May 2015
Summer header
Welcome to the Exmoor Tourism Update 
This e-update is produced by the Exmoor National Park Authority  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.
Coast Festival celebrates Exmoor's unique coastline
The 2015 Exmoor Coast Festival is a week long celebration of Exmoor's unique and much loved Coastline with a whole variety of events right the way along its length from 23 to 31 May. Download a poster here (PDF) or pick up some fliers from your local centre. Full details are also available online on the Visit Exmoor website.
 
From active sports such as coasteering and kayaking to evening talks and singing sea shanties in pubs there really is something for everyone! The festival is a real partnership effort between local communities providing events, coordinated by Exmoor Tourism. Funding has been provided by the Exmoor National Park Partnership fund with sponsorship from South West Water.

Changes to 300 Coastal Bus Services

Two  companies are operating a 300 bus service this year. Quantock Heritage will be using a heritage bus to provide a service from Minehead to Lynmouth and back twice a day (Tuesdays through to Sundays), whilst Filers will be operating a through service from Ilfracombe to Minehead via Lynmouth twice a day 7 days a week.

 

This provides additional choice with up to 4 services a day along the route between Mineehad and Lynmouth. You can view the respective timetables on traveline, and for ease of ref you can download a PDF with the combined timetable to help guests plan. Please however note that it is understood tickets are not transferable so anyone wishing to use different companies for the outward and return journey's would need to purchase 2 singles. Any queries to be directed to the operators. 

In This Issue
Exmoor Coast Festival
300 Coastal bus Service
New Coleridge Way website
Local food and tourism research workshop
Exmoor on the box
Exmoor Tourism update
Exmoor Society conference
National Park Partners
Brand new guidance
New ENPA website coming soon

 Quick Links

 

 Europarc charter logo
Do you want to catch up on past editions? Back issues can be downloaded here.
 
New Coleridge Way website launched as new folk album is recorded 
New website now live
A new website promoting the Coleridge Way has been launched at www.coleridgeway.co.uk. The redeveloped site is based on the very successful new Visit Exmoor website launched at the end of last year.
 

The new website is designed to make it easy for those wishing to plan a holiday using all or part of the route and carries information ranging from accommodation to some of the sites of interest featured along the route. Full route guides, with mapping, are available free to download on the site alongside videos, images, practical information and even an opportunity for those that have completed the route to share their story with others. Extensive use of interactive mapping is made to present information clearly and the site is fully responsive for use on a range of devices, from a smartphone to a desktop computer, with ease.

 

Anyone located on or close to the route (or providing transport links) is invited to advertise. Prices start at �25 for current Exmoor tourism members / visit Exmoor advertisers or �50 if you just want to be n the Coleridge Way site. With a growing average of 150 vies  day to the niche site it is the only site covering the entire length of the route and is likely to be the first port of call for those planning to walk or ride the route - contact [email protected] for more information.


Esteesee 
Award winning folk artist, Ange Hardy, has announced plans to record a new album of songs "Esteesee" (pronounced STC as in Samuel Taylor Coleridge) inspired by the works and writings of Coleridge. This is already attracting national press interest. Following the launch of the album she will be taking it on tour along the length of the Coleridge Way in October 2015. Find out more here.

 

Local food and tourism workshop

apple-sm.jpg A workshop is being organised as part of a study for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) on rural tourism and local food and drink. Exmoor was identified as one of five locations in England that are actively developing their local food and drink offer.

 

 The workshop takes place on Thursday 4 June from 10-14.30 at Dunster Tithe Barn and includes a buffet lunch. It aims to bring together local decision-makers, delivery bodies and businesses, to discuss opportunities and barriers to developing the local food  and drink offer in Exmoor, and strengthening links between local food and tourism.

 

Researchers are keen to hear your views and ideas on how the local food and drink offer in our area can be developed to support tourism; challenges and opportunities you foresee; and the local knowledge you bring to this issue. If you wish to participate please email [email protected] by Wednesday 27 May at the latest.

