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DUNSTER
BY CANDLELIGHT 2009
FRIDAY
AND SATURDAY 4th & 5th
DECEMBER 2009
Friday 4th from 5pm to 9.30
Saturday 5th from 4pm to 9.30
Ro RCOLLECTIONS
MADE IN AID OF
ST MARGARET’S SOMERSET HOSPICE
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Dunster
by Candlelight takes place every year on the first Friday and
Saturday in December when this remarkably preserved medieval
village turns its back on the present and lights its streets
with candles.
To mark the beginning
of the festival on Friday at 5.30pm, there is the Lantern Lighting
Procession that starts on the Steep and continues through the
village until all the lanterns in the streets have been lit.
The procession of children and their families is accompanied
by colourful (and tall!) Stiltwalkers in fantastic costumes
who put up the lanterns.
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Photo by Steve Guscott |
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Photo by Steve Guscott |
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During
both evenings there are a variety of street entertainers who include
Carol Singers, Morris Dancers, Hand Bell Ringers, a Brass Band, a
large Fairground Organ and Choirs in the Parish Church. The atmosphere
is both traditional and exciting, truly an event for all ages.
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Photo by Steve Guscott
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Most
of Dunster’s wide variety of shops are open throughout
the two evenings for Christmas shopping and a range of restaurants
and street stalls will cater for your every need.
Please give generously
to the street collectors and entertainers during your stay.
Collections are to support St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice. |
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Programmes
cost £1.00 and are on sale from mid October in the Dunster
shops. At Candlelight they are on Sale at the top of the steps as
you get off the Park and Ride bus.
Programmes
can also be obtained by post. You will need to send 3 x First Class
Stamps and an A5 Stamped addressed Envelope to Mrs Bradshaw, 1 Kilbury,
Northfield Road, Minehead TA24 5QQ 01643 706355. e-mail
info@withycombefair.co.uk
mark the
subject as Dunster by Candlelight.
If you are coming to visit
Dunster during the day on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, it is business
as usual and you can park, walk and shop without the crowds. You
can park in The Steep Car Park in Dunster up to 3pm.
There is a Steward on the entrance who will give you a card explaining
that everyone without a special Car Pass
must be out of the car park by 3pm and go to Minehead
to catch the Park and Ride. Follow the A A signs to park for the
Park and Ride. The special Car Passes
are for the village residents and Hotel guests who would normally
park in the Dunster Streets.
Many
people choose to see Dunster during the day and then come back again
in the evening for the occasion. Why not try it too !
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West Somerset Morris Men
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Photo by Norman Stanley
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You’d
like to come and experience Dunster by Candlelight ? Great, we’d
be very pleased to see you but if you are coming from a distance
please follow the signs for Park and Ride.
Park
and Ride buses
will start at the Vulcan Road Car Park. They will
also stop opposite Butlins entrance on
the Sea Front and at the Bus stop
on the main road outside the West Somerset Railway Station.
Park and Ride (Free Parking, bus tickets £2.50 for each adult
return- accompanied children under 14 travel free). Park and Ride
buses run continuously from 3pm each day and the last bus from Dunster
is 10.15pm.
Parking~~
because of the huge numbers of people who come to
Candlelight there is NO PARKING in Dunster itself during the evenings.
Disabled
parking is available in the Park & Ride Car Park in Vulcan
Road, Minehead. Follow the road signs. The disabled Parking
is close to the Park and Ride bus stop in Vulcan Road. Not all the
buses have a low step, however, there are two special Mini buses
that will take a wheel chair. These buses will run from 5pm to 9pm
on Friday and 4pm to 9pm on Saturday. Carers can use this bus too.
The fare on this bus is also £2.50
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Information
for Coach Operators
No Coaches or Mini-Buses
are allowed into Dunster during Candlelight evenings. All
coaches must follow the signs to Park & Ride in Minehead.
Passengers will need to catch the Park & Ride into Dunster.
