Latest news with #AlexanderDarwall
The Guardian
23-05-2025
- The Guardian
Blissful isolation: wild camping on Dartmoor to celebrate a protected right
Gentle bird song and the soothing gurgle of water flowing over boulders wake me at dawn. The spring sun is not visible yet, but its pale-yellow light is catching the tops of the steep, tussock-clad valley where I spent the night. I am completely alone; it's just me and my thoughts. These are the kinds of moments of peace and blissful contentment in nature that cannot be commodified and have been under threat since the owner of the land where I pitched my tent launched a legal case two years ago to curtail the right for the public to backpack camp on Dartmoor. Alexander Darwall, a multimillionaire hedge fund manager, and his wife, Diana Darwall, claimed that wild camping was hindering their conservation efforts and putting their cattle at risk on their 1,619-hectare (4,000-acre) estate on the southern edges of the moor. But this week, the supreme court rejected Darwall's lawyers' argument that the act giving the public access to the moor for 'open air recreation' only referred to walking and horse riding. The three judges ruled that recreation should be understood far more widely, including wild camping. This landmark ruling means Dartmoor remains the only place in England where it is legal to wild camp without a landowner's permission. I passed the Darwalls' grand home – Blachford Manor – on the tough three-hour walk up on to the moor. Through a thick hawthorn hedge and barbed wire fence, I caught fleeting glimpses of the couple's shimmering fish pond and extensive deer park. But I didn't need to knock on his door and beg to camp on their open moorland: I just went ahead. In Scotland, people are allowed to pitch their tents where they please, provided they do not stray on to enclosed land, such as fields of crops. In England it's a different story, although many hikers, bikers and climbers do it anyway in remote uplands. Usually they are tolerated as long as they are discreet and responsible, but it is not a right. Countryside access campaigners hope the Dartmoor ruling will push Labour to open up more land to the public (as they once promised in opposition, with a right to roam). Some wonder if the judgment could prompt other national parks to allow responsible backpacking camping, as it makes clear that wild camping counts as open-air recreation. After all, the postwar bill establishing the national parks was designed to give people in bombed-out cities 'opportunities for open air recreation'. As the sunlight creeps down the sides of the valley, I fetch water from the River Erme and heat it on my stove. Soon, I have a warming mug of tea in my hands. This is very different from camping on a commercial site: there are no facilities or bins. You must carry out what you bring in – although you may carefully bury your own waste. It is not for everyone, but for those who love adventure and resent paying to be crammed between a palatial air-tent and an SUV with a safari-style roof tent in rural Suffolk. No one has staked out their group's patch with a fortification of wind breaks in something resembling a land grab. There are no queues and acrid smoke from burnt meat. The sense of freedom you get pitching your tent in open country is exhilarating. But of course, it brings a certain level of responsibility, and it is true some do not follow the rules. I reported on the spate of fly camping, where large groups left behind piles of rubbish and tents, during the pandemic. However, the supreme court judges made the point that it was far more effective for Dartmoor national park, which resisted Darwall's efforts along with a coalition of campaigners, to deal with irresponsible camping than leave it to private landowners to take action in the civil courts. Whatever the transgressions of this tiny minority, they pale into insignificance compared with the damage caused by irresponsible landowners across the UK. We live in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. Intensive farming coupled with the climate crisis has sent wildlife into decline, with nearly 1 in 6 species now threatened with extinction. Dartmoor itself is being overgrazed, particularly by sheep. The problem, which has prompted warnings from Natural England and a government action plan, is destroying habitats and putting rare birds at risk of local extinction. Darwall, who offers pheasant shoots, deer stalking and holiday rentals on his land, has been accused of endangering a rare beetle by releasing pheasants next to an ecologically important woodland. On my 17km hike through rugged moorland, rushing rivers and moss-draped woodlands, I didn't see a single piece of litter or scorch marks from a fire. The only rubbish I saw was feed bags and boxes left by farmers. As I descend off the moor, I follow the route of one of the largest ever countryside access protests ever seen in the UK. After Darwall won his initial court case in the high court in 2023, thousands came together to defend the right to wild camp. It is a testament to their efforts that this special place remains open to all.
