Leave No Trace
Leave No Trace is a set of outdoor principles for keeping your impact on the land low. They cover planning ahead, taking your rubbish home, keeping camps small and leaving places as you found them. Leave No Trace is a code of conduct, not a permission, so it does not tell you where camping is allowed. The rules differ between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Where you'll see it
Leave No Trace appears in campsite guidance, national park pages and campfire notices, and on outdoor clothing. It works best alongside the official access rules.
What to check
- Whether the site or land manager asks for Leave No Trace behaviour in its own notices.
- How you will carry all rubbish and food waste away with you.
- Where you will cook. Cooking happens outside, in the open air, well away from the tent. Never light a stove or BBQ inside a tent or at its door.
- The official guidance for the nation you are in, starting with wild camping in the UK: the rules explained.
- The landowner's permission before you camp anywhere that is not an official site.
Related terms
- Countryside Code: the official advice for visitors.
- Wild camping: where these principles matter most.
- Backpack camping: camping on the move, where a low impact is especially important.
Read more: Leave No Trace camping, wild camping in the UK: the rules explained and how we check the rules.