Alexander Darwall loses three-year battle against Dartmoor wild campers

The UK Supreme Court has upheld the rights of wild campers in Dartmoor National Park, three years after fund manager Alexander Darwall filed a legal challenge.

The UK’s highest court has upheld the right to wild camp on Dartmoor, ending a three-year legal battle instigated by fund manager Alexander Darwall.

The ex-Jupiter stockpicker and manager of the European Opportunities (EOT ) investment trust sparked public outrage when he and his wife challenged the right to camp on part of his 4,000-acre Blachford estate, to the south of the national park, back in 2022. 

The high court initially ruled in Darwall’s favour, but the decision was overturned following a formal appeal by the Dartmoor National Park Authority and action by campaigners. 

Unsatisfied, the Darwalls took the case to the Supreme Court. 

Wild camping is generally prohibited in England, with Dartmoor National Park popularly viewed by campers as a happy exception.

The Darwalls have argued campers pose a potential threat to animals and the environment, especially on an area of their land known as Stall Moor, where they keep cattle, lambs and fallow deer, according to court documents. 

Yesterday, five supreme court judges unanimously upheld the public’s right to camp on the land. The judgement centred around the description of ‘recreation’ in the 1985 Dartmoor Commons Act which judges said was ‘open-ended and unqualified’ and ‘naturally includes camping’. 

They added that ‘public regulation’ of the park was ‘likely to be more effective in protecting the land than attempts by private persons to challenge such use through themselves having to confront people on their land and bring a claim in private law.’

The Darwalls have owned the Grade II-listed Blachford Manor since 2013. 

Darwall runs the £558m European Opportunities (EOT ) trust, having left Jupiter to set up Devon Equity Management in 2019. The London-listed closed-end fund has recently come under scrutiny from analysts for its consistent underperformance, with broker Deutsche Numis saying earlier this month that the trust faced ‘existential issues’. 

Devon Equity Management has been approached for comment.