Right-to-Roam legal battle begins 'to save Dartmoor for future generations'
A legal battle has started at the High Court in London
Last updated 12th Dec 2022
Campaigners today gathered outside the High Court in London - worried that the right to wild camp is being lost from Dartmoor.
A hearing's been underway into whether a landowner should be able to give permission as Alexander Darwall argues there's been problems with litter, parties and fires caused by some people being irresponsible.
Protest organiser Emma Linford believes the row could continue for some time as noth sides could potentially appeal the latest ruling.
Campaigners argue that the right to wild-camp is more crucial now than ever – citing the benefits it has for physical and mental health and in sparking environmental care.
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Dartmoor is the only national park in England where people have the legal right to camp. Campaigners say 'for decades, this right has allowed generations of children, young people and families, from local schools, charities and community groups to Duke of Edinburgh expeditions and the Ministry of Defence’s Ten Tors Challenge, to experience the outdoors and responsibly connect with nature'.
Writer and academic Robert Macfarlane, author of The Wild Places, The Lost Words and The Old Ways, has backed the campaign. His tweet asking for wild campers to share their memories, stories and photographs of their experiences of wild camping “to show what stands to be lost,” has collected hundreds of responses.
He said: “A night under Dartmoor’s skies has been a mind-opening, life-shaping experience for tens of thousands of people down the decades. At this moment of ecological crisis we've never needed these opportunities to connect deeply with nature more."
Emma Linford, an outdoor education professional who has trained professional explorers for expeditions including the Frozen Planet team, has led camps on Dartmoor for 20 years, escorting young people from marginalised communities on transformative wild-camp journeys, including carers, prison-leavers, and learning disabled groups with the likes of Duke of Edinburgh, Princes Trust and the Rotary Club young leaders programme.
She said: “I’m often working with people whose freedom has been profoundly curtailed, whether from inner-city living, or because of the weight of caring responsibilities, access needs, poverty or lack of opportunity.
“Many speak of being given ‘a new chance at life, and a feeling of belonging’ that they’ve never experienced before. In the UK, I can only offer these experiences legally in Scotland, and on Dartmoor. To take this right away, especially in such a magical environment as Dartmoor, would be a tragedy.”
Amy-Jane Beer of the Right to Roam campaign, which is also backing the Dartmoor campaign, says: “With nature connection in the UK at an all time low – the worst in Europe – the transformative experience of spending a night or several under open skies is more needed now more than ever.”