Events organised by the Society and Local Groups

Calendar of Events 2008

April

21 Society Walk - Winsford & Punchbowl. 11am meet at insford Car Park (GR906350). Via Yellowcombe to Winsford Hill and Caratacus Stone to Punchbowl, return by Withycombe to Winsford. Approx. 4 3/4 miles. Please bring a picnic.

25 South Molton Group - Talk by G Pile on "Birds of Prey of the Forest of Exmoor". Methodist Church, South Molton, 7.30pm.

26 Society Walk - Around Haddon Hill and Bury. 11am meet at Haddon Hill Car Park (GR969285). To Hartford and Bury returning via lakeside to Haddon Hill. Approx. 7 miles. Please bring a picnic.

May

3 Society Walk - Discovering the Deserted Village. 11am meet at Timberscombe Church (GR56428). To Clicket returning via Croydon Hill and Bats Castle. Approx. 7 miles. Please bring a picnic.

7 Dulverton Group - Guided tour of Wimbleball Dam with Stewart Shapland. Meet 10am.

9 SOCIETY SPRING CONFERENCE - Dulverton Town Hall "Exmoor's Farming Future" 10am to 3.30pm

14 Society Walk - Discover Simonsbath. 11am meet at Simonsbath Car Park (GR775394). To Ashcombe, St. Luke's, Birch Cleeve, Wheal Eliza returning along the River Barle. Apprx. 4 miles. Please bring a picnic.

15 Bristol Group - AGM followed by talk on the Exmoor National Park Management Plan 2007-2012 by Dr igel Stone, CEO, ENPA. Kenn Road Methodist Church, 7.30pm.

17 Porlock Group - A tour of the dam at Wimbleball Reservoir. 10.30am meet at Haddon Hill Car Park. Steep descent to dam. Option of lunch at Lowtrow Cross - numbers limited.

June

1 Society Walk - The Chains. 10.30am meet Duredown (Prayway Head) (GR767410). To Exe Head, Pinkery Pond, Saddle Stone, Shallowford and Hoar Oak Water. Approx. 11 miles. Please bring a picnic.

4 Dulverton Group - Talk about "Doormice" with guest speaker Mrs Tina Donnelly. 7.30pm Parish Rooms.

12 Society Walk - Haddeo and the Haddeo Valley. 10am meet Haddon Hill Car Park (GR970285). Wimbleball Dam, woodlands at Storridge and the Haddeo Valley into Bury. Picnic lunch at Gilclose, Bury and return to Haddon Hill Car Park via Haddon Lane, Hadborough Plantation and trig point. Approx. 6 miles.

14 Dulverton Group - Guided tour of Combe Sydenhan, Monksilver "A Working Estate", 2pm. Cost £7.50 including cream tea. Optional buffet lunch at £2.50.

20 Bristol Group - BBQ at Glennywood, Portishead (MR471734). Starts 7pm. Cost £3.50 bring your own meat and drinks.

21 Society Walk - A Walk through Time. 11am meet Brendon Two Gates (GR765433). Moorland walk looking at land amangement through the centuries. Approx. 7 miles.

21 Porlock Group - A walk along the final section of the Coleridge Way from Webbers Post to Porlock. 2pm meet at Webber's Post. Mostly downhill. Approx. 5 miles. Transport available after return to cars.

July

2 Dulverton Group - Guided tour of Hinkley Point, 2pm. A lot of walking. Photographic ID required. Optional lunch at pub beforehand.

8 Bristol Group - Meet at Bishops Lydeard (MR164290) 10am. Train to Washford (cost £10) followed by visit to Railway Museum (cost £2), a walk, picnic lunch, train return from Watchet.

12 Society Walk - Heddon Valley & Coast. Meet 11am outside National Trust Centre at Hunters Inn (GR655481). Heddon Valley to Parracombe, return over Martinhoe Common to Woody Bay and along the Coast Path. Approx. 8 miles. Please bring picnic lunch.

13 Dulverton Group - Cothay Manor & Gardens, 2pm. Guided tour of house and garden entry. Group charge £8 pp (minimum 20 people). Optional lunch and cream tea at Cothay Manor.

19 Porlock Group - A leisurely walk around Dunster's historical sites. Meet 2pm at Dunster Steep Car Park. Option of refreshments after walk.

