Wild Campers lose o...
 

Wild Campers lose on Dartmoor

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Bollox

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/13/dartmoor-estate-landowner-alexander-darwall-court-case-right-to-camp

I think it the fact he's a hedge fund manager that really pisses me off - oh I hate hedge fund managers almost as much as I hate private equity managers

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:19 pm
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A few mass overnight picnics required there I think!

The case hinged on whether wild camping counts as recreation. The act under which people assumed the right to camp does not expressly mention the activity, but says visitors are free to enjoy outdoor recreation if they reach the moors on foot or horseback. Darwall’s lawyers argued that camping is not recreation, but that the law allows for activities such as walking and picnicking.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:23 pm
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I've not camped on that bit of moor before. I might now.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:26 pm
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Same, not been to dartmoor, time to go camping and maybe leave a shit on his doorstep

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:29 pm
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I very much doubt he lives on dartmoor..

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:29 pm
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Hopefully it will go to appeal....

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:31 pm
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As a regular early morning fell runner in the Peak District I come across loads of folk wild camping and I have to say (controversially!) I have some sympathy with the landowner. If Dartmoor is anything like the Peak then the amount of shit left behind by folk wild camping is appalling. Always the minority that spoil it for those who treat the land with respect but it infuriates me the amount of rubbish left behind and damage done to trees and plants.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:34 pm
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Sounds like a grade A ****. Since when did the fact that wild camping is illegal stop anybody wild camping? Oh and good luck trying to police it, its near impossible. So just camp anyway, what are they going to do? They'll ask you to leave, you say its not happening, they may call the police, who won't attend when they can't even get to serious crimes so nothing will really change.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:34 pm
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What a **** of a man, eh?

This is what it's really about:

Blachford estate on southern Dartmoor, offers pheasant shoots, deerstalking and holiday rentals on his land.

You can go on there... as long as you pay.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:38 pm
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Oh, want another reason to detest him?

Darwall has donated £89,999 to the right-wing UK Independence Party, the Anti-EU Vote Leave campaign, and the Conservatives between 2014 and 2019

What a surprise!

Oh, and his main businesses is exploring investment opportunities... In the EU.😡

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:41 pm
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As a regular early morning fell runner in the Peak District I come across loads of folk wild camping and I have to say (controversially!) I have some sympathy with the landowner. If Dartmoor is anything like the Peak then the amount of shit left behind by folk wild camping is appalling. Always the minority that spoil it for those who treat the land with respect but it infuriates me the amount of rubbish left behind and damage done to trees and plants.

This +1

It'll have zero impact on bike/backpacking, because if you're doing it sensibly and responsibly no one will even know you're there to call the police on you in the first place. It'll hopefully curtail the people arriving like it's Thursday afternoon at Glastonbury.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:42 pm
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Timothy Leader, arguing for the national park, said the law was purposely written to be as wide as possible to include all kinds of recreational activities. He added that there was a list of proscribed activities, such as killing animals or lighting fires, and camping was not on it.

Apparently killing animals isn’t allowed, except it is as a paying guest of a Hedge Fund manager.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:47 pm
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It’ll have zero impact on bike/backpacking, because if you’re doing it sensibly and responsibly no one will even know you’re there to call the police on you in the first place.

Depends, if I'm bike packing on my own or with a mate I'm fairly unbothered as we can just flick them the V's and ride off if confronted, but if I have my kids with me the idea of being prodded awake by one of Darwall's lackeys does not appeal.

The 'leave it trashed' crew will just ignore any ban anyway.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:56 pm
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No doubt the gamekeepers will be out and about looking for a few weeks in the springtime, and after that then it will be business as usual.

Anyhow, if you take a small square of tartan blanket and a flask with you, lay it out in front of the porch, then you are merely using a picnicking shelter. 🙂

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 12:58 pm
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Predictable continuation of the current project for the rich to loot the country, turning public places into private domains (see also: most of London)

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 1:08 pm
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Depends, if I’m bike packing on my own or with a mate I’m fairly unbothered as we can just flick them the V’s and ride off if confronted, but if I have my kids with me the idea of being prodded awake by one of Darwall’s lackeys does not appeal.

