Exmoor Pioneers Project

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Discover the beautiful moorland of the old Royal Forest of Exmoor, uncover its secrets, understand its heritage and admire its wildness. Here you can find space to renew, see nature being nurtured, and discover the extraordinary lives of people in this remote pioneer community from hundreds of years ago.

The Exmoor Pioneers project seeks to connect people to the natural and cultural heritage of the former Royal Forest in the heart of Exmoor, support nature recovery, protect heritage at risk, and develop the skills needed to support this landscape in the future.

Why Exmoor Pioneers?

  • Pioneers who found copper in the hills of Exmoor 4,000 years ago
  • Pioneers who came here and created a frontier community 200 years ago
  • Pioneers are the trees in the new woodlands, grown in our tree nursery, that will begin to spread within the combes as part of our new Temperate Rainforest
  • Pioneers are the young rangers and others with new skills who will champion the environment and heritage under our skills programme
  • Pioneers are the new audiences that will discover and love this place in years to come

From 2025 until December 2028, join us on our journey to protect, enrich, and explore this incredible part of Exmoor.

  • Nature
    Within Exmoor Pioneers, we’re working with communities to restore and enrich nature.
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  • Heritage
    The former Royal Forest has a rich history of interactions between people, landscapes and changing environments over time.
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  • Skills
    Exmoor Pioneers seeks to nurture and grow local talent to support the development of skills that can sustain the natural and cultural heritage of Exmoor.​
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  • Join Us
    Explore events, activities and volunteering opportunities within the Royal Forest of Exmoor
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  • The Royal Forest of Exmoor
    A landscape of remote moorland and deep combes at the headwaters of the rivers Exe and Barle, straddling the boundary between Somerset and Devon, high on Exmoor.
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Acknowledgement

Exmoor Pioneers is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, with additional funding from a generous legacy from the late Cynthia Hadley to ‘CareMoor for Exmoor’ and support from BMW.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past.

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