Walking Festival helps clapper bridge

The North Devon and Exmoor Walking and Cycling Festival this year raised a healthy £288 through ticket sales towards Exmoor National Park Authority’s CareMoor for Exmoor initiative. The cheque was presented to Sally Parish on behalf of the Authority by Bryan Cath, the festival co-ordinator. Sally said: “We are delighted to receive this cheque from the festival. It will go towards improving some stepping stones over a small tributary of the Barle River above Tarr Steps, converting them into a small clapper bridge. This will improve a popular circular route from Tarr Steps, making it easier to cross this small river”.

This year’s festival was the most successful yet, attracting over 300 participants who were able to choose from 52 guided walks and 6 guided mountain bike rides. Ticket sales for the outings increased by 31% on 2005. Commenting on the success, Bryan Cath said: “This year’s festival caught people’s imagination, with rapid ticket sales in January and February, forcing me to find extra guides to enable more tickets to become available. Most walks were fully booked when the festival started. It is good the festival raises money to help the upkeep of the countryside we enjoy. This year’s contribution has gone to a worthwhile improvement on the River Barle which will help many walkers enjoy that area more safely”.

Next year’s festival is already being planned. There are plans to provide activities and challenges which will attract the younger generation. There will still be a wide choice of guided walks and some challenging mountain bike rides over Exmoor. The number of days has been increased so visitors can come midweek or at the weekend and still have a week’s worth of outings to choose from. The dates are from Thursday 3rd May 2007 to Friday 11th May 2007 inclusive.