Wild Camping "Full Time" Possible?

[LukeD]

Hi guys this is my first post here, although I've been lurking here for a good year or two.

Anyway. I have a plan that I wanted to share with you and get your opinions of it.

So what I want to do, is Walk around the entire UK (a full circle around the coast) camping out under a tarp for the whole duration.

I would be doing this with bushcraft gear, and little to no money at all. I'm thinking that because I will be going around the coast, food will be easy to come by if I take a telescopic fishing rod and fish for mackeral at the end of each day. There would also be opportunityes for other coastal foods like limpets etc.

I would also take bags of rice and oats with me and restock them with the little money I will be taking with me.

Do you guys think this is possible? I really want to do this and cant think of any reason why not, but would like a few outside opinions first.

Cheers

 

[mikehill]

Not sure if it would be possible but I wish you all the best with it. Wonderful idea ! Make sure you film it, you never know if there's a TV program in that idea

 

[Fadcode]

Anything is possible, but to walk around the coast of the UK, a distance close to 8000 miles would take you years to complete, and although you could fish for mackerel every day, I am sure you would soon be fed up of the taste, etc.

If you played your cards right, you may get away with wild camping but you would be pushing your luck in a lot of areas, also there are long stretches of the coastline without access to the beach or the sea, so you would need to look elsewhere for food sources, perhaps rabbits etc.
Because of the length of time it would take the weather would be your worst enemy especially up North in the extremes of Scotland, which is remote, yet wild camping friendly.

If you did want to really do this, a lot of planning would be needed, perhaps sponsorship to help with funds, perhaps writing a diary of your travels to be published in a magazine as you went on your way.Sponsorship for equipment etc.

I would go with it if you really want to do it, myself I have always fancied canoeing down the length of the Mississippi.

I do think it would be unwise to attempt this journey without sufficient funds you could call upon to ensure your well being, maybe getting jobs for a few weeks as you go, to give you the funds for food etc, without realistic monetary backing I think you would find it very difficult to complete the journey, I mean if your tarp was ruined and you couldn't get a replacement you would be in deep trouble,

 

[wicca]

Walk the entire UK coastline possible? Certainly, others are already on their way...www.britishwalks.org/walks/Named/CoastWalk/Links.php

Current walkers....Note Aaron Casey, it's taken him a year to walk from Yorkshire to Kent. There's some information in the various accounts which you may find useful.

As a training exercise why not walk the Pembrokeshire Coast path in January first, and let us know how you get on?

 

[sunndog]

self suffient walk of the entire cost with little to no money is in all practicality impossible

Mackeral rice and oats wont keep you going mate. You'd be sick in a week, suicidal in a month

A trip like this would takes years. Clothing and gear would need replacing. proper food and fuel would need to be bought. Communicaction paid for.....to name just a few

Lets say.....10 grand absolute minimum in your bank/rucksack before you step out of your front door

 

[LukeD]

Hi

thanks for the initial replies, some mixed opinions here.

It seems so far that its the money issue that would hold me back. I agree to some extent. I would need a way to find income along the way, but i dont see why I would need a minimum of ten grand. I prefer the idea of getting jobs along the way, maybe doing a couple of shifts at car washes etc might get me some cash that I could save if I needed to get some new equipment/ food.

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

I agree with most of the post...... But sick in a week and suicidal in a month!?!?!?!? Get a grip

I did a week on 0 calories and the next 3 well under 500 per day and less than 5% carbs, earlier this year... While holding down a full time job and maintaining a full and normal family life.

I wont say it was easy... But it wasnt hard.

 

[sunndog]

I agree with most of the post...... But sick in a week and suicidal in a month!?!?!?!? Get a grip

I did a week on 0 calories and the next 3 well under 500 per day and less than 5% carbs, earlier this year... While holding down a full time job and maintaining a full and normal family life.

I wont say it was easy... But it wasnt hard.

Different story if you think you might be facing years (years) of the same diet. Food is such an important part of moral and abilility to self motivate..... not to be underestimated

And ok i didn't mean literally suicidal lol

 

[sunndog]

Hi

thanks for the initial replies, some mixed opinions here.