The Sun
22-05-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Huge boost for wild camping as Brits CAN use one of UK's best-loved national parks in blow for millionaire nimbys
I HAVE wild camped on Dartmoor more times than I can count and the fact that this right was even debated in court seemed ludicrous to me. Back in 2021, the battle for the right to wild camp on Dartmoor ensued. 7 Following back-and-forth debates incourts, the Supreme Court has ruled that wild camping IS allowed in one of the UK's most-loved national parks. I am not surprised with the decision and I welcome it with open arms. As do the campaigners, that for the past four years have been fighting for something that should not have been questioned in the first place. Landowners (and millionaires) Alexander and Diana Darwall started the battle, claiming that people should not be able to camp without permission from landowners. The Darwalls created the argument as part of their 4,000-acre estate on Stall Moor near Cornwood, spilt into Dartmoor National Park. As a result, the tradition of wild camping was in jeopardy. And in January 2023, the High Court ruled that the Darwalls were allowed to remove campers from their site. Their legal team claimed that the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985, which allows access for "open-air recreation", did not include overnight camping. Outrage at the decision obviously arose and debates garnered national attention over the future of wild camping. Then in July 2023, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court ruling in July 2023, restoring the right to wild camp. But the NIMBY's didn't stop there, as the Darwalls appealed to the Supreme Court - whose judges unanimously rejected their appeal yesterday. Most weekends as a teenager, I would camp on the moors as part of training for Ten Tors - an annual hiking event for teenagers, hosted by the army. I would be walking from the early hours of the morning, sometimes until midnight - carrying at least 10kg on my back and often fighting the harshest of conditions. By the time it came to setting up camp in the dark, being able to pitch up my tent near enough anywhere, did not even cross my mind. Myself and my team would pitch our two small tents, in the dark, with nothing but torches. To date, the three events (35, 45 and 55 miles) that I participated in over three years were the biggest challenges of my life - mentally and physically. For thousands of teenagers who participate each year, I can guarantee the same. 7 If yesterday's decision swung the other way, I am unsure of the impact this would have on the event and the training thousands undertake each year. All I know is it would not have been a positive impact. Wild camping is nothing like camping at a camp site. Often you are exposed to the elements - but you get to truly be in the wild, surrounded by rolling hills and tors, flourishing rivers and streams and the only pitch black sky with bright stars I have seen in my life. Yesterday's ruling essentially means that people are legally allowed to camp in set areas of Dartmoor - they just need to follow a code of conduct. This includes leaving "no trace", the park authority has said. Tents and camping equipment must also fit in a carriable backpack, with no more than six people allowed to camp together. 7 Following the decision, social media and forums have also been flooded with comments from the public. One person commented: "A good ruling based on the common understanding of the words 'open-air recreation'. "Absolutely mad that it had to go all the way to the Supreme Court to rule on something so blindingly obvious." Another added: "Thanks to whoever updated the Wikipedia entry of Alexander Darwall, whose nimby campaign to ban wild camping on Dartmoor has just been upheld in the courts." Darwall's Wikipedia page was updated to include "enemy of the people", but has since been removed. When I watched the court hearing back in October, the argument boiled down to one sentence of the archaic Dartmoor Commons Act 1985. Section 10(1) of the Act states: "[T]he public shall have a right of access to the commons on foot and on horseback for the purpose of open-air recreation." 7 The court had to decide whether this section gave "the public a right to pitch tents or otherwise make camp overnight on the Dartmoor Commons". The Supreme Court ruling said: "Within Dartmoor National Park, there are areas of moorland which are privately owned but on which other locals have the right to put their livestock. "The clear wording of section 10(1) shows that it confers a right of public access which includes wild camping." Commenting on the ruling, Dartmoor Preservation Association CEO, Tom Usher, said: "This is an historic victory for public access, the DPA are very proud to have played a central role in campaigning to keep backpack camping on Dartmoor as a right. "This has been achieved through the work of many people and we salute the courage of the National Park Authority in fighting this case to the end." Dr Kevin Bishop, chief executive of Dartmoor National Park Authority, added: "We are delighted and relieved with the Supreme Court's ruling. "This is a landmark judgment not just for Dartmoor National Park but for people who have long campaigned for access rights. "The judgment reaffirms our long-held belief for the public's right to backpack camp on certain commons and, importantly, our role in regulating and managing that access." 7 Daniel Davy, founder of Dartmoor Wild Camping Action Group, said: "So yesterday was an emotional one. "We are so lucky to have the right to wild camp in Devon and the myriad of benefits it's brings, and it's about time that everyone had access to these wild spaces and experiences that shape so many lives. "We are going to take this fight to other national parks so that everyone in the country can experience what we are so lucky too on Dartmoor. "This could be the pebble that creates the splash, which turns into a wave that is access reform across the country." The group will be hosting a gathering on Monday at Haytor on Dartmoor to celebrate the ruling. Dartmoor on horseback is also the perfect way to enjoy the vast Devon moorland. Plus, the best 'almost wild' holiday campsites in the UK for families this summer.
