"If you pack it in - pack it out"

The principles of making a minimum impact on the outdoors require a little thought and modicum of common sense.

Follow these easy steps and do your bit to maintain the fragility of our open space:

1. Plan ahead and be prepared.

2. Travel and camp on ‘durable’ surfaces.

3. Dispose of waste properly.

4. Take nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints

5. Minimise the impact of campfires.

6. Respect the wildlife.

7. Be considerate to others

Plan ahead and be prepared

• Know the regulations and special concerns for the area you'll visit.

• Prepare for extreme weather, hazards, and emergencies.

• Schedule your trip to avoid times of high use.

• Visit in small groups. Split larger parties into groups of 4-6.

• Repackage food to minimise waste.

• Use a map and compass to eliminate the use of marking paint, rock cairns or flagging.

Travel and camp on ‘durable’ surfaces

• ‘Durable’ surfaces are established campsites, rock, gravel, dry grasses or snow.

• Protect lochs and streams by camping at least 200 feet from them.
  Good campsites are found, not made. Altering a site is not necessary.

In popular areas:

• Concentrate use on existing paths and campsites.

• Walk in single file in the middle of paths, even when wet or muddy.

• Keep campsites small. Focus activity in areas where vegetation is absent.

In pristine areas:

• Disperse use to prevent the creation of campsites and paths.

• Avoid places where impacts are just beginning.

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Dispose of waste properly

• The best advice is: If you pack it in - pack it out.

• Inspect your campsite for rubbish or spilled foods. Pack out all litter, rubbish and leftovers.

• Deposit human waste in holes dug at least 8 inches deep and at least 100 yards from water, camp, and paths. Cover and disguise the hole when finished.

• Pack out toilet paper and other hygiene products.

• To wash yourself or your dishes, carry water 200 feet away from streams or lochs and use small amounts of biodegradable soap. Scatter strained dishwater.
   

• Preserve the past: look at, but do not touch, cultural or historic structures and artefacts.

• Leave rocks, plants and other natural objects as you find them.

• Avoid introducing or transporting non-native species.

• Do not build structures or furniture, or dig trenches

Minimise campfire impact

• Campfires can cause lasting impacts to the countryside.

• Use a lightweight stove for cooking and enjoy a torch or candle for light.

Where fires are permitted:

• Use established fire rings, fire pans, or mound fires.

• Keep fires small. Only use sticks from the ground that can be broken by hand.

• Burn all wood and coals to ash, put out campfires completely, then scatter cool ashes.

Respect the wildlife

• Observe wildlife from a distance. Do not follow or approach them.

• Never feed animals. Feeding wildlife damages their health, alters natural behaviour, and exposes them to predators and other dangers.

• Protect wildlife and your food by storing rations and rubbish securely.

• Control pets at all times, or leave them at home.

• Avoid wildlife during sensitive times: mating, nesting, raising young, or winter.
   

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Be considerate to others

• Respect those who live and work in the countryside.

• Respect other visitors and protect the quality of their experience.

• Be courteous. Yield to other users on the route.

• Step to the downhill side of the path when encountering livestock.

• Take breaks and camp away from paths and other visitors.

• Let nature's sounds prevail. Avoid speaking in loud voices and making unnecessary noise.

Travel in and enjoy the outdoors with minimum impact
Respect the environment and the rights of others
Educate yourself to plan and prepare before you go
Allow for future use of the outdoors by leaving it better than you found it.
Discover the rewards of responsible recreation.

By increasing public awareness and encouraging responsible outdoor practices, the great outdoors will be accessible, open and well preserved for future generations.
 

Your participation is vital. Make a difference!

‘Going’ in the great outdoors

Toilets come in many natural forms in the wild.
You can go 100 yards from camp and dig a hole 8 inches down. Once you’ve done your business, fill in the hole and cover it with greens and such to make it look nice - like you were never there.
Some say you should bury your toilet paper with the waste, but the paper does not belong in the ground. Some say you should burn it when done but this leaves a thick smell over forests and campsites. What is on the toilet paper spreads its odour everywhere! The best option is to put it in a zip lock bag and carry it out with your other rubbish – even the biodegradable type.

Remember "If you pack it in - pack it out"
 

Still yet another option is to bring a port-a-loo. This is your choice if you wish. Carrying one in your pack, however, would be the first of many concerns with this option!

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Rubbish

All rubbish should be carried out. This includes the toilet paper and feminine hygiene products (tampons, etc.).
 

Remember: If you pack it in - pack it out.
 

The aim is to leave the camping and walking area as beautiful as it was when we got there, and we don't like seeing waste as we walk down the street. We certainly don't want to see it as we through the forests or countryside!

Walking on marked routes

When we walk on marked routes, we are going where damage, more than likely, has been done already. This is a lot safer for the earth and the environment. Our feet will crush and kill most plant life as we walk through the forests or countryside. When we make a new route, we are killing that life beneath our feet. It is our job to keep the world we live in healthy - or to try at least. Using the marked routes helps make sure the world is better to look at and more lively. That's why they have marked routes in the first place!

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