Festival Events

Sara Hudston’s book A Life Outside: Hope Bourne on Exmoor is being published by The Exmoor Society in November this year. It draws on years of original research in the society's Hope Bourne archive and interviews with people who knew Bourne, as well as some of her Australian relations.

As a duo, violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen and pianist Cordelia Williams have been much praised for their engaging performances and intense commitment to imaginative programming. Now they explore pieces associated with the atmospheres of night, slumber and dreams.

Baroness Harding currently serves as Senior Steward of the Jockey Club and, for the Simonsbath Festival, she will be talking principally about her equine career.

Xavier Bray is the director of the Wallace Collection in London which, this May, is presenting the first major retrospective of the paintings of Winston Churchill. Churchill stayed at the Exmoor Forest Inn (his signature is in the visitors’ book) and played polo regularly at Dunster.

Ollie Clark is a London based guitarist and composer. Working regularly around the world with his babd S.O.L collective and composing for film, tv and advertisement Ollie is also an up and coming artist in the music scene.

A joint service between The Exmoor Society and Simonsbath Festival with the theme: The Waters of Exmoor. Held at St Luke’s Church, Simonsbath

We are delighted that the West Buckland School Choir will be joining us. The concert will be followed by a special Pie & a Pint (or Glass of Wine) for £20 at the Exmoor Forest Inn. Limited tables available and booking is mandatory via https://exmoorforestinn.com/. This offer will be available to book until Tuesday 19 May.

The Simonsbath Spring Fling is a one-off small country fair to be held on Bank Holiday Monday 25 May 2026 to raise funds for the urgent repair works needed to St Luke’s Church, Simonsbath.

Described as “one of the most passionate champions of rewilding”, Ben Goldsmith is a persuasive enthusiast who, for more than two decades, has thrown all his energies into trying to find ways in which we can co-exist with the land and the natural world.

Formerly one half of the Military Wives Choir which featured as part of the TV programme The Choir: Military Wives with Gareth Malone. Military wives from Chivenor co-founded the Military Wives Choirs Foundation and inspired many military wives to form their own choirs.