Lake District: tent dumped by wild campers in Coniston

Phil Johnston, 71, owns land in the Coppermines Valley, near Coniston. On Wednesday, August 21 he came across the first instance of a tent that had been left on his land, which he ended up having to clear which took 'a couple of hours.'  

The tent was 'full of litter' (Image: Phil Johnston)

"Why people won't take the rubbish home - I don't know," he said. Phil, who supports tourism in the Lakes, said there should be a new campaign putting up signs and messaging on leaving litter in the area as the issue has surfaced recently. 

Although the photos of the tent make it look obvious in the landscape, Phil said the fact it is bright green made it difficult to spot from afar, and he had come across the tent which was 'full of litter' on a walk in the Foul Scrow area. 

READ MORE: Lake District: Family 'ill-equipped' near Scafell Pike

He said there was 'evidence of lots of tents' beyond the one that was left there, indicating that there had been a group activity. 

"The interesting thing is," he said, "if I wanted to have a campsite up there I wouldn't be able to do it. The National Park wouldn't allow me to do it." Ultimately, Phil thought that wild camping could be done sustainably.

A spokesperson for the Lake District National Park Authority said: “There is a tradition of landowners tolerating responsible wild camping in the Lake District and thankfully most campers ‘leave no trace’. However, unfortunately in recent years we have seen some incidents of people leaving behind litter, cutting trees and campfires.

"We work with partners and landowners to encourage campers to protect the landscape or head to one of the National Park’s many great campsites. We also promote our guide to wild camping to protect the landscape and help keep it special for everyone."

The park authority also has a Guide to wild camping across the Lake District National Park.