Moral panic!!
Inspired by the Public Service Announcements of the 70s, our new film We Wild Camp features a satirical antagonist who warns the public against the dangers of ‘trespassing a night under the stars’.
Land access laws in England and Wales currently prohibit the public from finding a quiet spot to get some peace and quiet for a night.
It’s been this way for centuries, but are these laws really serving the chronically nature disconnected British society we live in today? (One of the worst in the world according to a recent study…)
We don’t have to imagine a future where this is possible, we can see it quite clearly in Scotland and Scandinavian countries like Sweden.
How do they do it? Clear rights and responsibilities - If you’re willing to follow the code: “Don’t disturb, don’t destroy”, you have the ‘right to roam’ (includes wild camping!).
Fly camping (from fly tipping) is going camping in a way that disturbs and destroys.
Wild camping is what we see the characters in this film doing, and our society needs more of this kind of nature connection.
Big thanks to teambmc and Terra Nova for trusting me on this satirical storytelling!
Check out the trailer by searching We Wild Camp on YouTube.
Directed by @mark_vaughan_ and produced by @eben_access of @teambmc with support from @terranovaequipment
This snippet features @giftofthegabet wild camping as part of his 2025 Lu-Crusade
Norwich Right to Roam hosted the Q&A after the Norwich screening of new Documentary 'Our Land' which discusses the issues about Right to Roam, and we had a stall to give out leaflets and information about the local group and our next walk, and about the national Right to Roam campaign generally.
Many thanks to filmmaker @orbanwallace , @right.2roam@hazzlebroundstar and @eben_access from the BMC for being a brilliant panel, and to local group members and local people for making it a successful evening. Really interesting audience questions – it's such a thought-provoking and beautiful film – do go and see it when it goes on release shortly, and see our bio to get involved.
Connect, Prep, Adapt, Rig, Shoot, Edit 🎥
Here’s a glimpse into the production process behind our latest documentary film We Wild Camp.
When I heard about Damien’s epic Lu-Crusade mission I thought his story would be a great fit for the film, so sent him a message to see if he’d be interested in joining the project. We had a chat and he said let’s do it!
We got to work finding the right location, team, and shoot schedule to make the most of the limited time together.
When we arrived at the rendezvous we encountered a tired man with a broken wheel by the side of the road, and it was clear our shoot schedule for the day would need taking with a pinch of salt…
With his wheel in the bike shop we had a great opportunity to rest the legs, get acquainted, and set up an interview to dive a bit deeper into what the hell he was up to.
In the click of a finger we’d chatted for an hour, bike wheel had been fixed, and we were rolling along Cotswolds country roads, ticking off the shotlist and making the best of the golden hour light.
Like most productions, this one required thinking on feet, following a plan when reality permits, and getting the gold to stitch together a story that lands.
Check out the trailer for We Wild Camp on YouTube and stay tuned for a screening taking place near you 🏕️
Big thank you to @eastwood_allen for his work as second camera on these hectic afternoons with Damien, and for the BTS shots seen here.
Directed by @mark_vaughan_ and produced by @eben_access@teambmc with support from @terranovaequipment
Boundaries/Ymylon by Eben Muse is part series of interviews, part short video essay on the subject of National Park boundaries - what do they leave out, what do they draw lines around to protect, and what are the implications of this?
You check out Eben’s film by heading to the link in our bio 🔗
Thanks to funding from @canopyandstars and @heritagefunduk for supporting stories from across the National Parks 🌞
#nationalparks #newperspectives #storytelling #youthvoice #youngleaders #access #uknature #NationalLottery #HeritageFund #uknature #boundaries #Wales
Mae'n warth llwyr bod y llywodraeth hon ceisio gwanhau amddiffyniadau ein Parciau Cenedlaethol.
Dwi'n sefyll gyda'r 202 o sefydliadau ac arweinwyr sector sydd wedi llofnodi llythyr agored yr Ymgyrch dros Barciau Cenedlaethol yn erfyn arnynt i gadw'r amddiffyniadau hynny. Rydw i'n falch bod Cyngor Mynydda Prydain ymhlith y llofnodwyr.
Fel Cymro, mae'n rhaid i mi ddweud: nid yw'r amddiffyniadau ychwanegol hynny yr ydym yn ymladd i'w hamddiffyn yn Lloegr ar waith yn fy ngwlad i. Hoffwn wneud fy apêl fy hun i'r rhai sy'n ysgrifennu eu maniffestos a'u strategaethau etholiadol ar hyn o bryd, i ystyried cryfder y teimlad ynghylch yr angen i amddiffyn a chadw ein tirweddau.
Rhaid iddi fod yn ddyletswydd ar ein HOLL gyrff cyhoeddus, nid i 'ystyried', ond i hyrwyddo dibenion hanfodol ein Parciau Cenedlaethol yn wirioneddol. Byddem i gyd yn elwa o hynny.
*******
It's an utter disgrace that this government are allegedly trying to weaken the protections of our National Parks.
I stand with the 202 organisations and sector leaders who have signed the Campaign for National Parks open letter pleading that they retain those protections. I'm proud that the The British Mountaineering Council are among the signatories.
As a Welshman though, I have to say: those additional protections we're fighting to protect in England are not in place in my country. I'd like to make my own plea to those who are currently writing up their manifestos and electoral strategies, to consider the strength of feeling around the need to protect and conserve our landscapes.
