Fly Camping

[MichaelW2]

Horrific new style of camping which combines the worst elements of wild camping, festival camping and fly tipping.
The various authorities recognise that true wild camping is low impact and harmless. This new style involves rolling up to a beauty spot by car, unloading a whole bunch of single-use festival camping kit and lots of alcohol. Building a fire without any care and defecating anywhere. Driving away without removing any of the trash or festival detritus.

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...icence-rise-in-wild-camping-hits-beauty-spots

 

[ChrisEyles]

We've had a couple of cases of this over the last few months on the nature reserves I manage (along with all sorts of other anti social behaviour).

Sadly some people simply have no idea how to behave in a rural environment. Really gets my goat.

 

[beastie]

I don’t think that behaviour is suitable in any environment really, rural urban or otherwise....

 

[ChrisEyles]

Very true!

However it's been my distinct impression that once lockdown was lifted, we had a lot of visitors to our reserves who don't normally make it out of the city and who have little idea that there's any difference between a nature reserve in the countryside and an urban amenity park, with regards leaving gates open, dog attacks on livestock, littering & leaving dog poo bags on gates in the absence of bins etc etc etc Either that or they're all just complete scrotes!

 

[AndyRM]

Not that I'm condoning it, but that's hardly 'new'.

 

[Vantage]

It's not fly camping. It's not camping at all.
It's vandalism. Pure and simple.

 

[snorri]

I don’t think that behaviour is suitable in any environment really, rural urban or otherwise....

Apparently at pop concerts and the like this behaviour is deemed acceptable and the organisers take responsibility for the clean up before handing back the site to the owner. One press report I have read suggested the message of "leave it someone else is paid to lift it" has in some campers minds simply spread to the great outdoors.

 

[uphillstruggler]

It’s the same attitude that permeates where it’s ok to leave a table full of fast food containers and rappers when leaving, it’s always someone else’s problem

if children aren’t taught not to litter, then they don’t know any different unfortunately.

how do you prevent this happening when the authorities either don’t have the funds or political will to do something about it And if you try to do something about it, you’re seen as a troublemaker or weirdo who’s just looking for trouble.

 

[ColinJ]

if children aren’t taught not to litter, then they don’t know any different unfortunately.

It can be worse than that. Some parents are actually teaching their kids that they SHOULD drop litter.

A friend of mine volunteered to take somebody else's young daughter for a seaside stroll. As they wandered along, the girl tossed her empty Coke can down on the path.

My pal: "Now, now - we shouldn't drop litter! Pick it up and we can put it in the bin over there."

Child: "NO - mummy says that we should drop the stuff so the rubbish men can come and pick it up. That is what they get paid to do and they would lose their jobs if we didn't give them something to do!"

Seriously...

 

[CanucksTraveller]

I think the definition of fly camping has changed somewhat hasn't it? I used to fly camp in my teens up in the Peak District, it meant camping somewhere you weren't meant to, so you used to try and pitch somewhere where nobody would see you and you could feel all Ray Mears (fnaar) and live wild, with your little gas stove and your head torch.

You were extremely careful to remove all traces of your stay in the morning, that was kind of the point of fly camping!

 

[fossyant]

My son is taking a couple of friends to our caravan in Wales in a couple of weeks. I've said, respect the neighbours, have fun, go to the beach for a BBQ, but take all your waste back - he knows this as he was a Scout. Leave no trace. Have fun, but leave nature untouched.

 

[lane]

My son arranged a nights wild camping nearby with three friends in a wooded area. He was spotted by the landowner / farmer and two people turned up in a jeep. After a conversation they were told they could stay providing they did not post on social media and left it as they found it, which they would anyway. Result!

 

[raleighnut]

Apparently at pop concerts and the like this behaviour is deemed acceptable and the organisers take responsibility for the clean up before handing back the site to the owner. One press report I have read suggested the message of "leave it some else is paid to lift it" has in some campers minds simply spread to the great outdoors.

Yep it's the 'festival camper' mentality, with no festivals to go to these numpties are having their own getaways

BTW I've been a 'wild camper' for decades though normally only for a couple of nights before going to a proper campsite for the facilities.

 

[ColinJ]

My son arranged a nights wild camping nearby with three friends in a wooded area. He was spotted by the landowner / farmer and two people turned up in a jeep. After a conversation they were told they could stay providing they did not post on social media and left it as they found it, which they would anyway. Result!

I have only been camping once, and that was 50 years ago with three of my friends. We had a similar experience - we agreed with a farmer that we wouldn't be a nuisance and would clear off from his field by 10:00 in the morning. (No social media to worry about in those days!)

Oh, ha ha ha - I've just had a flashback... Three of us woke up at sunrise. Our other mate had drunk a bottle of cider the night before and was out for the count. He had obviously overheated during the night because he had unzipped his sleeping bag and his hairy a*se was peeking out. We decided it would be really amusing to take a rich tea biscuit each and crumble them into his bum crack, and then zip the sleeping bag back up. We were laughing so loudly that he soon woke up. He sat up and there was a loud crunching noise... The look on his face was priceless!

 

[andrew_s]

My son arranged a nights wild camping nearby with three friends in a wooded area. He was spotted by the landowner / farmer and two people turned up in a jeep.

Sounds like a failure to me - you aren't meant to get spotted.
I'd guess they were too late and had to use torches, which are a dead give away.