Bogtastic! Fantastic! What a success! 450 people got stuck into all things boggy on the 26th July. This event was co-hosted by the Exmoor Mires Partnership and Exmoor National Park Authority aims to raise awareness and enjoyment of bogs, wildlife and heritage on Exmoor.
“On the bog” it was considered to be the best year yet, all the activities were extremely popular and ran smoothly, with high levels of engagement from both adults and children. The team were even told by one family that they time their holiday to Exmoor specially to come to Bogtastic!
Activities on the bog included Bog Bouncing, the infamous Bogstacle Course, Bog Pool Dipping (where they found lots of young newt larva and dragonfly nymphs, including a massive common hawker specimen); the newcomer this year was the archaeology tent: “Peat, Pots and People”, where you could make a clay pot in the style of bronze age beakers, take a peat core then look at it under a microscope to start understanding pollen analysis and pin your birthday on the tree ring. In the shelter of the meadow down in Simonsbath there was a lovely fete atmosphere – face painting, BBQ (catered by a local youth group), river dipping, parachute games and wildlife exhibitions hosted by many different organisations and local groups.
This year Exmoor Mires secured a grant from the Exmoor Trust to cover travel costs for community groups from Exeter and Barnstaple.
For more fantastic photos visit Exmoor Mires Facebook page.
