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Moor Otters Arts Trail launch date announced

8th March 2021

Categories: Visitor News

Photo: © DNPA

Dartmoor National Park is launching its Moor Otters Arts Trail to help people connect and reconnect with the wild landscape of Dartmoor and support the local economy.

After careful consideration of the Government’s roadmap, and the need to move carefully to support local communities, the Authority is excited to say Moor Otters Arts Trail will go live on Friday May 28.

Moor Otters Arts Trail, rescheduled from 2020, will help people explore, discover and learn more about this beautiful place and raise money for its ongoing conservation.

Eighty-one stunning sculptures of otters with cubs - all designed and decorated by local and national artists – will be placed around the National Park and places near Dartmoor.

Trails are designed so people can safely explore Dartmoor on foot, bike, car or public transport and learn about the National Park as they go. There will be prizes and competitions too.

There will be four trails on Dartmoor and one in Plymouth, the Mayflower Trail, which commemorates the historic journey of the Mayflower in 1620. Otters can also be spotted in towns and villages on the outskirts of the National Park too.

Dartmoor National Park Authority is committed to bringing people a fun, informative trail that can be done alone or with family, and friends in a safe and sustainable way. The launch date remains subject to the government’s four-step roadmap out of lockdown.

National Park Authority Chair Pamela Woods said: “We are thrilled to bring our Moor Otters Arts Trail back in 2021.

“The campaign goes to the very heart of what Dartmoor National Park Authority does, our core purposes: to conserve and enhance the natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage; promote opportunities for the understanding and enjoyment of Dartmoor’s special qualities and foster the economic and social well-being of communities within the National Park.

“The pandemic has highlighted the value of nature and exposed the challenges for those who cannot access open space. Having rescheduled it from last year, Moor Otters Arts Trail is our way of welcoming people to Dartmoor, whether they are new visitors or returning ones, enjoying this special environment and doing it so it aligns with the Government’s COVID-19 response.

“We will continue to take the most up-to-date situation into account so people should continue to check what they can and cannot do as well as visit our website. Wherever the arts trail takes people, we hope they have a wonderful time connecting and reconnecting with Dartmoor National Park.”

People will have the opportunity to own a sculpture when the public trail ends by bidding for one through an online auction which also goes live on May 28. Moor Otters Arts Trail aims to raise £60,000 for Donate for Dartmoor, the National Park’s fundraising scheme which helps look after the moor’s cultural heritage, habitats and wildlife so everyone can enjoy it today, tomorrow and in the future.

Stay up to date at www.dartmoor.gov.uk/moorotters or join the Moor Otters Facebook group.