It seems so far that its the money issue that would hold me back. I agree to some extent. I would need a way to find income along the way, but i dont see why I would need a minimum of ten grand. I prefer the idea of getting jobs along the way, maybe doing a couple of shifts at car washes etc might get me some cash that I could save if I needed to get some new equipment/ food.

Ten grand is not much spread over a couple of years or so. What if you injure yourself and say need a week in a b&b? my knee is blown out as i type and theres no frigging way i'm getting up in a morning and checking trap lines, foraging all day, then fishing at night.


Not trying to be the voice of doom or anything here dude its just walking 8000 thousand miles un-supported is a massive undertaking

 

[Toddy]

If you're walking you need a bare minimum of around 2,000 calories a day. If you're working hard on that walking you need more. Otherwise you slowly lose condition and every damned thing becomes a huge effort.

The coastline is enormous. Much of it is not actually accessible….not just cliffs, but fields (in England and Wales = trespass, and in Scotland, despite our 'right of responsible access', growing crops and farm animals are not to be disturbed ) houses and gardens (again, not to be encroached upon up here either)

With no funds, or very little funds, then you need work to provide for your food requirements (inshore fishing isn't always possible and you can't live only on the fish or shellfish anyway. You need veg and you need minerals (even if you're eating the whole fish, bones, guts and all) If you could wildfowl too, it might help, but hmmm..licences, legalities, permissions, etc.,
Working a 'car wash' pre supposes that there is such work available. Maybe you have contacts who would search out such hourly paid work for you ?

I think doing as Wicca suggests is probably the best advice. Try it in a smaller walk first, break it down and see just how feasible it actually is.

I hate to discourage anyone, but the reality is that our island is busy, is very occupied and owned, and our weather is treacherous at times.
In the past people survived because they lived in family groups as they travelled through the seasonal round.
Starting at one spot and walking on just to get round the whole main island doesn't give you the timing to make the best of the seasonal round in any area, and certainly not in every area.
In Winter there's nearly sixteen hours of dark….that only leaves you eight hours to walk and to find food (in the storms and gales of the season)…and sixteen hours to sit cold and shivering, for months on end.
I think I'd aim for the south coast for that bit of the year myself

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do. It sounds epic, it sounds exhausting and frustrating to me though.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[mousey]

I've walked a little in UK, couple of days a few weeks and occasionally a couple of months at a time here and there. On longer trips I'll still duck into a BnB / youth hostel occasionally to get a shower and wash clothes etc [maybe one a week] I had money so could eat in a pub and buy food along the way and afford replacement kit [mostly socks and waterproofs once a new pair of boots].

I've often thought about doing the entire coast myself - but I have other commitments now, maybe in stages - but not being totally self supporting - catching / hunting / foraging own food, that'd be a full day just to get enough to eat without worrying about walking anywhere.

Do some smaller trips a couple of weeks maybe, hopefully you'll get some really foul weather to give an idea how nasty things can get.

I remember a chap on here [think he was german?] walking around Europe and he was coming over to UK and asked if people could put him up for the night - he had loads of responses offering a bed, meal and washing , not heard anything of him since then, and I wonder how he's getting on.

Anyway, summers here [even in NE Scotland ] so get out there had have some fun.

 

[Tiley]

Years ago - it must have been the 1970s - I think it was John Merrill who walked the whole of the United Kingdom's coastline in one continuous push. His 'modus operandi' was backpacking, taking with him the things he knew would keep him going and restocking on the way; I seem to remember that he wore through three pairs of Scarpa boots in the process! I seem to remember that the whole thing took him a year or just over...

I'm not sure that doing things in full bushcrafty style would be entirely possible but I admire the ambition. In the best interests of your health and safety, I would recommend taking a bit more money with you and a few more ingredients/food stuffs; it will be tough going and a pity if you had to stop due to malnutrition. After all, there's no guarantee you'll catch mackerel regularly and, as has been said, you will​ need more calories than you imagine to keep you functioning while you live outdoors.

