Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2026 Box Office opens to support farming
The Box Office for tickets to the fifth annual Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival is now OPEN TO ALL with 31 literary events to be held in Dulverton over the long weekend 13 to 16 November. Discover who will be attending from the Festival Programme.
There will be the opportunity to learn more about the Bayeux Tapestry, Exmoor’s icon Hope Bourne, Marilyn Monroe, Charles Dickens, the Palestinians, Agatha Christie, communism, Tuscany, photography, horses and even Kylian Mbappe – to name but a small handful of topics!
Festival Director, Ali Pegrum said “In curating the Festival this year, I was keen to invite authors and speakers on topics that would appeal to everyone. Being rooted here in Exmoor, it also felt like the ideal opportunity to support our farmers in what has been a particularly difficult year. The wet spring, the farm inheritance tax, followed by the heatwaves, drought, fires and bluetongue have all brought extreme challenges. Isolation, loneliness and the pressures of farming and rural life can have a profound impact on individuals, families and communities such as ours. With this in mind, the Festival is hosting two remarkable author talks that will hopefully provide comfort, guidance and support.”
On Saturday 14 November in Dulverton Town Hall, multi-million copy bestselling author and psychotherapist, Julia Samuel MBE will explore how we can better understand and support rural wellbeing. Drawing on her bestselling books such as Grief Works, she will share the insights she has gained through decades of working with people facing grief, change, family conflict and life’s many transitions. Along with Alice Thomson, she will discuss the particular realities of rural life, where resilience is often taken for granted and asking for help can feel difficult. This promises to be an inspiring conversation about connection, compassion and the importance of looking after ourselves and those around us.
Then in Dulverton’s All Saints’ Church on Sunday 15 November, Baroness Minette Batters (pictured) will join the Festival in conversation with Baroness Ann Mallalieu. Minette is one of the country’s most influential voices in farming, She will share her inspiring memoir Harvest – a deeply personal account of life on the land, the changing face of British agriculture and the values that continue to shape rural communities. A farmer herself in Wiltshire, Minette was the first woman to serve as President of the National Farmers’ Union (2018 to 2024), representing British agriculture during one of the most challenging and transformative periods in its history.
Minette will be in conversation with Baroness Ann Mallalieu KC (pictured below). Ann is a well-known face across Exmoor, a leading British lawyer and Labour life peer in the House of Lords since 1991. She is the President of the Countryside Alliance, a former barrister and a keen supporter of rural traditions and farming. At a time when farming faces unprecedented change, they will together explore the challenges and opportunities facing agriculture today, the importance of food production and environmental stewardship, and why vibrant rural communities matter more than ever.
Katherine Williams, Exmoor Hill Farming Network Manager, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming Minette Batters to Exmoor to talk with Ann Mallalieu about her new book Harvest and the challenges and opportunities she has faced during her career in agriculture. Also, the conversation between renowned psychotherapist Julia Samuel and Alice Thomson about rural wellbeing will be fascinating. For us, events like this give farmers an opportunity to come together, have honest conversations and feel part of a wider rural community, which can be incredibly important in what can sometimes be an isolated and demanding industry.
Exmoor Farmer and Rural Conservative Campaigner, James Wright also commented: “Farming has never been easy but it’s certainly hard to think of a time when it’s been harder. Having Minette Batters down in Dulverton to speak on the future of British agriculture is something not be missed. If we want our rural way of life to survive, we need to ensure that we support those, who support it.”
