Has the Supreme Court ruled that the public has a right to wild camp on Dartmoor? I don’t know, but I hope so, writes Richard Foord, MP for Sidmouth and Honiton.

I am writing this on Monday evening, and we wait to find out about the Court’s ruling.

Sleeping outside on common land is a practice that is thought to have existed on Dartmoor for hundreds of years.

You may feel like you have heard this story somewhere before. It is little more than a year since the High Court ruled that wild camping on Dartmoor was allowed. A private equity fund manager - Alexander Darwall – sought to prevent wild camping on land that he bought.

I appreciate that not everyone who pitches tents is respectful and follows the country code. Yet my experience of many years’ camping on Dartmoor, is that the vast majority - the overwhelming majority - do care about the land, as well as the nature and livestock that it supports.

Dartmoor is the only place in England where wild camping has been thought to have been legal. That was threatened by a ruling in 2022 that wild camping was not legal – a verdict that was overturned at the High Court in 2023.

If (by the time you are reading this) the Supreme Court verdict has ruled against wild camping, the Dartmoor National Park Authority will be out of pocket. I have donated to the Dartmoor Preservation Association’s official JustGiving appeal – “Save Dartmoor Backpack Camping”. Almost 5,000 of us have donated, but they are still short of their target to cover their legal costs.

If the verdict is in favour of wild camping and the National Park Authority has its legal fees covered, then the Preservation Association have promised to use funds raised for some brilliant projects.

They would provide hiking boots and camping equipment, so that young people can take part in activities like the Duke of Edinburgh Award, Scouts and Ten Tors, without the cost that would normally prevent underprivileged children from taking part.

Any excess funds would also be used for having children spending a day on a Dartmoor farm to understand the vital role of farming in the story of Dartmoor.

I am hopeful that the next generation of children will be able to learn respectful enjoyment of the great outdoors on Dartmoor - including under the stars.