‘Nothing can take its place’: dismayed Dartmoor wild campers share memories

Lovers of the national park mourn loss of right to camp – for some a balm for their mental health, for others a rite of passage

Visitors to Dartmoor and local people have reacted with dismay to the loss of the right to wild camp in England and Wales after a high court ruling against the pitching of tents in the national park without the landowner’s permission. Campaigners have vowed to fight the ban. Here, readers share their memories of camping on Dartmoor and what the national park means to them.