When is it a camp?

[boatman]

I find the definition of camping difficult. Sleeping overnight somewhere is self-explanatory but is it camping?

For example, I would feel very awkward going into a commercial campsite and merely throwing my bivvy bag on the ground in the rented pitch which is what I might do wild camping. Then, falling asleep in various outdoor places is perfectly acceptable during the day so what makes the difference when the Sun goes down? Maybe it's cooking a meal or having a brew but then barbecues etc are common.

So "camping forbidden" means what?

 

[udamiano]

to answer the question.. simply yes.

To spend an overnight in a area in make-shift arrangements is camping as you have set up a camp.

As supplied by the Oxford dictionary

camp 1 |kamp|noun1 a place with temporary accommodations of huts, tents, or other structures, typically used by soldiers, refugees, prisoners, or travelers: the enemy camp | a detention camp | the shot woke the whole camp.• a recreational institution providing facilities for outdoor activities, sports, crafts, and other special interests and typically featuring rustic overnight accommodations: a summer camp for children | drama camp.• temporary overnight lodging out of doors, typically in tents: we made camp at a bend in the creek | we pitched camp at a fine spot.• a facility at which athletes train during the off-season: football tryout camps.2 the supporters of a particular party or doctrine regarded collectively: his views were firmly rooted in the conservative camp.verb [ no obj. ]live for a time in a camp, tent, or camper, as when on vacation: parks in which you can camp or stay in a chalet | (as noun camping) : camping attracts people of all ages.• lodge temporarily, esp. in an inappropriate or uncomfortable place: we camped out for the night in a mission schoolroom.• remain persistently in one place: the press will be camping on your doorstep once they get onto this story.PHRASESbreak camp take down a tent or the tents of an encampment when ready to leave.ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from French camp, champ, from Italian campo, from Latin campus ‘level ground,’ specifically applied to the Campus Martius in Rome, used for games, athletic practice, and military drill.



Hope this helps

 

[Ogri the trog]

As supplied by the Oxford dictionary

camp 1 |kamp|noun1 a place with temporary accommodations of huts, tents, or other structures, typically used by soldiers, refugees, prisoners, or travelers: the enemy camp | a detention camp | the shot woke the whole camp.• a recreational institution providing facilities for outdoor activities, sports, crafts, and other special interests and typically featuring rustic overnight accommodations: a summer camp for children | drama camp.• temporary overnight lodging out of doors, typically in tents: we made camp at a bend in the creek | we pitched camp at a fine spot.• a facility at which athletes train during the off-season: football tryout camps.2 the supporters of a particular party or doctrine regarded collectively: his views were firmly rooted in the conservative camp.verb [ no obj. ]live for a time in a camp, tent, or camper, as when on vacation: parks in which you can camp or stay in a chalet | (as noun camping) : camping attracts people of all ages.• lodge temporarily, esp. in an inappropriate or uncomfortable place: we camped out for the night in a mission schoolroom.• remain persistently in one place: the press will be camping on your doorstep once they get onto this story.PHRASESbreak camp take down a tent or the tents of an encampment when ready to leave.ORIGIN early 16th cent.: from French camp, champ, from Italian campo, from Latin campus ‘level ground,’ specifically applied to the Campus Martius in Rome, used for games, athletic practice, and military drill.

Hope this helps

Very useful Udamiano, though I wonder about my last highlighted one!

Ogri the trog

 

[udamiano]

Very useful Udamiano, though I wonder about my last highlighted one!

Ogri the trog

Sorry Pete, not sure. unless you mean the 'Level ground' bit, then I know what you mean LOL I've had my share of slept on a rock on a downward slope before. In fact once went to sleep under the tarp and in the morning looked up to a beautiful clear blue sky

 

[treefrog]

In the 80's I was trekking through the Ordesa national park, Spanish Pyrenees and ended up looking for a place to camp. There were signs everywhere saying 'No Camping'.
I eventually found a park ranger, who summed it up for me when he said "We allow bivouacking, but not camping. If you pitch your tent for a night and move on, not leaving a trace you were even there, then there is no problem you were bivouacking. If you pitch for a few days in the same spot, and i can see where your tent has been, you were camping."

Even now when I 'wild camp' in the UK, I am not camping merely bivouacking

 

[oldtimer]

In the 80's I was trekking through the Ordesa national park, Spanish Pyrenees and ended up looking for a place to camp. There were signs everywhere saying 'No Camping'.
I eventually found a park ranger, who summed it up for me when he said "We allow bivouacking, but not camping. If you pitch your tent for a night and move on, not leaving a trace you were even there, then there is no problem you were bivouacking. If you pitch for a few days in the same spot, and i can see where your tent has been, you were camping."

Even now when I 'wild camp' in the UK, I am not camping merely bivouacking

Yes, we got the same answer in the Parc des Bouillouses in the French Pyrenees. They seemed surprised that we were asking. In the summer they make you park in a designated car park and then catch a shuttle bus (free) to the parc edge. We left the car safe in the knowledge that it was monitered and patrolled and walked into the parc for several days. There is a mounted patrol of gendarmes who are very helpful. We are very civilised here in Pyrenees-Oriental. (And we know that trekkers spend money!)

 

[Shewie]

I pitched my tarp and bivvy on a proper campsite last week, it got some funny looks but nobody commented.

 

[Tony]

umm, a hard one to pin down, I figure it's anywhere that i stop, I'm camped there, but I do like the definition of the camping vs bivouacking. Not sure that works so well in the Uk though.

 

[udamiano]

As far as I understand the law doesn't make any mention of the use or not of a tent, It does however mention that 'residing for any length of time' without the landowners permission, and in local bylaws!!

So as far as I can see, IF you have been given a nod by the warden, take it as a gift, NOT a legal right , as the local bylaws and the forestry commission rules would take precedence if the local Police were to turn up.

The exact wording can be found under Part 5, Section 61(1) of the Criminal Justice & Public Order Act 1994 which seems to leave the decision to the senior officer in charge.

Hope this helps

Da

 

[boatman]

"Residing for any length of time" does seem to apply to more than one night otherwise why not just say residing? Perhaps it might be useful if we promoted the idea that we bivouacked rather than camped in the main.