1. Backpack or wild camping
If you can carry everything you need in your backpack as part of a Dartmoor walking expedition, you can backpack camp for one or two nights in some areas of open moorland, well away from roads or settlements using a ‘no impact’ approach.
Planning and preparation are essential for this type of activity. This includes having the right equipment and navigational skills to survive safely ‘well away from civilisation’ for a couple of days, and crucially, knowing where you are allowed to camp. This is the only type of camping permitted, however it is not permitted everywhere in the National Park and so checking our camping map is essential to find out where you can go. The areas where you can backpack camp are shaded in purple.
When backpack camping:
* Travel light – a well prepared backpack contains sufficient equipment for a basic overnight stay. If this is not enough and you need more stuff and facilities – use a campsite instead!
* Stay out of sight – backpackers should use very small and lightweight tents which easily blend into the landscape. Part of the enjoyment of experiencing the National Park is its unspoilt and vast landscapes, so it is important that other people’s enjoyment of Dartmoor is not impaired by tents dotting the view.
* Tread lightly – Dartmoor is beautiful, don’t spoil it by lighting fires or leaving waste behind. Put everything back in your backpack and take it home. If you worry about carrying your rubbish around, need a bin or a toilet then this isn’t for you – use a campsite.
Remember:
* Take all litter home.
* No open fires or BBQs.
* Don’t pollute streams or rivers.
* Avoid disturbing wildlife, particularly during lambing and bird breeding season (1 March – 31 July).
Other forms of camping
Camping in family sized tents, as a large group, in camper vans and motor homes are not allowed in Dartmoor.
There are friendly farm campsites, rustic camping barns, isolated bunk houses and fantastic hostels, together with huts and pods where you can view Dartmoor’s dark night skies and enjoy its peace and tranquillity.
If you plan to visit in a motorhome the vehicle size may mean some roads are off limits. Please use designated sites which accept motorhomes for your overnight stay.
Adapted from: Dartmoor National Park. (https://www.dartmoor.gov.uk/enjoy-dartmoor/outdoor-activities/camping)
Activity 1: Explain using your own words the following expressions.
a. Travelling light.
b. Staying out of sight.
c. Treading lightly.
