EXMOOR Society archivist Dr Helen Blackman and a volunteer from the Exmoor Pony Centre will be following in the hoof-prints of ‘posties’ who rode their rounds on horseback.

They will be setting off from Withypool at 10am on Monday (November 6) to ride the old postal route of around 12 miles.

It is a new stage in the society’s archive project piecing together the history of the postal service on Exmoor between around 1930 and 70 using maps and significant material from the Dulverton Resource Centre.

Up until 1970, post was routinely delivered over routes of 15 miles or more on foot, motorbike – and horseback – to farms with no road access. As well as the post, newspapers, bread, tobacco and even medicines were delivered.

To glean a sense of the posties’ experience of tramping across Exmoor in all weathers, during the summer the society employed an intern who walked some of the old routes.

Now Helen wants to find out out what the ridden routes were like. With the aid of a volunteer and two animals from the Exmoor Pony Centre, she will be retracing the steps of one of the last ridden rounds on Exmoor.

The round started in Withypool and went out to many of the local farms, including Lanacre, Blackland and Hillway. It was ridden by local man John Blackmore.

Helen said: “Investigating the old postal routes has been more than an academic exercise; it is very much a social history.

“We cannot really understand the difficulties of communication on Exmoor, which persist to this day, without experiencing them. And as a horse rider, I’m fascinated by the role horses and ponies have played in bringing news and information across the moor.

“This is also a wonderful opportunity to work with the Exmoor Pony Centre and highlight how hardy and useful the Exmoor ponies are.”

Pictured is mounted postman William Blackmore, from Barbara Adams’ collection.