But then they would have to find you, in the dark, in the middle of thousands of acres of moorland and forest.

Unless his gamekeepers are more Tom Clancy than Tom Sharpe that seems vanishingly unlikely.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 1:27 pm
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The strange thing with the ruling is that for the CRoW act (2000), camping is listed as a specific exclusion, whereas it doesn't appear as an exclusion in the act covering public access to Dartmoor.

Caroline Lucas is currently also trying to get an amendment through Parliament which would remove camping from the list is exclusions... but by this ruling means it wouldn't matter if it was listed in the exclusions or not as now camping is not an outdoor recreational activity.

Now, as IANAL I could be very wrong on this, but I was under the impression that the laws in this country were permissive, in that everything was allowed except those things which are detailed as being forbidden/illegal. This ruling would seem to go against that as well.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 1:37 pm
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And the law now has new teeth to make sure his (The Landowners) rights are upheld.

Trespassers who set up camp illegally on other people’s land or in local communities could face up to three months in prison from Tuesday 28 June, as a new criminal offence becomes law.

Cracking down on antisocial people causing misery by setting up illegal camps and refusing to remove their vehicles, delivers on a key government manifesto commitment.

Made possible by the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, on Tuesday police in England and Wales will be given new powers to limit the harms caused by such unauthorised encampments and new statutory guidance will be published.

Police will now be able to ban trespassers from returning to a patch of land for a year, rather than just three months.

And the definition of harm will be broadened, so that police can take more decisive action to tackle unauthorised encampments when necessary.

They will be able to intervene where unauthorised encampments are causing environmental damage or distress to the community – not just the landowner.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

No one should have unchecked rights to trespass on other people’s land, or cause misery in communities without consequence.

The position in law is now very clear – trespassers must move their vehicles when asked to do so, or face jail time and a hefty fine.

Illegal encampments cause misery for thousands of people: they damage and pollute environments and often result in local residents facing unacceptable intimidation on their own doorstep.

Delivering on our manifesto commitments, this government will always stand on the side of the law-abiding majority and on the side of the police.

Under the new guidance, the harms potentially caused by unauthorised encampments could include – but are not limited to – instances where:

there is excessive littering, noise or smell – including from bonfire smoke
a local resident is verbally abused or intimidated, or fears leaving their house to avoid walking past an encampment
local communities are prevented from accessing sports fields, parks or car parks
property on the land, or the land itself has been damaged – including farmland
For the first time, unauthorised encampments on highways will be covered, as well as on public and private land.

The new criminal offence will be punishable by a prison sentence of up to 3 months, or a fine of up to £2,500, or both, and/or seizure of the vehicle.

The conditions of the offence are clear - if people leave when asked to by the police or landowner, they will not risk having their vehicle seized, a fine or prison time.

Statistics showed that the number of authorised traveller pitches had increased by 41% from January 2010 to January 2020 and the government continues its work to provide even more authorised sites for travellers to reside upon. This includes a new fund recently launched that will provide £10 million of capital grant funding for 2022/2023, to support local authorities in England in improving accommodation provision for travellers.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 1:39 pm
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This +1

It’ll have zero impact on bike/backpacking, because if you’re doing it sensibly and responsibly no one will even know you’re there to call the police on you in the first place. It’ll hopefully curtail the people arriving like it’s Thursday afternoon at Glastonbury.

I tend to agree. The trash-everything crowd probably knew Dartmoor wild camping was not illegal and took advantage. Is there the same problem on Exmoor for example?

That said, the system of land ownership and management in this country isn't right.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 1:58 pm
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Anyone got a guillotine in good working order?

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 2:08 pm
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Hiya,

To be honest will it matter? there is thousands of acres of land to monitor.
The wild camping fraternity should just all camp up there one weekend just to prove a point.

BR
JeZ

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 2:25 pm
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If Dartmoor is anything like the Peak then the amount of shit left behind by folk wild camping is appalling. Always the minority that spoil it for those who treat the land with respect

Very much my view.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 2:34 pm
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Caroline Lucas on BBC Radio 4 lunchtime news just now, brilliant stuff, making the case for protecting access rights.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 2:41 pm
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They can't police wild camping as is it and actively do not. When has anyone ever heard of the police going off into the mountains or countryside to move wild campers on? Only time I've heard of that was in lockdown and they were few and far between and usually idiots nears roads etc.