 

[bowji john]

With good planning (and seeking permissions here and there from land owners) I would have thought it entirely possible with a couple of caveats

The idea of fishing for your grub at the end of the day is a non starter - you will need to provision properly as you go

You will not be able to walk all areas of the coast as footpaths don't yet run all the way round the coast

If I were planning it - I think I might be tempted to do it in two stages Scotland to South West, then a break over winter and South West back up to Scotland the following year

Plan the occasional B&B into your itinerary - might not be what you want to do at planning stage but you will appreciate the chance for a bath and warm bed here and there

Keep your kit to a minimum but buy GOOD kit

Test it and yourself over a few practice trips from a couple of days increasing to a couple of weeks before you embark on such a challenge

After purchasing gear I personally would budget a couple of grand per leg - but i might be wildly off - I do know however that 8 years ago I drove all the way round Africa on a budget of £14,000 so a walk must surely be cheaper

j

 

[ValeTudoGuy]

Perhaps do it with a bike/bike camper. It's not walking... But still one heck of an achievement.

 

[forest_girl]

From what I've seen similar threads, the common conclusion is usually that you can forage, or you can cover distance. You cant really do both.
I do a lot of winter hiking and I usually cover an average of about 5 miles a day, because of the heavier pack needed for winter equipment, having to stop to let really bad weather pass and the very short days, so you'll have to bare that in mind.

This isn't to say that you couldn't take a fishing rod, but I'd treat it more as a summer pastime in the evenings to supplement the food you have with you. If it were me I'd be carrying enough food that I would be fine not catching anything for a week.

You say you plan on using a tarp for the whole time but in winter?? really?? Especially coastal, even on the south coast in wintertime the beaches are hit much harder than inland by cold, wild and rain. It would be a better idea having seasonal kit additions (bug net in summer, warmer bag and actual tent in winter) and have them posted to places throughout the year for you to intercept. Obviously that will cost money.

Check out Sean Conway, he hasn't done the full coast, but he has done LEJOG 3 times, cycling swimming and running, as well as a lot of other long distance self powered trips. He has put out quite a bit of information about his kit and how he did it, but they were almost always partially supported and funded by book sales from the previous trip.

I dont think £10,000 is unrealistic for two years of travelling. I'm a student and when I take rent out of consideration I can pretty much scrape by on £5000 a year, eating very cheaply.

From some quick research, two mackerel fillets contain about 460 calories. A portion of oats and water is 150kcal, and a portion of rice is about 200. Presuming you can stomach it for months on end, you'll need roughly two fish, four portions of rice and two portions of oats every day to get enough calories to be able to sustain the 2000 you'll use hiking, though on full days of walking you'll more likely be using 3000 calories.

Basically, a really long hike is doable, and an extended wild food coming trip is doable and probably a lot of fun, but doing them together is unrealistic. When I started out I wanted to do long distance bushcraft trips, but now when I go on hiking trips, I'm not doing bushcraft or carrying bushcraft gear, and when I go on bushcraft trips, I don't cover much distance.

 

[C_Claycomb]

This sounds like a case of, "If you have to ask the price, you cannot afford it." If you have to ask whether it is possible, then for you, it is not.

I am sure you have researched people who have simply walked it. Like the folk here: https://forums.runnersworld.co.uk/d...-to-walk-around-the-entire-outside-of-england
So the distance is do-able, and like the young woman who cycled from the UK to Iran, I am sure some have done it without starting with much experience of long distance hiking.

Foraging for food. Even if you know how to do this, it is time consuming and does not lend itself to making progress on your travels. People take years learning how to get enough calories, not to mention vits and minerals. Most people taking courses find it challenging to do so from a static camp over the course of a week. I have fished a lot of places and caught nothing at all, fishing is far from a certainty even when the place contains fish, and not all water does.

A lot of people who do the long hikes in the US, like the Appalachian trail, do so in stages, rather than trying to do them all in one go. Guess it depends on your work situation, which approach is easier. Doing a section of coast as an experiment sounds like good advice. Another thing that the people in the US do is have gear sent ahead, or they mail stuff home, so they don't have to carry everything all the time. Most find the hike challenging enough even without having to search for food.


