Backpack camping returns to court

Backpack camping returns to the Supreme Court on October 8.

This will be the third round of debating what has been long understood to be a right, part of the numerous ways which we enjoy time out in nature. 

According to the Dartmoor National Park Authority, the unique landscape of Dartmoor attracts around two million visitors each year, most of whom enjoy walking, riding, cycling and backpack camping on the moor without leaving a trace. 

What they do take away with them is a renewed sense of wellbeing, a deeper knowledge of our iconic wildlife and a greater appreciation of the importance of wild spaces. 

As a conservation and public access charity, we believe that caring for Dartmoor does not mean our exclusion from it. 

Working alongside the DNPA, we have been sharing educational messages around Leave No Trace principles, with the aim of empowering every visitor to Dartmoor to access the moor responsibly. 

We believe that education around backpack camping ethically is the answer to the problem of the very small minority that ‘fly camp’ and leave litter behind.

It is our hope that the Supreme Court will understand the huge importance of access to nature, and rule accordingly after the hearing in October. 

However, we must also prepare for the unthinkable news that our right to backpack camp on Dartmoor may be revoked. 

On top of losing vital rights to spend time in wild places, this will also mean a crippling legal bill for the DNPA, a national park authority that is already under strain from severe funding cuts.

So far, we have raised £120,000 towards the cost of the DNPA's court fees.

Our target is £250,000. 

This figure will help to cover the huge legal fees which the DNPA may have to pay, fees which we estimate may come to a total of £400,000 for the three court hearings. 

On October 8, we will take part in a rally outside the Supreme Court, standing alongside our allies Right to Roam and The Stars Are For Everyone, as the DNPA defend the right to wild camp, with support from The Open Spaces Society, inside the court building. 

We are acting as a focus for donations towards backing the Dartmoor National Park Authority to defend the right to backpack camp. 

We want to see a rights-based not a permission-based system on Dartmoor. 

The money that we raise will be strictly ring fenced while we await the final decision from the Supreme Court, which may not come until 2025. 

What will happen if the DNPA win? 

Of course, there will be huge celebration. It will be a defining moment in cementing the importance of our rights as human beings to benefit from time spent enjoying our precious wild landscapes. 

Alongside this, it may mean the beginning of a countrywide shift towards greater access rights to nature, and a deeper understanding of the responsibilities that come with these rights. 

As for the money raised, it will never be used for our operational costs, but rather be invested in a range of important initiatives which support access to Dartmoor. 

These include:

• Moor Boots- a project to provide, for free, proper footwear and camping equipment to underprivileged children so they can take part in activities like DofE, Scouts and Ten Tors without the cost that would normally prevent them.
• Supporting Nights Under The Stars - a project giving children time, funds and resources to spend a day on a Dartmoor farm to understand the role of farming in the story of Dartmoor and a camping night out for the first time. This is organised and led by the Dartmoor Community Engagement Rangers, which we already partially fund.
• Supporting Girls do Dartmoor (GDD)- Creating safe and open spaces for young women to experience the outdoors together. GDD will help girls reap the benefits of being active in the outdoors whilst addressing barriers or stereotypes that cause girls to not pursue outdoor activities.

The purpose of these projects is to promote a life-long love of Dartmoor. 

We recognise the significance of giving people the skills to access the moor responsibly and build respect for the landscape, its people and the many ways it is used.

We believe in the importance of keeping Dartmoor wild and free. 

This includes conservation projects and opposing inappropriate developments, but it also includes the people of Dartmoor and an overall mindset. 

Truly conserving and protecting nature involves immersing ourselves in it, being part of it, and moving away from an illusion of separation. 

Robust, rights-based access supports this aim. 

But we need your help to make it a reality.

All donations, whether big or small, are a vital part of supporting the huge amount of work that is being put in to defending our right to backpack camp on Dartmoor. 

Please give whatever you can via our JustGiving page or head over to the ‘donate’ tab on our website.

https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/BackpackCampingAppeal

https://dartmoorpreservation.co.uk/make-a-donation/

https://dartmoorpreservation.co.uk/backpack-camping-the-story-so-far/