The Instagram Effect on the Countryside: Wild Camping vs Fly Camping

Fly campers in the Lake District

I grew up in a very rural part of England, where the fields stretch for miles and the loudest thing around is usually a tractor. For me, getting outside is about the buzz of a little adventure and that peaceful feeling you only get when you're out in the wild. A big part of that experience is respect and leaving the land as you found it so the next person can enjoy it too.

Over the past few years though, things have been shifting. Instagram, TikTok etc have brought more and more people into the hills and woods to camp. On the face of it, that isn’t a bad thing at all and it’s great that more people are discovering the joy of being outdoors. The problem is when the countryside becomes less about the connection to nature and more about the content for social media. 

Cheap tents, crates of lager and a scramble for that perfect sunset shot can sometimes feel more like a festival than a quiet escape. Too often, what’s left behind is litter, fire scars and broken gear. Places that were once beautiful now look a bit sorry for themselves in parts. This is where it really helps to understand the difference between wild camping and what has become known as fly camping...

Wild camping is the proper way. Pitching in quiet, remote spots, keeping it discreet and leaving no trace at all.

Fly camping (a play on fly tipping and camping) is the opposite, usually big groups in easy-to-reach areas, leaving rubbish and damage behind.

When the two get mixed up, it’s the responsible campers who lose out. Every time someone has to clean up someone else's mess, it gets a bit harder to make a case for more wild camping rights in England. Why would landowners support it, when they keep seeing the worst side of things?

Don't get me wrong, I often take some booze with me when I go wild camping and I have an Instagram account too. I always follow Leave No Trace principles though and this isn’t just about people chasing likes on social media platforms. Respect, or lack of it, isn't always age related. I’ve seen middle-aged dog walkers leave poo bags hanging from trees like grim decorations. The truth is, it’s not simply a generational problem, it’s a cultural one. At the moment, too many of us are treating nature as disposable when it's something we should be taking care of.

Please stop doing this. It's rank and ruins the scenery for others.

Another challenge is safety. Social media doesn’t just glamorise camping, it sometimes glamorises completely unnecessary risk. People heading up mountains in 50mph gusts or knee-deep snow just to get a dramatic video for their feed. It’s not just their safety at risk, but also the volunteers who might need to rescue them. Adventure is brilliant for the body and soul. But it shouldn’t be about gambling with other people's lives or wrecking the landscape for some digital pats on the back.

If you’re an influencer, you've got real power. By definition, you influence people. That can mean showing them how to camp responsibly and look after the land, or it can mean normalising reckless behaviour to simply promote your "brand". The example you set matters.

The good news is that social media can also be part of the solution. There’s a Facebook group called Wild Campers Tackling Fly Camping, where people share locations of litter so others can head out and clear it up. That’s proper community spirit, but the real solution isn’t endless tidy ups. It’s building a culture where people don’t leave the mess in the first place.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/cleancamping/

The countryside isn’t just a nice backdrop for your content, mate. It is a living, breathing place that deserves our respect. Protecting it can be as simple as picking up litter, calling out bad behaviour online, or making sure your own posts show what responsible adventure looks like.

Social media may have changed how we connect with the outdoors, but it doesn’t have to ruin it. In the end, it's down to us which way it goes. 

Me enjoying a wild camping adventure in the Black Mountains...

...and taking pride in leaving only a flat patch of grass behind