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| An independent voice and a forum for debate for those who find Dartmoor a source of livelihood or inspiration |
The following events have been organised over the next few months. More details can be found in our Newsletters. New events are normally added to the website to coincide with Newsletters being posted.
Please use the Book Now buttons to book places and pay online.
If you are a Dartmoor Society member please sign into the Member Centre beforehand so you can book places for members-only events and not need to enter all your contact details every time.
When our events are over-subscribed, waiting lists are created. If you find that you cannot attend an event you have booked for, please email events@dartmoorsociety.com as soon as possible. Your place can then be allocated to someone else.
Wednesday 29th March, 7:30pm
Moretonhampstead Parish Hall, Fore Street, Moretonhampstead, TQ13 8LL
Members only – please sign in to book.
This event replaces the Farmers’ Forum which will be rescheduled.
Given the topicality of this issue, we felt it important that Dartmoor Society members should have an opportunity to discuss this.
Speakers to be announced.
If you are unable to book online, please call Bill Murray on 01647 231297.
Saturday 15th April, 2:00pm – 4:30pm
The Bedford Hotel, Tavistock, PL19 8BB
We look forward to welcoming members to the historic Bedford Hotel in the centre of Tavistock. This year we will be discussing and voting on some changes to the constitution, and introducing a new category of student membership.
Our speaker will be Helen Booker, senior conservationist with the RSPB. Helen has kindly agreed to talk about her work on Dartmoor.
Please book if you will be attending as coffee and biscuits will be served. If you are unable to book online please phone Bill Murray on 01647 231297.
Wednesday 10th May, 2:30pm – 4:30pm
TQ13 7PP
Members only – please sign in to book.
On our farm visit this year we will be the guests of Charlotte Faulkner. Charlotte is chair of the Dartmoor Hill Pony Association and in 2011 she was presented with the the Dartmoor Society award for successfully raising the profile of the Dartmoor Hill Pony both nationally and internationally. In 2013 she was a key speaker at our debate ‘What Future for Hill Ponies on Dartmoor?’.
More recently the DHPA have undertaken research to obtain better recognition of the value of Dartmoor hill ponies that can sustain themselves through Dartmoor winters. It is part of the move to find financial incentives for farmers to keep them and to raise awareness of their rare and valuable genetic qualities.
In October 2022 genetic testing was carried out at selected Drifts in the Western quarter of the moor and the Dartmoor Society contributed to the cost of this which was in association with Aberystwyth University. The testing is carried out at Neogen labs in Scotland. The grant was specifically for genetic testing of ponies that remain outdoors on Dartmoor all year round, to identify the unique gene pool that allows them to survive in harsh conditions, thrive on inferior pasture and stay in good condition in these environments.
We will be given a tour of the farm where much of the practical work with Dartmoor Hill Ponies is carried out and the event will be rounded off with tea and cake.
If you are unable to book online please phone Bill Murray 01647 231297.
Sunday 18th June, 1:45pm
Meet at St Petrock's Church, Lydford, EX17 4JB
We are planning walks of varying lengths and from different directions along The Archangel’s Way that will converge on St Petrock’s church, Lydford, in time for a gathering at 2.30 pm to celebrate the spiritual side of Dartmoor.
The Archangel’s Way is a new and beautiful route that crosses north Dartmoor from Brentor to Chagford. Along the way there are indications of deep human roots in the unique landscape, from Neolithic stone circles and ancient wells to the more recent industrial past.
Details of walk routes, lengths and timings will be available nearer the time.
Members are invited to join them or to make their own way to Lydford in time for the 2.30pm celebration.
Please bring your own refreshments.
Further information on the route can be found on the Devon Pilgrim website.
Tuesday 3rd October, 7:30pm
Ashburton Arts Centre, 15 West St, Ashburton, TQ13 7DT
We are very pleased that Tom Greeves will be returning to Dartmoor to give a talk on Francis Bedford, one of the earliest Dartmoor photographers.
Francis Bedford (1815–1894) was one of the finest landscape photographers of the Victorian era. He had a national and international reputation, having been commissioned by Queen Victoria in 1862 to accompany her son Edward (later Edward VII) on a tour of the Middle East. He also documented several parts of England between about 1865 and 1875, including Devon and Dartmoor.
Tom Greeves has studied and collected early photographic images of Dartmoor for more than twenty years. His book Dartmoor’s Earliest Photographs – Landscape & Place 1860–1880 was the first compilation of these. (Published in 2015 by
Twelveheads, ISBN: 9780906294802)
The talk will explore the significance of these earliest images of Dartmoor and will reveal several newly discovered examples not seen for 150 years.
More details and online booking to follow.
