More than 3,000 protest the loss of the wild camping rights in Dartmoor

More than 3,000 people gathered at Cornwood, Ivybridge, to protest the loss of the right to wild camp on Dartmoor. 

In a joint statement, The Stars are for Everyone and Right to Roam organisations said: "Over 3,000 people took to Dartmoor (yesterday) to oppose the snatching away of our rights in the largest protest of its sort in a generation. It was abundantly clear that people reject the current deal that allows permissive access in return for cash."

The protesters walked from Cornwood up to the top of Stall Moor, owned by the landowner who brought the original case against Dartmoor National Park. 

Right to Roam have created a framework to write letters to MPs if people wanted to use them, including: "We're calling on MPs to publicly support a Right to Roam Act - a new law that would defend and extend public access to nature.

"We only have a right to roam over 8 percent of England currently, so want to see that expanded to places like woods, rivers and Green Belt land. And following the recent court ruling that ended the right to wild camp on Dartmoor, we need fresh legislation that reinstates that right, and extends it to other national parks." 

Image credit Louise Casson.