September 2014
Summer header
Welcome to the Exmoor Tourism Update 

This e-update is produced by the Exmoor National Park Authority as part of the Exmoor Tourism Partnership to keep tourism providers updated with the latest news and to encourage the development of Sustainable Tourism on Exmoor.

 

Dan James
Sustainable Economy Manager,
Exmoor National Park Authority.
Get on board with CareMoor

 

CareMoor 2 
We're delighted that Escape the City Tours have become the latest supporters of CareMoor for Exmoor, donating �5 for every adult guest booking one of their weekend tours on Exmoor. The fund supports a range of conservation and access projects that wouldn't otherwise be completed. The most recent project has been the installation of a new boardwalk to improve access to Porlock Marsh which will be launched shortly.
  
Over �40,00 has been raised by over 50 participating businesses and organisations and we're now inviting anyone with an interest to take part in a review as we seek to improve the fund and the benefits for participants. The workshop takes place at 2pm on the 22 September at Exmoor House and is open to any business or organisation, whether or not you are currently involved. Anyone interested in attending or finding out more should contact Philip Kiberd, Funding Officer.
Exmoor 2015

We are delighted with the positive response to our special 60th anniversary edition of this year's Exmoor visitor, from visitors and advertisers alike. The new, whiter paper and bold design seems to have made a big difference.

 

The National Park Authority is once again contributing towards the cost of improved paper stock, but the advertisements also play an important part in enabling us to continue to print more than 100,000 copies which are distributed free to visitors and local tourism businesses by National Park Centres, TICs and tourism businesses throughout the year. It is estimated over 380,000 people read it annually.

 

Next year's EV will be printed at the end of January 2015 so the advertising selling is already underway. Should you be interested in placing an advertisement contact John Lockyer at the WS Free Press on 01984 632731. Prices have once again been held, starting at just �110.  

In This Issue
CareMoor review
Exmoor 2015
Exmoor experiences promotional opportunity
Colerdige Way experiences
Exmoor Tourism Conference
Exmoor Flag voting now open
Exmoor in the press
Exmoor Dark skies
Exmoor Brand

 Quick Links

 

 Europarc charter logo
Do you want to catch up on past editions? Back issues can be downloaded here.
 
Get involved in promoting special Exmoor and Somerset experiences
Everyone got stuck in at Bogtastic 2013Exmoor National Park Aithority is working with other partners in Somerset with the COOL torusim project to commission a  national marketing camapgin promoting Exmoor nad Somerset experiences. A supplement will be produced featuring suggested itinteraries for different experiences. An exmaple might be an expericne of stargazing in Europe's first Dark Sky reserve and for ths we;d be lookign to hihglight the differnet busiensess that can provide this experince from accomodation providers to tour guides, equipment hire and much more. 
  
To contirbute your ideas and offers for top experiences you will need a google account (e.g gmail) and to join the Google communtiy created for this project. The communtiy will be live until the end of September. GreenTraveller have been commissioned to undertake this work and will use professional travel writers to describe the experiences in a colour supplement.
  

1)      Create gmail address / google account, from Google homepage

2)      Sign up to Google+, from Google homepage

3)      Click on link to Google+ Community (http://bit.ly/1vNbyoU)

4)      Click on 'Ask to Join' button on the Google+ Community page

5)      Once verified you will be free to comment, discuss and share!


There is no cost for suggesting experiences that your business can contribute to and the best will be taken forward for publication without any charge to you. The proiect is supported by the EU Interreg funded COOL torusim project
Experience the Coleridge Way without walking or riding it!

Of course you can't properly experience the Coleridge Way without getting out and completing it for yourself but two new initiatives will help inspire people to make the first step. Since the launch of the extension in May interest has been growing in the route and it is hoped the new initiatives will further inspire others to give it a go.

 

Stunning new films

Two new film have been launched showcasing the Coleridge Way. The first video is a short 3 minute overview of the entire route from Nether Stowey to Lynmouth.The second video is a longer 12 minute documentary highlighting key locations along the route, integrated with stunning landscape shots and interviews with different people along the way presented by Vicki Blight. This will be available for viewing at the Lynmouth and Dunster National Park Centres.
The Coleridge Way - an introduction
The Coleridge Way - an introduction
The Coleridge Way - in the footsteps of the Romantic Poets
The Coleridge Way - in the footsteps of the Romantic Poets
Businesses along the route are encouraged to make use of the videos within their own websites and marketing work to further raise the profile of this popular route. Instructions on how to do this, and lots more free resources, are available here.

The films were commissioned and funded jointly by the Coleridge Way extension project and the Lynmouth Pavilion Heritage project with support from local organisations in addition to the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Park Partnership Fund. They were produced by Ken Blakey of Lee House, Lynton.
  
