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| A Moor for all Seasons |
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The countryside puts on a show throughout the seasons.
Come in the spring and you’ll walk
through woodland glades carpeted in bluebells. |
Purple is the colour of summer on the moors
– and it’s a vibrant, singing purple that leaves other heather moorlands in the shade. Exmoor’s exceptional oakwoods are at their atmospheric best in the golden autumn months. Winter, too, can be a
magical time – especially at the ‘Dulverton by Starlight’ and ‘Dunster by Candlelight’
celebrations in December and Porlock’s Late Night Christmas Shopping.
The Exmoor area is a wonderful place in summer,
and hugely popular at that time of the year.
But, as its real enthusiasts can tell you, it is actually
a moor for all seasons, a place where there is
always something fascinating on the go, whether at
the opening of spring, through the crisp days of
autumn or in the depths of a sharp, invigorating
winter. Come to Exmoor at these times of the year
and you will discover something really special, a
place where it seems only natural to celebrate to
the hilt the particular magic of the seasons.
In springtime, with primroses in all the hedge banks
and bluebells beginning to show under the
breaking leaves of the woods, the North Devon and
Exmoor Walking and Cycling Festival opens up both
coast and countryside to anyone with energy and a
love of the outdoors. Easter brings treasure hunts at
Dunster Castle and around the Wellington
Monument, with chocolate eggs for prizes, while in
May the twin pleasures of local food and music are
celebrated around the eastern hills, with the
Exmoor Folk Festival at Brendon village and the
Quantock Food Festival.
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After the end of the high holiday season, do the
moor and its people close down and go to sleep
till the following summer? Not likely. When the
heather is purple and the trees are beginning to
turn red and gold, that’s when the fun begins!
Autumn is the busiest time for festivals and
jollifications on Exmoor. Lovers of the Great
Outdoors can join one of the walks in the coast
woods, guided by a knowledgeable National Trust
ranger, or wander the eastern margins of the region
during the Quantock Fringes Walking Festival.
Foodies are spoiled for choice between October’s
Exmoor Food Festival and Porlock Food Fayre, while
apples – the West Country’s fruit of choice – are
celebrated in all their glory, from chutney to cider,
at Apple Days held at such delightful locations as
Cleeve Abbey near Watchet. Add the colourful displays
of Dulverton Carnival, spooky Halloween business at
Dunster Castle, the stirring music always on offer at
the Two Moors Festival – it’s easy to see why autumn
is many people’s favourite season on Exmoor.
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As for winter: Exmoor and its neighbouring regions
spring some wonderful surprises for visitors in this
uncrowded, away-from-it-all season of the year. |
Bridgwater Fireworks and Carnival kick things off in
early November with a riotous night-time blast of
music, lights and fantastical floats – you have to
see it to believe it! And if you miss the fun in
Bridgwater, you can catch up with it in North
Petherton a day or so later.
Exmoor is a place where it seems only natural to
celebrate the particular magic of the seasons.
There’s a Christmas Fair at the National Trust’s
Arlington Court to the west of the moor, and in the
south a big Exmoor Producers Christmas Fair at
Dulverton where you can buy the ‘best of the west’
for your festive table. Torchlight walks through the
woods at Dulverton and Dunster offer a magical
midwinter experience, while the medieval village of
Dunster ‘comes alive’ with soft light during the
annual ‘Dunster By Candlelight’ festival, a
memorably beautiful experience. The themed
Watchet Christmas late night event along with
Porlock’s Late Night Shopping Special round off the
year in true Exmoor style.
No winter in Exmoor, however harsh and long,
would be properly ‘put to bed’ without a February
walk down Snowdrop Valley. Near Wheddon Cross,
under the mighty shadow of Dunkery Beacon, you can
see the countless tiny white snowdrops on their
mossy banks – welcome signs that spring is once
more just around the corner. |
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