Tag Archive for: Somerset

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Tickets for the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2023 go live!

The programme for the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2023 is complete, packed with top name author talks across Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 November in Dulverton Town Hall.  Tickets are NOW ON SALE HERE and the printed programme is available to pick up from locations across Exmoor, Devon and Somerset.

 

Michael Morpurgo needs no introduction as one of the UK’s most celebrated writers – he will be conversing with writer Alice Thomson on his new book about life on his Devon farm.  Rachel Johnson will talk about her fascinating life in the political arena, with writer Rachel Campbell-Johnston.  Historical biographers Andrew Lownie and Catherine Ostler will discuss their biographies of two very different duchesses involved in scandals, interviewed by historical novelist Kate Lord Brown.  This year’s ‘Book Club’ fiction panel will include best-selling novelists Janet Ellis, Sarah Turner and Hannah Richell.

 

Restaurant critic and MasterChef judge William Sitwell will be with award-winning wine writer Henry Jeffreys on the remarkable revolution of British vineyards. Julian Glover, writer and author of the Government’s Landscapes Review: National Parks and AONBs will be with Exmoor farmer and writer Victoria Eveleigh discussing ‘What is our countryside for?’  Another fascinating session will be celebrity photographer Harry Borden and writer Albert Read in conversation with travel editor Miranda Taylor on the subject of enhancing creativity.

 

Dulverton will also welcome British explorer Belinda Kirk, UK top survival expert John Hudson and travel writer Hilary Bradt discussing survival and adventure.  Well-known ITV sports reporter Dennis Coath will recount some funny anecdotes from his many interviews over the years; and local railway historians Freddie Huxtable, Ian Coleby and Amyas Crump will talk on the subject of our local lost railways.

 

Festival Director, Ali Pegrum said “There is already a huge buzz about the 2023 Literary Festival right across Exmoor and tickets are selling fast!  Our thanks to the amazing group of writers for taking part in the event and creating a literary celebration of which Devon and Somerset should be very proud.”

 

The popular Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival Children’s Writing Competition returns, with prizes donated by Waterstones Barnstaple to be presented this year by Michael Morpurgo.  Waterstones will again provide a popup bookshop in the Town Hall with author book signing.  Creative writing workshops for adults and children will be held in Dulverton Library on the Saturday.  All information and tickets can be found via visdulverton.com.

 

The event has been generously sponsored by local businesses Tozers Solicitors, The Exclusive Cake Company, Exmoor Character Cottages, Exmoor News, First Design, Friendship & Sons, Hedley Price, Jeff Pegrum Landscaping, Maitland Walker, Osteo & Physio, Risdon Hosegood, The Sip Shed, Stockham Farm Exmoor, Town Mills, Ware Construction, Wellhayes Vineyard, Winsbere House, The Bridge Inn Dulverton, James Pryce Tractors, Masons Kings, Rothwell & Dunworth and Fabula Arts.

 

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The Dulverton Antiques Valuation Day is back – with a competition!

Following the success of the first Dulverton Antiques Valuation Day in March, Adam Partridge (from the TV’s Flog It!, Antiques Road Trip and Bargain Hunt) and his team of auctioneers are returning to the beautiful market town of Dulverton for another valuation event – and a fun competition for all to enter!

Visitors will be invited to bring along their antiques, jewellery, fine art & collectors’ items.  For a donation of £5 (for a maximum of three items) the specialists on hand will give a valuation and history of the items that are brought along.  All items must be portable – in other words, small enough to carry! No appointments necessary, first come, first served with a simple ticketing system at the door. Refreshments will be available and the bar will be open.

There will also be a new fun competition at the event, when visitors will be asked to guess “WHAT IS THE ITEM?”  Three unique antique items will be displayed and competitors will be invited to write down what they believe the item to be and what was its original intended use.  The first person to guess all three correctly will win a bottle of wine donated by Dulverton’s Town Mills B&B! Thinking caps on! Will we need Fiona Bruce from The Antiques Roadshow to help us?!