The police won't care or have the time or resources to deal with it. You can make all the new laws you want but the reality is that wild camping in remote or out of the way areas will continue unaffected as no one really cares.

Oh and bringing up an example of some hard of thinking leaving crap behind in the lakes is the exception that proves the rule. Idiots leave rubbish anywhere and everywhere, doing anything and everything, does that mean everyone should do nothing and stay at home? Try and engage the old brain before typing narrow minded drivel like that.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 2:58 pm
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It's not the cops you have to worry about, it's the meathead gamekeepers employed by the land owners who will bully, intimidate, threaten and assault to serve their masters wishes.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 3:02 pm
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It’s not the cops you have to worry about, it’s the meathead gamekeepers employed by the land owners who will bully, intimidate, threaten and assault to serve their masters wishes.

Every game keeper I've ever seen (not many) have been old duffers who couldn't intimidate a kitten.
Plus they've got to find you first in a huge area which would take an army to monitor and patrol.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 3:06 pm
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It’s not the cops you have to worry about, it’s the meathead gamekeepers employed by the land owners who will bully, intimidate, threaten and assault to serve their masters wishes.

TBF, the vast majority of gamekeepers I have had contact with are perfectly pleasant and pretty restrained even when I and my group have been 'wrong'.
I too have sympathy for those who manage land and have to deal with the minority of fools. However, the landowners and managers then do tar most of us with that brush in my experience.
This though is an erosion of rights, something we need to be very careful of.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 3:36 pm
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this particular area, they have already made access harder for the masses by closing off the car park. its now quite a hike into this bit of land.

its only a small part of dartmoor but the worry is the precendence it will set.

fly campers are easy to find anyway, they are normally <100yds from their car.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 3:43 pm
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To me its absolutely about intimidation and erosion of rights.

No, as a middle class middleaged 6ft white guy I'm unlikely to get fined or roughed up - I may even (as has happened in the past) get told "you are alright this time but don't camp/walk/ride/eat here again"

But thats bullshit. I don't want to do anything 'under sufference' - I already feel like I share the roads by grace of the motorist, constantly othered in the press - yet people come out and actually spectate morons drifting round our local roundabouts at breakneck speeds. Walkers and forest rangers regard me with suspicion when riding on the bridleway, making me feel barely tolerated yet some fool with three badly behaved dogs off the lead isn't given a glance. When kayaking I'm the bad guy - not the people killing the fish and leaving loops of nylon hanging from trees to entrap waterfowl.......

And its the same here - you can storm across the land on horseback trampling everything underfoot and making public rights of way a quagmire,loudly blow the hell out of stuff with guns leaving cartridges and carcasses littering the ground but woebetide anyone who wants to quietly contemplate the sunrise from a bivvybag - for they are the real enemy of the countryside

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 4:02 pm
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For all that it's got a bit too much hippie woo in it for my taste, there are some good strong arguments about access rights in this book and it's worth a read: https://singletrackmag.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/the-trespassers-companion-a-field-guide-to-reclaiming-what-is-already-ours/

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 4:06 pm
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I agree on a practical level, it may not make much difference. That's not the point. Manouveres like this send out the wrong message to urbanites; they are not welcome in the countryside.
Only a few people can or will go hunting or shooting and stay in a glamping lodge - that's got nothing to do with enjoying nature.
Education, training and enforcement are the answer.
So, don't pick up other people's litter - make them pick it up!

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 4:08 pm
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So just camp anyway, what are they going to do? They’ll ask you to leave, you say its not happening, they may call the police, who won’t attend when they can’t even get to serious crimes so nothing will really change.

Yeah right, I'd argue that they'd turn up mob-handed for an easy pull. Armed home invasion? Forgeddabouddit, chasing dog-walkers round the peaks with a drone? All part of the service!

