Whats The Legal Definition Of Camping?

[Rich83]

I will be honest and state that I have camped in various woodlands and left no rubbish or mess. These include Bury Hill (near Pulborough, W-SX) and the South Downs. In Bury you don't need to climb fences it's all open woodland however on the downs to get some cover under trees I have climbed a fence, or more accurately found a bit of fence that has collapsed under a tree so I don't snag my trousers!

Is the general consensus that I can't be prosecuted if I get there in the afternoon and leave the following morning?

Now a further note, should I burn some standing deadwood to make a small fire does that become arson or criminal damage? What if the paracord or bungies I use on the trees leaves a mark?!

I am always apprehensive of going camping, feeling that I shouldn't be on private land (if it's not mine it's someone else's thus private right?) but I just love it so much and like the solitude and would hate to camp on a proper site.

 

[British Red]

The question has to be "are you happy for people to come into your garden and damage your trees"? If not, it would seem to be common civility to extend others the same courtesy.

As for dead wood, I heat by wood. But I keep a pile of dead wood in my tiny area of trees to encourage the beetles etc. upon which the larger life forms depend. I would take a dim view on a trepasser who burned an eco system I am trying to support.

 

[Rich83]

As I said, I damage nothing. It was a hypothetical question. With regards to the burning of wood, I only used the dead wood example to demonstrate that I had not destroyed a living tree. Mostly I use a little pocket rocket gas burner thing.

 

[British Red]

Well now, if all else fails, you could always ask permission to camp. If a bit of fence is under a fallen tree you could offer to fix it.

Personally, I have found the offer to give back rather than expectation of just "taking" goes a long way

 

[Rich83]

I agree with your statement of offering to give is a very positive thing however I can not imagine how to find the land owner of any of this land! I have read various guides tonight on doing so but in the areas I camp, I assume they are owned by the state?

In addition, I also agree that a quick apology and rapid withdrawal shouldn't offend anyone that happens to catch me though I do accept that it goes a long way to make the effort to ask.

 

[British Red]

Have you contacted the land registry, your local council, Natural England and the other bodies? I have never found it hard. Knocking on the doors of the nearest dwellings and asking "who owns....?" seems to work. Never had to knock on more than three doors. If its a government or statutory body, I am sure they will have a website or e-mail address.

30 seconds on google suggest the "Bury Hill Shoot" will probably know who owns Bury Hill (and also suggests that there will be release pens and poults that can be scared off by wild camping). There contact details can be found on the attached link

http://www.gunsonpegs.com/shooting-uk/south-east/west-sussex/bury-hill-shoot_866

 

[Noddy]

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[santaman2000]

Just interested to know if you arrested them on sight or if you had seen them there before and told them not to or if you woke them up and gave them a chance to move on and they just became beligerently sleepy again?

No, you're right. It was always someone we knew who just refused to listen. Or occassionally if the weather was bad enough we'd take a homeless person into custody just to get
them into shelter for the night.

 

[Thoth]

I think that in England if you are on a Public right of Way that you are permitted to 'rest'. I'll have to see if I can remember what legislation this is from but that does raise the question that I think the original post may have been driving at.