A LARGE turnout is expected tomorrow, Saturday, at a protest upholding the right to wild camp on Dartmoor.

Shuttle buses will be operating from Ivybridge to the protest in the nearby village of Cornwood, organisers The Stars are for Everyone and Right to Roam have confirmed.

The protest at the war memorial is expected to be a noisy one, with everyone invited to bring drums or something else to vent their frustration on.

Pressure groups Right to Roam and The Stars are for Everyone are calling on on the spirit of Old Crockern - ancient protector of the moor - to protect Dartmoor’s ancient rights.

The protest will take place at the war memorial in Cornwood between 1.30 and 5pm tomorrow afternoon.

This comes after the High Court last Friday judged in favour of abolishing the right to wild camp without permission on Dartmoor.

The case was brought by wealthy landowner Alexander Darwall and centred on his land at Stall Moor near Ivybridge.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority has in the last few days reached an agreement with landowners, including major ones the Duchy and the National Trust, to allow true ‘leave no trace’ wild camping on Dartmoor.

Landowners will grant permission to the authority to allow the public to wild camp through a permissive agreement.

Areas where the public can wild camp without seeking individual permission from landowners will be communicated via an interactive map on DNPA’s website in the coming days.

However, the protest continues to call for an overturning of the judgment in court through an appeal.

A spokesperson for the campaign said: 'Alexander Darwall, a multimillionaire estate owner in south Dartmoor has used his wealth and entitlement to remove our ancient right to connect with the land: all by contesting a byelaw from the 1980s which simply acknowledged the long established practice of sleeping under the stars. We say: absolutely not!

'We are calling on the spirit of Old Crockern, the ancient protector of the moor, to oppose this decision. Old Crockern represents the values that sit within our campaign and those that embody Dartmoor: inclusivity, freedom, growth, relationship and humanity.

'We call on the many generations of people who love Dartmoor; locals, visitors, campers, farmers, walkers, students, naturalists, land workers, fishers, climbers, swimmers, bikers, canoeists, stonewallers, hedge layers, spirits old and new, to join us in opposition.'

Campaign spokesperson Clare Coyne said: 'This peaceful gathering has been organised in response to a ruling on Friday 13th January in which the High Court judged in favour of abolishing the right to wild camp on Dartmoor; the only place in England where it was legal.

'Alexander Darwall, a multimillionaire estate owner in south Dartmoor, contested a byelaw from the 1980s which simply acknowledged the long-established practice of sleeping under the stars. This ancient right to connect with the land has now been removed and the event on Saturday 21st January is a peaceful response to this.'

See www.eventbrite.com/e/raise-old-crockern-to-defend-dartmoor-tickets-514716339427