Enjoy Dartmoor but take your rubbish home!

The recent period of good weather is certainly enticing plenty of people to venture onto Dartmoor.

It is great to visit with friends and family to enjoy a picnic in a lovely unspoilt riverside setting, sit amongst the lush green grass and enjoy a fantastic moorland view - or even pack all your gear in a rucksack and head into the open moor to camp out under the stars.

But without the hard work of Dartmoor Rangers and volunteers the picture wouldn’t be quite the same.

Because, without their ceaseless work, in some of the more popular places to visit, you’d be sitting amongst rotting food waste, empty beer cans, broken bottles, barbeque debris and food wrappers. You wouldn’t be sitting on lush green grass, instead you’d be sitting on bare, burnt ground (caused by inappropriate siting of barbecues or illegal camp fires) amongst half burnt branches which have been torn from living trees - doesn’t paint a pretty picture does it? Not only is litter unsightly, it is a danger to livestock and wildlife and a health risk to humans.

So please help to keep this wonderful place nice for your next visit by taking all your rubbish home.

If you are planning a camping trip remember that only backpacking (otherwise known as lightweight camping or wild camping) is legal on Dartmoor. That is, packing your camping equipment in a rucksack and carrying it well away from the roads and out of sight.  Camping from your car or sleeping in mobile homes or campervans outside of designated campsites is not permitted.

Dartmoor can be very busy and sometimes parking can be a problem at very popular sights. If there is no room you should move on. There are so many places to stop for a picnic or to enjoy the view, that you will soon find an alternative location. Please remember that Dartmoor is a working landscape and inconsiderate parking can cause serious problems for farmers and moorland communities as well as emergency services.

So whilst it's great to see people enjoying Dartmoor in this lovely weather, please remember to help keep it looking great by taking your rubbish home with you, only camping where you are legally permitted, keeping gates clear and not blocking narrow moorland roads. www.dartmoor.gov.uk contains an interactive map for you to identify where camping is allowed and our Visitor Centres have plenty of information on good camp sites and great places to visit.

Have a great weekend and enjoy Dartmoor but please leave it as you would wish to find it.