20 Society's Summer Picnic - Zeal Farm, Hawkridge (GR854300). Meet 12 noon. Please bring picnic lunch. Farm walk and talk followed by tea.

26 Society Walk - Circular Molland Moor Walk. 11am meet Anstey Gate (GR834298). Gentle pace, some rough ground. Approx. 6 mile. Please bring picnic lunch.

30 Dunster Country Fair - Come and visit the Society's stand in the Craft Marquee.

August

10 Society Walk - Combe Martin & surrounding area. 11am meet entrance to Kiln Car Park (GR577473). Looking at the history of Combe Martin, including mines, lime kilns and sunken lanes, up and down both sides of the Umber Valley. Approx. 5 miles. Please bring a picnic.

11 Society Field Visit - The Mires Project with David Smith, the ENPA's Mire Restoration Project Officer. 10.30am meet at Brendon Two Gates (GR765433). An important project to re-wet the moorland area to make the blanket bog more robust at Blackpitts and Exe Head. Followed by pub lunch.

13 Exford Show - Come and visit the Society's stand in the Craft Marquee.

15 Dunster Show - Come and visit the Society's stand in the Craft Marquee.

20 Society Walk - New walk to Medieval Village. 11am meet at Malmsmead ar Park (GR793479). To Oare Church, Hoccombe Water, Medieval Village return via Brendon Common. Moorland heather at its finest. Please bring a picnic. Sorry no dogs.

September

3 Bristol Group - 10.45am meet at entrance to Cloggs Farm, Hawkridge (MR840311) to visit Exmoor Horn Sheep with David Bawden. Pub lunch at the London Inn, Molland followed by walk or walk.

3 Dulverton Group - A probable visit to Mrs Tina Donnelly's "Doormice", 6 to 8pm.

6 Dulverton Group - "Murphy's Meander" a guided circular walk in the hills around Winsford Common and the Punchbowl with Dr rank Murphy. Approx. 5 miles. 10.30am meet parking near Caractacus Stone off the Dulverton/Winsford Road.

6 Society Walk - Around Wimbleball Lake. 11am meet Bessoms Bridge Car Park (GR975319). A circular clockwise walk around the lake. Apprx. 9 3/4 miles. Please bring a picnic.

7 Society Walk - The High Moor. 10.30am meet Prayway Head (GR767411). To Hoccombe Water, Badgworthy Water, Larkbarrow, Alderman's Barrow returning via Ashcombe. Approx. 12 miles over high moorland. Please bring a picnic.

15 Porlock Group - "Wood Burning Stoves" a talk by Mark Westerlake. Porlock Village Hall, 7.30pm.

18 South Molton Group - AGM including a Talk on the "Lost Settlementsof Exmoor", Methodist Hall outh Molton, 7.30pm.

20 Society AGM - Dulverton Middle School. Doors open 10.30am. Buffet lunch.

20 Society's Exmoor Garland and Cheese & Wine Evening - Hawkridge Village Hall, 7.30pm. Cost £8. Join us for an evening of traditional local songs and stories.

21 Society's Annual Service at St Luke's Simonsbath - 11am with the Bishop of Bath & Wells. Followed by a short walk around Simonsbath's hidden garden and Lunch at Hillcrest, Simonsbath. Cost £12 approx.

October

3 Society Field Visit to Combe Sydenham, Monksilver - Meet at 10am for a two hour walk through the woods with a gentle route up and a steep downhill. Bring a picnic lunch.

4 Society Walk - The Rugged Coast Path. 10.30am meet Minehead Harbour (by the South-West Coast Path Market) (GR970470). Circular walk following the SW coasgt path and the rugged coast path. Approx. 10 miles. Please bring a picnic.

10 Bristol Group - Walk over Selworthy Beacon. 10.30am meet at Selworthy Car Park (MR920468) by the Church. Fine views and pretty villages. Starts with a climb. Apprx. 6 1/2 miles. Cafe lunch.

12 Society Walk - Viewing the Red Deer. 10am meet at Larkbarrow Corner (GR824416). A gentle circular walk across Hayes Allotment, Toms Hill and Larkbarrow Ruins in search of red deer. Approx. 4 miles. Please bring binoculars. Sorry no dogs. Option of pub lunch after.

