An help and suggestions would be great! We'd love to be on the trail for about a week!
Thanks
I know wild camping is frowned upon in CH but does anyone know if most of Europe follows suit? My husband and I have done some great hiking and camping in the US and Australia and are really looking for something similar in Europe and coming up with nothing!
The rule of thumb is pretty much the same throughout Europe, including Switzerland. Get permission from the landowner, don't stay more than one night, camp only in small groups of one or two unobtrusive tents and take all your rubbish with you and don't interfere with the environment.
Basically leave the place as you found it.
Scouts here do wild camping and the above (non exhaustive) rules apply.
Generally here you hike from one site with toilets and showers, to the next site with toilets and showers. Is that really a problem?
Always carry a good shovel and dig deep - if you don't want to always have to use an old oil drum and a gallon of kerosene.
Wild camping's the same anywhere. If you're far enough and high enough from anywhere so no one hears you or sees you and you leave nothing; and you pitch in the evening and leave at the crack of dawn; you'll be fine.
But, bare in mind Switzerland is small and there are many areas where wildlife is protected where you shouldn't camp.
North Wales or Scotland is better
We've had some nice "wild camping" in Tessin, mid-July and four nights without meeting a soul
Otherwise head to Sweden or Norway and as another poster said, leave it as you
found it and noone will bother you - except a moose perhaps
I had another think and another area more suited to a long trail with wild camping is the Pyrennes.
The classic route is the GR11 and you could do a bit of that.
There's plenty of stuff on the web about it.
All this chat makes me want to get my boots on
Have you camped in the states? It's not really wild camping but trails with designated tent areas. So for me camping was always about being the peace and quiet of nature.
We were looking into the Pyrennes actually!
Where in Tessin?? That would be perfect!
You are allowed to wild camp in Scotland, as long as you're not near a house (I forget the legal distance). Pack your waterproofs and insect repellent. BUT the rewards are enormous - breathtaking beaches, beautiful lochs, majestic mountains. Try Torridon, Skye, Applecross penisula ie. north west highlands.
And you may happen upon a bothy (old stalking huts) where you can sleep for free inside and have a fire.
We ended one tour in Bosco Gurin, and got to start of our planned route with the postbus, a couple of days walk away (~8 hr days). We didn't need ropes/crampons etc. (although my dear OH pointed out at one point that should I slip I would be "dead meat"). There was one refugio-type hut along our route - handy if one of your days is tipping down rain. If I can locate the map with exact locations marked I'll update.
Because its nice to share...don't think there will be overcrowding problem too soon
Note numbers 8 (Piano de la chresta) and 11 - only Unterkunft option is under the starry sky
There is no legal distance in Scotland as the is no such thing a s a trespass law. Under the Outdoor Access Code you can camp anywhere that is not someone's garden, sown farmland (i.e where crops are growing) or where you would normally pay to go. You can even cross a private golf course anytime you want as long as you don't interfere with play.
You are right about the rewards, I've wild camped or slept in caves on some of the remote islands such as Scarba or Jura and the beaches are among the most beautiful I have ever seen.
There was a thread from a couple of years ago about wild camping in Switzerland, the info is still relevant I think. Wild camping allowed?
Some mention of wild camping here (if one reads German)
My family and I have done all kinds of hiking in Europe but mostly in CH. Ask a farmer if you could use a patch of land you spotted. Most of then say yes. We just came back fro Tichino with our caravan and stayed 3 nights on someones property for free and totally alone and quiet.