To camp in random fields without permission in England

[feellikeahugefailure]

I'm thinking about doing a solo trip around Devon and Cornwall in a car. Campsites seem expensive, you have to book and often there aren't any where I need them

I've got a pop up tent.

Would it really be so bad to just pitch it at 9pm in some quiet field out of sight (and without animals) spend the night, then come 6am pack it up and move on?

Obviously I wouldn't litter or leave any sign that I was ever there.

There are some fields in the Isle of Wight that people pay the owner to be allowed to land helicopters on. I can't think of much more dangerous than the pilot getting there and finding a random tent right in the middle of his landing spot.

Yes muck spreading i.e. basically poo, is common by farmers. And livestock poo everywhere. No one cleans that up. It is only fields that are owned for leisure purposes where buried poo might be objected to,

Most places in Britain, you are NOT at risk of a helicopter landing on.

I'm not anti-camping, if that's what floats yer boat. But, op seems to want to wilfully trespass for the sake of £7-10/night.
There's plenty of places you could wild camp without inconveniencing a farmer. You could unknowingly damage crops, or damage a SSSI or upset the farmers livestock, etc, etc.
Op you seem to have a complete disregard for how land ownership works/ came about and the development of civilised behavior. A bit of reading up on feudal systems and the development of civilisation should educate you.
Or is this a case of being a jealous 'have not' and so you must ruin it for everyone else?
The common people put in a lot of effort achieving the right to roam and CROW act.
Ignorance of the law is no defence for breaking the law either.

A risk from helicopters!?

Lots of people run campsites on their land that aren't that expensive. Much better than being woken at 4am by the farmer moving livestock around. We camped on a lovely farm that was also home to 4 bulls, one of whom had his area just beyond a hardy fence on one of the site's borders. He was a lovely animal to look at from afar, but I wouldn't have wanted to be anywhere near him.

I don't know if anyone's posted this

m.pitchup.com/wild-camping/

Most farmers do not move livestock around at 4am.
Just pop into the farmhouse and ask

if a field is being used by farmers, some buried poo will not be a problem
Actually yes it will again with the regulations we work extremely hard to comply with human fecal matter is illegal (thankfully) and as all produce is regularly residue tested it could result in our produce being stopped, meaning not allowed to be sold plus loss of single farm payment

Practy, yes of course muck spreading is common.

But the whole point of the op is she wants to camp somewhere she sees as random without permission. It could be a leisure field, it could be anything at all.

Though I guess the next op comment will be "who decided you need permission to bury poo in a random field"

Actually at least this thread is making me laugh!

OP you are asking if you're being U.
Yes you are.
Farmer and lawyer here.
You would be trespassing on private land.
Land owners owe a duty of care even to trespassers. Next thing we know is that you've fallen in the ditch and broken your leg, can't work for 6 months and sue me for damages for not alerting you with a big sign about the ditch.
This is why you would be chased off the land and the landowner be perfectly reasonably peed off that you felt at liberty to camp without permission.
Ps. I'm dropping by your garden for a camp out, don't know when, I would have access right?

OP you are asking if you're being U.
Yes you are.
Landowner here.
You would be trespassing on private land.
Land owners owe a duty of care even to trespassers. Next thing we know is that you've fallen in the ditch and broken your leg, can't work for 6 months and sue me for damages for not alerting you with a big sign about the ditch.
This is why you would be chased off the land and the landowner be perfectly reasonably peed off that you felt at liberty to camp without permission.
Ps. I'm dropping by your garden for a camp out, don't know when, I would have access right?

I know so done who walked the south west coast path and wild camped the whole way round. Mainly on beaches but also in secluded fields.

The plan of asking the landowner is all well and good but I could IMagine sometimes it's hard to find the relevent farm. Farms aren't all little story book farms plonked in the middle of a small circle of fields. I live in the country and there are many, many fields five miles or so from the farm they belong to.

Poo you either need to bag it and carry it out or you take a tiny shovel and dig a hole, poo, backfill.

I wild camped the whole length of Portugal. Also the South Downs way. I was on my bike. I just asked the farmer if it was ok. They would just point the way to a standpipe and nearest pub. I always offered money but it was never accepted. I always had bags and a trowel just in case.