Gallery exhibition
To celebrate the extension the Churchgate Gallery in Porlock has invited some of the South West's  leading artists to participate in a new 'Coleridge Way' exhibition from the 25 September to 11 October. The exhibition is billed as an "exploration of history, place and literary inspiration" featuring paintings and original prints.
Exmoor Tourism Conference 2014

The 6 November is the date for this years annual Exmoor Tourism Conference which this year takes place in Minehead. Further details and booking information will be available shortly.

 

Previous years have seen a wide range of Exmoor businesses meeting to network, learn and be inspired. Highlights of this years conference will include the launch of a brand new Visit Exmoor website as well as the launch of a new rural tourism business toolkit in addition to keynote speeches to inspire and inform  alongside practical workshop and seminar sessions.

 

The new Visit Exmoor site will be managed by the Exmoor Tourist Association and bring a bright fresh design along with some great new functionality to make the site work better for Exmoor as a whole and for individual businesses advertising on it and potential visitors to the area. Further information on the different opportunities for promoting yourself on the site will be available soon.

 

The COOL tourism toolkit will provide a series of dedicated resources especially tailored and rural tourism businesses to support them in creating new experiences, saving money, getting the message out and collaboration. We hope to be joined by representatives from partner organisations across southern England and France for the launch.

Vote now for your Exmoor flag
The Exmoor Flag Project is a community initiative to celebrate Exmoor and mark its 60th anniversary as a National Park by adopting an official flag for Exmoor.
 
The eight judges had an extremely difficult task of shortlisting over 260 design entries down to just 4 finalists; in the end they couldn't decide and selected 5 flags to go through to the public vote which opened on Wednesday 20th of August. You can vote online or by post with the voting forms published in the local press including West Somerset Free Press and North Devon Gazette.
  
The winning Exmoor Flag will be registered by The Flag Institute the organisation that registers United Kingdom flags, and announced in an unveiling ceremony on the 29th October where the Exmoor Flag Project Team has a wonderful day planned to celebrate Exmoor's new flag.The project has been supported by the National Park Partnership Fund.
Exmoor in the press

Exmoor regularly enjoys a high level of positive press coverage. This is usually achieved via a number of partners including ENPA's in house communications team, members of the Exmoor Tourism Partnership and A Head for PR, commissioned by the Exmoor Tourism Partnership to provide PR services.

 

The September issue of Country Walking features Exmoor as its lead article with a multi page feature focusing on an 'Epic Exmoor Adventure' in which the editor follows a three day route across some of Exmoor's wildest terrain.

 

Mountain Biking UK features a 6 page feature article on off road cycling in Exmoor whilst the next edition of Cycling World will also include a feature article covering different aspects of cycling on Exmoor.

 

There have also been a number of press visits recently by journalists staying in the area and TV and Radio coverage has included the Bogtastic event and coverage of Stargazing on Exmoor being ranked number 11 in the top 25 simple pleasures by Visit England!

Exmoor Dark Skies
Exmoor Dark Skies is a new guidebook to the dark skies of Exmoor, Europe's first Dark Sky Reserve.
  
Published by Halsgrove it is available online or from local retailers and will be a great resource for those businesses promoting the dark sky experience to their guests.
  

In Exmoor Dark Skies life-long amateur astronomer Sebastian T. Jay explores the wonders of this night-time world above our heads from some of the darkest places around Exmoor's International Dark Sky Reserve.

 

He uses his robust knowledge of astronomy to take us on a journey out across the cosmos with our eyes, revealing what we can see by just looking up, and the treasures that await our personal discovery when using a small portable telescope.

 

Whether you're an experienced amateur astronomer, new to the night sky, or simply want to learn more about the opportunities to stargaze from Exmoor, this book serves as a practical guide to help you get the most out of your time under Exmoor's dark skies.

 

The publication has been supported by the National Park Partnership Fund and 10% of royalties will be donated to CareMoor for Exmoor.

Exmoor brand

The new Exmoor brand is becoming increasingly well used by a number of businesses and organisations across the area. Any tourism provider that is a member of a recognised association can use a version of the brand to help promote their association with Exmoor. This is about the place and not a corporate identity for any one individual organisation. 

 

Following feedback some changes have been made to make the brand more simple to use and to extend the use of the brand to producers. So you can now choose from a logo which states you are 'based in' the area or one that states something is 'produced in' the area. As the Exmoor brand incorporates a wide area there are 3 versions of each logo to reflect those that wish to associate generally with Exmoor - Dream, Discover Explore; Exmoor, Coast and Quantocks and; Exmoor National Park. 

 

To download the brand guidelines and the appropriate logo for your organisation click here.