A long-running legal battle over the right to camp on Dartmoor National Park was due to be heard at the Supreme Court in London this week.

Alexander and Diana Darwall, a farming couple who own a 16-square kilometre estate on the south of Dartmoor, are challenging a Court of Appeal ruling that said people can wild camp on some privately-owned areas in the park. The battle is seen as a test case for countryside access.

Mr Darwall, who is also a hedge fund manager, argues that many campers damage the environment by failing to observe the ‘leave no trace’ principle, and that they disturb livestock and wildlife.

The couple are seeking to prevent people from pitching tents on their land overnight except with their consent.

Although they won a High Court case in January 2023 to remove wild campers, it was overturned on appeal later that year.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority (DNPA) is defending the right to wild camp and the public's right to access.

Timothy Leader, for the DNPA, argued that there was “no compelling evidence” that wild camping harmed the ecology of Stall Moor or that it was a “nuisance”.

The land owned by the Darwalls on Stall Moor also advertises pheasant shoots and deer stalking.

Dartmoor National Park covers 368 square miles (954 square kilometres), and is roughly about the same size as London. About 90 per cent of the land is used for farming.

The challenge was due to be heard on October 8, as the paper went to press, while a verdict is expected at a later date.