The 5 most remote places in the UK to practise Bushcraft
For such a small country with a large population, the UK still has its fair share of sparsely populated areas ideal for getting away from it all and practicing some Bushcraft. For example, there are well over 4,000 islands that surround the UK mainland that are at least half an acre in size, and only 210 of these have people living on them. There are many places you can go where you’ll be alone, though it’s important not to be too remote and end up getting yourself stuck somewhere. Here are the 5 most remote places in the UK to practise Bushcraft that won’t put you in danger going there.
1) The Isle of Jura – Scotland
The east coast of the island is home to several small villages and isolated buildings, not to mention the famous whisky distillery. The rest of the island is completely uninhabited and untouched by human hands, except for a small stone lodge that can be rented out to hikers. Flowing rocky hills, grass-covered valleys, and dozens of small lakes dotted around make this an exceptional place to visit. Wild camping is allowed in Scotland and the ability to set up anywhere you like in a beautiful valley or mountain slope makes this a highly recommended place to visit. As for bushcraft, there isn’t much wild food, but it’s one of the best places to work on your navigation and hiking abilities, and you have a huge coastline for beach foraging and fishing.
2) The River Towy estuary – In between Laugharne, Llansteffan and Kidwelly
This huge estuary is one of the best commercial cockle spots in all of Wales, and the three pieces of land surrounding the inlet all offer different things. It isn’t the most remote place you can visit, but the areas around the coast between villages are very sparsely populated and offer plenty of privacy. Each piece of land has its own castle and village to visit, but all offer their own advantages when it comes to bushcraft. The land south of Laugharne has its own scrub land and a small woodland right next to the coast, Llansteffan is home to a large and very flat beach that has a huge amount of cockles on it, and the Kidwelly side has a large pine forest next to the shore. You can find almost any type of shellfish in the estuary, and some areas around its shores contain marsh samphire and wild mushrooms.
3) The Scilly isles – 25 miles off the coast of South west England
You can take either a ferry or a small plane to reach the islands, with numerous companies operating trips out of Cornwall. The isles are made up of five main islands that are inhabited throughout, but there are dozens of smaller islands surrounding them that not a single person lives on. Some of these islands allow people to camp on them, which would give someone their own private island for the duration of their stay. The main problem is that they are very bare, with most of them having no trees and little more than rocks and grass, but they all offer excellent fishing. This would be a great place to try and survive a pretend stranding, or simply to just get away from everything and be alone for a while.
4) Killarney nation park – Southern Ireland
A huge mountain range littered with forests, streams, and lakes. There are many isolated buildings and villages across the park, but there are also huge areas where you won’t be able to find someone if you try. The location of the park also makes it prone to some nasty weather but also makes it beautiful when the peaks are covered in mist. It offers a huge selection of wild foods but is one of the hardest places to hike through, with constantly changing slopes and large peaks that take hours to cross. This is the best all-round location as it offers a little of everything and also has numerous campsites dotted throughout.
5) Galloway Forest Park – Scotland
There are several national parks in England, and all of them are worth a trip to, but none are quite as remote as the Galloway forest park. The great thing about this place is that there are many small forests spread across the whole park, broken up by small hill peaks and grass valleys. You could walk across 5 peaks and through twice as many forests in a single day here, or just sit by one of the many lakes and try your luck at some fishing. Because it’s in Scotland, wild camping is allowed so you can just set up wherever you like, but if you want something a little more comfortable there are several lodges within the park range.
