Illegal campers at a Lake District beauty spot over the weekend left behind their rubbish.
A Cumbria Crack reader got in touch after he saw the tents pitched on the shores of Derwentwater in Keswick as the county sweltered during the weekend’s heatwave.
They claimed when the campers packed up, they left bags of rubbish and human waste.
Illegal – or fly – camping is not wild camping.
Wild camping has a long history in the Lake District.
It’s a pastime that has been loved by people of all ages for decades – but it’s also an activity that is regularly misunderstood.
Technically wild camping is illegal and is not permitted in the Lake District without prior permission from landowners.
But, according to the Lake District National Park Authority, it is widely tolerated when campers behave responsibly and follow a specific set of rules – with the main rule being that campers must pitch up for the night above the highest fell wall, well away from towns, villages and lakeshores.
Here’s our guide to wild camping in the Lake District
There is a secret security taskforce employed to protect the Lake District from anti-social behaviour.
Alongside landowners hiring their own rangers and officers, in 2020, the national park made the decision to hire security officers in partnership with several other major landowners.
The security officers, who are from Tactical Security Options Ltd, a Lancaster-based security firm, have spent the past five years helping landowners to protect the national park.
They have the power to tackle anti-social behaviour, move people on, put out fires, and in worst cases, involve police or council officers to make arrests or issue fines. They also clear up after incidents.
You can find out more about their work here
Caught short in the Lake District?
You can get caught short while you are out in the Lake District – but it’s something that people don’t really want to talk about it.
Talking about how to correctly dispose of human waste while you’re out enjoying the national park might feel awkward or taboo, but it’s an important topic.
We spoke with David Eardley, 52, a keen walker and wild camper from the North East, who runs YouTube channel Fellmandave, to ask everything you want to know, but might be too embarrassed to ask, about going to the loo al fresco.
Here’s his guide to how you can deal with your waste in the Lakes.
