Wansbeck: Finding the Wild We Were Told No Longer Exists

The view from the tentstep, deep in Wansbeck

“There are no ‘wild’ places in England.” I hear this almost daily, and it’s total rubbish.

It’s easy to believe that every corner of our countryside has been mapped, walked, tamed, and photographed. We live in a small, densely populated island, after all. But hidden away in inaccessible corners of farms and estates, there are still places that are truly, undeniably wild.

I know this because we’ve found them.

The 15 acres time forgot

Take Wansbeck, for example, a natural paradise we’ve recently added to the CampWild network. It sits within a 2,500-acre estate, and according to the host (the seventh-generation custodian of this stunning land), it hasn’t been stepped foot in by anyone outside his immediate family for decades.

Fifteen acres of riverside woodland and meadow, tucked over a kilometre from the nearest road, building, or past or present footpath. The only hint of human presence is an ancient boundary wall, thought to predate the estate itself, which was established in the 16th century.

In short, this is land that’s been left to get on with things, no clearing, no grazing, no footfall, no artificial noise. Just nature, as it wants to be.

The magic of true remoteness

When our members camped here for the first time, their feedback said it all:

“I have never seen so much wildlife.” “It was magical.” “It felt like we were stepping into Narnia.”

I felt the same. The first time I visited, I was in awe. There’s a stillness to Wansbeck that’s hard to describe, a sense that you’ve slipped between the pages of the map into somewhere the modern world has forgotten.

And yet, it’s just 25 minutes from one of the biggest cities in Northern England.

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Why places like this matter for our minds

In a world where most of us live with constant noise, notifications, traffic, deadlines, the general hum of busyness, stepping into somewhere completely untouched is like taking a deep, long breath you didn’t realise you needed.

Science backs this up. Studies have shown that time in nature reduces cortisol (our primary stress hormone), lowers blood pressure, and improves mood. But there’s a difference between sitting in a busy park and immersing yourself in a place where the loudest thing is the wind in the trees.

Wild, unfiltered places strip away the visual and mental clutter. There are no paths telling you where to walk. No signposts or fences. No distant road noise or light pollution. Just the living systems that have existed for centuries, uninterrupted.

It’s not just calming, it’s recalibrating. You start to feel smaller in a good way. Your thoughts slow down, your senses sharpen, and that mental ‘buffering wheel’ we all carry in our heads finally stops spinning.

A rare invitation

For most people, places like Wansbeck are off-limits. Locked behind gates, far from any public right of way, and known only to the families who’ve cared for them for generations.

That’s what CampWild is about, unlocking these spaces, so our community can experience the restorative power of truly wild land, without damaging it.

At Wansbeck, you can stay for up to 48 hours. Camp by the river, wake to birdsong, and feel what happens when the modern world slips out of view.

Because wild places still exist in England. You just have to know where to find them. To camp and explore Wansbeck, and over 225 other Wild Spaces across the UK, join the CampWild community today.

Become a Member Today