Protesters are preparing for a final fight as the landowner seeking to ban wild camping on Dartmoor takes his case to the highest court in the land.

Five judges in the Supreme Court will decide the fate of wild camping on Dartmoor on Tuesday, October 8, as landowner Alexander Darwall seeks to overturn an earlier High Court verdict.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority is defending – if Mr Darwall wins, the authority will be liable for £400,000 in court costs.

A fundraising effort has so far raised £120,000 which incudes 4,000 individual donations.

Public access campaign groups The Stars are for Everyone and Right to Roam are calling for a longer term solution to protect ordinary people's rights of access to uplands like Dartmoor.

A protest will also be held outside the court in London at 11am on Tuesday, October 8, and at Hound Tor on Dartmoor at 3pm on Sunday, October 6.

The court battle has been a protracted one, stretching over three court cases and nearly two years.

In January 2023 Dartmoor landowner Mr Darwall, seeking to stop wild camping on his land on the south of the moor, succeeded in the High Court in a case against the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

This prompted a public outcry, with protests in London and on Dartmoor, most significantly one involving 3,500 people on Mr Darwall’s land at Stall Moor near Ivybridge.

Dartmoor National Park Authority succeeded in overturning the verdict in an appeal to the High Court. Now Mr Darwall is using his final right to appeal that decision in the Supreme Court..

Speaking on behalf of The Stars Are For Everyone, Frankie Gould said: “If Darwall wins his case, there will be no further opportunity for appeal. Wild camping rights will cease to exist in England, and the continued ability for individuals and groups to sleep under Dartmoor’s stars will be lost.

"But there’s a bigger issue at stake here. The fact that a landowner is able to challenge our generations-deep right to sleep under the stars on Dartmoor points to the fragility and inadequacy of our current access system.”

Speaking on behalf of Dartmoor Preservation Association, Tom Usher said: “The generosity of the public has enabled the national park authority to defend the right to wild camp in court up to this point – we’ve still got a long way to go, with Darwall being able to vastly outspend a cash-strapped public body.

“We’d encourage anyone who is able to donate to the fundraising efforts. Should the national park win the case these funds will be used to support young people to have amazing experiences on Dartmoor.”