Dartmoor Tors Festival – A festival about culture and place

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Dartmoor Tors Festival 1st-3rd May 2027

Welcome! We’re already working hard on the festival 2027.

For 2026 we had a line up of intriguing, joyful and challenging talks, walks, workshops, exhibitions and performances about the places we love. We explored archaeology, nature, history, mysticism, poetry, paganism and folklore with a range of fascinating people including mythologist Martin Shaw, Celtic songstress Gwenno, photographer Chris Chapman, writer Fiona Robertson, rewilder Derek Gow, archaeoastonomer Carolyn Kennett, Shaman Peter Knight and green witch Rebecca Beattie.

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Exploring the ancient site of Drizzlecombe. Picture by festival photographer Emma Stoner

Featured image: Grimspound Border Morris by Jack Witek

Gudula’s Gathering

“It’s hard to put into words how incredibly moving it was to be a part of….Receiving and giving blessings, we walked with full hearts feeling …

Art, Place and the Ancients: Remaking the past with artist Robin Sullivan

TALK: Art, Place and the Ancients: Remaking the past with artist Robin Sullivan Saturday 2nd May, 11:00, Ashburton Arts Centre Making megaliths from scratch is …

Skylark Radio

Our friends at Skylark Radio -which describes itself as a ‘radio station with no programmes’ – will be present at the festival, recording interviews with …

Gwenno

PERFORMANCE: Gwenno Saunders Saturday 2nd May, 19:30, Ashburton Arts Centre “Spacey, strange and richly melodic” – The Guardian Celebrating the ancient Celtic connections between Devon, …

Field System May Day Revels – Craven & Stone Club

PERFORMANCE: Field System presents an evening of May Day revels! Folk trio Craven, with music and visuals from Stone Club. Friday May 1st, 19:30, Ashburton …

Dartmoor Mythographies New Drawings by Martin Shaw

EXHIBITION: Dartmoor Mythographies: New Drawings by Martin Shaw Saturday 2nd May – Sunday 3rd May, 10:00 – 17:00, Field System Gallery, FREE Meet the Artist, …

Into the Dart – Mark Jessett

Exhibition: Into the Dart by Mark Jessett Friday 30th April – 4th May, 10:00 – 17:00, Field System Studio Mark Jessett opens his studio door …

Tor Lore and More Moor Tales

TALK: Tor Lore and More Moor Tales – Brand new weird stories from Crowmancrow Saturday May 2nd, 17:30 – 18:30, Field System Gallery Crowmancrow (AKA …

Tor Tales

PERRFORMANCE: Tor Tales – a story journey across Dartmoor with magical storyteller Sara Hurley Sunday May 3rd, 11:00 – 12:15, Ashburton Arts Centre This land …

Wild Inks from Dartmoor – Forage and Print

WORKSHOP: Wild inks from Dartmoor – Forage and Print – learn about natural inks with Princetown Press, innovative artists working in a studio at the …

A Dartmoor Conversation – 6000 years of people and places

TALK: A Dartmoor Conversation – 6000 years of people and places with Chris Chapman and Alan Endacott Friday May 1st , 15:30-16:30, Ashburton Arts …

Field System – May Day Revels – Morris and Mumming

PERFORMANCE: Field System presents – A celebration of Beltane with the Valiant Mummers, Grimspound Border Morris and Newton Bushel Morris Saturday May 2nd, 15:30, outside …

Field System – I dreamed another’s dream…

EXHIBITION: I dreamed another’s dream…. Private View: Friday 1st May, 17:00 – 19:00, Field System Gallery This free exhibition brings together new work from Lally …

Cole Stacey

PERFORMANCE: Cole Stacey – Dartmoor folk music from the heart Thursday 30th April, 19:30, Ashburton Arts Centre “A magnificent sound” – BBC Radio 5 Live …

Tales of the Tors

WALK: Tales of the Tors with Paul Rendell Thursday 7th May, 09:30 – 12:00, Haytor Join Dartmoor Guide Paul Rendell on exploration of five spectacular …

Wheel of the Year Workshop – The Fires of Beltane

WORKSHOP: Wheel of the Year – The Fires of Beltane, learning about the Pagan calendar with Rebecca Beattie Saturday 2nd May, 12:15 – 14:15, The …

The Dewerstone – a mindful walk

WALK: The Dewerstone – mindfulness with Hannah Durdin and Helen Bruce Friday 1st May, 11:00 – 14:00, Cadover Bridge Car Park, FREE BUT BOOKING ESSENTIAL UPDATE …

Sunset at Shoveldown – Astronomy and Ancient Stones

WALK: Sunset at Shoveldown – Astronomy and Ancient Stones with archeoastronomer Carolyn Kennett and guide Paul Rendell Sunday 3rd May, 19:15 – 21:30, Batsworthy Corner …

Traces of our ancestors – 12,000 years of Dartmoor archaeology

TALK: Traces of our ancestors: 12,000 years of Dartmoor archaeology with Dr Lee Bray Saturday 2nd May, 12:30, Ashburton Arts Centre The history of human …

