OS Maps and Cycling UK focus on how to wild camp responsibly
As part of Cycling UK and OS Maps' joint work encouraging more people to discover and enjoy the outdoors more responsibly, the two organisations have launched an awareness film on how to wild camp responsibly.
Featuring the youngest woman to cycle solo around the world, Vedangi Kulkarni, the short video available on YouTube, advises would-be wild campers how to ensure they leave the countryside as they found it.
From advice on where to camp to how to go to the toilet responsibly (tip: pack it up and take it out) to picking up other people's rubbish as well as your own, the two organisations aim to give people the skills and wider awareness needed to leave the countryside in a better state than when they found it.
Adventurer traveller Vedangi Kulkarni said:
“One of the horror stories of the past year and a bit has been of how people have headed to some of this island’s most beautiful locations, spent a magical time overnight, and then just left it in a complete tip.
“I’m hoping with this short film, we’ll help many of them think twice about what they’re doing, while also providing valuable tips for those who wanted to ensure they leave no trace when they head outdoors.”
The video is part of a wider series of advice and tips - including advice on how to use your bike as the basis for a shelter - which the two organisations are sharing with the British public as part of their year long cycling and camping challenge, called #12nightsoutin1year. Entrants are encouraged to head out on their bike and experience a night beneath the stars, in a tent, bivi bag or hammock, at least once a month over the course of a year, and photograph their experiences.
Each month, participants who have posted their photos and experiences on Instagram using #12nightsoutin1year will automatically be entered into a monthly competition to win a range of cycle and navigation related prizes.
Cycling UK’s Cape Wrath Fellowship custodian Sam Jones, who has camped out at least once a month for the past two and a half years years, wants to see everyone make the most of the wilderness they can discover from their doorstep and leave it in a better condition than they found it.
“The outdoors is there for everyone to enjoy, whether they’re walking, riding or running,” said Sam. “With that enjoyment comes responsibility, which is why #12nightsoutin1year's focus is just as much about enjoying the countryside, as ensuring it’s in a better state than when we found it.
“Trash free trails are something we can and should all work towards every time we head out.”
Nick Giles, Managing Director of Ordnance Survey Leisure, said: “Anyone getting outside on their bikes around our beautiful hills and moors for the unique experience of wild camping must remember to leave the place as they found it.
“We have to be kind to our environment and at the end of the day the only thing we should ever leave behind is our footprints.”
Notes to editors
- Cycling UK, the UK’s cycling charity, imagines a world where the streets are free of congestion and the air is clean to breathe, where parents encourage their children to cycle to school and everyone shares the exhilaration of being in the saddle. For more than 140 years, we’ve been making our streets safer, opening up new traffic free routes and inspiring more people to cycle more often. www.cyclinguk.org
- Ordnance Survey, the national mapping service for Great Britain, makes it simple to enjoy an active outdoor life, live longer and get more out of every day. We inspire people to discover Britain’s great outdoors with our iconic maps on paper, mobile and desktop. They are all designed to make the outdoors more enjoyable, accessible, and safe. Launched in 2015, the OS Maps app puts digital versions of OS Explorer and OS Landranger maps for the whole of Great Britain in your pocket. OS are also helping people explore new places locally with the GetOutside app, and create lasting memories in Britain’s cities and countryside with the new Secret Stories app. Our pioneering location expertise is recognised around the world and we recently launched OS Maps in Australia, with plans to roll out in other countries in the future.
- About the 12nightsoutin1year challenge – beginning in May 2021 after lockdown restrictions eased across the UK the winners over the course of the next twelve months will be entered into a grand prize draw in May 2022, and will be in with a chance to win an OS Trail 2 GPS, a navigation device worth £344.99 that gives the user access to the whole range of OS Maps from the palm of their hand. For more information see: https://www.cyclinguk.org/12-nights-out-1-year
- In 2018, Vedangi Kulkarni rode 29000km around the world in 159/160 days becoming the youngest woman to have circumnavigated the world on a bicycle alone when she was 19. She now lives in Christchurch, Dorset and helps other people plan and plot their adventures: https://www.vedangikulkarni.com/
- A video and advice on how to use your bike as a means to create a shelter is available at: https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/how-use-your-bike-make-shelter
Press contact information
For more information, please contact the national Cycling UK press office. Due to the restrictions caused by the coronavirus outbreak, currently the main press office number (01483 238 315) is not being monitored. If you would like to speak to a member of the press office during working hours (0900 - 1700) please call 07786 320 713 or email publicity@cyclinguk.org.
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