Supporters call it “wild camping”; opponents call it “illegal camping”. What both sides accept is that there has been a boom in the past few months, with increasing numbers of visitors pitching their tents on any bit of land they fancy in the UK. In part, this reflects the fact that official campsites have been wholly or partially closed, or are overflowing in a summer when fewer people are going abroad. It is also cheap, at a time when many are worried about what the economic future holds. But it may also be an expression of a desire for going outdoors—a response to the months of lockdown.

Most of the coverage of the boom in wild camping has been negative. Camping in public parks has now been banned for August and the early part of September because campers dump litter, human waste, and even their tents on the grassland. Similar action has been taken even in Scotland, where camping is usually permitted on most of its open land.

Clearly there have to be rules. It would make sense that wild campers need to ask for permission to camp from landowners, especially outside Scotland, where the law is far more restrictive. It would be common sense for people to use small tents and leave no trace of their visit. They have been attracted by a patch of land this close to wilderness, and it is their responsibility to keep it that way.

Q16:Whyhas wild camping become popular in the UK?

Q17:Whyis camping banned for part of the summer in public parks? 

Q18:What does the speaker suggest campers do?