Moor Understanding
a day of big ideas, enlivening conversations and enriching experiences in nature, produced in collaboration with Sustainable South Hams’ Rally for Nature project
Come along and listen to talks, watch short films, ask questions, share ideas, meet your community, connect to nature and reflect on some big questions like:
What does a healthy river look like?
How can we speak up for nature?
What can we do to care for the places that care for us?
Watch an inspiring film about regenerative farming on Dartmoor, then join in a panel discussion of changemakers passionate about local food production and nature recovery.
Hear from the Devon Rewilding Network and bust some myths about what rewilding is and isn’t. Explore a farmers market filled with local produce grown on Dartmoor.
Head down to the river with Flete Field Lab to learn about how fungi can help clean up our waterways, then meet Wild About the Erme River - a community group stepping up to restore the Erme and its habitat.
Join the UK Rights of Nature Network to discuss how we can include nature in our decision-making and speak up for the more-than-human world.
Get outside and join a walking talk on the hidden botany and super-hero plants around Ivybridge or join in some nature connection experiences to help you slow down, be more present and explore the wonder of nature all around us.
Step into Longtimber Woods and immerse yourself in the nurturing qualities of the trees for a relaxing forest bathing session with nature therapy experts Stefan Batorijs and Harry Hilser.
Connect with local organisations and community groups and find out how you can get involved.
Join the Rally for Nature team for a conversation about how we can pull together to do more for nature, and pick up some useful resources and project ideas for your own community.
Listen to local authors and storytellers sharing tales of our local rivers, moorlands and the folklore of Ivybridge and Dartmoor.
To close our day, join bestselling author Guy Shrubsole for an awe-inspiring journey through the temperate rainforests of Dartmoor, and learn why these spectacular and crucial ecosystems need our help.
Together we will help build a shared understanding of Dartmoor, spark new connections and get inspired to take action for the landscape we love.
Rally for Nature (RfN) is a regional campaign, led by Sustainable South Hams, focused on place-based transformation. It aims to unify our collective action - bringing communities together around a love of nature to build a network of citizens, groups and institutions actively caring for their places.
Food and Nature on Dartmoor | Film Screening and Panel Discussion 1:15 - 2:30pm
Dartmoor hill farmers, experts on wildlife and local food economy | Cinema, Watermark
Watch the short film A Cuckoo Calling - Farming Wilder on Dartmoor, hear about the work of the Devon Rewilding Network, then join a discussion exploring the connections between farming livelihoods, land management, and nature on Dartmoor. The conversation will consider the realities facing hill farmers, evolving approaches to land use, and how policy and support schemes shape decisions. Bringing together different perspectives, the panel will highlight shared goals and explore how collaboration can support resilient farm businesses and a healthy, diverse landscape within the National Park.
Standing up for our Rivers | Talk 3-4pm
Wild About the Erme River, Flete Field Lab | Cinema, Watermark
Join local environmental charity, Wild About The Erme River (WATER) and a local organisation, Flete Field Lab, to dive into how we humans can play an active role in helping the river recover and thrive for future generations. There will be a preview of WATER’s recent film footage of the Erme with examples of how local communities are helping restore it to a more natural healthy state.
Accessible Walk, LongTimber Woods | Tuesday 5th May 10:30-2pm
Delivered in partnership with the Wheeled Access Group, this route will be fully accessible, including for Tramper users. Everyone can experience and enjoy this incredible landscape using the miles without stiles routes through Longtimber Woods. Bring lunch along for when you reach the picnic area by the river.
Meeting Point | Harford Road Car Park (10:30 for 11:00 departure)
folk Stories with Sara Hurley | Saturday 9th May 10-1pm
Enjoy a relaxing stroll along the River Erme through Longtimber Woods, stopping to hear folk tales of Dartmoor from storyteller Sara Hurley, and play via creative activities inspired by the surroundings.
Moderate 5km walk, suitable for children and amblers.
Meeting Point | Harford Road Car Park
Deep Time Walk with Rachel Sweeney | Saturday 16th May 10-1pm
Our planet is over 4.6 billion years old with humans being present for less than 200,000 years. Join artist Rachel Sweeney, to journey back through Dartmoor's geological, astrological and biological timelines, reflecting on how our ancient planetary history might help us to re-shape how we tell our future stories.
Meeting Point | Opposite Blackaton Cottages, Moorhaven | what3words///dive.trickle.storming
Erme Estuary SSSI with Richard Matthews | Wednesday 20th May 9-12pm
Walk this remarkable and ecologically significant landscape, guided by Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society Richard Matthews. The walk will explore the SSSI designation, local biodiversity, and the wider ecological importance of the Erme Estuary.
Meeting Point | Bottom of Mothecombe Car Park
Tall Tree Tales with Lisa Schneidau | Friday 22nd May 2-5pm
Tall Tree Tales with Lisa Schneidau | Friday 22nd May 2-5pm
Listen to stories of malevolent oaks, willows that sing and the blessings of the fairy folk as the woods come alive with old folk tales and wildlife wisdom. Walking through the landscape of Newpark Woods listening out for the inspirations of high springtime. You’ll never look at a tree in the same way again!
Please note: This isn’t an accessible walk.
Meeting Point | what3words///undercuts.gravel.coasted | Parking just after Cornwood.
Story time bat Walk | Saturday 6th June 9:30-11pm
Bats are ancient and magical creatures; author and ecologist, Lisa Schneidau, will take us on a family-friendly dusk/dark walk combining traditional folk tales of bats, dusk and nighttime with information on bat ecology from a bat specialist. An evening in early June is the perfect time to discover bats and learn about their lives.
Meeting Point | Longtimber Woods | what3words///elections.practical.indirect
Ivybridge History with Victor Abbott | Sunday 7th June 2-4pm
Ivybridge has a rich and often overlooked history as one of the gateways to Dartmoor. This walk will explore how the town has been shaped by its geography, industry, and connection to the moor.
Meeting Point | Ivybridge Brewing Company’s taproom