Dartmoor National Park Authority

Visiting









Countryside Code

When in the countryside please:

  • Be safe - plan ahead and follow any signs
  • Leave gates and property as you find them
  • Protect plants and animals, and take your litter home
  • Keep dogs under close control
  • Consider other people
Read the full Countryside Code on this website.

Wild Camping

Photo of Backpackers on Dartmoor

Backpacking and sleeping wild on Dartmoor is tremendous under clear skies. Camping for one or two nights on the open land on Dartmoor is perfectly acceptable provided that you choose your spot sensibly and don't pitch your tent on farmland, on moorland enclosed by walls, within 100 metres of a road, on flood plains or on archaeological sites. View a list of campsites.

To find out more about the different types of access you have to the Dartmoor countryside including where you can camp view a map of the open access areas. PDF icon (318Kb PDF Help)

You can also download Camping and Backpacking on Dartmoor leaflet PDF icon (1257kb PDF Help)

To find out where you cannot camp view schedule 2 of the byelaws.

Camping with Moor Care
Take all litter home.
Guard against risk of fire.
Ensure you do not pollute streams or rivers.
Avoid disturbing wildlife particularly during the moorland lambing and bird breeding season, from 1 March to 31 July.
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