BBC News
22-05-2025
- BBC News
Dartmoor wild camping about responsibility not just rights
Wild camping is "not about large tents and fairy lights" Dartmoor's authority has said after a court decision affirming the right to pitch a tent on the Court judges unanimously rejected an appeal by landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall who said people should not be able to camp without permission from Supreme Court ruling means that people are legally allowed to camp in set areas of Dartmoor if they follow a code of wild campers are being urged to "tread lightly and leave no trace", by the park authority after the ruling. 'Sense prevailed' Wild camping has long been legal in Scotland under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, but in England there is no general right to wild camp on most private land, with Dartmoor being an exception.A code of conduct says tents and camping equipment must fit in a carriable backpack and no more than six people are allowed to camp together."It's only in certain areas, you can't just turn up and pitch up and it's not about large tents and fairy lights," said Dr Kevin Bishop, chief executive of Dartmoor National Park Authority."I'm certain that this case has put Dartmoor on the map for backpack camping, but please look at our website," he urged."Before you come check where you can go and what you can do." Tom Backhouse, who grew up exploring Dartmoor, said the ruling was a chance to reconnect with nature, if done respectfully. "We're guests on this land, the ecosystems and wildlife have been here far longer than us, so walking in and out without leaving a trace is vital," he Backhouse, who runs Wildcamp which promotes wild camping, said: "I'm genuinely pleased that sense prevailed on Dartmoor. "People have enjoyed that land for centuries. "Our hope is that responsible wild camping becomes a legal right in more places, just like in Scotland." Emma Preece, a solicitor who represents landowners at Charles Russell Speechlys, said the ruling may lead to a short-term influx of campers, but she did not believe it would lead to a rise in irresponsible behaviour. "Rural landowners need not panic," she said."The Supreme Court's decision won't open the floodgates as it is limited to the application of legislation specific to Dartmoor Commons."Landowners still have protections under other legislation."This isn't a green light for damage, it's a reminder of the balance between access and stewardship." What are campers allowed to do?Tents and camping equipment must fit in a carriable backpackNo more than six people are allowed to camp togetherCampers must blend into the landscape, out of sight from roads and buildingsMaximum camping length is two nightsNo overnight stays in vehicles, campervans or motorhomesLeave no trace - do not light fires and take all rubbish away Dr Bishop said: "It is important to note that it is not a blanket right to camp wherever, or do whatever, you want. "With the right comes a responsibility to make sure that you tread lightly and leave no trace."We have been robust in defending the right to backpack camp, we will be equally robust in ensuring that people exercise that right responsibly and with respect to landowners and farmers. "If you are thinking of backpack camping on Dartmoor it is important to follow the guidance on our website." Richard Broadbent, environmental lawyer at national law firm Freeths, said bad behaviour by visitors to Dartmoor was partly down to access to wild areas being a novelty in England there is no general right to wild camp on most private land - Dartmoor is a rare exception - while wild camping has long been legal in Scotland."We need a 'both-and' approach," he said. "Yes to access, but also yes to education and responsibility. "If we normalise outdoor experiences from a young age, we'll see fewer problems like littering or fire damage."