Lines of Granite

WALK: Lines of Granite – a drawing walk to Bench Tor with Kay Pearson Friday 1st May, 09:30 – 12:30, Venford Reservoir Sometimes to walk …

Enchanted Landscapes – Wistmans Wood and Crockern Tor

WALK: Enchanted Landscapes: Wistmans Wood and Crockern Tor – stories from the heart of the moor with Lisa Schneidau and Sara Hurley, led by Gillian …

Edward Bray’s Druidical Stones – Bardic Runes and Poetic Dedications

WALK: Edward Bray’s Druidical Stones: Bardic Runes and Poetic Dedications with Simon Dell Saturday 2nd May 2026, 2pm, Two Bridges The Reverend Bray’s inscribed stones …

Dawn and Stones

WALK: Dawn and Stones – a Processional Walk to Drizzlecombe with archaeoastronomer Carolyn Kennett Monday 4th May, 04:15 – 06:30, Gutter Tor Join archaeoastronomer Carolyn …

Moon and Stone – Ghosts and Legends at Drizzlecombe

WALK: Moon and Stone – Ghosts and Legends at Drizzlecombe with Paul Rendell Friday 1st, May, 19:30 – 21:30, Gutter Tor Join Dartmoor Guide Paul …

The Ancient Sites of Merrivale & their Landscape Settings

WALK: The Ancient Sites of Merrivale & their Landscape Settings with shamans Peter Knight and Sue Wallace-Knight Sunday 3rd May, 13:00, Merrivale Dartmoor is well-known …

Dartmoor Elements – Walking with Words

WALK: Dartmoor Elements – Walking with Words, poetry and performance with MED Theatre Saturday 2nd May, 10:00 – 12:15, Dartmeet Become immersed with the MED …

Celebrating Beltane Walk

WALK: Celebrating Beltane with Dartmoor’s Daughter Friday 1st May, 09:00 – 14:00, Dunnabridge Up to a thousand people once crossed Dartmoor on foot, horseback, and …

Field System – Black Dogs and Wisht Hounds

WALK: Field System presents Black Dogs and Wisht Hounds around Hound Tor with storyteller Helen Bruce Saturday 2nd May, 11:00 – 14:00, Hound Tor Join …

Sumer Is Icumen In – Beltane at Ringmoor Down

WALK: Sumer Is Icumen In: Beltane at Ringmoor Down – a stroll through prehistory with archaeoastronomer Carolyn Kennett and Dartmoor guide Paul Rendell Monday 4th …

The Dawn Chorus on Dartmoor

WALK: The Dawn Chorus on Dartmoor – listen to the music of the trees with sound artist Tony Whitehead Saturday May 2nd, 05:00, New Bridge …

Nature Recovery on Dartmoor – Is it too late?

TALK: Nature recovery on Dartmoor: is it too late? with Richard Drysdale (Dartmoor National Park) , Tracy May (Dartmoor Commoners Council), Lisa Schneidau (Dartmoor Nature …

Words from the Wild – Poetry and Place

TALK: Words from the wild: poetry and place – conversations and readings with poets Jane Lovell and Mark Haworth Booth Sunday 3rd May, 11:00, Ashburton …

Beavers, Boar and More – Getting Real about Rewilding

TALK: Beavers, Boar and More – Getting Real about Rewilding with conservationist Derek Gow and writer Chantal Lyons Sunday 3rd May 09:30, Ashburton Arts Centre …

Liturgies of the Wild – Reshaping our Stories

TALK: Liturgies of the Wild: Reshaping our Stories, mythologist Martin Shaw in conversation with writer Lucy Cooper Sunday 3rd May, 14:00, Ashburton Arts Centre Martin …

Love, Loss and Landscape – the Wild and the Ancient

TALK: Love, loss and landscape: the wild and the ancient with writers Fiona Robertson and Sophie Pierce, chaired by Kirsteen McNish Saturday 2nd May, 14:00, …

Bewitched by Dartmoor – Natural Magic and Modern Paganism

TALK: Bewitched by Dartmoor – Natural Magic and Modern Paganism, Rebecca Beattie in conversation with Sarah Ransome Saturday 2nd May 09:30, Ashburton Arts Centre What …

Gudula’s Gathering

PERFORMANCE: Well dressing and procession – a new May ritual for Ashburton Sunday May 3rd, 16:00, outside Ashburton Arts – FREE – All welcome – …

Stone Ages

EXHBITION: Stone Ages – Alex Murdin & Andrew Stacey featuring students of South Dartmoor Community College Friday 24th April – 4th May, Ashburton Arts Centre, …

What the Ground Remembers

EXHIBITION: What the Ground Remembers – Devon-based artists Steve Thorpe, Kate Lyons Miller and Paul Devon Young in an exhibition centered on process, material, and …

Ashburton Artisans Collective

EXHIBITION: Ashburton Artisans Collective, open 10:00 – 16:00 Tuesday – Saturday. ‘The Ashburton’s Artisans Collective’ is a vibrant, not-for-profit hub celebrating the creativity and craftsmanship …

JAM

EXHIBITION: Jam Gallery – Michael Jones and Glen Middleham Thursday 30th April – Monday 4th May from 10.30am until 4.30pm The Jam Gallery at 18 …