In a turn of events that has wild campers and nature enthusiasts concerned, the right to wild camp in Dartmoor National Park is now facing new challenges.
After Dartmoor National Park Authority’s decision last year to allow wild camping on the moors, the Supreme Court has just granted permission for a case to be reopened, brought by Alexander Darwall, a wealthy landowner, against the ruling.
If you’re not familiar with what has happened, this legal battle reignites last year’s victory for wild camping advocates, who had won an appeal that initially prohibited the activity. The initial banning case brought by the same landowner, stirred a significant protest movement and revived discussions about land rights in the UK. Thousands rallied in Dartmoor, asserting their right to camp, echoing a broader call for land rights reform.
Dartmoor in Devon has long been unique in England for its assumption, under the Dartmoor Commons Act of 1985, that wild camping was permissible without the need for landowner consent. And thanks to the victory in July 2023, for a short time, it appeared wild camping in Dartmoor was safe.
Now, this appeal has put everything at risk again.
Central to the new case is the interpretation of wild camping as ‘open-air recreation’. Darwall’s lawyers argue that camping, primarily involving sleeping, does not constitute an active enjoyment of the outdoors due to being unconscious. This bizarre stance directly challenges the long-standing understanding of wild camping rights in Dartmoor. Any wild camper would argue that the enjoyment of the outdoors is the very essence of why they wild camp.
Darwall, the hedge funder who acquired the the vast 1,619-hectare Blachford estate in southern Dartmoor in 2013, offers various recreational activities like pheasant shooting and holiday rentals. However he has been clear about his opposition to unpermitted wild camping on his property.
The case, which now awaits a verdict from the Supreme Court, not only affects Dartmoor but also sets a precedent for land access rights across England. The ongoing tension between private land ownership and public access to nature, is however a debate that is sure to continue regardless of the court’s decision.
Stay tuned for the appeal outcome.
Read more: The Right to Wonder: Creative Contemplation & Wild Camping in Dartmoor