Living in a city has its advantages: the streets are bustling with people and activities throughout the day, and practically all corporations have their headquarters in major cities. Almost every day, you can meet new people, hear intriguing stories, and create lasting memories.
However, living in the city can become difficult at times. We are alarmed by car alarms, polluted air, and sizzling concrete. With the rapid input of information from many sources, the sensation of oversaturation has become an unavoidable aspect of daily life. Sometimes all we want is to get out of the boiling cauldron and back to Mother Nature. No phone, no computer, and no worry.
Is there a greater way to connect with nature than wild camping? Sleeping outside tucked in between the trees, viewing the stars and their brightness that we don’t usually perceive under city lights. Exploring endless fields of emerald green grass, smelling forest flowers and enjoying every single ray of light warming our skin. It may sound like a fairytale at this point, but it’s more than realistic.
Many committed hikers aspire to lonely pathways and serene isolation, and camping in the wilderness is their common goal. It’s a genuine retreat, with nothing but your pack, the route, and no one else for miles. It may sound intimidating if you have never found the courage to do it, but once you get into the wild, your life can completely turn around.
Bushcraft Camping 101: What Is It and How To Prepare For It?
Bushcraft camping is camping that employs wilderness survival techniques. You are bushcraft camping whether you are living in a tent with creature comforts and practicing survival skills or carrying the bare minimum equipment into the woods for a total immersion experience.
Before embarking on this type of adventure, it is important to master a few important things, such as lighting a fire, tying knots, orienting in nature, and befriending wild fruits and species.
As you will be becoming one with nature, it is important to pack properly. Some of the most important items you should carry in your backpack are:
- Tent, hammock, or tarp
- Ax or hatchet
- Folding saw
- Camping knife
- Compass
- First-aid kit
- Ferro rod
- Lighter
- Sharpening stone
- Pot
With all of this on your back, you will be prepared for everything that awaits you in nature. But, before you hit the road, it is important to know that bushcraft camping is not legal worldwide. In fact, some countries demand that it has to be done in designated camping areas.
Luckily, these kinds of destinations can be found all around the globe, and today, we will present you with the most stunning locations in Europe and North America.
Must-See Bushcraft Camping Places Around the World
Europe
- England: Although camping in the woods in England is highly popular, it is illegal, except on Dartmoor. Wild camping is permitted in Dartmoor National Park, so long as you can carry everything in a backpack, are polite, and are in a small group—you’re good to go.
Try to stick to areas of open moorland, and stay away from roads or settlements. Our recommendation would be The Two Moors Way hiking trail that traverses all of Devon, from Dartmoor National Park to Exmoor National Park in Somerset and then to the coast.
If you want to have some more comfort, try out The Little Wild Campsite, a secluded pasture on the south coast of Cornwall, replete with rustic charm. Set on a hill overlooking Mounts Bay, the accommodations are modest in the best possible manner (no electricity, composting toilets), and the South West Coast Path and neighboring beaches are easily accessible.
- Estonia: Estonia is a country with the Everyman Law, which grants citizens unfettered access to nature. This right is entrenched in Estonian law, but there are constraints.
Any national park supervised by the Estonian State Forest Management (RMK) has a designated, free camping area with rudimentary amenities. Notable off-grid camping places include Lahemaa National Park (near Tallinn), the Baltic island of Saaremaa, and ultra-remote Lake Rae, which has three campfire spots and free fuel kept in shelters, among its numerous natural highlights.
Although bushcraft camping is actively encouraged, some rules are to be followed. You must avoid fences and clearly designated private property, stay for no more than a few nights and adhere to leave no trace principles. Camp near trails and maintain a peaceful campground.
- Norway: Scandinavian countries are renowned internationally for their everyman’s right enabling them to access certain public or privately owned land, lakes, and rivers for recreation and exercise (also known as the “right to roam”).
Some restrictions do apply: no campfires should be lit between April and September, and you should stay out of fenced farming areas during the planting season, unless granted access.
Few locations here give such enormous natural benefits as the country’s northerly Lofoten Islands. Choose between magnificent, often-empty beaches like Uttakleiv, Skagsanden, or Kvalvika, where a stream supplies pure drinking water. These beaches are typically vacant, so prepare to enjoy the loneliness.
NORTH AMERICA
- Canada: While it is allowed to go wild camping in Canada, there are no laws protecting the right to do so. Even though it is permitted on Crown Land, wild camping is seen as more of a luxury than a rig.
To Canadians, camping in the wild doesn’t imply staying at a national, provincial, or privately-owned campsite. You may discover sites along trails that have rustic washrooms or venture into the bush where there are little to no amenities.
Restrictions may vary from province to province, so become familiar with the hunting seasons, check for fire bans, and follow leave no trace principles.
On the Sunshine Coast, there’s a route called The Sunshine Coast Trail that’s really lovely. It is a hut-to-hut track that stretches 157.7km (98 miles) from Sarah Point in Desolation Sound to Saltery Bay in Powell River, BC. It’s the longest hut-to-hut path in the country. You may wild camp wherever along it.
Sunshine Coast of British Columbia is a haven for wolves, cougars, black, and grizzly bears, so be prepared, so make sure to hang your food and carry bear spray.
- United States: The restrictions for wild camping in the United States are quite similar to those in Canada. When it comes to federal areas like the Bureau of Land Management’s WMAs, national grasslands and state forests, it is legal, free, generally distant, but may have some limits.
You should avoid private properties and clearly stated “no camping” areas, stay 150 feet away from roadways and 100 feet away from water sources, and respect the wildlife.
In case you are an experienced hiker, our warmest recommendation would be The Hayduke Trail. The trail’s 1281 km (812 mi) length is split between Arizona and Utah. A free trail permit is required for the whole length of the path, which goes through six different national parks along the way.
Conclusion: Respect Nature
No matter where you go, bushcraft camping is a great opportunity to get close to nature and learn about yourself. The most important thing to remember is to abide by local laws and customs while wild camping in other nations. Be careful, be an advocate for the wilder regions, tread gently and leave no trace.
When exploring or putting up camp, look for sturdy or established surfaces. This implies that if a hiking path or campground exists, you should utilize it. Dispose all of your rubbish (including your own ‘business’), and try to minimize campfire impacts. And most importantly, respect the wildlife.
In the fast-paced lifestyle we usually live, we sometimes forget to respect our environment. However, while you are in nature, it is very important to respect and nurture it because it gives us all the pleasure we get from camping in the wild.
