Your Literary Escape at Woodleigh Cottage - the Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival 2026
If you love literature and enjoy meeting and hearing from famous authors, then book Woodleigh Cottage from Sunday 15 November so that you can catch the final two days of the fifth Dulverton Exmoor Literary Festival. Featuring authors such Michael Morpurgo, Iain Dale, Andrew Wilson, Michael Lewis and David Musgrove -with their timely book about the Bayeux Tapestry - there's an amazing line-up
The festival takes place at a number of venues, all within a short stroll of Woodleigh Cottage.
Sunday 15 November: The Big Day
Sunday is packed, with several talks running at once, so you’ll have some happy choices to make.
Time | Talk | Venue |
10.00-11.00 | Paul Mason with Matthew Stadlen: Reds: A Global History of Communism | Town Hall |
10.00-11.00 | Louise Franklin with Rachel Campbell-Johnston: the life of painter Chaïm Soutine | Heritage Centre |
10.30-11.45 | Children’s Story Corner: Roger Hill (Tupper the Tractor) and Andy Burton. Free, by the woodburner | Bridge Inn |
11.30-12.30 | Iain Dale with Rachel Johnson: Have I Said Too Much? My Life in Politics & the Media | Town Hall |
11.30-12.30 | Andrew Wilson: Marilyn Monroe, a hundred years after her birth | Heritage Centre |
1.00-2.00 | Baronesses Minette Batters & Ann Mallalieu: Harvest | All Saints Church |
1.30-2.30 | Cathy Rentzenbrink with Gaby Huddart: The Agatha Christie Cure | Town Hall |
3.00-4.00 | Michael & Clare Morpurgo with Alice Thomson: Down Burrow Lane: Life and Love on the Farm | All Saints Church |
3.00-4.00 | Lauren St John: Wild Horse Summer, set on Exmoor | Heritage Centre |
4.30-5.30 | Victor Mallet with Ivo Dawnay: Far Right France | Town Hall |
4.30-5.30 | Iain MacGregor: Battle, 3,000 years of warfare | Heritage Centre |
6.00-7.00 | Michael Lewis & David Musgrove: The Story of the Bayeux Tapestry | Town Hall |
A few highlights:
The Morpurgos at 3pm. Michael Morpurgo, author of War Horse, returns after a sell-out appearance in 2023. He and his wife Clare will talk about their Devon farm and the charity they founded, Farms for City Children.
Cathy Rentzenbrink on Agatha Christie. Fifty years after Christie’s death, this is part memoir and part love letter to the Queen of Crime, and it’s for anyone who has ever found comfort in a good book.
Baroness Minette Batters. The first woman to lead the National Farmers’ Union talks about life on the land with Baroness Ann Mallalieu, an expert on Exmoor.
Lauren St John at the Heritage Centre. Her new novel follows a girl riding 100 miles across Exmoor, and it’s a good choice pick if you’re travelling with young readers.
Last day of the Hope Bourne exhibition. The display celebrating Exmoor writer and naturalist Hope Bourne ends on 15 November at the Parish Rooms, Dulverton, so Sunday is your last chance to see it.
Monday 16 November: A Gentler Finish
Monday is a lovely slow day to end the weekend.
10.00-12.00, Town Hall: a schools event with children’s author Jack Meggitt-Phillips (Jekyll vs Hyde: The Potion of Doom), ticketed at £4.
2.30-3.30, Town Hall: Harriet Rix with Sarah Lutyens on The Genius of Trees, a thoughtful talk on the science and history of trees. It pairs well with a morning walking Exmoor’s woodlands.
4.00-5.00, Town Hall: James Bailey and Gail Muller on The Meaning of Life, a hopeful closing conversation based on letters from over a hundred notable people.
Take Monday morning as a good time for a lie-in, a long breakfast and a woodland walk. Then you can return for an afternoon of talks.
Why Woodleigh Cottage Is the Perfect Festival Base
Walk to every venue. Set in a quiet spot with its own private garden, Woodleigh is a few minutes’ stroll from the town centre. Leave the car behind and move between sessions on foot.
Dog-friendly. Woodleigh welcomes up to two small to medium-sized dogs, and Exmoor’s footpaths begin almost on the doorstep, so there’s time for a walk before the talks.
More to Enjoy in Dulverton
Between sessions, browse Seven Fables for books, art and ceramics, hunt for treasures at Acorn Antiques, or compare notes over lunch in one of the town’s cafés, delis and pubs. The Town Hall bar also opens between talks for hot and cold drinks.
Book Your Literary Festival Tickets
Tickets are £12 for adults and £6 for under-17s, and pre-booking online is strongly recommended. Visit visitdulverton.com/dulverton-exmoor-literary-festival-2026 for tickets and the full programme.
To book Woodleigh Cottage from Sunday 15 November, visit www.woodlandsholidays.com or email bookings@woodlandsholidays.com.
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