont have a good time. No one likes conditions like that. Cold is ok. Wet is ok. Cold and wet is miserable. Wind and rain just sap your energy and you wont much like having to creep out of your tent in the middle of the night to sort it out when it starts to come down in the gale etc.
I'm not trying to put you off at all, but like anything else, best to start gently and work up. It will be a challenge to start off with whatever.
Have fun
J
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...all night with only Cliff Richard for company. Are you still in counselling?
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