WC on Dartmoor news

[Pudsey Bear]

Dartmoor wild camping legal challenge goes to Supreme Court

Landowners challenge a court ruling that said people can wild camp on some privately owned areas.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[NSY]

I wish we had open access like Scotland.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

You don't really have it in Scotland, it's just less enforced up there thankfully.

 

[edina]

I think you'll find their meaning of wild camping is a tent, not a thumping gurt motorhome

 

[Fisherman]

You don't really have it in Scotland, it's just less enforced up there thankfully.

Yes we do Kev.
You can pitch a tent on any unfenced land In Scotland at anytime of the year.
The only exception is Loch Lomond and the Trossachs from April to October.
But this does not apply to motorised vehicles.
The land reform act of Scotland is unique within the U.K..
When down south I find it strange with all of the private property keep out signs in rural locations. These signs would be illegal in Scotland.
But drawing comparisons with a country 3/4 the size of England with less than 10% of the population would be unfair. I don’t know if a similar act throughout England would be workable. But I do think there are areas in England and Wales where it could be applied.
With regards to Motorhome parking, we tend to have a more pragmatic approach, hence why hardly a month goes by without a new Aire being opened. Also there are now many elsan points and freshwater taps being installed.
But as already been stated what we do is not wild camping.

 

[mistericeman]

To be honest ....I fear for the peak district if 'wild camping' is allowed ....

 

[Pudsey Bear]

Yes we do Kev.
You can pitch a tent on any unfenced land In Scotland at anytime of the year.
The only exception is Loch Lomond and the Trossachs from April to October.
But this does not apply to motorised vehicles.
The land reform act of Scotland is unique within the U.K..
When down south I find it strange with all of the private property keep out signs in rural locations. These signs would be illegal in Scotland.
But drawing comparisons with a country 3/4 the size of England with less than 10% of the population would be unfair. I don’t know if a similar act throughout England would be workable. But I do think there are areas in England and Wales where it could be applied.
With regards to Motorhome parking, we tend to have a more pragmatic approach, hence why hardly a month goes by without a new Aire being opened. Also there are now many elsan points and freshwater taps being installed.
But as already been stated what we do is not wild camping.

Yes Bill, I was of course meaning in a motorhome as most of us do it that way.

 

[Fisherman]

Yes Bill, I was of course meaning in a motorhome as most of us do it that way.

Yes Kev, but in Dartmoor you were never allowed to park up wherever you liked. The freedom allowed only applied to people in tents. Something which is allowed throughout Scotland. “Open access” in unfenced land is permitted in Scotland.

 

[Fisherman]

To be honest ....I fear for the peak district if 'wild camping' is allowed ....

I tend to agree, England with its 60 million is a different kettle of fish to Scotland.
On my last visit to the Peak District at Castleton even on the hills it was so busy that we had to queue at certain points. The Lake District although nice suffers from to many people for my liking. You can spend a whole day hillwalking, or walking a rural area up here and see no one all day.

 

[Fazerloz]

I tend to agree, England with its 60 million is a different kettle of fish to Scotland.
On my last visit to the Peak District at Castleton even on the hills it was so busy that we had to queue at certain points. The Lake District although nice suffers from to many people for my liking. You can spend a whole day hillwalking, or walking a rural area up here and see no one all day.

Don't fall over and break your leg then.

 

[Nabsim]

I think you'll find their meaning of wild camping is a tent, not a thumping gurt motorhome

Yes Chris but if they hadn’t done the enclosures we would still have common land lol

 

[Nabsim]

Yes Kev, but in Dartmoor you were never allowed to park up wherever you liked. The freedom allowed only applied to people in tents. Something which is allowed throughout Scotland. “Open access” in unfenced land is permitted in Scotland.

Never allowed is not true, a long time is

 

[Fisherman]

Never allowed is not true, a long time is

you forgot the were

Were never allowed.

 

[mark61]

Old man often "wild camped" in both Dartmoor and New Forest. I still remember ranger calling round for a brew, and remember very well jumping in the rangers Land Rover so he could show me dad other spots to camp. I remember it so well because it was my first drive in a Land Rover, don't think me old man ever forgot either because I spent the next 5 years pestering him to get a Land Rover , he never did. That would have been late 60's.

Wild camping (in a van) was probably banned there mid 70's.

 

[Fisherman]

Old man often "wild camped" in both Dartmoor and New Forest. I still remember ranger calling round for a brew, and remember very well jumping in the rangers Land Rover so he could show me dad other spots to camp. I remember it so well because it was my first drive in a Land Rover, don't think me old man ever forgot either because I spent the next 5 years pestering him to get a Land Rover , he never did. That would have been late 60's.

Wild camping (in a van) was probably banned there mid 70's.

Cheers Mark.
I don’t think you are allowed now to sleep there in your car overnight, was that ok then.

 

[Nabsim]

It’s time the king opened up some of his land for common folks

 

[mark61]

Cheers Mark.
I don’t think you are allowed now to sleep there in your car overnight, was that ok then.

I have no idea what the rules where back then, I was a kid, but we often camped there in bank holidays etc, and like I said the ranger would come round, never got moved so guess it was ok.
I do very vaguely remember my old man moaning when camping in a van was banned, in new Forest and Dartmoor, so again, I guess it was ok.

 

[Pudsey Bear]

It’s time the king opened up some of his land for common folks

He's had to let his Tw@ brother stay.

 

[GeoffL]

Old man often "wild camped" in both Dartmoor and New Forest. I still remember ranger calling round for a brew, and remember very well jumping in the rangers Land Rover so he could show me dad other spots to camp. I remember it so well because it was my first drive in a Land Rover, don't think me old man ever forgot either because I spent the next 5 years pestering him to get a Land Rover , he never did. That would have been late 60's.

Wild camping (in a van) was probably banned there mid 70's.

1983, I used to drive up to Haytor with a 20ft mast (2 x 10ft sections) lashed to the roofrack of my car (Citroen GS back then). I was on a month's leave following return from the Falklands. A friend used to park his camper by the side of the 'Duck Pond' (GPS 50.518 -4.037) and converse with all and sundry via CB while I was doing the same thing from Haytor on the amateur 2m band. I remember many other campers wild camping on the moor back then but have no idea whether it was legal!

Anyway, time for a side-ditty! I used to jack up the suspension to get over a hump and then follow a 4x4 trail to about halfway up the tor. About 3:00am, I was packing up when I noticed a police car in the layby at the bottom of the trail. I didn't think I'd done anything wrong, so I finished packing up and made my way down the trail, jacked up the suspension and drove over the hump, at which point the officer leaped out of his car and stood in front of mine with raised hand He then proceeded to give me a right dressing down about straying more than 15m from the road in a motor vehicle. Of course, I apologised profusely and promised to leave the car at the bottom should there be a next time. He drove off seemingly appeased by my apologies. As I was about to drive off, my headlights revealed an impression in the hump that looked suspiciously like it had been made by the front of a certain police car. My guess is that he'd tried to follow me up the trail but didn't understand the special nature of the Citroen hydraulic suspension system!

 

[r4dent]

My guess is that he'd tried to follow me up the trail but didn't understand the special nature of the Citroen hydraulic suspension system!

That suspension was great fun.

I remember being stuck in a traffic jam and seeing a young boy looking very bored in the car next to me.
So I jacked the car up. He went wild . started pointed and all the adults looked at my car ... Nothing!
The adults stopped watching ... I dropped the car right down. Boy pointed; adults watched; Nothing !
This went on for about ten minutes until the jam cleared.

Th suspension was also useful when hitching /unhitching.