Access, rights and where you can actually camp

Wild camping in England and Wales is, strictly speaking, only legal with the landowner's permission, with the notable exception of Dartmoor, where recent legal battles have left the situation complicated. Scotland is far more welcoming, thanks to the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, which grants a right of responsible access to most unenclosed land. For dog owners, this distinction matters enormously. Even where you have a right to camp, your dog must be under effective control at all times — which in practice means on a short lead between March and July, when ground-nesting birds are breeding, and whenever you are near livestock.

Lambing and calving turn even the most placid dog into a liability. If you cannot recall your dog instantly and reliably, keep it on a lead around any field with ewes or cows. Upland areas are working landscapes, and a farmer's goodwill is the difference between a quiet night and a difficult conversation.

What to pack for the dog

A dog is not a piece of kit you can improvise around. Treat its needs as seriously as your own.

• Food: roughly 1.5 times your dog's normal daily ration. Cold, wet, windy upland camps burn more calories than a warm living room.
• Water: at least a litre per medium dog, more in summer. Do not assume a tarn is safe to drink from.
• Collapsible bowl — a silicone travel bowl weighs almost nothing.
• Dog first-aid kit: vet wrap, saline, tick tweezers, a small pair of scissors.
• Paw protection: booties for sharp gritstone or long scree days, plus a tin of paw balm for cracked pads.
• A long line for those awkward stretches near crags or steep drops.
• Poop bags, and a spare dry bag to carry them in. No bin exists up there. You carry it out.

Sleeping arrangements in a small tent

Most wild campers use a one- or two-person tent, and adding a wet, muddy dog changes everything. A dog that sleeps on your sleeping bag will compress the insulation and leave you both cold. The practical solution is a dedicated dog mat or cut-down closed-cell foam pad, placed at the foot of the tent or beside your head, plus the dog's own lightweight fleece or quilt if it is thin-coated.

Clip a short lead to a tent peg or internal loop so your dog cannot bolt through the door at 3am after a scent. Zip the inner tent shut, and consider a small groundsheet or piece of Tyvek for the porch so muddy paws have somewhere to dry. In warm weather, never leave a dog zipped in a tent in direct sun — heat builds fast and shade shifts.

Waste, wildlife and leaving no trace

Wild camping's whole ethos is that nobody should know you were there. For dog owners, that means picking up every single stool, even in remote areas, and carrying it out. Burying is not acceptable in fragile upland soils, which are thin, peaty and slow to break down. Bag it, double-bag it, and put it in your pack.

Keep your dog from digging. Upland vegetation takes years to recover, and digging disturbs burrows, vole runs and rare mosses. Likewise, do not let your dog chase sheep, deer, hares or ground-nesting birds. Even a near-miss stresses wildlife and can lead to a farmer asking you to leave. On popular summits and tarns, give other campers space — not everyone expects a dog to appear at their pitch at dawn.

Tarns, streams and drinking water

Upland tarns look pristine but are not sterile. Blue-green algae blooms, which can be fatal to dogs, appear in still water during warm spells, particularly in lowland reservoirs and some peaty tarns. If the water looks green, scummy or smells earthy, keep your dog out. Fast-flowing streams higher up are generally safer, but giardia and leptospirosis exist in the UK, so filtering or boiling your own drinking water is sensible, and do not let your dog gulp from stagnant pools.

If your dog swims, rinse its coat afterwards — peat-stained water and boggy silt can irritate skin and leave a lingering smell in your sleeping bag. Cold tarns also sap energy fast. A tired, shivering dog halfway up a mountain is a genuine safety problem, so keep swims short and towel-dry thoroughly.

Bothies and shared shelters

Bothies are a wonderful resource, but they are shared spaces with unwritten rules. Dogs are generally tolerated rather than welcomed, and some bothies explicitly ask that you do not bring them. Check before you go. If you do take a dog into a bothy, keep it on a lead, off the sleeping platforms, and away from the cooking area. Bring its own bed so it is not shedding on someone else's sleeping bag.

Be prepared to leave if another party objects, or if the bothy is already full — a dog takes up floor space and not everyone wants to share a small stone room with a wet collie. Many experienced dog owners simply camp outside instead, using the bothy only for shelter in genuinely foul weather.

Weather, terrain and knowing when to turn back

Upland weather changes quickly, and dogs feel cold and heat more acutely than we often assume. Short-coated breeds chill fast in wind and rain, while thick-coated dogs overheat on exposed summer ascents. Plan your route with water sources, shade and escape options in mind, and be willing to shorten the day.

Watch for signs of fatigue: lagging behind, refusing food, stumbling on easy ground, or panting that will not settle. If any of those appear, stop, offer water, and reassess. The best wild camping trips with a dog are the ones where you both come home tired but happy, and no one had to be carried off a hillside.