Dartmoor

[Biggydog]

Hello all, has anyone ever spent a night on Dartmoor? I am planning a trip out for our little 3 van possy around Cornwall and was intending leaving after work on the friday getting to Dartmoor in time to catch a pub for an evening meal then spending the night in one of the little bay areas just off the road between Mortonhapstead and Postbridge. I have been on the Dartmoor website and it only lists its 2 camp sites which are for tents. I am aware that you cannot stop on the road at certain places at Princetown due to the prison but does anyone know if that applies to the whole of the Dartmoor or not?
Thanks Mart

[binka]

I'm sure I read somehwere that Dartmoor is the only place in England where you can legally wildcamp. So I'd have thought that parking up on the roadside should be OK.

[MattyG]

yep you can wildcamp up there for a few days max

http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/vi-wildcamping.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I normally go to a little 'farmer owned' campsite near Widdecombe in the Moor - basic facilities but cheap as chips (£5 for the van for the night) and a lovely out of the way location next to a stream. about 1/2 - 1 mile walk to the pub which serves great food. you can even get half a dozen eggs in the morning for £0.50 from the farmer!

I'll see if I can find the address if your interested?

matt

[noss vanagon]

If its only for an overnighter and you want the pub, go to the Plume of Feathers in Princetown you can camp out the back.

[ajp]

I've had many a pleasant night in the 'Plume'. Some I can even remeber bits of!
Friday night in the pub, camping out back and then out on the moors early doors saturday for a night of real wildcamping. Wildcamping ain't wildcamping if you can drive there!

Then back to the pub for Sunday lunch.

[lloyd]

Lots of places on Dartmoor:
http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/index/vi ... #campsites" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[PetenAli]

The back of the Plume at Princetown is good but the site recommednded by Matt just south of Widecombe is cracking . The OS map ref is 717751. It is called Cockingford.
Pete

[lloyd]

Pete's right. Cockingford Farm is very nice.

[syncropatrick]

Not sure if you can wildcamp in a van, mores the pity. The wildcamp rule states '>100m from a road', while the parking rule states '<13.5m from a road'. Anyone actually wild-camped in a van and can provide a better interpretation of the rules?

[ajp]

Not sure if you can wildcamp in a van, mores the pity. The wildcamp rule states '>100m from a road', while the parking rule states '<13.5m from a road'. Anyone actually wild-camped in a van and can provide a better interpretation of the rules?

I've never been aware of any rule defining wildcamping. In the 20 years I've been doing it my only rule is if you can't see a road, a house or any sign of human existance thats a good place to start looking for a campsite. If you can hide yourself against anybody else stumbling across your new found site all the better. Theres nothing better than waking up to nature and sod all else. A trip earlier this year included a bonus of no jet contrails in the sky. It was like waking up in the land that time forgot.

[syncropatrick]

Not sure if you can wildcamp in a van, mores the pity. The wildcamp rule states '>100m from a road', while the parking rule states '<13.5m from a road'. Anyone actually wild-camped in a van and can provide a better interpretation of the rules?

I've never been aware of any rule defining wildcamping. In the 20 years I've been doing it my only rule is if you can't see a road, a house or any sign of human existance thats a good place to start looking for a campsite.

Cool, which is pretty much what it states on page 5 of this

yep you can wildcamp up there for a few days max http://www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk/vi-wildcamping.htm

"You should avoid the locations contained in the list below, where camping may cause disturbance to local people or damage to the environment:
moorland enclosed by walls or fences; farmland (unless you have permission of the landowner);
on the roadside, or within 100 metres of a road; anywhere within sight of roads or houses;"
and it then goes on to say
"If you are travelling in a motor home or have a large frame tent then please use a proper camp site. You must not camp or park overnight in car parks, lay-bys or on moorland verges."

I owned land within DNP and was legally entitled to camp on it, under the 28 day rule. It was within sight of a minor road. But virtually every time I did so, at any time of year some passing motorist dobbed me in. Next morning the sector ranger would pop up and say "Ah, I thought it was you Patrick, but I'd had a report of campervans on the land" and he'd go about his merry way as I was within my rights to camp in my van on the land. We got to know each other quite well over the 5 years this went on!

That's my experience. Do others have more successful stories of wild camping in a campervan on Dartmoor?

[clareb123]

We spent 2 nights camping in Dartmoor this summer, one at the bottom of Hayto rocks, the next carpark after the visitors centre, and one on the viewpoint overlooking Tavistock. Both were lovely, Haytor was deserted, the viewpoint was a little busier, and we were rudely awoken by ponies chewing the indicators and kicking the wheels! We read all the wheels and couldn't work them out as they seemed to contradict, but we were quiet and considerate and left nothing behind so I don't think we did any harm! I'd thoroughly recommend it. Our ca
psite in Cornwall after that seemed much too cosmopolitan!

[clareb123]

Sorry for the terrible mistakes in that! I can only see half the screen on my phone!

[Biggydog]

thanks for all the comments guys, sorry i havent replied sooner good old Virginmedia has been on the blink thanks to some little scroats vandalising the cabinet in the street, and they were to busy to fix it