Eilidh Campbell
There is no feeling quite like watching dawn light spill across a Highland glen from the door of your tent. But that privilege comes with a duty. The ground beneath your sleeping mat may look tough and endless, yet many of Scotland's upland habitats are extraordinarily fragile, slow to recover and vital for wildlife. Good wild camping etiquette is not about rules for their own sake. It is about keeping these landscapes wild for the next walker, the next photographer and the creatures that live there year-round.
Camp on Ground That Can Take It
Durable ground is your first consideration. Gravel, rock, short-cropped grass and existing pitches are ideal. Avoid anything that looks like a cushion of moss, lichen, dwarf willow or alpine flowers. Blanket bog, though it may appear solid, is a living system of sphagnum mosses that can take decades to recover from a single night's trampling. Heather is tougher but still vulnerable when wet. If you are in doubt, move on. A good test is to ask whether a footprint would still be visible in a year. On soft vegetation, it will be.
- Good: gravel, rock, short grass, established pitches.
- Avoid: sphagnum moss, lichen, dwarf shrubs, alpine flowers.
- Never: dig drainage trenches or clear vegetation for a flatter spot.
Arrive Late, Leave Early
Timing your camp reduces disturbance to wildlife and to other people. Arrive in the late afternoon or early evening, pitch quickly and quietly, then leave by mid-morning at the latest. This habit means you are not setting up a visible camp during the busiest hours, and you give deer, ptarmigan and ground-nesting birds space to move without encountering a sudden tent. It also keeps you out of the way of farmers and estate workers going about their day. If you can, camp out of sight of roads, houses and popular paths. A hidden pitch is a considerate pitch.
Take Everything Away – Including the Unseen
Rubbish is not just plastic wrappers. Food scraps, tea bags, orange peel, eggshells and even apple cores are litter in the Highlands. They attract scavengers, alter soil chemistry and look awful. Pack a bag for your rubbish and carry it out, even if it means a smelly rucksack. Human waste needs care too. If there is no toilet, dig a hole about 30cm deep, at least 30 metres from water, paths and buildings. Carry out toilet paper in a sealed bag. Never burn plastic or foil in a fire. In fact, the best approach is to leave the fire at home. A small stove is lighter, cleaner and leaves no scar.
Fires, Fuel and the Damage They Do
Wildfires in the Highlands can smoulder underground in peat for weeks. Even a small campfire can sterilise the soil, leave a permanent black ring and kill the tiny plants that hold fragile ground together. If you must have a fire – and in most fragile areas you should not – use only a stove. Never cut live wood, and do not gather dead branches from the ground: they are habitat for insects, fungi and small mammals. If you find an old fire ring, do not add to it. Scatter the stones and let the ground heal.
Wildlife and Photography with Respect
The Highlands are home to red deer, mountain hares, ptarmigan, golden eagles and pine martens. To photograph them well, you need patience and a long lens, not a close approach. Keep your distance, especially during the rut in autumn and the breeding season in spring. Never bait an animal to get a shot. Drones are increasingly common but they cause real distress, particularly to birds of prey and deer. If you would not want a buzzing machine hovering over your bedroom, do not fly one over a corrie. Tread lightly, stay low, and let the animal choose the distance.
Small Habits, Lasting Wilderness
None of this is complicated. Camp on durable ground. Arrive late, leave early. Take all your rubbish away. Bury human waste properly. Skip the fire. Keep your distance from wildlife. These small habits cost you almost nothing, but they protect habitats that took thousands of years to form. The Highlands do not need more heroes. They need quiet, careful visitors who understand that a wild camp is a loan, not a right. Leave the place as you found it – or better – and the next person will feel the same magic you did.