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 4:10 pm
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Yeah right, I’d argue that they’d turn up mob-handed for an easy pull. Armed home invasion? Forgeddabouddit, chasing dog-walkers round the peaks with a drone? All part of the service!

Having several police officer friends in Derbyshire, the Police really haven't the resources or the inclination.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 4:15 pm
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News story here with some quotes from people, for completeness. https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/wild-campers-lose-on-dartmoor/ But please do carry on the chat/debate here!

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 4:59 pm
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woebetide anyone who wants to quietly contemplate the sunrise from a bivvybag – for they are the real enemy of the countryside

@winston your excellent post deserves to be widely disseminated not limited to STW.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 5:10 pm
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Wait - we're supposed to feel sympathy for the organisations that have fought at every step to oppose improved access for mountain biking (banned on Dartmoor for twenty years) now that its finally bitten them on the arse?

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 5:36 pm
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Interesting one this.
Illegal campers who a site in a mess will continue as they have no respect for clamping in a national park.
My question: how will this ruling impact the ten tors competition which relies on wild camping? This may or may not be of consequence depending on where the land is. My assumption is the land owner will grant permission or not. Or with suitable compensation

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 6:17 pm
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I was initially under the impression the court case was just for his land.... Is the ruling actually for all of Dartmoor NP?

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 7:03 pm
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Is the ruling actually for all of Dartmoor NP?

Yes. Of course other landowners can choose to still allow it but its not not allowed by default.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 7:07 pm
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“This land is our land…”

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 7:28 pm
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mountain biking (banned on Dartmoor for twenty years)

News to me Kevog. Been happily riding on the bridleways and rupps of Dartmoor for a lot longer than 20 years! Same access rules as anywhere else in England surely?

This (wild camping) ruling marks a sad day for anyone who enjoys the countryside. It reinforces that money not only enables you to buy land that everyone should be able to enjoy, it also seems to buy you the power to influence the judiciary into enabling you to overturn existing and historic agreements and exclude the use of that land for recreation.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 8:05 pm
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How is camping defined in this ruling. I'm sure I've seen previous attempts at a definition and that included the erection of a shelter. If that's the case, then bivvying should still be fine

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 8:28 pm
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Interesting point @scotroutes. Lots of law is defined on technicality. 🙂

For me, there's a tried-and-trusted way to challenge this ruling. It just needs to happen en-masse and a lot of the time.

If nothing else it'll piss this guy off royally. What can he do? Is he going to employ people to cover his 11sq miles of national park every single night? Make it cost him.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 9:00 pm
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@winston

To me its absolutely about intimidation and erosion of rights.

......

Excellent post mate, spot on.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 9:34 pm
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I was initially under the impression the court case was just for his land…. Is the ruling actually for all of Dartmoor NP?

It seems that the case affects all the Dartmoor bylaws that permit recreational pursuits. The court has found that camping is not a recreational pursuit. Therefore, it affects all areas of Dartmoor, not just Mr Darwall's.

One interesting view I've seen elsewhere is that Mr Darwall may now fall victim to the Barbara Streisand Effect.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 9:43 pm
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One interesting view I’ve seen elsewhere is that Mr Darwall may now fall victim to the Barbara Streisand Effect.

It's certainly received a lot of high profile media coverage today.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 9:46 pm
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To be honest I had no idea wild camping was illegal.
Those I see in the lakes tend to do so respectfully, so I see no issue if those that already do so continue respectfully and this is just used to clamp down on those that leave their disposible bbqs, broken camp chairs and empty cans behind. However I 100% agree that this is further erosion of our freedom.

@winston your excellent post deserves to be widely disseminated not limited to STW.

Agreed - very well put @winston

And the law now has new teeth to make sure his (The Landowners) rights are upheld.

@davesport I presume your quote is from last year? and not directly related to this case?

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 10:37 pm
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https://whoownsengland.org/2021/03/22/who-owns-dartmoor/

Interesting. Hadn't ever really considered who owned what before

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 10:44 pm
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@mark88

@davesport I presume your quote is from last year? and not directly related to this case?

Yes.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 11:15 pm
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I am a little sympathetic, considering how disruptive some campers are. But the legal argument is ridiculous. Camping isn't recreation? **** off.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 11:32 pm
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So sad.

