Campaigners for the right to pitch a tent and ‘wild camp’ on Dartmoor have today welcomed the Supreme Court’s backing.

The legal right to wild camp on Dartmoor has been upheld by the Supreme Court in a decision which will have wide ranging implications for public access to land.

Judges unanimously rejected an appeal by Dartmoor landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall who said people should not be able to camp without permission from landowners.

The judgement centred on the interpretation of a Dartmoor 1985 Act by-law that states "the public shall have a right of access to the commons on foot and on horseback for the purpose of open-air recreation". It said references to open-air recreation naturally includes ‘camping’.

Lewis Wins, from campaigners The Stars are for Everyone, said: “This verdict is a releif and huge win for thousands of people who have campaigned so hard to retain the right to wild camp on Dartmoor.

“However, Dartmoor remains the only place in England and Wales where the public has a right to wild camp and can lawfully experience the magic of sleeping under the stars.

“And the fact that one wealthy landowner Alexander Dawall, was able to temporarily remove a right that belonged to everyone, demonstrates how England’s system of access is utterly broken.”

He called on the government to pass a Right to Roam Act to defend and extend the public’s right to access nature in England: “Ministers must urgently change the law, not only to protect the right to wild camp ion Dartmoor, from future challenges, but to expand the public’s right of responsible access to the wider countryside.”

Dartmoor National Park Authority today says it is ‘delighted and relieved’ by the UK Supreme Court landmark ruling on what the Dartmoor Commons Act means for the right to access common land for open air recreation.

The authority gives thanks to its legal team, staff and partners including the Open Spaces Society and Dartmoor Preservation Association for their support.

Today’s UK Supreme Court ruling provides legal clarity and reaffirms the authority’s belief: that the right established by the Dartmoor Commons Act 1985 and the phrase ‘open-air recreation’ should be defined to include activities like picnicking, birdwatching, sketching the landscape and, the focus of this case, backpack camping.

Speaking after the judgment was handed down this morning, Dr Kevin Bishop, Chief Executive of Dartmoor National Park Authority, said: “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.

“We are enormously grateful to the Open Spaces Society which joined us in our legal action, and Dartmoor Preservation Association for launching a fundraiser to offset legal costs. We thank them, and their many supporters, for standing with us

“That right is clarified by the National Park byelaws which effectively define what is meant by open-air recreation. Their purpose is to provide a framework for safe and sustainable enjoyment of open-air recreation while respecting the rights of landowners and protecting Dartmoor for future generations.

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.”

He stressed this was not a blanket right to camp wherever, or do whatever, campers wanted. 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.”

He called on the Government to give him, tools and resources to manage responsible access and to look at lessons that can be learnt from the Dartmoor case before they publish the forthcoming Green Paper on access to nature and the countryside.

Tom Usher, chief executive of the Dartmoor Preservation Society (DPA), 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.”