Visit Dulverton is also promoting the message of “repair, reuse, repurpose, recycle” with other stalls at the event – including Oggies Music Shop, Tim Venning’s Workshop and the team from the Somerset Waste Partnership who will take donations of unwanted smart tech to recycle.  Somerset’s bright blue Fixy Van will be parked right outside the door!

Visit the event page to learn more.

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Entries coming in for the Dulverton Trail Fun Run and Canicross

Running across the beautiful countryside around the pretty moorland town of Dulverton in the Exmoor National Park is clearly very popular – as entries for this year’s Dulverton Trail Fun Run and Canicross are coming in thick and fast!

 

For the third consecutive year, runners of all ages and abilities are invited to enter the event which will take place on the morning of Sunday 17 September.  With the start and finish taking place on the Exmoor Lawns alongside the River Barle in front of Exmoor House, the routes of 5km and 10km guide runners across beautiful Exmoor countryside.  Who will be brave enough to tackle the steep woodland track that has become known as the Dulverton Demon?

 

Dulverton is known to be a particularly dog-friendly town and there is the opportunity to run either the 5km or 10km routes as a traditional canicross race – with all the fun of letting your dog(s) help you along the paths and up and down the hills!

 

Numbers are strictly limited so runners are advised to book their places well in advance to avoid disappointment.  Full details and booking links can be found here: https://bookwhen.com/dulvertonevents

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Dulverton Fun Run & Canicross is back in September!

The Dulverton Fun Run & Canicross is back in September!  Runners of all ages and abilities are invited to enter for the third annual event to take place on the morning of Sunday 17 September.

With the start and finish taking place on the Exmoor Lawns in this delightful moorland town alongside the River Barle, the routes of 5km and 10km guide runners across beautiful Exmoor countryside around Dulverton.  Who will be brave enough to tackle the steep woodland track that has become known as the Dulverton Demon?

 

Dulverton is known to be a particularly dog-friendly town and there is the opportunity to run either the 5km or 10km routes as a traditional canicross race – with all the fun of letting your dog(s) help you along the paths and up and down the hills!

 

With the environment at the top of minds, the organisers invited local business Exmoor Engraving to create some unique wooden medals for all race finishers.

 

Numbers are strictly limited so runners are advised to book their places well in advance to avoid disappointment.  Full details and booking links can be found here: https://bookwhen.com/dulvertonevents

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Summer events taking place in Dulverton in July!

The next couple of summer weekends will be full of outdoor fun in the pretty Exmoor town of Dulverton, the Southern Gateway to Exmoor.

On Sunday 2 July ten gorgeous gardens will be opened by Dulverton residents from 10am to 4.30pm for the ‘Secret Gardens of Dulverton’.  This is a rare opportunity to visit some of the delightful gardens that are normally hidden away. The gardens are of all shapes, sizes and stages of development, and are all located within walking distance of the centre of the town, making it easy to visit all of them during the day.  Refreshments will be served at Dulverton Town Hall throughout the day. See the website for ticket information. Dogs are welcome in most of the gardens.

Then on Saturday 8 July the Dulverton Artisan Food, Drink & Crafts Festival returns to Dulverton’s picturesque Exmoor Lawns beside the River Barle in the heart of the town.  Free to attend from 10am to 4.30pm this excellent event celebrates the many artisan producers located across Exmoor, the Quantocks and Devon.  The perfect opportunity to shop truly local and support many local small independent businesses.

You’ll discover over 35 stalls from local producers – a selection of gifts, leather goods, textiles, ceramics, soaps, homeware and of course home-produced meat, beer, cider, bread, spirits, cocktails, cakes, preserves and more. Treat yourself to a bunch of cottage garden-inspired bee-friendly flowers from the fabulous Jessica’s Gardens of Cullompton (pictured above)!