T'was the one part of England where you could experience real freedom for a day or two.

 
Posted : 13/01/2023 11:35 pm
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I'm in the 'i really even think it was illigal' camp, I've always wild camped on open moors/national parks, I hate camp sites, they're horrible places, I thought that was why everyone hated camping!?

Obviously I'm not going to camp under the farmers window, in a feild of crops or near livestock, but turn up at last light, leave at first, be inconspicuous about it and leave no trace.

I did hear a roumour at one time of police helopters going out over the Brecon Beacons 'if they were up anyway' but bloody hell, it's not like they're gonna land next to you and send you on your way, or phone it in and send the Bill out up Pen Y Fan at 1am!

Great post @Winston

I'll carry on as I am thanks, Dartmoor or anywhere else.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 12:12 am
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Camping isn’t recreation?

Does rather raise the question, "what is it then?"

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 12:42 am
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So????

The sixth largest land owner on Dartmoor has presented and won a case about the right to roam on common land.

It's almost as if 'one' wanted to have a friend be seen as the bad guy to pass a law which helps 'one'. I'm sure the hedge fund manager won't handle any of mine,
my families or stupidly rich pals funds in my life time. It's not as if Dartmoor is the weakest area of attack to set a president to stop poor scum bags like me camping for 'free'. Why would I want to camp for free? The Renter's reform bill helps poor scum like me. Rising house prices help me. It's not like I can't buy a van and live in that without it now becoming a criminal offense. Which means every type of insurance and rental property will be freely available to me.

I have no doubt that the only place I will not be able to live is in what will be the waste ground of the country. The 'North'. I'm sure I won't have to work in a factory which will kill me of cancer in 20 years because I have no other choice. But I'm sure I can protest without getting 10 years in jail for not stopping because a copper tells me so.

Paranoid nut job. That's me. The freak in the corner with the tinfoil hat on which everyone laughs at. Luckily nearly everyone who reads this will be dead before I'm proven right. But who cares? It's the internet and I can't spell and my grammar sucks. I also can't Unfortunately keep my big gob shut 🤪 Do impress send? I guess I did

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 9:45 am
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To me its absolutely about intimidation and erosion of rights.

Only if you pay attention to them. The well heeled go where they want,and do what they want. That much I learned during the foot and mouth closure in the early 2000. So, now I do the same. I ride FP, stop where I want, go where I want. I'm perfectly polite, don't cause a fuss and just get on with it. I encourage others to behave like-wise.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 10:02 am
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Here in Sweden we pretty much have the right to roam anywhere and set up camp overnight. I have Even seen a group of people set up tents in the middle of a roundabout. Some people Even put staircases over their fences to make it easy for hikers to cross.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 10:30 am
 Del
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Same access rules as anywhere else in England surely?

No. The possible penalties for riding a footpath or other track other than a bw or other row open to bikes on the moor are quite severe whereas in the rest of the country they are non existent. Dnp were looking to make them even more severe in the legislation they were trying to get through last year.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 10:39 am
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Right To Roam are protesting https://www.eventbrite.com/e/raise-old-crockern-to-defend-dartmoor-tickets-514716339427

JOIN US IN DARTMOOR ON JANUARY 21ST for the first of many acts of defiance against this assault on our freedom.

We’ll be marching on Mr Darwall’s land to raise the spirit of Old Crockern, the ancient protector of Dartmoor who rises when the moor is threatened, and when greed abounds! The event is free, but it's good to get an idea on numbers, so follow the link above to register.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 10:43 am
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I did try finding out if anyone had ever been prosecuted or even charged under these bylawS restricting bike use. Drew a blank.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 10:44 am
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I’ve been wild camping for the last 20 odd years, but in the last few years there is a considerable amount more doing so - then posting it on Instagram / Youtube!!

I came down quite late one summer evening towards Llyn Idwal in Snowdonia - which I think is a nature reserve- the number of ‘wild campers’ there having a barbeque and partying was unbelievable.

Wild camping used to be about a few friends/individual pitching late and leaving early, and I appreciate a lot do this.