The Independent
21-05-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Wild camping should be a basic human right – it's a life-altering experience everyone should be allowed to try
'It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent.' So said the American humorist Dave Barry in his skit about camping back in the 90s. And as any wild camper – particularly those who've spent many nights in a tent around Dartmoor National Park – will know, it can, at times, feel comically true. Yet for the past three years, we outdoor lovers have been battling more than unpredictable British weather. Since the Dartmoor Commons Act was legislated in 1985, parts of England's National Park represent the only area in Britain outside of Scotland (which has the far more progressive Land Reform Act of 2003) where wild camping is legally allowed. As such, it has become the initiation ground for generations of Scouts, Duke of Edinburgh participants and the annual Ten Tors Challenge. For me, it was the place where I – short of time and money – cut my teeth as an adventurer, allowing me to hone the art of responsible wild camping without the worry of falling fowl of the law, leading me many years later to co-found the #WeTwo Foundation, a charity that empowers underprivileged young people through expeditions. So it was with dismay that I learned of the proposed blocking of camping on Dartmoor back in 2022, by multi-millionaire Blachford Estate landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall. The couple have, since 2013, owned the Blachford Estate on Dartmoor – an area of land estimated to be twice the size of Gatwick Airport) – and in 2022, decided they didn't want wild campers on their land anymore. The lengthy legal battle ended on Wednesday, May 21, when the Supreme Court ruled that wild camping on Dartmoor should be allowed. For non-campers, this may seem insignificant. But as a woman and as someone who grew up in a working-class area of the country, this result is vital. When I discovered wild camping, it was, as it is for many, life-altering. It wasn't simply sleeping in a tent. It was freedom. It was the chance to disconnect from the stresses of daily life and reconnect with the natural world. It was confidence boosting and – importantly – cost me nothing. I'll never forget my first wild camp on Dartmoor, watching the stars come out in a sky clearer than one I'd ever seen before, being woken by birdsong and seeing the sunrise alone. I knew then that five-star hotels were overrated – I had a million above my bed. Later, when I took groups of inner city youngsters out into the hills, I watched as they too fell under the spell of a night spent outdoors, smiled as they noticed the lack of police sirens and commented on how they had never seen a sunrise or the stars except for on a screen. I saw their mental health improve, their confidence increase and their awareness of the issues faced by the natural world awaken. That's why the upholding of our right to wild camp is so important. And it's not only me who thinks so – the Centre for Sustainable Healthcare revealed in January that the NHS could save £2.1bn pounds every year if everybody in the country had access to good quality green space. Those who oppose this – a small pocket of farmers and landowners – say, much like the Darwalls tried to claim, that wild campers damage the environment. This is nonsense. Wild campers have no interest in damaging the environment that they love so passionately. We are not cattle botherers, fly tippers or environment destroyers. We love animals and wildlife and pledge to leave a place in a better state than we found it (I always carry a bin bag with me and pick up any rubbish I find on my adventures) and as for the environment, we will fight tooth and nail to protect it, because we see the great value it brings. Of course, there are always exceptions, but you don't close a motorway to all cars because a few drivers throw rubbish out the window or drive badly. You use existing laws to tackle those specific problems (something highlighted by the Supreme Court, Lord Sales and Lord Stephens at the Supreme Court ruling regarding anti-social behaviour of any rogue campers). I believe we should use this ruling as a wake-up call to think about how we can empower, educate and inspire people to experience the great outdoors responsibly, through equipping people with knowledge on how small actions affect larger landscapes – I'd suggest at the point of sale of camping items, and use our voices to make them fall in love with the landscapes they have historically been kept out of (according to Right to Roam we only have access to 8 per cent of England). We don't have to look far to see the success of places where wild camping is allowed. The Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland) all ascribe to allemansrӓtten or 'The Right of Public Access', the literal translation of which is, 'The all mans right', meaning that everyone has the right to roam in Swedish nature (except private residences and within 70 m from dwellings or gardens). There, access to nature is regarded as a basic human right. Other countries have varying versions of this, including Estonia, Switzerland, Austria, the Czech Republic and Scotland. The ruling today was one for common sense. Despite what the Darwalls have claimed regarding the actions of campers, the only crime being committed in Dartmoor right now is that landowners with deep pockets are taking an underfunded National Park to court over an issue that should have never been in doubt. Phoebe Smith is an adventurer and Wander Woman Podcast host. She is the recipient of the Royal Geographical Society's Ness Award 2025 for her promotion of accessible adventure, particularly to women and those from underprivileged communities, encouraging them to engage with nature in a thoughtful and conscious way.
