Vixen Tor, one area of unfinished business. Photo: Paul Englefield

The boss of Britain’s oldest national conservation body told a gathering today there is still unfinished business for walkers and outdoor enthusiasts in Dartmoor.

Kate Ashbrook, general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, was at an event held to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the setting up of the Dartmoor national park, and to mark the end of National Parks Week.

She said there were still problems for the public accessing areas of the park – including Vixen Tor where landowner Mary Alford has appealed the decision to establish two rights of way across her the area.

Devon Ramblers organised the rally at Meldon Reservoir, near Okehampton, with a series of four walks around the area. Bill Hitchins, chairman of the Dartmoor National Park Authority, also spoke to the crowd, alongside Ms Ashbrook, who is also a trustee of the Ramblers, Campaign for National Parks and Dartmoor Preservation Association.

She said: “We congratulate the Dartmoor national park on its 60th birthday, but there is still plenty of unfinished business.

“There are still major gaps in public access in the park. At the end of March the access agreement for land at Southdown, Meldon, ended and the park authority had insufficient funds to renew it at the cost demanded by the landowner.

“The public is still barred from the wonderful Vixen Tor and we await the outcome of the public inquiry into path claims there.

Kate Ashbrook: 'major gaps in public access'. Photo: Andrew McCloy

“Moreover, the Government has ceased to offer access payments as part of the Higher Level Stewardship funding, even though these brought immense public benefit.

“Much of Dartmoor is now undergrazed because the agricultural support system is not geared specifically to Dartmoor’s conditions; the traditional hill-farming system is at risk.

“If land is undergrazed, it gets swamped in vegetation which is bad for public access, the habitat and archaeology. We hope the national park authority, working with the Dartmoor Commoners’ Council, Natural England and wildlife and access bodies, can find a speedy solution.”

She also pointed out that military training continues on vast swathes of northern Dartmoor, and the Ministry of Defence is looking to renew its consent at Cramber Tor, on south-west Dartmoor, which expires in 2013.

“As long ago as 1977, Lady Sharp announced that ‘military training and a national park are discordant, incongruous and inconsistent’. Nothing has changed,” Ms Ashbrook added.

“So the national park has important and challenging times ahead, as it faces ever swingeing and totally unjust budget cuts from central government.

“We call on the Government to recognise the value of national parks to the nation, for delivering health and happiness, challenge and enjoyment, as places of tranquillity rich in natural beauty. Ministers must ensure that the parks get the funding they need to do their vital job in promoting and protecting our most splendid landscapes and public access to them.”