Difficult one! Have the locals noticed more rubbish being left in the area?

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 11:34 am
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During that first summer after Covid when campsites etc were closed and no-one could travel. It was a shitshow, literally. But existing laws could have dealt with it.

Since then it’s been pretty much back to normal.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 11:42 am
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No. The possible penalties for riding a footpath or other track other than a bw or other row open to bikes on the moor are quite severe whereas in the rest of the country they are non existent

So, as I read what you have written, the possible penalties are more severe but the actual rules regarding access are the same as the rest of the country.

Back on topic, time for the largest land owner on the Moor - Duchy of Cornwall - to step up and state they are happy to let wild camping on their land continue as it always has. Come on Willy you could do with some positive PR at the moment!

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 12:15 pm
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It's lovely to think that our taxes are being used to provide subsidies for the landowners.
Grrrrrr!

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 1:01 pm
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Duchy aren’t stupid. There will be someone working out how they can monetise this.

Wild camping permits, £100/yr/tent anyone? More?

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 1:03 pm
 Del
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So, as I read what you have written, the possible penalties are more severe but the actual rules regarding access are the same as the rest of the country

Can you be fined for riding a fp in the rest of the country? Don't think so.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 4:39 pm
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I am a little sympathetic, considering how disruptive some campers are.

Yes, but if you take away what little there is left for the people, then life will be rather restrictive don't you think so especially for people who like to camp? Not all campers are bad I suspect.

So sad.

T’was the one part of England where you could experience real freedom for a day or two.

Now we are all "imprisoned" with no more freedom as every inch of the ground is own by someone.

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 4:47 pm
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Not all campers are bad I suspect.

Very true, me and the mate when we arrived at the Glen Etive wild camping spot, would walk the area with bin bags picking up every scrap of litter.

Same when leaving, which makes good practice as you can forget things.

Couple of reasons for it. One being that occasionally the estate guys wander in, so none of it can be attributed to us. The other being my mate was a bit of a pyromaniac and was always looking for stuff to burn 😆

We were both in the same scout group and did loads of camping there, and this was standard procedure at the end of each camp

 
Posted : 14/01/2023 5:00 pm
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Just to show this arguement from another perspective and to stop any acusations of STW being an echo chamber, there are some good points raised (along with some obvious rants) over on the UK Farming Forum.

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/dartmoor-wild-camping.383442/

Worth a read to get a more balanced view of the situation and strength of feeling on this issue. Spoiler alert. It is not all anti open access sentiment, but it is certainly more pragmatic and less emotive than many of the people against the ruling. For what it is worth I think it will change very little. Those who used to camp within the spiirit of the old rules will continue to do so unopposed. Maybe those who blatently abused the rules might be moved on more easily. Maybe not. Certtainly here in the Brecon Beacons National park where wild camping is "illegal" I rarely go out on the hils late in the evening wihtou coming across 1 or more small tents tucked away in the landscape doing no harm to anyone. I have done it myself many times. I am actively involved in the local commons grazing group and it has never been raised as an issue (unlike the one of big groups having rave parties alongside the common roads or in the woods, which are a constant source of friction.

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 9:43 am
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As someone who spends a lot of time in a tent or bivi bag (including Dartmoor in the past), I should care more about this than I do. But I'm so fed up of cleaning up after other people (for the reasons explained above) that I almost endorse anything that might impinge on their antics, while realistically making no difference to me.

Case in point at the end of last year: found a good local bivi site - except for a 70l rucsac worth of cans and bottles, rotting tarps and log platform. Went back later in the week with a saw, big pack and folding spade. Bagged the litter, sawed up the logs and scattered them around, just the fire scar left to dig in and stones to scatter. I'm getting so tired of this, though.
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Posted : 15/01/2023 10:56 am
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But, y'know, if you're not part of the solution...

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 10:57 am
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Daft question, can you just camp anywhere in a motorhome in Scotland ? I'm guessing not ? Just watching Sunday Brunch and one of the guests said they went in a hired motorhome from Southern England into Scotland. The just used a 'wild camping' app to find a spot, pitched up and woke to great views. Sounds irresponsible to say that on TV - going to ruin it for everyone if people take this attitude with campers.

