‘Pioneering’ Dartmoor charity named as lead partner for next year’s Dartmoor Tors Festival

A Dartmoor festival has announced it will work with local charity Dartmoor Preservation Association (DPA) as the lead partner for next year’s gathering. 

The Dartmoor Tors festival, which hosted its first event earlier this year (May 2025), features walks, talks and performances celebrating Dartmoor.

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Festival co-founders Alex Murdin and Sophie Pierce said the partnership strengthens the event’s focus on Dartmoor’s landscape and cultural life.

Sophie Pierce said: “We are so excited that the DPA are coming on board. They have an incredible history of fighting for Dartmoor for over 100 years, and their current work aligns beautifully with the ethos of the festival, which is about cherishing Dartmoor and fostering people’s relationship with this extraordinary environment.”

The DPA, founded in 1883, campaigns on issues including National Park policy, public access, conservation and the protection of Dartmoor’s cultural heritage.

ABOVE: Last year's festival proved a popular event on the moor (Image: Emma Stoner/Dartmoor Tors Festival)

Chief Executive Tom Usher said access and cooperation remain central to their work.

“Dartmoor faces many challenges and we work to bring people together in partnership for the good of this very special place,” he said.

“The Dartmoor Tors Festival builds on a rich tradition of Dartmoor’s cultural life, creating a forum where this can happen: ideas discussed, stories are told and Dartmoor is celebrated through words, music, workshop, walks and performances.”

The first festival in 2025 included contributions from musician Seth Lakeman, artist Garry Fabian Miller, writer Guy Shrubsole and storytellers Sara Hurley and Lisa Schneidau.

Archaeologist Lee Bray from Dartmoor National Park, access campaigner Kate Ashbrook, and guide Paul Rendell also contributed to the 2025 event.

The 2026 festival will run over the early May bank holiday weekend (1-4 May 2026) and will once again work with Ashburton Arts Centre and the Field System Gallery, with Dartmoor National Park also supporting the event.

Talks will take place at Ashburton Arts Centre on the Saturday and Sunday. 

Workshops, performances and guided walks are planned across Dartmoor, including at Dartmeet, Two Bridges, New Bridge, Wistman’s Wood and Brisworthy near Sheepstor. 

Two of the walks will be organised by the DPA and will be free to attend, with the full programme and line-up set to be announced early in the new year.