Wild camping legal challenge goes to Supreme Court

A long-running ineligible situation implicit the close to chaotic campy connected Dartmoor is being heard astatine the Supreme Court successful London.

Alexander and Diana Darwall are challenging a Court of Appeal ruling which said radical tin chaotic campy connected immoderate privately-owned commons successful the nationalist parkland successful Devon.

The mates support cattle connected Stall Moor, which forms portion of their 4,000 acre (16 sq km) estate, and assertion that immoderate campers origin problems to livestock and the environment.

Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA), has said that it would question "to support the public's close to entree the nationalist parkland for open-air recreation" portion continuing enactment to "protect Dartmoor's unsocial characteristics".

Dartmoor National Park, designated successful 1951, covers a 368-square mile (953 sq km) country that features commons, areas of unenclosed privately owned moorland wherever locals tin enactment livestock.

The Darwalls won a High Court lawsuit successful January 2023 to beryllium allowed to region radical backpack camping connected their land.

The DNPA asked entreaty judges to overturn the High Court's determination and successful July 2023, the Court of Appeal ruled successful the DNPA's favour, with judges saying the "critical question" was whether chaotic camping could beryllium considered a signifier of "open-air recreation", and uncovering it was.

In January, Mr and Mrs Darwall were fixed the greenish airy to instrumentality the lawsuit to the Supreme Court.

Hedge money manager Mr Darwall said up of the Supreme Court hearing: "No-one is suggesting restricting nationalist entree to locomotion oregon thrust successful the nationalist park.

"But the grade of recreational enactment is an important contented if we privation to sphere the unfastened moor for the agelong term."

He said campfires connected adust crushed were unsafe and campers often near litter and quality excrement.

Campaigners The Stars are for Everyone, who were portion of a demonstration astatine Hound Tor connected Sunday, said immoderate the outcome, the Darwalls' ineligible enactment had "succeeded successful unleashing thing almighty and ancient, a committedness to our commons, our emotion for the land, our close to belong".

The proceeding is owed to past 1 time and a judgement is expected astatine a aboriginal date.