Has anyone been Wild Camping at Galloway Forest? We are looingtog camping ext year to the area and we stumbled across the 'wild camping' on the forest website. Has anyone been?
You can wild camp legally almost anywhere in Scotland if you follow the guidelines laid down. Forestry areas often discourage wild camping because of the fire risk, which is presumably why they clarify that it is OK on the website.
I've not been to Galloway for years and never camped there but I do a lot of wild camping and it's on my list of places to go next year. I used to go there on family holidays when I was a kid and it's a great area.
I don't know if I've mis-interpreted your post, but I almost feel as though you expect there to be some provision, some organised offering of "wild camping" because it's on the website? Am I wrong?
Head for Newton Stewart & then take the road to Minnigaff. From there, cross the river and head north along a small road that follows the east bank of the River Cree.
From about 2 miles on this road to the mouth of the water of Minnoch, there are good wildcamping sites, especially in the woods to you right. There is also good fishing in the River Cree.
A group of us wildcamped there for 2 weeks, each using only a personal axe, a knife and what we could carry in a tobacco tin. We were also allowed to use what we could find.
So you'd be camping near a roadside. Which is still legal (I think you are supposed to be 100m away and out of sight of buildings).
This is what the Scottish Outdoor Access Code has to say:
"Access rights extend to wild camping. This type of camping is lightweight, done in small numbers and only for two or three nights in any one place. You can camp in this way wherever access rights apply but help to avoid causing problems for local people and land managers by not camping in enclosed fields of crops or farms animals and by keeping well away from buildings, roads or historic structures."
Finding a place to pitch, and indeed water and a suitable toilet site, become more problematic the lower you are and the closer to roads/civilisation/farmland. Needs some careful thought.
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Topic: Wild Camping!
