Exmoor announces special events for Christmas

Festive cheer will be in plentiful supply over Exmoor during the first weekend of December as the local villagers at Dunster and Dulverton prepare for Christmas with two special events.

Dunster by Candlelight: Friday 4 - Saturday 5 December
At Dunster by Candlelight on Friday 4 and Saturday 5 December the remarkably preserved medieval village turns it’s back on the present and lights its streets with candles. The event starts at 5.30pm on Friday with the Lantern Lighting Procession accompanied by pipe and drum music and tall stilt walkers in amazing costumes who put up the lanterns. It begins on the Steep and continues through the village until all the lanterns have been lit.

Throughout both evenings until around 9pm there will be a variety of street entertainment with carol singers, Morris dancers, hand bell ringers, a brass band and a large fairground organ plus concerts in the Parish Church. Dunster’s shops will be open for Christmas shopping while the local restaurants, inns and street stalls will provide refreshments.

Admission is free but there is a small charge for the park and ride service from nearby Minehead; there is no public parking in Dunster from 3pm. Visitors can also arrive at Dunster by Candlelight on a special Christmas train operated by the West Somerset Steam Railway, which runs from Bishop’s Lydeard, near Taunton to Minehead but pre-booking is essential - wsr.org.uk.

There will be collections at Dunster by Candlelight for donations to St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice.

For further details about Dunster by Candlelight visit dunsterbycandlelight.co.uk.

Dulverton by Starlight: Sunday 6 December
Throughout December Dulverton is transformed into a twinkling delight of white lights and Christmas trees. The village boasts a wealth of independent teashops, restaurants and tearooms, which stay open on Sunday, 6 December for the special Dulverton by Starlight festive event (12 noon-7pm).

Stroll from shop to shop, pop into one of the pubs or tearooms for some sumptuous figgy pudding, enjoy the street entertainment or join in the carol singing around the large decorated tree in Bank Square. Children can search for the sugar mice hidden in the shop windows to win a prize or visit the exhibition of Nativity scenes in the Village Hall.

Santa Claus will turn heads as his carriage arrives drawn by two Suffolk punch horses before listening to children’s Christmas wishes in his winter workshop at 2pm. Families can take a ride in his carriage with these magnificent beasts throughout the afternoon. For the more intrepid, there is a torch lit walk with an Exmoor Park Ranger after dark. Warm clothes, appropriate footwear and torches are essential but mince pies and hip flasks are optional.

The evening will close with a stunning display of white fireworks against the dramatic backdrop of the village church.

For further information about Dulverton by Starlight visit dulvertonbystarlight.co.uk.

More Information about Visiting Exmoor:
Further details about places to visit on Exmoor and accommodation can be found at exmoor.com.