Your first wild camp: a gentle guide

Your first night wild camping does not need to be on a mountain top. In fact, it is better if it is not. Choose somewhere an hour or two from the road, by water, with a way out if the weather turns. You are learning a routine, and routines are easier to learn when you are relaxed.

Choosing a pitch

• Flat, firm ground with short grass, away from hollows where cold air and water collect
• Shelter from the wind, but not under single trees that might drop branches
• At least 50 metres from streams and lochs, and out of sight of paths and houses
• Arrive with two hours of daylight left, so you are never pitching in the dark

Sleeping warm

Most people who sleep cold on their first wild camp blame the sleeping bag. It is usually the mat. The ground pulls heat out of you far faster than the air does, so a good insulated mat matters most. Eat a proper dinner, have a hot drink before bed and put on a dry warm layer and hat before you get cold, not after.

The evening routine

Pitch the tent first, then put the mat and sleeping bag inside so they can loft. Fetch water, cook, and keep your food sealed in the porch. Before dark, put your head torch, water bottle and the next morning's layers where you can find them without getting up.

Leave it as you found it

Take every scrap of rubbish home, including food scraps. Use a trowel and dig a hole 15 centimetres deep for toilet stops, well away from water. When you leave in the morning, check the grass where the tent stood and fluff it back up. Nobody should be able to tell you were there.