Hundreds of people rallied on Haytor to call on the government to pass a new Right to Roam Act.

The 600-strong rally came in the wake of the Supreme Court’s unanimous verdict last week, upholding the right to wild camp on Dartmoor, quashing a long-running legal battle brought by wealthy Dartmoor landowners Alexander and Diana Darwall.

Families with young children joined veteran wild campers and hikers to celebrate the victory, joined by a Morris side, folk musicians, and the figure of Old Crockern - a legendary protective spirit of Dartmoor. The rally’s organisers, the Right to Roam campaign and The Stars Are For Everyone, said that the case has demonstrated why public rights to access nature need to be extended far beyond Dartmoor.

Dartmoor remains the only place where it is legal to wild camp in England and Wales, whilst there is a right to roam over just 8% of England. In Scotland, the situation is very different: the Land Reform Act 2003 gave the Scottish public a right of responsible access over the majority of land and water, including widespread wild camping rights.

Lewis Winks from The Stars are for Everyone said: “The Supreme Court’s verdict upholding the right to wild camp on Dartmoor is a powerful and heartening moment. But it’s also a wake-up call.

“While our existing rights have been defended, this case has exposed just how limited our access to nature truly is. The fact that one landowner came so close to extinguishing a centuries-old tradition, enjoyed by millions, shows just how fragile our current access rights truly are.

“After this week’s victory we’re calling on the Government to enshrine greater access rights for everyone in law, to ensure they can never be eroded again.”

Guy Shrubsole from the Right to Roam campaign said: “It’s time for change. We need a new Right to Roam Act to defend and extend our right to responsibly roam, swim, and wild camp across England - not just on Dartmoor, but through forests, along rivers, over hills, and in wild spaces nationwide. We draw inspiration from the freedoms enjoyed for decades in Scotland and Scandinavia. And we’re committed to making that vision a reality here.”

Phil Brickell, Labour MP for Bolton West, who was outside the Supreme Court this week supporting the campaign, said: “With Dartmoor the only place in England where there is a legal right to wild camp, we know there’s much more work to do.

“Let us speak with one voice – loud and clear: no to access islands; no to wild camping bans in the other national parks; no to an inequality of access which maps access on the basis of land types.

“And yes to a new law which will settle this issue once and for all - and provide a responsible right of access to land and to water. So that each and every one of us can enjoy the rights and responsibilities our Scottish neighbours have had for more than 20 years now.”