Telegraph
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Dartmoor will be poorer for the Supreme Court's decision
In January 2023, the largest land access demonstration since the 1930s took place on a bright wintery morning on Dartmoor. As many as 3000 people massed on Stall Moor to protest the ban on wild camping. Dartmoor had been one of the few places in the UK where ramblers could pitch a tent for the night until the hedge fund manager, Alexander Darwall, brought legal action claiming that the right to camp was expressly not allowed in accordance with the Dartmoor Commons Act. Darwall was a focal point of that bright wintery morning. His visage appeared on banners, his name was on everyone's lips, and at the end of the day, as the sun went down, a chant of 'Darwall… a---hole' went up, while drummers kept time. It was very much an us versus him paradigm and the tales were wild. His reason for buying the land, according to some, was mineral rights. Others told me he'd inherited it all. But then again, another observer told me it was about the vast profits he supposedly makes from pheasant shooting. Alexander Darwall was everywhere and nowhere, not so much a man as an idea. There was a real carnival atmosphere. It felt both quietly revolutionary and quite childish. But I wasn't there to protest. I was there to research my book on land access, Uncommon Ground, and the protest, in spite of being the focus of the media, wasn't where the most interesting story actually was. About five months after the protest, I headed back to Dartmoor to visit a 76 year old gamekeeper who, for 43 years, has run a shoot on that contested ground. 'Frightened the s--t out of me', he admitted, when we sat down to talk in his cottage. He'd spent the morning on guard in his pheasant pens in the valley below and then, in the afternoon, he'd driven up to have a look. He was keen to make it known that he hadn't encountered 'a bad person among them.' Snowy clearly isn't worried about thoughtful ramblers. The trouble, he told me, 'are the scrotes'. He has apparently wasted huge amounts of time over the years clearing up after irresponsible fly campers. His observation was fascinating as I encountered a whole suite of people who would happily see Snowy's way of life as a pheasant keeper consigned to history but his point was important – it's very hard for those who camp responsibly to recognise that a great many don't. While we chatted about times past and about Snowy's love of wildlife, a truck pulled into the yard. 'This here', Snowy explained with great admiration, as the driver got out, 'is young Simon.' Simon, he told me, would be taking over as head keeper, and with him was a local farmer's son. Simon was thoughtful, tremendously balanced, and clearly immensely keen on conservation. Sometimes, he told me, he almost has to laugh. He'll find people having a picnic right in the middle of his lapwing plot (a bird which is almost extinct on Dartmoor) and the picnickers tend to have no idea they are disturbing anything. Some of them, he went on, are really respectful and want to learn but others seem to want a fight. Snowy turned to the young lad and asked him what he thought of it all. Shyly, he said to me that as he sees it those at the forefront of the fight to camp on Dartmoor are just 'a bunch of rich Londoners trying to tell us what to do.' He's not entirely right – but he's closer to the truth than many would like to admit and who am I to tell him he's wrong? What's interesting is that he feels that way and he added, in case I was in any doubt, 'any young farmer will tell you the same'. What stays with me most from that conversation was Snowy saying that when he first realised the impact that the public has on nature was during foot and mouth. The whole thing, he recalled, was terrible but because there weren't any people, everything changed. 'I saw adders. I saw birds in places I've never seen, and the insect life in the grass was just totally different.' On 21 May, 2025, at mid-morning, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that people do have the right to camp on Dartmoor. Part of me is pleased – it means a great deal to some but I worry too for the wildlife and I worry about that young lad and Simon and Snowy. I worry because the media is focussing predictably on the campaigners and those privileged few who own the land. As ever it's as though those who work the land don't exist. Ask any young farmer, that boy said in that cottage kitchen, except we won't.
