Rise in wild camping hits beauty spots in rural areas

The Guardian reports that rural beauty spots and conservation areas are being put at risk by increasing numbers of wild campers leaving behind piles of rubbish and lighting fires – with fears growing that the problem could spread as conventional campsites fill up over the summer

The National Trust, which manages over 780 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of mainly open access land in the UK, said that it had seen a huge increase in what it dubbed ‘fly camping’, where vast quantities of litter and sometimes tents are left behind by illegal campers.

Cornwall council’s environment cabinet member said that locals were getting fed up with inexperienced campers turning up without bookings and staying overnight in unsuitable places, in some cases leaving behind piles of rubbish.

Many campsites and caravan parks in popular areas are already close to capacity throughout the rest of the summer. This is leading to concerns that more people could resort to camping without permission on public or private land.

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The Guardian - ‘It was like a bomb had hit an off-licence’: rise in wild camping hits beauty spots