Lots of my friends thought me barmy but I loved it. I am trapped in campsites now I have kids but I met so many lovely people doing it. One farmer pointed out a spot to me which he said had the best view of the dawn. He stopped by in the morning with a bacon sarnie from his wife. I see hates, badgers, deer and weasels.

I'd never do it without seeking permission though and it takes some planning, leaving enough time to locate a site and enough time to get to a campsite if necessary.

And leave nothing behind.

one reason why you can't just wild camp wherever you like here is because it's a very densely populated, very small island, and nature is occupying a precarious balance.

For all you know, if you just wander into some field at night and pitch your tent, you've just ruined the nesting site of the last wild pair of some bird or other. Or have crushed a patch of flowers which the last vestiges of a particular beetle feast on. Or perhaps there are hidden old tin mines and the ground is unsafe.

^OP you are asking if you're being U.
Yes you are.
Farmer and lawyer here.
You would be trespassing on private land.
Land owners owe a duty of care even to trespassers. Next thing we know is that you've fallen in the ditch and broken your leg, can't work for 6 months and sue me for damages for not alerting you with a big sign about the ditch.
This is why you would be chased off the land and the landowner be perfectly reasonably peed off that you felt at liberty to camp without permission.
Ps. I'm dropping by your garden for a camp out, don't know when, I would have access right^

^^ This^^^

I am also a farmer (although not a lawyer). I have the good fortune to own a considerable amount of land , much of which is very pretty (think lakes, a river, ancient woodlands.. really chocolate box stuff).

Happily I am also quite remote so I don't have huge problems with trespassers but I do move a half dozen load on each summer. What gets me is the sense of entitlement - you would go fucking NUTS if I pitched up with 3 kids and a dog, lit a campfire and camped in your back garden.

Here's a radical idea , why not find out whose field it is and ASK PERMISSION FIRST? That way you're not trespassing but may also be able to relax , light a fire if the farmer allows you and enjoy your trip without the fear in the back of your mind that a pissed off farmer with some vicious dogs is about to appear over the hill and chase you off.

I have one family who camp by my lakes for a few days every summer, they first approached us over 10 years ago when my father ran the farm and he said okay then, now I'm in charge I don't see the need to change anything.
They just knocked on the door after someone pointed them in our direction, they were very polite and were at pains to explain that they wild camped a lot, never left any rubbish or human waste etc so father said okay then. They even offered to pay (which he refused).

Over the years trust has built up and they are more than welcome any time they like, we have had some good times with them fishing and barbequing together sometimes.
One year when the weather turned on them, we brought them up to the house for the night, gave them beds and dried out their gear for them. It saved them having to cut their holiday short and having to drive home with sodden kit and pneumonia.
The alternative had they just pitched up without asking would have been to chase them off into the distance that first time and would have done us all out of some good times... all for the sake of a bit of common decency!

If you're not sure where to find out who owns a piece of land and a farmhouse is not obvious then the local pub is a good place to start. The locals in my village pub could tell you who owns every blade of grass for several miles in every direction.

Mind you, turn up early enough, and ask at the farmer's door, and the chances are you'll be OK, but ask first. Just like you would ask if you wanted to use anything which wasn't yours.

havnt read the whole thread so sorry if repeating

www.wildcamping.co.uk/forums/cornwall/

People have "wild camped" on our field a lot. Problems we've had:

Human poo being left behind. Yup, on the surface.

Litter being left, which then gets eaten by livestock and wild animals

An actual bloody bonfire being lit which is incredibly irresponsible - the field is very dry sometimes and can go up in an instant

Gates left open which then allowed livestock into the field - which then triggered a complaint from a "wild camper"

And someone banging on my door at 4am asking if they could use the loo, waking the entire household.

Pisses me right off.

you would go fucking NUTS if I pitched up with 3 kids and a dog, lit a campfire and camped in your back garden

How very true!

We had someone like the OP wild camp in one of our fields last year. Yes, the field appeared empty as we'd brought the horses in early to go out. 5am the next morning DH was setting off for work and let the horses out who all went racing down the field. They saw the tent, spooked, and chaos ensued. Two sleepy, scared screaming campers who could have been seriously hurt. Ask the farmer OP it's only polite and also for your own safety. We've also found people camping near a very dangerous pond we have on our land and ignoring the numerous warning signs with children. The signs are there for good reason.