Who really holds the power on Dartmoor?
Saturday 24/05/25, 09:30 – 10:30, Ashburton Arts Centre
As a National Park, Dartmoor is supposed to be accessible to all , and until recently was the only place in the country you could wild camp freely. But a recent court case has thrown all that into doubt. Can we feel confident about being able to access Southern England’s biggest wilderness in future? Is access to nature and wide open spaces a human right, essential to our health and mental well-being ?
In the opening discussion of the Dartmoor Tors Festival join a panel of eminent historians, writers, social scientists and campaigners to talk about the past, present and future of this contested landscape.
BOOK TICKETS HERE
Kate Ashbrook is a campaigner for people’s rights to paths and access, who first fought Dartmoor battles 50 years ago; she is general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, vice-chair of the Campaign for National Parks and Dartmoor Preservation Association, and vice-president of Ramblers GB.
Matthew Kelly is a historian and author of Quartz and Feldspar, a social history of Dartmoor, and The Women who saved the English Countryside, which includes a portrait of Sylvia Sayer, who fought to protect Dartmoor in the twentieth century. He is currently Professor of Modern History at Northumbria University.
Lewis Winks is a social scientist, writer and campaigner. He co-founded The Stars Are For Everyone to defend the right to wild camp on Dartmoor, and works with Right to Roam to protect and extend public access to the countryside. He is researcher at Exeter University and a director of On The Hill in the Teign Valley which helps community groups to learn from the land.
Guy Shrubsole is the best-selling author of Who Owns England and The Lost Rainforests of Britain. His latest book, The Lie of the Land, argues that landowners have failed in their duty to care for the countryside, and urges communities to fight back. He is one of the founders of Right to Roam which campaigns for increased access to the countryside, parks and new public spaces.
Featured photo: View from Parliament Rock, Sophie Pierce