This is so sad, such a beautiful place. It has an air of magic about it, why can’t people show some respect for the wonders of nature!

Wendy Newing

This is tragic - my heart sinks whenever I see Wistmans mentioned in a magazine, newspaper or worse on television such as BBC Countryfile etc. 40 years ago the wood was almost deserted with hardly any visitors it seemed, and it was a rough track to get there, but now the track seems like a public highway, and the number of visitors is horrendous. I like to believe that most visitors are respectful, and tread carefully if they enter, but sadly there will always be the selfish minority who are not respectful and caring, and unfortunately that applies to many other sites on the moor too.

It’s one of the negative sides of social media. The more photos of the moor we share the more people we attract to it. There’s been a lot of recent evidence that common sense isn’t evenly shared across the population, what we’ve been seeing on the moor, particularly since last March, tends to support that view.

I've been saying this for years, its only going to get worse aswell. I think its about time this very special woodland was fenced off from the public, just leaving a path following along the top edge of the wood. Signs won't do much they will be ignored

Surely this abuse has been going on for years given the popularity of the area and not just during the pandemic ?

Whenever I have visited the area I haven't stepped foot into the wood itself. How ignorant can folk be 🙄😒 It's also nonsensical in these days of restricted travel.

Perhaps if grazing was restricted we wouldn't be fighting to protect tiny fragments of Dartmoor's oak woodland?

This is awful news. Such a magical place.

Me too. I think education and (re)connection are key - not just here on the moor but spending time going into schools and communities in cities and towns. Meeting people where they are, understanding their needs, and helping them to love, learn about, and care for our extraordinary natural world. Creating connections between rural and city communities could help too eg. like the post-war French-English city twinning idea but just for this country.

Sorry to say it but this is what happens when places like this are plastered on all of the Facebook pages. Suddenly everyone sees it and wants to go there.

George Marshall

What a tragedy. Such a wonderful spiritual place.

Regular visits from a muck spreader will deter many . Stiles will stop the trail bikes .

Awful. I love Wistman's Wood.