Camping
in the UK.

Anyone — UK camping ranges from car-park-five-minutes-from-the-tent family campsites to genuinely wild Scottish glens. Glamping has made the soft entry point softer than ever; the wild-camping tradition keeps the upper end as committing as you want it to be.

In Scotland, yes — the Land Reform Act grants a right to camp on most unenclosed land (the Loch Lomond bylaws are the main exception). In England and Wales, technically no — wild camping requires the landowner's permission. In practice, the upland areas of Dartmoor, the Lake District, Snowdonia and the Yorkshire Dales have a long-tolerated tradition of leave-no-trace overnight camping above the highest enclosed field. Always check current rules for your specific area.

May to September for warmest nights and longest days. April and October are quieter at organised sites and reward proper sleeping-bag temperature ratings. Winter camping is possible but specialist — Scottish bothies and Munro-baggers do it routinely with the right kit.

A tent (a 2-person 3-season tent £80–£250 new), a sleeping bag rated to the lowest expected night temperature (comfort -5°C for shoulder season), a sleeping mat, a small stove and pot, and a head torch. For wild camping, add a water filter and a proper map. For family campsites, a folding chair and a cool box transform the experience.

Cool Camping and Pitchup are the standard sites for searching organised pitches. Greener Camping Club and the Camping & Caravanning Club run network sites with predictable quality. For wild camping, the OS Maps app plus a willingness to walk uphill is most of the work — Hawthornthwaite, Wast Water, Loch Affric and the Cairngorm plateau are classic Scottish and Lakeland choices.