Go to the Visit Dulverton website to discover more about all of the town’s forthcoming events https://visitdulverton.com/events/   Supported by Dulverton Town Council.

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The Secret Gardens of Dulverton to open on 2 July!

Only 4 weeks until the pretty Exmoor town of Dulverton opens its ‘Secret Gardens’ for all to enjoy!

 

On Sunday 2 July ten gorgeous gardens will be opened by Dulverton residents from 10am to 4.30pm.  This is a rare opportunity to visit some of the delightful gardens that are normally hidden away. The gardens are of all shapes, sizes and stages of development, some being established for many years, while others are more recently started. They are all located within walking distance of the centre of the town, making it easy to visit all of them during the day.

 

The entrance fee of £5 (in advance) or £7 (on the day) includes a map showing each garden’s location, together with a short description written by the owner. Tickets can be bought in advance from Dulverton Post Office or the Tantivy shop.  Alternatively tickets will be available to buy on the day in Dulverton Town Hall, along with delicious refreshments.

 

Known as the Southern Gateway to Exmoor, Dulverton is one of the main towns on the moor.  It is situated on the River Barle in West Somerset on the southern edge of the Moor and has the oldest mediaeval bridge on Exmoor. There are pleasant walks along the riverbank and the meandering leat which used to power 4 mills. Located in the main square is the National Park Centre, behind which is the Heritage Centre which houses exhibitions about the heritage of the town. This thriving community town has a wide range of independent shops, cafés, restaurants and pubs.

 

The event is organised by Dulverton Town Council and Visit Dulverton and a donation will be made to local charities.

 

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Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival “A Triumph”!

The inaugural Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival on 19th and 20th November has been described as a “triumph” by MasterChef judge, restaurant critic and author William Sitwell.

Norman Scott

With a packed programme of fascinating author talks in the Town Hall in Dulverton on the Sunday, culminating in a sellout event with Norman Scott sharing his extraordinary life story and how he survived a murder attempt on Exmoor instigated by 1970’s Liberal politician Jeremy Thorpe.

Norman Scott signing his book, An Accidental Icon.

Creative Writing Workshops

The Saturday programme was held in Dulverton Library with local children’s author Annabel Collis hosting creative writing workshops for adults and children.  Much fun was had and storyboards created by all ages!

Children’s author Annabel Collis hosting the children’s creative writing workshop.

Children’s Authors and The Children’s Writing Competition

The Sunday began with a family audience being treated to a chat with two of Exmoor’s most loved children’s authors, Claire Barker and Victoria Eveleigh, followed by the presentation to Orla Scandrett, age 8, of the winner’s prize in the festival’s Children’s Writing Competition with her story, The Hungry Deer.  The competition judge, author Kate Lord Brown had the tricky task of judging 22 entries from across Exmoor and beyond. The runners up were Thomas Hill, age 7, and Kirsty Tyrrell, age 10.

Orla Scandrett, age 8, with her winning story for the Children’s Writing Competition. With (L to R) authors Claire Barker, Victoria Eveleigh and Kate Lord Brown.

William Sitwell

After a free yoga session at lunchtime with celebrated yogi Colin Dunsmuir, the audience was treated to a talk from William Sitwell about Lord Woolton’s task of feeding the nation during WWII.

William Sitwell gives a talk around his book, Eggs or Anarchy.

The Book Club Talk

The next popular talk was with three bestselling authors of fiction, Veronica Henry, Katherine Webb and Kate Lord Brown.  Veronica latterly congratulated the festival organisers for the warm and inviting atmosphere they had created and, along with the other writers, was delighted to have signed and sold so many books via the festival’s popup bookshop hosted by Waterstones Barnstaple.  The trio of authors were interviewed on stage by Poppy Flaxman, Manager of Waterstones Barnstaple.

