A HARVEST of art, craft, food and music is in store at Lydford after a fascinating new map for the village is unveiled, marking the start of the third Dartmoor Festival. The green fields of the parish, where the Ruby Red Cattle of Devon graze, are the focus of the new map which reveals the name of each field as it was in the 1800s. Festival artist Alan Cracknell, a renowned illustrator, and potter Laurel Keeley have produced works for the festival, taking place at the Dartmoor Inn, inspired by the map which also includes snippets of history and folklore. Instigator of the festival Karen Burgess, who is also joint owner of the Dartmoor Inn, spent two years researching the map and is delighted with the finished artwork by Jenny Peach. Karen said: ?It is beautiful and people can?t wait to see it. There are some wonderful names like Keep-a-little, Justice Meadow and Cow-lease ? once-upon-a-time all the fields in Lydford would have been known to the villagers by name. ?The festival celebrates the very best that Dartmoor has to offer and our festival artists have been inspired by the flora and fauna of the moor and the evocative, nostalgic mystery of the re-discovered field names. Something really magical happens when you see these field names combined with the artwork.? This year?s event will begin on September 1 with a festival feast in the award-winning restaurant with music by the Beer Hunters and entertainment by the Wag from Widecombe, Tony Beard. Another gourmet and music evening follows on September 8 with the Dartmoor Pixie Band and some step dancing and broom dancing thrown in. Throughout September there will be a set festival lunch and supper, and to celebrate British Food Fortnight from September 23 to October 8 the best of British will be served, including bangers and mash, fish and chips, bubble and squeak and bread and butter pudding. Karen said that in the 18th and 19th centuries, the delight of the English landscape lay in its diversity ? some soils suited certain pursuits very well and plants and animals could be bred to produce crops and beasts which were splendidly adjusted to their locality. ?Here at the inn we have learnt from and built on this knowledge from the past ? we choose pure-bred Devon Red Ruby and South Devon beef and Dartmoor Black Face lamb ? all of which graze and thrive on local land.? Artist Alan Cracknell is best known for his distinctive illustrative style which adorned every box, package and product tin in the ?Crabtree and Evelyn? range of toiletries during the 1970s. He also happens to be the childhood hero of Karen who was lucky enough to meet him for the first time in 2004. Karen said she was looking forward to the festival which was a condensed version of previous years but with a theme which seemed to be popular with the local community. Anyone who wants to find out more should contact the Dartmoor Inn on 01822 820221.
