Since 2016, Dartmoor Walking Festival has been held annually on Dartmoor, comprising a week of guided walks all over the moors and raising upwards of £10,000 for Devon Air Ambulance over the years.
Coinciding with his decision to step down as Director of Moorland Guides earlier this year, Simon Dell also decided that this year would be his last year running the festival. He has passed the reins over to his successor Hannah Durdin and local outdoor instructor, expedition leader, Mountain Leader and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, Richard Matthews.
Hannah and Richard are excited to be developing the festival into a larger event and with this in mind, have rebranded it to become the Dartmoor Outdoor Festival. This change reflects their desire to take the festival beyond just walking to showcase the best of what Dartmoor has to offer.
They’re busy putting together a fantastic programme that includes workshops, climbing, live music, family friendly events (including their very own Festival letterbox trail), film showings, running events and of course, plenty of walks! In 2025, the festival will run from Friday 29th August – Friday 5th September. Princetown will be the hub of the festival but rest assured, there will be opportunities across all 368 square miles of the moors to get involved with!
The goal of this festival is to sustainably highlight the recreational activities that can be enjoyed on Dartmoor, to encourage engagement from those in the surrounding area and to boost tourism. There will be a strong focus on sustainability and accessing Dartmoor responsibly, on making engagement as affordable and accessible as possible, and on celebrating the community of Dartmoor. The new website will be up and running by Christmas (at www.dartmooroutdoorfestival.co.uk) but until then, you can find them on facebook to stay updated with news of the festival.