Right to roam ruling before Christmas?

Supreme Court set to rule in Dartmoor 'landmark' legal battle

A ruling on Dartmoor’s controversial wild camping legal wrangle could be delivered before Christmas.

The Supreme Court is currently considering its judgement following a hearing in London last month.

Landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall have challenged a Court of Appeal ruling which allows people to wild camp on some privately-owned land on the moor. Mr and Mrs Darwall own the Blachford estate near Cornwood on the south of the moor, on which they keep livestock and offer pheasant shooting to guests.

They say some campers cause problems for livestock and the environment, and increase the risk of fires.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) has opposed the the couple’s  efforts to restrict wild camping through a number of court hearings.

Mr and Mrs Darwall won a High Court case in January last year to be allowed to remove people found camping on their land, but the decision was overturned on appeal six months later.

Earlier this year the Darwalls were given permission to take their case to the Supreme Court.

Cllr Sally Morgan (Lib Dem, Bovey) serves on the DNPA as well as on Teignbridge Council. She told a meeting of the Teignbridge overview and scrutiny committee: “This will be a landmark case for any other very wealthy landowner. We are hoping for a judgement before Christmas.

“We are defending the right to roam, because what Dartmoor provides is a natural health service.

“A lot of people need that solitude for their mental health, and also to enjoy the silence out there. You just can’t hear a thing apart from the birds and the water.

“It is one of the reasons why we are really making sure we defend the right to roam.”