The verdict is in, the robes have spoken, we have a new pope! Also, unrelated, the Supreme Court has handed down a decision that’s got us quietly punching the air: wild camping on Dartmoor is legal – no permission slip required.
It’s a huge win, not just for campers and stargazers, but for everyone who cares about their right to roam, sleep and gambol (responsibly) in the British countryside.
After all the courtroom to-ing and fro-ing, the law has landed where most of us always felt it should’ve been in the first place: on the side of access, common sense and the freedom to enjoy unobstructed views of the starry night.
This is a story that goes back years, with a legal battle igniting in 2022 when Dartmoor landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall argued that no one should be able to camp on their land unless permission has been given by the landowners.
A High Court ruling followed in January 2023, threatening to unravel decades of wild camping tradition on Dartmoor that had been protected by the Dartmoor Commons Act of 1985.
The court declared that wild camping didn’t count as “open-air recreation”, a key part of the act. That sparked national protests, petitions and a sense of disbelief – after all, if pitching a tent quietly on open moorland isn’t open-air recreation, what is?
Thankfully, the Dartmoor National Park Authority fought back. And fought hard. The Court of Appeal overturned that original decision in summer 2023, and now, with the Supreme Court ruling in favour of public rights, the whole sorry saga has come to a triumphant end, at least for now.
Responsible wild camping is back on Dartmoor, backed by law – and we’re giving it both thumbs up.
The ruling has been met with huge relief and celebration across the outdoor world. Dr Catherine Flitcroft, Head of Access and Conservation at the British Mountaineering Council said: “This is such welcome news and a relief that the judges unanimously rejected the appeal by just one landowner who tried to extinguish the rights and freedoms of the public.”
But as she rightly points out, the win isn’t the end of the story: “While we celebrate this legal win, it also exposes deeper vulnerability in England’s access laws. We need to ensure that public rights are protected and extended, not just defended in court.”
Dartmoor is now once again the only place in England where wild camping is legally protected without needing landowner permission – and that feels worth celebrating.
But it also shines a light on how fragile those rights can be. This case could so easily have gone the other way, and the fact it made it all the way to the Supreme Court shows how precarious things are.
So here’s to those who stood up and made noise. To the 3,000+ people who marched on Stall Moor. To the DNPA for not backing down. To campaigners and access groups for keeping it on the front pages. And to everyone who loves a quiet night out on the moor with a sleeping bag and a sense of adventure (and a decent understanding of the basic rules of wild camping).
In the meantime, pack light, leave no trace, and enjoy the view. Dartmoor’s waiting.