WITH dust still settling on Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival, dates have been announced for 2026, the event’s fifth year.

Festival director Ali Pegrum said feedback from the long weekend which ended on November 17 had been ‘overwhelming’

Ms Pegrum said many people commented on the warm atmosphere and how the festival was always so engaged and friendly.

She said: “The wonderful volunteers are brilliant, and my enormous thanks to the generous sponsors who support the event, as well as the Friends of the Festival.

“It is particularly pleasing to see so many people in Dulverton who have never attended a literary festival before, including many children, and many of whom are looking forward to next year already.”

Ms Pegrum said for 2026 the festival would run across Friday to Monday, November 13 to 16.

She said snippets of this year’s festival would be on television in mid-December after broadcaster Sky visited to film for a documentary on an investigation by Observer journalist Chloe Hadjimatheou into ‘the truth behind certain aspects’ of author Raynor Winn’s ‘The Salt Path’.

A Sky Television cameraman films in All Saints Church during this year's Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival.
A Sky Television cameraman films in All Saints Church during this year's Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival. (DELF)

The crew filmed Ms Hadjimatheouin in a packed All Saints Church talking to Rachel Johnson about her findings.

Ms Winn was slated to appear at the festival but pulled out after the Observer published its exposé.

The festival used several new venues this year, including Tarr Farm Inn, which hosted a literary lunch with food critic and MasterChef judge William Sitwell, and Dulverton Heritage Centre, where there were talks on global embroidery project ‘The Red Dress’ with Kirstie Macleod and Emma Bovill, ‘profitable farming’ with Chris Clark and Robin Milton, and ‘taking risks’ with authors Hilary Bradt and Victoria Eveleigh.

It was a weekend of anniversaries, with Jane Austen’s 250th birthday celebrated by authors Jessica Bull and Helen Kelly, Penny Adie celebrating 25 years of the Two Moors Festival with her accompanying book, and Karen Minto looking back at 25 years of the Moorland Mousie Trust and Exmoor Pony Centre, with the original book ‘Moorland Mousie’ which inspired the charity.

A panel of crime thriller writers included Hannah Richell, Amy McCulloch, and Sarah Pearse, and a true Devon crime talk with John Cornwell, author of ‘Earth to Earth’, and Rachel Johnson.

A nature and conservation panel of authors featured the Hannah Bourne-Taylor, detailing her continued fight to save swifts.

Kirstie Macleod and Emma Bovill talking about ‘The Red Dress’ global embroidery project during the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival.
Kirstie Macleod (left) and Emma Bovill talking about ‘The Red Dress’ global embroidery project during the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival. (DELF)

BBC Radio 3 classical music presenter Petroc Trelawny chatted with virtuoso violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen about his love of Cornwall and music.

Multi-million copy bestselling author Ruth Hogan chatted with her agent Lisa Highton about her latest novel ‘The Light A Candle Society’.

This year’s ‘Book Club’ talk was a particular highlight, with national treasure and former ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ actress Carol Drinkwater travelling from the south of France to chat about her latest novel, alongside bestselling authors Veronica Henry and Kate Lord Brown.

Prizes were presented to the winner of the festival children’s writing competition, Finley Richardson, aged 10, whose poem about Exmoor can be found on the Visit Dulverton website.

Runners-up were Grace Griffiths McDonald, aged 11, and five-year-old Edie Richards.