• A guest post by Beca (@muddy_bootlaces) about the upcoming wild camping protest in London.

• If you would like to attend the rally outside the royal courts of justice on July 18^th at 12 noon, the eventbrite link is here, along with all further details.

Dartmoor is an incredible National Park. It is renowned for its extensive biodiversity, temperant forests, ancient woodland and rich archeological history. For the past 10,000 years, mankind have existed on the moors, but in more recent times, access to this land has become more and more restricted.

In December 2022, one of the biggest shocks to outdoor recreation hit Dartmoor National Park – the right to wildcamp without permission, disappeared over night. This was the only National Park in the whole of England and Wales that allowed this access, and for months, wildcamping on the moors was put on hold. 

Since then, an agreement has been made with the DNPA (Dartmoor National Park Authoirty ) and landowners, whereby permission to certain areas have been granted for campers. However, when this agreement was made, it was a one year contract, with landowners being given a fee for access, and 18% of the original wildcmaping map being removed. 

Protests sprung up across the country, and the DNPA finally agreed to appeal this decision – going back to court on July 18^th. Right to Roam and The Stars Are For Everyone are holding a rally once more outside the Royal Courts of Justice London, on this date, from 12noon, and are openly inviting members of the public to join.

Rebecca Trebilcock, one of the team members, spoke to some of the people taking part in the #savedartmoor campaign, to gain a deeper understanding, of why they will be raising their voice, on this day.

Lewis winks,  a campaigner and acitivist for The Stars are for Everyone explains,

“The Dartmoor wild camping case has outraged as well as enlivened those who care so deeply about access rights in this country. For many generations we have enjoyed the freedom to walk and camp on these wild, open moors. Now this freedom has been snatched away. 

This has been a pivotal moment for the land justice movement against a backdrop of centuries of loss and erosion of access in England. Darwall has underestimated just how precious these places and these rights are – and has only emboldened a desire for land reform in this country. A recent YouGov poll showed that 63% of the public support a right to roam in England – a consensus which reaches across the political and social spectrum, and which Labour have now made party policy. 

Those who have joined together to campaign for the right to wild camp have done so to protect a history and custom which is under threat not just here on Dartmoor, but right across these islands. Now, with a clear public mandate, we look ahead to a new act of parliament which will protect and extend access rights for future generations.  

Mark Hayhurst, an Outdoor Education Teacher for SEND students and a keen wild camper/hiker said “Dartmoor is far more than the rights of a few individuals, it is a landscape that has been shaped through time and should be enjoyed by all. Backpack Camping is a low impact recreational activity that allows everyone to experience the awe and wonder of Darmoor. I am worried that this is tip of the ice-berg of erosion of our recreational rights. At a time when we should have been using Dartmoor as a shining example of how the beauty of this access can positively impact social, emotional and mental health, I am now concerned that further restritctions will have the opposite effect. 

I am worried about what  recreational activity may be next – rock-climbing (boudering), bird watching or wild swimming for example, as these aren’t mentioned explicitly either in the Dartmoor Commons act either. I am shocked and saddened that this right in this right has been taken away from all groups. Dartmoor is a place that people come to reflect, feel connected with nature and unwind from the fast pace of modern life. This decision not only affected recreational users but people who came to Dartmoor for escapism and solace. Dartmoor is a National Park it deserves to be enjoyed unrestricted by the Nation. I think everyone deserves to experience a night under the stars.

Cat Howard is concerned about the impact on young people, she says,

“Dartmoor, like most wild places, likes to prey on the unprepared. To survive it and enjoy it, you have to prepare meticulously and keep your wits about you at all times. These skills allow young people to achieve great things,  whilst being truly independent, probably for the first time in their lives. They learn that hard work and resilience over time leads to more confidence in themselves and they very quickly suffer the consequences of their decisions or poor planning, by getting lost if they aren’t paying attention to their navigation or getting wet and miserable if they couldn’t be bothered to put on their waterproofs. It is possibly the first time in their young lives where their decisions immediately affect them and the rest of the team and there is no one there to tell them what to do. They are fully self-reliant and there is a lot of power in that. The memories made during these types of events last a lifetime and the skills they learn help them to achieve whatever they want in life. 

Ten Tors and DofE enable young people to form a connection with the outdoors and through that, they actively become more aware of things like littering and looking after the environment. They are educated during the training for these events, to leave no trace..”

Fern Leigh Albert is a Dartmoor local. She is a photographer and artist whose work is concerned with the land and low-impact living. She says,

From my home on Dartmoor I can hike out to remote and peaceful wild camping spots surrounded by nothing but the elements. In Summer I wake with dawn and dip in the river –  sunlight gently dappling through the trees. By day I explore craggy tors, wild ponies my only companions. Camping out in this unique landscape leaves me feeling calm and grounded. Camping in the wild can be life changing and evokes a deep respect and understanding of nature that cannot compare to textbook learning. As Sir David Attenborough says; “The more we learn about nature, the more we connect to it and understand it, the more we instil a desire to not only protect it but to share it with others.”

In the run up to more wild camping rallies on Dartmoor and at the High Court in London we must remind ourselves of the collective force we’ve created. People from all walks of life have been passionately campaigning and generously pledging their hard-earned money to support the up-coming appeal. Right now the total raised stands at X  – a staggering amount when you think a large portion of the donations were nominal amounts. Let’s gather together once again in solidarity for greater access to land and to preserve wild camping for future generations.”

In addition, the Open Spaces Society, Britain’s oldest national conservation body, is delighted to have been granted leave to intervene in the court of appeal case in support of the DNPA.  The society has been campaigning for common land, and people’s rights there, for 158 years.  It has offered evidence based on the interpretation of the many acts of parliament which have provided rights of access to commons and other open country.  Says its general secretary, Kate Ashbrook,

‘We are delighted to assist the Dartmoor National Park Authority in this important case.  We firmly believe, based on legal precedent, that there is a right to backpack camping on Dartmoor, which is all part of the right to walk and ride conferred by the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985.

We are immensely grateful to the trio of barristers, Richard Honey KC, Ned Westaway and Esther Drabkin-Reiter, of Francis Taylor Building, who have offered to act pro bono, and the team from Richard Buxton Solicitors.’

There is a link to the society’s skeleton argument and witness statement, and to the live streaming of the case here.

• If you would like to attend the rally outside the royal courts of justice on July 18^th at 12 noon, the eventbrite link is here, along with all further details.

Photo credit: www.fernleighalbert.com