Bosnia peace negotiator fails to make headway at Vixen Tor

Vixen Tor was always a tranquil corner of Dartmoor. Climbed on for decades but never busy, never attracting attention to itself. But all that changed in 2003 when the property changed ownership.

The new landowners had new ideas; this Dartmoor landmark was now out of bounds. Barbed wire was erected and “Keep out” scrawled onto nearby boulders with red spray paint. It now belonged to them and visitors were no longer welcome.

All this in the new millennium, more than 70 years since the Kinder Trespass, when the working people of Manchester first took on the landed gentry in an effort to gain access to the Peak District’s wild moorlands. And in the age of CRoW too; of responsible access to the countryside and increasing awareness and appreciation of the plight and difficulties faced by the farming community.

I took a trip down to Dartmoor earlier this year to meet the new owners. Their farm is located a mile or two from the crag and I felt confident that I could make a connection and find some common ground - I know the region pretty well and come from a sheep farming family myself. The meeting came on the back of the incident involving Adam Mullholland and Chris Savage who maintained they were accosted at the crag, and allegedly had their ropes cut whilst leading the tough E4, Torture.

What I experienced at the meeting was quite a surprise. Pure uncompromising hostility against climbers. Virtual total lack of understanding of why anyone should feel they have a right to visit Vixen Tor, or why they would want to visit it in the first place. Zero appreciation of the historical use of the site or its importance for recreation. A pure, old fashioned, aggressive, “get off my land” mentality. I left feeling that the new owners were a lost cause, knowing that they would be quietly ignored by climbers and walkers seeking peaceful recreation at Vixen Tor.

Then Channel 5 came on the scene. They called the BMC office researching a potential new series called “At War With Next Door” in which the former Bosnia peace negotiator Colonel Bob Stewart would be thrown into difficult, intractable real life situations to knock heads together and find solutions. Steve Findlay and local activist Jim Harrison were interviewed as spokespeople for the local recreational viewpoint. An Open Day was held at the crag on the 30th July. Channel 5 and Colonel Bob were there - it was a charity event with proceeds going towards the Air Ambulance and Farming support charities. The owners gave it the go-ahead. It was a damp, dull day and 25 or so people turned up; the Ramblers Association boycotted the event and made a quiet protest on the boundary of the property.

Unfortunately the day ended on a sour note. A couple from Chudleigh were on a climb at 4pm when security guards, drafted in for the day by the owners, were told to move people off the property. The owners had agreed to a 11am - 4pm timescale for the Open Day. The climbers were told to come down immediately and when they asked if they could complete their route, apparently one of the landowners was heard to ask if the security men could pull them down. The climbers were subsequently forced to retreat, after having to leave gear in place and very upset at the aggressive attitude they had encountered.

So where does this leave us? After detailed investigation Dartmoor National Park has concluded that it does not intend to try and force a right of access to the land; nobody is going to the pay the sort of pie-in-the-sky annual fees demanded by the landowners for access. But Vixen Tor has a higher profile than ever, and the actions of the new owners have hardened local opinion - people are committed to dig in for a long-term campaign. The owners have isolated themselves and Vixen Tor is in a sad state of affairs.

Fortunately however, cases such as this are the exception rather than the rule. Nationwide, climbers and walkers will continue to respect private property rights and will take due care in their use of the countryside. And if ever the owners want to talk to the BMC on an official basis, then we are all ears. But in the meantime, we wish them luck. Vixen Tor is firmly on the map and climbers and walkers will go about their business as usual.

« Back