Camping without a car, possible?

barnstar2077

Tucosalamanca said:

What part of the country are you thinking of, as you're casting a very large net!
It might help more people come up with suggestions?

I motorhome these days and still occasionally do overnight hikes, having camped for many years, so I'm a little bit out of touch!

I'd suggest a good 60-70lt rucksack, walking boots plus trainers/comfy shoes, good waterproof jacket (my own preference is Gortex or similar, needs to be over 20,000 hydrostatic head ideally), thermal layer and quick drying clothes, lightweight tent, sleeping bag and mat as a minimum. Small gas stove, flask and dried food along with other bits n pieces. If you only plan to eat out, you can streamline somewhat.
Two people sharing the load is bearable, going solo requires determination and some strength.

Have you considered B&Bs or hostels, price difference between campsite can be surprisingly small on occasion.

Thank you for your reply.  As long as it can be reached by train/bus and is in England or Wales then I am happy to consider it.  I live "close" to London, so can get pretty much get anywhere once I have made it into the city.  For example, I can be in Manchester in just over four hours or Swansea in five.  The only real difference being, the farther away it is the longer I would want to stay to justify the trip!

barnstar2077

Hostels or hotels are definitely out, we want to use a tent (all be it with access to good facilities :  ) 

maisie_cat

We've camped by bike and by train/walking, we actually have 2 lots of camping gear "lightweight" and "grown up" 
There are lots of campsites near stations but even if not there are taxis, we camped in Cornwall by flying to Newquay and getting a taxi to the first campsite, then walking via the coast path to the next place etc.

TELLIT01

Search for camp sites in the areas you are interested in travelling to.  Most these days have full 'facilities' ie. toilets and showers.

onashoestring

Some suggestions in this article:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/jul/22/camping-campsites-trains-buses-boats-europe-uk-readers-tips

Langerhan

Lee Valley's main campsite and their Almost Wild campsite are both easy to get to by public transport with only a short walk for each. It's a bit more like camping in a park than camping out in the countryside, but lots of fun.

elsien

barnstar2077 said:

Hi folks,

As my title says, do people think it is possible to go camping with two people without a car?  Are there places I could get to that have good facilities that are near train stations or bus routes in England or Wales?  Or am I being unrealistic thinking I could lug camping gear across public transport?

If anyone has tried such an endeavour before I would be very grateful to hear about your thoughts and experiences.  If you think it is insane I would also appreciate your feedback, cheers! :  )

Yes. Sibling has taken his two children camping without a car for years. They travel very light indeed - there’s not a lot there in the way of change of clothes, and it can cost more for food if you have to rely on the camp shop rather than a supermarket. They travel by train, then the bigger campsites that Also have caravans, Haven, Park Dean that sort of thing tend to have bus stops that stop pretty closeAs long as you check before you go they’ve never had a problem. And if you don’t mind a busier rather than a quieter place depending on the time of year it’s also has the advantage that it’s got the bar/restaurant if it pisses it down at night.

This year there was the train strike on the day that they were meant to be travelling home but the campsite were very helpful and managed to find them a spot to stay an extra day.

redduck369

Holme farm campsite 01729860281 is half a mile from Horton in Ribblesdale station in the middle of the Three Peaks

Broomstick

It's a long time since I backpacked, site-camped and wild-camped solo in the UK but I think the following might still be useful.

This site seems to have lots of links to tents-only campsites: https://www.ukcampsite.co.uk/articles/view.asp?id=364.

There's also the National Trails website https://www.nationaltrail.co.uk/.  The individual pages about each trail link to the OS maps of the long-distance footpaths and there are optional filters to show the camp sites near the trails.  You obviously don't need to do the long-distance walking, just choose a site as a base near a town and stay put to do nice touristy activities if that's your thing. 

Don't rule out trying out camping at YHA sites - you won't be in the hostel itself but camping in the grounds (which is much cheaper). It could be quite useful to have that option if you are trying out kit for the first time and the weather is looking unreliable, or if you fancy buying a hot meal in the evening.  https://www.yha.org.uk/camping. Try a weekend away before you plan a longer trip if you feel nervous.  

If you are camping in the autumn/winter/spring, take long thermal underwear and socks to wear as extras in bed (and a hat and gloves, too!) just in case it gets cold at night - they don't weigh much and it's very cheering up to be able to add another layer of warmth. Make sure you have a good thermal mat to sleep on. Remember a torch!  

barnstar2077

onashoestring said:

Some suggestions in this article:
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2019/jul/22/camping-campsites-trains-buses-boats-europe-uk-readers-tips

Thank you all again for your suggestions!

We have picked Deepdale Campsite from the above link to try out this year.  Just going to go for a few days for our first foray and see how we get on!