Right To Wild Camp On Dartmoor Is Lost

The BBC is reporting that the landowners of the Dartmoor estate have won their case to prevent wild camping on their land.

Campaigners and the Dartmoor National Park Authority had hoped to argue that the right to wild camp on Dartmoor was protected as part of historical ‘commons’ rights. However, this has failed in the two day court hearing.

This judgement removes the right to wild camp without permission on all but a small area of Dartmoor National Park, known as Stall Moor. This 11 square kilometre area is now the only place in England where wild camping is legal.

Duncan Dollimore, Cycling UK’s head of campaigns said:

“This case demonstrates how legislation on public access to the countryside needs radical overhaul in order to provide access to a wider range of outdoor activities like cycling and wild camping. Increased opportunities for the public to access our National Parks and Areas of Outstanding National Beauty are recommended in the Government’s Glover review – now is the time to act and enshrine these in law.”

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A post shared by Right to Roam (@right.2roam)

Labour has indicated that it will seek to increase the right to roam if it wins the next election, while the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas has been a vocal supporter of increased access. Pencils at the ready, then?

Dartmoor ruling marks one landowner’s naked attempt to roll back access to natural parks. We have legal access to just 8% of English land, 3% of rivers & no wild camping at all – yet Scotland’s had wild camping & roaming successfully for years. We need #RightToRoam @guyshrubsole pic.twitter.com/LBlDN0JCV5

— Caroline Lucas (@CarolineLucas) January 13, 2023

Our National Parks should be open to all and access to Dartmoor is integral to that. Labour will expand the right to roam as part of our programme for Government

Our natural spaces are here for us all to share for biodiversity, wellbeing and equity pic.twitter.com/fqtRnn4Zj1

— Alex Sobel MP 🟣 (@alexsobel) January 13, 2023

While the question of whether you had the right to ride a bike to your wild camp spot was already a thorny one, with Dartmoor’s broader cycling access rights being a point of contention, this total loss of rights is a blow to those hoping to open up the countryside to all. Landowner 1, Commoners Nil. What’s next?

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Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.

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