By: Blonde Two

Something very strange is happening to me today and I am very excited about it… I am going wild camping on Dartmoor. Obviously Dartmoor isn’t strange (unless you count the Hairy Hands, the mysterious Drummer Boy and the Grey Lady (I made her up but surely everywhere has a Grey Lady). No, the strange part of all of this is that I am not going with Blonde One (possibly because she is in Scotland and I am in Devon).

Today I am going wild camping with some other lady friends. They are both proper outdoors women so I don’t need to worry about them bringing the right equipment, tent snacks or entertainment (so far giraffes and crampons have been mentioned). Neither do I need to worry about them being able to navigate using a map and compass, climb a stile, plod through a blog or pitch a tent (or even bivvy – there was talk of it).

There are concerns though, they are important but almost certainly Blonde concerns. Here we go…

  1. Will my outdoor friends all want to sleep in the middle (we Two Blondes don’t usually have a middle)?
  2. Will they get fed up about the noise my water bottle makes in the middle of the night?
  3. Will we fit all of our kit in?
  4. Will I snore?
  5. Will they snore?
  6. Does anyone care if anyone snores?
  7. Will they eat all of their porridge in the morning (B1 and I never can)?
  8. Will they like my tent snacks, will I like theirs?
  9. What time will it be okay to go for the first morning wee?
  10. Will they know how to stand a cup in a walking boot (they definitely will)?

The great things about today’s camping buddies is that they are both always up for an unexpected adventure and are really great laughs. We are going to have a fab time and almost certainly leave Dartmoor echoing with laughter. Watch this blog space!

Now where’s that three woman tent…

 

Update on Dartmoor wild camping

January 23rd 2023

The picture for wild camping on Dartmoor has changed following a well-publicised High Court decision. This is a developing and controversial situation. Thanks to efforts by the Dartmoor Commons Owners’ Association and Dartmoor National Park Authority, there are currently some areas on Dartmoor where you are still permitted to backpack/wild camp. You can read the news release from Dartmoor National Park Authority here. Please find below a summary.
  • You can currently wild camp on a reduced area of Dartmoor
  • You can view the new Dartmoor wild camping map here
  • If you camp within this area, you don’t need to seek the landowner’s permission
  • If you camp within this area, you don’t need to make an individual payment
  • This is a permissive agreement, which means it can be removed
  • Which means it’s more important than ever to make sure you adopt a leave-no-trace approach
  • Large groups, barbecues and campfires on Dartmoor are still prohibited