RIGHT TO ROAM
Project Name
In January 2023, wealthy landowner Alexander Darwall won a case to stop wild camping on Dartmoor. The moors are the only place in England where you could wild camp without permission. The ruling was a huge shock for nature lovers and wild camping enthusiasts. Later that year this verdict was overturned by the Court of Appeal, who found that “open air recreation” included wild camping under the access rights granted by the 1985 Dartmoor Commons Act. Alexander Darwall objected to this and October 2024 saw Dartmoor National Park back in the Supreme Court. I collaborated with the Right to Roam campaign for part of their journey.
“The greatest physical and mental health resource yet created is everywhere about us: nature. Yet England’s still feudal structures of land ownership and access mean that little of it is available to the public to enjoy. We are living with the impacts of a pre-democratic system of exclusion; a legacy of centuries of game laws, enclosure acts, stoppage notices and the hostile architecture it left behind. Spiked fences, barbed wire, angry signs, cameras, walls, gamekeepers and gates: all mar our experience of the countryside and the more positive, inclusive culture it could yet create.”
Right to Roam
On October 6th people rallied on Hound Tor, Dartmoor to show their support for the right to wild camp. We were joined by “Old Crockhern” a mythical spirit & protector of the moors and the Mayday Morris.
London Supreme Court
I travelled up to London with Right to Roam for the final hearing in the case Dartmoor National Park vs Alexander Darwall.
The hearing marked an important moment in the campaign for access to nature. Darwall argued that the Dartmoor Commons Act does not include camping, only “access to the commons on foot and on horseback for the purpose of open-air recreation”. So, he was challenged, what if someone were to sit-down on the moors and have a picnic? That would be trespassing, he concluded and you could be sued.
We were joined by speakers including; Caroline Lucas and the writer Robert Macfarlane.
The Verdict
In May 2025 the Supreme Court returned their verdict – they upheld the original ruling and the right of people to camp freely under the stars on Dartmoor. People gathered to celebrate on Haytor, with painted stars and banners. It was a beautiful moment and hopefully the campaign will continue to be successful in pushing for more rights & access to nature
