DARTMOOR’S unique scenery, geology, archaeology and heritage are being celebrated in the 75th anniversary year of its designation as a National Park.

Events including Ranger-led walks, online talks and community festivals will take place in the run-up to October 30 - the date National Park status was officially granted in 1951.

The designation recognised Dartmoor’s historic and cultural value, its rare wildlife and habitats and its stunning scenery. National Park status gives the moorland legal protection, while promoting public access and recreation.

Countryside access is not an automatic public right. In fact, the creation of National Parks in 1949 developed from growing resistance to the banning of ramblers by some private landowners. In 1932, in defiance against this exclusion, hundreds of walkers joined a mass trespass of the Kinder Scout plateau in Derbyshire, demanding the right for working-class people to hike in the countryside during their free time. Public support for them helped pave the way for the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act.

A modern-day replay of this was seen on Dartmoor in January 2023, when thousands of people took part in the Right to Roam protest against a legal ban on wild camping on the moorland. The ban was later overturned in the Court of Appeal.

The Dartmoor National Park Authority hopes the events taking place during this anniversary year will encourage people to visit the moorland, learn more about its history, and appreciate its special qualities.

To mark the 75th anniversary the National Park Authority is holding a prize draw; top prize is an all-inclusive overnight stay for two at the Two Bridges Hotel. Other prizes include hampers, family days out, signed books and vouchers – all donated by local businesses and partners. Proceeds will support the conservation of Dartmoor National Park.