Camping

Camping is permitted on the northern half of Harford Moor.

Please refer to the DNPA Camping Map.

Under the Dartmoor Byelaws and the Camping Map, backpack camping is allowed on the northern half of Harford Moor, i.e. all of it north of Piles Hill in a line from Piles Gate (SX648613) to Glasscombe Corner (SX663610). It excludes Higher Piles and Piles Copse for environmental reasons. The easy access and pressure of use in the southern half of the moor means that it is withdrawn from camping under the Byelaws at present.

In the area specified, camping is allowed under the usual rules of “leave no trace”.

  • You may only take what can be carried in a backpack (no cooler boxes, chairs, etc.).
  • You may stay no more than one night without contacting us first for consent to stay longer.
  • There must be no more than six people in a group.
  • Light no fires other than a proper small camping stove (which must not be placed on to the grass – put it on a rock).
  • Take all rubbish home.
  • Bury faeces and used toilet paper under at least 15 cm (6 in.) of turf (you will need to take a trowel with you); or bag it and carry it out (as you would for a dog).
  • Keep peaceful and do not disturb wildlife.
  • Chill out and enjoy it!

If you value the experience, then please consider making a contribution to the “Donate for Dartmoor” fund, which helps to pay for the management of the moor. You can this online here:

https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/wildlife-and-heritage/our-conservation-work/donate-for-dartmoor

FURTHER THOUGHTS

The High Court ruling delivered on 13 January 2023 clarified the situation regarding camping on Dartmoor. It was judged not to be a legal right as had previously been assumed under the Dartmoor Byelaws. This ruling was challenged at the Court of Appeal and very different interpretation put on the wording of the law in a judgement issued on 31 July 2023. In effect, it determined that walkers and riders have a right to rest and sleep while on the moor, and that might include camping. Whether this will be challenged in the Supreme Court remains to be seen, but for now it is the law.

The owners of Harford Moor consider that backpack camping in remote areas, if done responsibly, is a wonderful experience and would like it to continue. After the High Court judgement we worked with the Dartmoor Commons Owners’ Association and the Dartmoor National Park Authority to establish a common way forward with our neighbours, and ensured that there was never a time when people did not have permission to camp on our land. The Appeal Court’s changing of the law does not affect our position.

We have agreed with DNPA the southern boundary of the permitted camping area in such a way that it excludes the area where we have had damaging fly camping in the past, but keeps the area where genuine backpack camping has always happened. This is to help improve the environment, and if you are a genuine long distance backpack camper, you will not be inconvenienced. The permitted area starts only one mile from a road.

In the Appeal Court judgement, the burden of damage faced by the owners of the moor was recognised. The Master of the Rolls stated that he came to his conclusion “with some reluctance”, emphasising that wild camping “must be conducted in strict accordance with the applicable byelaws”. Lord Justice Underhill clearly also recognised that there is a problem on the ground. “The question for this Court is simply what the language of the 1985 Act means. My conclusion that it confers a right to engage in wild camping does not mean that I do not have real sympathy with the landowners in having to deal with the consequences of the irresponsible exercise of this right: we were shown some shocking examples in the evidence. Byelaw 6 already contains some restrictions on wild camping, including listing a number of parts of the commons where erecting a tent is not permitted at all and a prohibition on camping in a tent for more than two nights in the same place. It may be that further restrictions are required in order to try to address the increased level of problems being reported by landowners.”

So please recognise that we need help to keep Dartmoor looking pristine, and we spend a lot of our own time and money clearing up after others. That is not reasonable and if it continues the DNPA will need to impose further restrictions as the Lord Justice suggests.

Since January 2023 our position has been similar to that of the Dartmoor Commons Owners’ Association: that continuing the legal dispute between two of the Association’s members over wording in the 1985 Dartmoor Commons Act will not help to manage camping on the moor. Even with the Appeal Court judgement of July 2023, we consider that what is needed is a reasoned dialogue as to the best way forward, and we are pleased to be engaged in such a discussion with representatives of the Dartmoor Preservation Association, the Ramblers’ Association, the Right to Roam Campaign and the Stars are for Everyone. The environment concerns us all, and safeguarding it is of paramount importance. As a society we are letting narrow issues cloud the bigger picture, with the result that our environment is degrading at an alarming rate.