Accommodation and camping

When it comes to finding somewhere to sleep for the night you essentially have three options, you can Wild camp you can stay at a official camp site, or you can have a bit more luxury with a B&B or hotel.

• I won’t go into too much detail when it comes to B&B or hotel because I’m sure most of you know how to use the internet to find one. But in the UK to find a hotel and B&B you will need to get yourself to a more built-up area. Small towns and cities are your best bet, and some of the small villages have some rooms available at pubs. The price of a room for the night can vary a lot in the UK from location to time of the year. If you find a room for £70-80 nowadays, you are doing alright. Most rooms are going to be around the £100 mark though but depending on location can be much more. In my experience from both working in hotels and using them from time to time on my bikepacking adventures most of the places have somewhere to leave a bike, sometimes they have a garage sometimes they might leave it in a office, and occasionally they might only have an outdoor space round the back normally by the kitchen. So it’s best to call the place and make sure they have somewhere safe to leave your bike.

If you prefer to camp, then you can find official campsites. Dotted around the place, some are seasonal and some are open all year round. Some have showers and other facilities, and some are just a field. Normally, you do need to pre-book your camp spot. But sometimes you can just turn up and get a spot for the night. Prices vary just like hotels and can be anything where from around £10 to £50.

• The Final option is to have complete flexibility and wild camp. Now here we need to go over a few things because in England and Wales Wild Camping is not officially permitted without the landowners’ permission. Apart from Dartmoor where at least at the time of writing this. Where there are still permitted sections that you are allowed to wild camp. In Scotland as you have the right to enjoy most land as long as you act responsibly you can wild camp. You can set up a spot to camp and stay for 2/3 days before moving on.

• However, in England and Wales, things get a little complicated. And I’m sure you have heard many people say that wild camping in England and wales is illegal. Well the good news is this is false, it is not illegal. You are not getting a criminal record or going to prison for wild camping. However, as essentially all land is owned by someone in England or wales technically if you decide to wild camp you would be trespassing as you have not been granted permission from the landowner. Unlike some countries, this is not a criminal offence but a civil matter. What does this mean in reality? It means that if you are somehow discovered wild camping by the owner of said land, then you can be asked to leave. And not leaving will then become aggravated trespass, which can become a criminal offence. So the rule is to always be polite, apologise and move on if discovered. However, I really want to make this clear as this is a question I get asked time and time again, and I understand why. But if you are wild camping correctly meaning setting up late and leaving early and not have great big fires then the likelihood of you ever being discovered is next to none. The best way to go about wild camping in England and wales is to set up just off the main trail, whether that be a bridal way or footpath. Once you get off-road and the sun has started to set, you will very likely see no one. You will start to get a feel for a place once stopped as to how busy a trail might be. When looking for somewhere to wild camp in England and wales it’s important to choose a spot that isn’t going to get in the way of someone using a trail even though you are very unlikely to see anyone after sunset you don’t want to be camping directly on the trail because people can still come through at night. Most likely someone just like you enjoying the outdoors. Just because wild camping is not permitted does not make it illegal and while Scotland have it right you can wild camp in England and wales there are plenty of remote areas. Where you can not see anyone all day. But you must follow the rules of setting up late and leaving early, and no fires. Use a little stove if you want. But leave no trace.

With that being said, wild camping in the UK is best with a tent or a bivy. You can use a hammock in the UK, but it can be a lot harder to find places as a lot of the woodlands in the UK are private, and often the trails don’t go through them. So it is a lot easier with a small tent or a bivy.

When choosing a tent for a bikepacking trip here in the UK, you have a couple of options…..

• A freestanding tent a tent that uses poles to form the structure of the tent and can be used without staking it out, these tents are likely to be a little heavier than a non-freestanding tent but offer the flexibility of setting up on areas that it can be hard to stake a tent out

• A non-freestanding tent requires staking out to keep their shape. To set up, non-freestanding tents are first staked out and then typically propped up with trekking poles, or an alternative pole for bikepacking.

When it comes to deciding between freestanding and not freestanding they both have their advantages and disadvantages a non-freestanding tent often is lighter and makes carrying it easier, normally using one or two small poles can mean a freestanding tent is easy to carry as the poles are often the bulky part of a tent. However, you need to look at where you will be using the tent the terrain across the UK is ever-changing, and a tent that requires staking down can cause issues at times if the ground is rocky. Personally I prefer the flexibility of a freestanding tent as it often means you can just set up the inner on a nice day, and it’s not such an issue of rocky ground. It will all come down to personal preference at the end of the day.

Single wall tent vs Double wall tent

• A single-wall tent has one layer of fabric that serves as both the structure and weather barrier. It’s lightweight and quick to set up, making it great for fast-and-light backpacking or mountaineering. However, its lack of ventilation can lead to condensation build-up inside.

• A double-wall tent, on the other hand, features two layers: a breathable inner tent and a waterproof outer rain fly. This setup allows better airflow and reduces condensation, offering more comfort and protection in a wider range of weather conditions, though it is bulkier and takes longer to pitch.

• A hybrid tent combines features from both. It typically uses a partial rain fly attached to a single-wall tent, with mesh walls inside for airflow. The rain fly can act as a vestibule or be rolled up to allow even more ventilation in dry weather, providing a balance of lightweight design and improved breathability.

Freestanding

Single wall tent

Double wall tent

So while choosing the right tent is going to be personal preference, there are a few factors that you should consider and look for when choosing your tent. With the UK be a wet place whether that be from rain or condensation and the weather temperature can change quite a bit from nightfall to morning. A few things to look for are… can you put up the tent while raining and keep the inside dry, some tents mainly doubled walled tents set up the inner first, and while that is OK most of the time it makes setting up the tent in the rain less than ideal. Keeping the inner part of a tent dry is essential for staying warm and comfortable. So ideally, opt for a tent that sets up outer first. You are at some point going to have wet clothes at the end of the day bikepacking in the UK and you don’t want to keep your wet gear inside with you when you sleep, so make sure the tent has suitable space to store your wet gear. Also consider how your tent will be stored, a double walled tent can be separated from the outer, meaning if the outer is wet in the morning you can’t pack them separately. It’s not always possible to completely dry a tent in the morning. Look for a tent with a side opening door to make it easier to get in and out.