Ministry Of Defence
South West firing times
South West byelaws
Read about accessing the training estate safely
Braunton Burrows Training Area (BBTA)
Location
Braunton Burrows Training Area (BBTA) is located on the peninsula south west of Braunton, North Devon, in an area bounded by the Barnstaple/Bideford Bay to the west, the Taw and Torridge Estuary to the south & east and the Braunton Marshes.
Site description
The site is a complex dune system and beach, owned and managed by the Christies Estate which is leased by the MOD to conduct dismounted, vehicle, surf and helicopter training. Appropriate signage is displayed to warn the public of military training.
Access opportunities
The public can access the site from numerous points and paths and parking is available at Sandy Lane car park.
Access restrictions
There are no restrictions, however, where appropriate the military or MOD representatives will employ sentries/guides to ensure public safety.
Further information
Please contact MOD Training Safety Officers: 01395277891 07870377646 or Duty Officer: 07870 377807 (out of hours and weekends).
Dartmoor
Location
Dartmoor Training Area is located in Devon.
Site description
Military training has taken place on Dartmoor since the early 1800s. Today the MOD uses (by freehold, lease, or licence) about 12,760 hectares of the Dartmoor National Parks 94,400 hectares. The Dartmoor Training Area is primarily used for training on foot by infantry and Royal Marine units.
Access restrictions
When the ranges are used for live firing, red flags (day) or red lights (night) are displayed and access is prohibited.
Access opportunities
Three parts of Dartmoor training areas are used for live firing: Okehampton, Merrivale and Willsworthy. Dartmoor firing times need to be checked and warning signals heeded when wishing to walk within these ranges. To assist public access, the guaranteed non live firing periods are shown on the Dartmoor guaranteed access page.
Please note that land over which MOD byelaws apply is excluded from the Countryside and Rights of Way Act. Consequently, the range danger areas are not depicted as public access land on Ordnance Survey maps.
When not in use for live firing, these and other parts of the training area are used for dry training with blank ammunition and although the noise of training may be heard, no restrictions are placed on public access.
Further information
For further information, please phone 0800 458 4868 (free) or 01837 657 210.
Dartmoor firing times.
MOD byelaws: Devon.
Langport Range and Dry Training Area (LPTA)
Location
Langport Range and Dry Training Area is located on Paradise Lane just north of the town of Langport, Somerset.
Site description
The Training Area consists of a 600yd, 8 Lane Gallery Range, open farmland and Breech Wood, all of which may be used for dismounted, vehicle and helicopter training. The training area boundary is well defined and marked with appropriate MOD signage and warning flags.
Access opportunities
Public Rights of Way (PROW) are accessible on the site and all ingress and egress points display appropriate warning signs to inform the public of the Byelaws and restrictions during live firing/military training activity. At all times access is only permitted along the PROW.
Access restrictions
When the range is used for live firing red flags are displayed, in accordance with the byelaws access is strictly prohibited and all PROW are closed.
Further information
Please contact MOD Training Safety Officers/Site Range Control: 01458 250255, 01395277891 or Duty Officer: 07870 377807 (out of hours and weekends).
Langport Range and Dry Training Area firing times
Lulworth ranges
Mupe Bay warning: stay clear of the north half of the beach at Mupe Bay. Due to the possibility of rock fall, for safety you are strongly advised to observe warning signs in the area.
Location
Lulworth Ranges are located on the south coast of Dorset, between Weymouth and Poole.
Site description
Lulworth Ranges comprises more than 2,830 hectares. The ranges are within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and are a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
As with much of the Dorset coast, this section of the coastline is important for its geological interest. There is a mixture of limestone, chalk sands and clays, and in many places you can see spectacular folding with clear distinctions between the different aged rock strata.
Access restrictions
When the ranges are used for live firing, red flags (day) or red lights (night) are displayed: access is prohibited.
Access opportunities
The Dorset Coast Path runs through Lulworth Ranges. There are also several circular walks within the ranges.
There are car parking facilities at Whiteway and Tyneham. Picnic facilities are also available at Whiteway car park.
Worbarrow Beach is open to the public when the ranges are open.
Further information
For updated information on firing taking place on Lulworth Ranges, phone 01929 404714.
Lulworth firing times.
MOD byelaws: Dorset.
Penhale
Location
Penhale Camp and Training Area are located on the North Cornwall coast to the south of Newquay, between Holywell and Perranporth.
Site description
Penhale Camp and Training Area stands on the rugged north Cornwall coast looking out over the Atlantic Ocean. It is used by the army, navy and RAF and their cadet organisations. The sand dune system is renowned for its beauty, with dunes amongst the highest in the country, and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).
There are 2 Scheduled Ancient Monuments: an Iron Age promontory fort on Penhale Point and Bronze Age barrows on Ligger Point.
Access opportunities
The South West Coast Path (SWCP) is a national trail from Minehead in Somerset to South Haven Point in Poole and follows the seaward edge of the training area. From Holywell (with parking in the National Trust Car Park) the SWCP follows the sea cliffs around Penhale and Ligger Points.
To supplement the Coastal Path, the MOD has opened a permissive path, which continues the route following the red and white range poles south above the beach to the MOD boundary. This provides the opportunity for a circular walk from Perranporth that takes in the beach, the dune ridge and the adjoining dune grassland around the Perran Sands Holiday Centre.
This walk can be extended to pass by the site of St Pirans Oratory and the recently excavated St Pirans Church, which lie just south of the MOD boundary. Please pay attention to the signs around the training area and do not venture away from the way marked routes as the training activities carried out on the site are hazardous.
Further information
Please telephone 01637 832001.
Salisbury Plain
Location
Salisbury Plain Training Area (SPTA) is located 19 kilometres (12 miles) north of the city of Salisbury in Wiltshire.
Site description
The total area of the currentSPTAestate is just over 38,000 hectares.SPTAmeasures 40 by 16 kilometres (25 by 10 miles) and occupies about one ninth of the county of Wiltshire.
SPTAprovides walkers with the opportunity to see an archaeological landscape, which is of unparalleled importance in North