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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Jane Dunford

‘Deep in the woods, 10 minutes from my car’: the platform helping wild camping beginners find a pitch

view from tent flap of woods, with boots in foreground
The CampWild website offers more than 300 spaces across the UK. Photograph: Sarah-Jane Gregori/CampWild

The dawn chorus is loud in the woods as I unzip my tent to peer out at the new day and a sea of bluebells. I make tea and drink it slowly, enjoying the peace. It’s a perfect start to the morning after my first solo wild camp.

I had found my slice of the wild via CampWild, a platform that connects campers with UK landowners willing to let people stay. Set up by Tom Backhouse and Alex Clasper last year, it aims to open up wild spaces and encourage more people to try staying off-grid. “We know being outdoors helps mental health. We want to make it easy for people to access wild spaces and connect to nature,” says Alex.

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