Bestselling fiction authors (L to R) Katherine Webb, Veronica Henry and Kate Lord Brown.

Alice Thomson

Alice Thomson, Times columnist, then took to the stage to talk about her remarkable book outlining her many interviews with famous and successful people who had faced adversity in their early lives.

Alice Thomson signing her book, What I Wish I’d Known When I Was Young.

Rugby and the Exeter Chiefs

This illuminating talk was followed by Guardian sports correspondent and author Rob Kitson chatting with South West rugby legend Chris Bentley about all things rugby and the rise of the Exeter Chiefs.  Gossip and laughter was shared by the rugby-loving audience!

Chris Bentley and Rob Kitson sharing rugby stories on stage.

Rob Kitson signing copies of his book, Exe Men, The Extraordinary Rise of Exeter Chiefs.

Festival Feedback

Ali Pegrum, Festival Director, was delighted with how the event had gone and said, “After a long year in the planning, it was wonderful to meet this extraordinary group of writers in Dulverton and bring this new event to Exmoor.  Many complimentary comments have been received from the speakers and the audience, thrilled to have been a part of this inaugural event and hoping it will be repeated.  I’m sure it will!”

Sponsorship

The entire two-day festival had been supported by Dulverton Town Council and generously sponsored by local businesses Exmoor Character Cottages, Stockham Farm Exmoor, Exmoor News, Hedley Price Funeral Directors, Jeff Pegrum Landscaping, PFG Fabrication, Town Mills B&B, Tozers Solicitors, Ware Construction, Rothwell & Dunworth Books, Your First Book, Stags Estate Agents, Osteo & Physio Tiverton, Maitland Walker Solicitors, The Exmoor Feasting Company and The Exclusive Cake Company.

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The Dulverton Trail Fun Run and Canicross – 10 days to go!

Runners of all ages and abilities have just 10 days to enter for the second annual Dulverton Train Fun Run and Canicross on Sunday 18 September.

 

With the start and finish taking place on the Exmoor Lawns in this delightful moorland town alongside the River Barle, the routes of 2km, 5km and 10km cross beautiful Exmoor countryside around Dulverton.  Last year’s event took competitors up a steep track from Marsh Bridge to Court Down – and it became known as the Dulverton Demon!

 

Dulverton is known to be a particularly dog-friendly town and there is the opportunity to run the 5km or 10km routes as a traditional canicross race – with all the fun of letting your dog(s) help you along the paths and up and down the hills!

 

Local business Exmoor Engraving has created some unique wooden medals for all race finishers – cleverly incorporating Dulverton’s logo of the letter D and an artistic impression of an Exmoor stag.

The event has been generously sponsored by Webbers Estate Agents of Dulverton, Tarr Farm Inn and Oggies Music Shop.

 

Numbers are strictly limited so runners are advised to book their places well in advance to avoid disappointment.  Full details and booking links can be found here: www.bookwhen.com/dulvertonfuntrailrun.

 

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Vintage Fun Returns to Dulverton!

The delightful Exmoor market town of Dulverton again held its fun filled Vintage Fair on Sunday 4 September.  The Exmoor Lawns beside the River Barle thronged with people enjoying entertainment and stalls from the post war era.  Despite some light drizzle trying to spoil the occasion during the day, the show went on and the downpours stayed away!

The fabulous Liberty Sisters sang their favourite numbers from the 1940’s and 50’s, with the energetic South West Lindy Hoppers dancing and lindyhopping along.  The ebullient Hot House Combo brought their special blend of swinging jazz to get all toes tapping.  Many visitors dressed in the clothes of the period to add to the atmosphere, particularly those from the North Devon Sports and Classic Car Club who brought along their beautiful historic vehicles.

 

Clare Fairburn, one of the three singing Liberty Sisters, spoke about the event on BBC Radio Somerset earlier in the day saying: “The Dulverton Vintage Fair is one of our favourite places to perform, with a lively and friendly atmosphere and a carefully curated collection of stalls.  A not to be missed event!”