Exmoor on the box and videos for websites
tv Tonight (Thursday 21 May) the BBC One show is due to be featuring the innovative community shellfish project in Porlock, supported by the National Park Partnership Fund. If you miss it then take a look on iPlayer. Country file have also been filming this project today for a future programme, all helping to raise awareness of Exmoor.
 
Next month ITV is hosting a new series with Johnny Kingdom featuring Exmoor throughout the seasons over 4 programmes airing at 8pm on Monday evenings from 1 June. It covers many local events and activities including the successful Exmoor Flag project and will no doubt feature footage of the Exmoor landscape and wildlife.
 
Don't forget that there area range of videos you can use embedded to your own sites from TV adverts to videos highlighting some of the great experiences on offer on Exmoor - take a look and make the most of them at www.youtube.com/exmoorNP.

Visit Exmoor website working for Exmoor Tourism

Work is continuing to develop Exmoor Tourism as the lead industry board for the area incorporating the work of the previous Exmoor Tourism Partnership alongside that of the Exmoor Tourist Association.

 

One of the key tools delivered by Exmoor Tourism to market the area is the new Visit Exmoor website. Visits to the site, which ranks very highly on Google, have risen by well over 30% compared to the same time periods last year with people spending longer on the site and exploring more pages.

 

We would continue to encourage as many businesses as possible to support the work of Exmoor Tourism (alongside your own local association where appropriate). Membership includes advertising on the site which will help the rankings of your own site in key search engines and will also provide much needed funding to market Exmoor throughout the country and beyond to attract new visitors to the area. For full information click here or contact Ruth Shelton on [email protected].

Exmoor Society conference debates tourism

The Exmoor Society's annual spring conference 2015 took place on 24th April, focussing on the importance of tourism and Exmoor. The conference considered some of the big issues of the day including how we balance tourism with conserving the natural environment, how we can promote unique experiences to visitors and how we fit within the wider region of the South West, the primary holiday destination in the country.

  
Nigel Stone, Chief Executive of Exmoor National Park, concluded the conference, commenting that protection and prosperity can go hand-in-hand and sustainable tourism is achieved by promoting the special experiences offered by the unique landscape of Exmoor. For more information, please read the press release, by clicking here. The Society's Exmoor Review published in the Autumn will have full conference papers included.

Spring conference speakers (clockwise from top left): Sean Beer, Nigel Stone, Helen Blackman, Dan James, Malcolm Bell, Rachel Thomas, Lyndsey Swift and Evelyn Stacey




 

National Park Partners

We have had a great response to the launch of our new National Park Partner scheme which aims to reward and recognise those businesses working with the National Park at the heart of their operations.

 

It is free to apply and open to any organisation who is able to demonstrate a tangible commitment and contribution to the 5 key themes of the scheme:

  • Supporting a thriving living landscape
  • Connecting people and place
  • Working  towards a sustainable future
  • Working together for Exmoor
  • Communicating the message.

There are 8 members with a further 5 under application at the time of writing with a numebrof enquiries too. Take a look at the video below for more information on the scheme or visit www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk/park-partners.

Brand New Guidance
In order to encourage more people to make use of the Exmoor Brand a new guide has been put together to help people think through how to use it in different contexts alongside their own brand. The guidance includes advice on who can use which logo types, the types of images and narrative that can be sued to emphasis the core values of the area and lots of practical inspiration alongside the technical details such as what fonts and colour palettes to use.
 
Any member of a recognised tourism trade association is allowed to make use of the logo which comes in different variants depending on the nature of your business and the area you're located in Find out more here.


New National Park website coming soon
And finally... Keep your eyes peeled for a brand new Exmoor National Park Authority website coming soon at www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk! Due to be launched in a few weeks the new site features a greater emphasis on enabling people to enjoy Exmoor the new site also links through to the new Visit Exmoor site to provide a comprehensive suite of  resources for visitors and those interested in the area. The site is fully responsive for viewing on everything from a desktop PC to smartphone.