Here is a possible reason for the mixed opinions.
People applaud the amateur who succeeds in scaling the mountain, but there is scant sympathy for the ill prepared idiot who had to be located and airlifted by Search and Rescue. The hero may be praised more because they were inexperienced but determined, while the idiot may be derided for being unprepared and not knowing when to quit. The difference in reaction is success or failure and that might be down to luck. Whether people think something is a good idea will in part depend on how they judge this sort of risk balance.

 

[Nomad64]

Hi and welcome.

If this is a serious suggestion (people have been known to post things like this and then sit back and reach for the popcorn as a heated debate erupts), then it is a great idea but it is difficult to argue with the advice given by Toddy and others.

The interweb search I did suggests that the British mainland coastline (i.e. excluding NI and all the islands) is actually 11,000 miles long and if so and my maths is correct, to complete the journey in a year would require you to do 30 miles a day every day. Entirely possible on some sections during the long summer days if you were emerging fresh from a B&B after a hearty breakfast with something similar waiting for you at the end of the day but a very different prospect if you are going to have to try to find somewhere hidden away to wild camp at the end of the day and forage and cook your own food along the way. Realistically, you are probably looking at 2-3 years without the foraging element.

Even if you have plenty of food and water could find somewhere to camp each day, cooking, keeping you and your kit clean and dry and dealing with other essential admin all take a surprising amount of time (even assuming it is not raining horizontally) which will significantly eat into your walking time.

Trying to live off the land might be possible in some parts of the UK during the kinder months but it would be a full time job and I suspect that Ray Mears would end up looking like Mo Farah after a few months even without trying to move camp everyday. There are plenty of reality shows (usually) on US tv with bushcraft/survival experts and wannabes trying to live off the land and even in well chosen locations with guns, traps and other kit you could not carry or use in the UK, they struggle.

If you really have no money (outside the summer months in popular resorts, getting casual work out of season would be tough), the kindness of strangers and the interweb is likely to be your best (if not entirely reliable) bet.

You've given us no clue as to your experience (have you ever been in the position of putting one blistered foot in front of the other while wet through in the teeth of a freezing rainstorm for hours on end with the prospect of a damp night camping and the same again the next day?) or skills so rather than hoping to get a definitive answer from here, as others have suggested, get out there and try it for a week or two and see how you get on. You can start on your mackerel and rice diet today and see how much you need to sustain yourself and whether you do indeed lose the will to live let alone contemplating trekking for day after day in some wonderful but challenging scenery.

At the end of the day, you are never going to be too far from help and £50 will get you a bus ticket back to friends and family.

Don't forget to tell us what you decide and how you get on - too many threads start with a new member asking a question like this, sparking a heated debate and are never heard of again.

Good luck!

 

[Tengu]

I think you would need sufficient money to live on to do this. 2 years is a long time.

 

[KenThis]

I am researching doing the complete circumference of Wales.
But it became obvious to me very quickly that it would be a huge undertaking and would need to be well planned and financed.
I wouldn't consider trying to do it without having the right kit, money for instant replacements, money for food, a daily plan of where I'd start and stop, decent maps, and the possibility of support.
There are good resources on the web of people who undertake such challenges to give you a good idea of how others do it.

Also I'm a natural worryer but I would be very cautious of not planning on buying food as you go or only using a tarp.
I'm sure it is possible, BUT, it would massively increase the time taken to complete the route. Also if you do fail to eat or sleep well enough, mood, decision making, physical condition can all spiral very quickly. Also from experience of fasting for a week, after the third day you stop being 'hungry' as such and for me have a slight feeling of invincibility/high that you don't feel the need to eat. I'm not sure it would be a good combination in a remote area where survival is at stake.

 

[mrcharly]

I know nothing about fishing, other than when I see people fishing it seems to take a long time to catch anything. To rely on it as a source of food whilst also walking long distances each day would seem to be contradictory.

How about planning the walk over summer months and working the winter periods, each time starting from where you stopped? My stepson, with no experience, got a christmas job and earned about £1000 in 6 weeks, he was only working 3 days a week in toys R us as he has chronic fatigue syndrome. Someone with your drive could do better than that.

Bank and save that money, hit the trail as soon as the days get longer.