Images above capture the mood of the day, taken by local photographer Simon Ellery.

 

A wide array of stalls kept the visitors busy shopping with a great variety of vintage clothing, vintage style homeware, brocante, antiques, baskets and more.  Refreshments included a cocktail bar run by Dulverton’s own award-winning Exmoor Distillery and beer from local Wiveliscombe brewery Nuttycombe Brewery.

 

The event was generously sponsored by local businesses Exmoor Distillery and Seddons Estate Agents; and through the event the organisers and Dulverton Town Council were proud to be helping the CareMoor for Exmoor initiative which supports nature and heritage conservation across Exmoor National Park.

 

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Visit Dulverton Announces the Winners of the Photographic Competition

Earlier in the summer Visit Dulverton launched a photographic competition to find the best possible photo of the town in 2022. Since the new branding for the town was rolled out in 2021, along with the creation of the town’s Visit Dulverton social media and website, it had become evident that more images of this pretty Exmoor market town and its charming shops, cottages and businesses were needed to promote it to visitors to help support the local tourism economy.

The competition closed on Friday 15 July with a total of 75 images having been submitted.  The judge, multi award-winning photographer Rosie Barnes had a tough job on her hands!  She has now chosen a winner – the delightful image above by Joanne Davies, who will receive the generous prize from Visit Dulverton.

Rosie said: “Joanne Davies’ image of Dulverton’s iconic bridge stood out to me.  The light and colours are beautiful. There’s a reflective feel (that I imagine is how you’d feel at the water’s edge, looking at Dulverton’s beautiful medieval bridge), and the careful placing of the figures within the framework of the bridge’s arches, along with the general lines of composition throughout the image make a really well seen photograph.”

Rosie also chose five other photographs as worthy of particular mention.  All of these will be posted on Visit Dulverton’s social media over the coming days. The first, and the Competition Runner Up is Gary Scarlett’s boater on the River Barle with the iconic bridge in the frame, which Rosie described as being “full of peace and tranquillity”.

The four Highly Commended photographs are as follows:

  • Emma How’s landscape of Dulverton “nestled within the valley with beautiful meadow foreground and framed with trees is also rather lovely”.

  • Michael Pilley’s phone box with wisteria “is a fabulous riot of colour, which always gives visual appeal”.

  • Gill Whitehead’s image of Exmoor House “is a beautiful rendition of Nature’s green and blue working together”.

  • Nick Thwaites’ image of the fields above Dulverton in the snow also deserved a mention “as the skyscape is as good as the landscape”, albeit the view is not readily identifiable as having been taken in Dulverton.

Rosie summed up the competition entries as follows:

“Overall, it was wonderful to see so many photographs in and around Dulverton, a beautiful town with such visual appeal.  The brief was that the images needed to be identifiable as being taken in Dulverton and unfortunately there were a great many, some really breathtaking, that could really have been taken anywhere.  It was also a shame that some were submitted at too low a resolution to be used and there were a few children/cars etc that could have been cropped out.  The iconic bridge featured heavily amongst submitted entries, as did the old tin shack in a field and also the postbox with wisteria.

Dulverton is clearly a stunning little town and I’m envious of anyone who has the opportunity to live or spend time there, so it’s been a pleasure for me, as an outsider, to view all the beautiful entries. One last thing I would say, is that given the beauty already there, that it is absolutely not necessary to add particularly heavy filters to images. They really create an unnecessary fakeness to an otherwise naturally stunning scene. There were a couple of images I really loved, but didn’t choose them because of the filters. Nature is best and Dulverton clearly has that in abundance!”

Visit Dulverton would like to extend their thanks to Rosie Barnes for taking on the judging of the competition.  All of these images will soon be seen on the Visit Dulverton website and in social media, and all those who entered the competition will be notified of the judge’s decisions.

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