It must be the duty of ALL of our public bodies, not to 'have regard' for, but to genuinely further the essential purposes of our National Parks. We would all benefit from that.
@teambmc@campaign4parks
Wild camping - beyond Dartmoor, this talk with @eben_access will feature @lewis.winks from @thestarsareours.uk and they would love to hear your stories, experiences, thoughts and are open to any questions you may have about wild camping 🏕️🏕️
#gcf25 #gowerclimbingfestival #gower #climbing #thebmc #bmc #rockclimbing #bouldering #swansea #festival #gcf #gowernationallandscape #bmcgowerclimbingfestival #petzl #petzlclimbing #wildcamping #thestarsareforeveryone
🏊 The Water Company Who Cried Wolf: On the 93rd anniversary of the Kinder Mass Trespass, hundreds of protestors dipped in defiance of access law and landowner policy which decrees that the public do not have the right to swim in the nation’s reservoirs.
🔗 Find out what happened via the link in bio.
✒️ @eben_access reports.
📸: Crusoe Weston
Cymru nesa? 🏴
This is great news, and something the The British Mountaineering Council have campaigned on for a long time. I hope the Welsh Government will be quick to follow.
The CLA are again quick to pitch in on the wrong side of this story. Do they seriously believe that applications which have been gathering dust since the 80s represent a PRoW system that is a done thing?
As for next steps - around 8,000 applications remain unprocessed and in a very real sense this means that councils now have an open deadline and no increase in provision to get the job done. This needs tackling.
My other hope is that campaign organisations take this win as an springboard to regather their thoughts and speak to their members about the kind of vision they wish to see for access in the future. A win for our historic rights is a win indeed, but I hope we can now set our sights on wholesale reform.
@teambmc@ramblersgb@openspacessociety
🏴🏴🏴 yn y sylwadau
Commodification of the Countryside explores the financial barriers to nature and reminds us that access to the countryside should be a right, not a privilege - written by our ambassador Eben Muse @eben_access
Another sneak peek from our latest issue of Viewpoint.
Read the full article with Welsh translation on our website, head to our stories for the link 🔗
Thanks to @heritagefunduk for supporting our New Perspectives project
#newperspectives #access #inclusion #nationalpark #nationalparks #magazine #viewpoint #article #read #reading #countryside
Mwynhau'r "smash and grabs" yn y prynhawn efo @harry.johnston9 eleni. Agoraphobia E5 (mwy fel E3 dros pads, hyd yn oed efo'r crux uchel).
Enjoying the afternoon "smash and grabs" efo @harry.johnston9 eleni. Agiraphobia E5 (nearer to E3 over this many pads if we're being honest even with the high crux).
@southwalesbouldering
A busy few days culminated in a joint demonstration outside the Supreme Court, where I was invited to speak on behalf of @teambmc . I thanked our members - they are why we were there.
We stand as one of the only sporting representative bodies who are campaigning for a Scottish-style access reform programme for legislation which meets the needs of people across Wales and England.
Few others in our sector are asking the obvious questions - such as why do we stop at Dartmoor? The other side of the argument has this week stooped to claim that even the act of pausing for a rest or a picnic constitutes a trespass. A claim so comically callous that outside the court we could barely believe it. Not to mention the implicit ablesim within it.
We are going further than others because we consulted our members - as a member led organisation, this is the proper course of action. I wonder how many other organisations are out there that would end up adopting bolder positions if they weren't afraid to consult their members.
Full credit also to @campaign4parks who stand firmly within the rich tradition of brave and radical campaigners for connecting people with our landscapes.
It's been a week or so since I got back from a climbing trip to Sweden. For anyone who knows me, you'll know that it was more than just a climbing trip, it was a fact finding trip sponsored by a local guide in the shape of my friend, local GP Elin Djuveldt.
I've been working or volunteering in the UK on access issues for the best part of a decade now, and I'm familiar with all of the quirks and catches of our system, as well as the wonderful things we have to appreciate here. I've also got a longstanding appreciation for the Swedish 'allemansrätten' system, aka 'every man's right' which is both hard policy on the ground affecting where people can go and what they can do, and a core philosophy which governs how people behave and what they choose to do.
One surprising aspect of the trip for me was the fact that we went swimming every single day - sometimes twice, or thrice (as well as climbing, obviously. I'm not normally much of a 'wild swimmer'). We visited around 10 different swim spots in the immediate area and what blew me away was the approach of landowners and the local authorities towards swimming as an activity.
In Wales you'd be accosted by big railings and signs saying 'SWIM AT OWN RISK' or more likely 'DEEP WATERS, SWIMMING PROHIBITED'. In Sweden they don't seem to bother with any of that. They just put a ladder to ensure you can get out near where it's safe to swim. Where it's deep they don't warn you - they welcome you with enormous diving towers (some have been in place nearly 100 years).
Signage at crags and at swim spots are actively affirming - 'welcome to the climbing area - please be considerate!' starts a dialogue which is much more likely to elicit a positive interaction than your bog standard 'NO CAMPING NO FIRES NO CLIMBING NO BIKES' fare that we are so very used to. People ignore those signs anyway where there is no rationale.
(more in the comments)