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 11:12 am
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Montgomery - good work, but the ruling will make no difference to people who don’t give a toss.

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 11:19 am
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It'll make some difference but, like I say, I've just stopped really caring about this stuff. Follow your own moral compass and **** the lot of 'em.

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 11:33 am
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From the perspective of those that manage outdoor spaces;
Those that properly wild camp cause little to no issue, although do sometimes need reminding not to post it all over social media. Popularity of one spot did make it visible from the local town 5 miles away at one point.
Equally don't camp next to the main access points.
If you leave your stuff out during the day, don't expect to find it when you come back.

A colleague came from Loch Lomond NP where the car camping was an utter piss take around the lake and the mislabelling of this as wild camping rather than rude messy ****s impacts on an entirely unrelated activity.

There are unfortunately people with no respect for their surroundings wherever they are and the countryside is busier than before and experiencing more of them.

If there is nothing visible to report it doesn't get back to the estate office we don't need to do anything about it 😉

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 12:11 pm
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For what it is worth I think it will change very little. Those who used to camp within the spiirit of the old rules will continue to do so unopposed

Sadly, I'm not sure I agree with you. The sense of being within the law and not subject to challenge has been a part of wild camping on Dartmoor for me. I don't want to feel like I'm doing wrong, or might be challenged, especially if I'm up there with my son, and that would affect my decision to choose this particular activity (which reminds me - not recreation? How the heck would you fail to argue that hiking up a hill to spend the night under canvas is anything else?). I'm not someone who relishes confrontation, so it does make a difference.

Some similarity with mountain biking on the Moor (BWs notwithstanding, obvs). I do feel that we are a little persecuted by the authorities, who have stopped me before. I have then always done as asked, while also taking the opportunity to engage in the discussion. Those discussions while civil have also shown quite a lot about attitudes towards mountain biking. And yes, in the letter of the law we are technically subject to more severe penalties riding off a BW than elsewhere in England, which I think is utterly ridiculous given a national park exists in part as a device to enable access and recreation, and given that Dartmoor in particular is in spirit supposed to be more open access than the rest of the country.

NB I am also a farmer and landowner and understand the issue from both sides. But I also agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that changing a law like this will change the behaviour of the law abiding, and not much the behaviour of those who would be dicks whatever. So I think it very much is about erosion of rights and should he resisted.

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 12:14 pm
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Good point about being allowed made by luket above. To have somewhere you can go, wild camp and it not be something to encourage confrontation. This has been a big attraction of wild camping on Dartmoor for me too, it's like riding a BW rather than a FP (another entirely ridiculous discussion), you have as much place there as any other.

Neither has it been without rules on distances from roads and dwellings, if these were better followed/enforced maybe it wouldn't have reached this point?

The not recreation part seems the weakest link in the existing argument.
By the same measure, surely shooting isn't recreation, that is pest control that should only be carried out by trained, licensed and insured persons?

 
Posted : 15/01/2023 12:53 pm
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Time for a few mass trespasses.
It’s another sad day when an arsehole like this can take away something that has been our right for so long. Hopefully there will be an appeal.

It’s a pretty big test case nationally so hopefully there will be lots of interest.

All so the scum bag can make himself more money.

 
Posted : 16/01/2023 9:08 am
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It’s a pretty big test case for this.

Someone needs to try to get Charles and William involved. Charlie was always pro-countryside, maybe getting the king involved would help.

Also mass camp outs and trespasses are the order of the day.

 
Posted : 16/01/2023 9:15 am
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Thanks for the first real LOL of the day. Charles taking the side of plebs against a landowner! Yeah that will happen.

 
Posted : 16/01/2023 9:51 am
 Olly
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Someone needs to try to get Charles and William involved. Charlie was always pro-countryside, maybe getting the king involved would help.

Pressumably it will be a real issue for Duke of Edinburgh Award, and Scouts and those groups?
Its such a dick move. And Why?

"I bought it, its mine"

More likely not having plebs around to get under the horses feet or distract the hounds while they are hunting.

 
Posted : 16/01/2023 10:35 am
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