13 Porlock Group - AGM followed by a talk by Rachel Thomas entitled "Challenges facing Exmoor". Porlock Village Hall, 7pm. Refreshments.

November

3 Porlock Group - "Exmoor through the Camera Lens, Past & Present". A presentation by Minehead & Distric U3A Photography Group. Porlock Village Hall, 7.30pm.

13 Dulverton Group - "In the Foorsteps of the Klondike Gold Rush" with guest speaker Mrs Gay Brooks. 7pm at Parish Rooms.

20 Bristol Group - Talk by Mike Horler on "Shire Horses". 7.30pm meet at Kenn Road Methodist Church. Followed by nibbles.

29 Society's Christmas Lunch - The Tithe Barn, Dunster. 12.30 for 1pm. £20 per person.

29 Porlock Group - Annual Dinner at Harbour Huse Restaurant, Minehead.

 

The Society Walks are free to members. Guests and visitors are welcome. Please wear suitable footwear and clothing and be prepared for inclement weather; carry wet weather gear with you. Dogs on leads unless otherwise indicated. Follow the guidelines which will be given by the walk leaders. Leaders will set a pace suitable for the party - please do not force a faster pace. Take a picnic (unless an option pub lunch is indicated) and plenty to drink.

The Groups welcome visitors to their meetings and acitivites but reserve the right to charge a small fee to non-members (of that particular group). Please check with the Group Secretaries prior to events and particularly for outings as bookin may be necessary. Groups advise that members take part in activites at their own risk.

Participants attending activities do so at their own risk.

The following can be contacted via Parish Rooms, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9DP

 

SOCIETY ACTIVITIES

EXMOOR SOCIETY LITERARY COMPETITION 2008

The Exmoor Society is offering two literary awards for a piece of poetry or prose inspired by Exmoor - its landscape, fauna, flora or cultural heritage and people's enjoyment of it. It is hoped that the poetry or prose can form part of the school curriculum requirements.

The Exmoor Society Literary Competition is open to young people between the ages of 9 and 14 years of age.

A First Prize of £60, Second Prize of £40 and a Third Prize of £25 will be offered in each group and there is a possibility of being published in the annual Exmoor Review.

Group 1. Age 9 - 11 years Group 2. Age 12 - 14 years

Entries may be hand written or typed with the name, age of the applicant, name of school, home address and telephone number on the back of the entry. No entry forms will be issued but all entries must be received by the Exmoor Society by the 31st December 2008 and should be sent to: The Exmoor Society, Parish Rooms, Rosemary Lane, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9DP The Society cannot accept liability for damage to entries or undelivered work Unless accompanied by an S.A.E. entries will not be returned.

 

Brian Chugg Art Award 2008

Brian Chugg (1926-2003) was one of a small group of people who launched a Petition, in 1958, to prevent the afforestation of The Chains on Exmoor. From this initiative The Exmoor Society came into being. Since this time the Society has continued to fight to protect Exmoor's landscape, which is uni1ue. It aims to increase people's awareness of it's special qualities so that future generations can continue to be inspired by this landscape which is of outstanding universal value.

Brian was an Art lecturer at the North Devon college for many years and also a writer. He walked on the moor regularly and during the 1960s spent much time up there painting the varied landscape.

We hope that this award will encourage students from ages eleven to eighteen, to observe Exmoor in every season and be moved to produce a painting based on some aspect of its landscape.

Conditions of entry

There are two age groups for a prize: each winner will receive £125.

Group 1: Age 9 to 12 years

Group 2 : Age 13 to 16 years

The work should be two dimensional and suitable for mounting andframing. It can be in any medium and must not exceed 59 by 41 cms. It must be presented unmounted. A label on the back of each picture must clearly state:

1 Name and age of student

2 Title and medium used

3 Name of school or college attended

4 Home address and phone number.

Entry forms will not be issued. Work to be submitted to the Exmoor Society, Parish Rooms, Rosemary Lane, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9DP (tel 01398 323335) any time between now and early July 2008. The closing date for entries 15th July 2008. Judging will be carried out at the end of July by a group of professional artists. Their decision will be final.

(The Society cannot be responsible for damage to entries or undelivered work)

The prize winners and commended work will be exhibited at the Society's AGM in September 2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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