Coach parking is available in Vulcan Road Car Park in Minehead.
All Coaches and buses must be booked into Candlelight in advance.
Please telephone Penny Bale on 01643 821 425 for further information
and vouchers for your passengers to use on Park & Ride.
West Somerset Railway -
www.wsr.org.uk
Run special trains each evening from Bishop’s Lydeard
to Minehead, stopping at Dunster. These are usually filled
well in advance so book early. Details from WSR Information
line 01643 704 996
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Road
Closure in Dunster
The Main Street through Dunster will be closed BOTH nights
from 5pm to 10pm on Friday and 4pm to 10pm on Saturday.
Diversions will be marked, look for the AA signs.
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Accommodation
If you wish to stay in Dunster for Candlelight it is advisable to
book as early as possible, however it is often possible to find accommodation
further away from Dunster at shorter notice. |
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| Accommodation
in Dunster |
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| Buttercross,
St George’s St |
01643
821 413 |
Conygar
House, The Ball
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01643
821 872 |
| Dunster
Castle Hotel, High Street |
01643
823030 01643 823030 |
Exmoor
House Dunster, West Street
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01643
821 268 |
Foresters
Arms, West Street
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01643 821 313 |
Higher
Orchard, St George’s St
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01643
821 915 |
Luttrell
Arms Hotel, High Street
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01643
821 555 |
Old
Priory, Priory Green
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01643
821 540 |
Spears
Cross Hotel, West Street
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01643 821 439 |
| Stags
Head Hotel, West Street |
01643
821229 |
Water
Mill, Mill Lane
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01643
821 759 |
| Yarn
Market Hotel, High Street |
01643
821 425 |
Tessa's
B & B, The Olde House, High Street
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01643
82123100164301643 |
Minehead
& Coastal Area |
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| Northfield
Hotel, Minehead |
01643
705 155 |
Wellington
Hotel, Minehead
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01643
704 371 |
Beverleigh,
Minehead
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01643
708 450 |
Finial,
Minehead
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01643
703 945 |
The
Packhorse, Allerford. Self Catering
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01643
862 475www.thepackhorse.net |
Camelot
Guest House, Blue Anchor
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01643
821 118 |
| Dragon
House Hotel, Bilbrook |
01984
640 215 |
| Lower
Rodhuish Farm, Withycombe |
01984
640253 |
| Riverside
Cottage, Roadwater. Self Catering, Sleeps 4. Children &
Pets Welcome |
01984
640020 |
| Bournestream,
Bilbrook |
01984
641 048 |
| The
Wayside B & B, Bilbrook |
01984
641669 01984641669 |
| The
Langbury, Blue Anchor |
01643
821375 www.langbury.co.uk |
Exmoor |
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| North
Wheddon Farm, Wheddons Cross |
01643
841 791 |
| Ordway
House, Felons Oak, Rodhuish |
01984
641 330 |
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Restaurants
in Dunster
Advance
bookings are advisable for meals during Candlelight
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| Castle
Coffee House, High Street |
01643
821 219 |
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Cobblestones, High Street |
01643
821 595 |
| Squires
Restaurant, Dunster Hotel, High Street |
01643
823030 |
| Foresters
Arms, West Street |
01643
821 313 |
| Hathaways,
West Street |
01643
821 725 |
| Luttrell
Arms Hotel, High St |
01643
821 555 |
| Reeves
Restaurant, 20-22 High street |
01643
821 414 |
| Yarn
Market Hotel, High St |
01643
821 425 |
For
more information on accommodation in the area
www.somerset-accommodation.co.uk
www.iknow-somerset.co.uk/west_somerset/dunster/
For further information regarding the organisation of Candlelight
please contact info@withycombefair.co.uk
www.withycombefair.co.uk
Exmoor
National Park Authority has kindly supported the creation
of this site
www.exmoor-nationalpark.gov.uk
Street
collections during Dunster by Candlelight are to support
the work of St Margaret’s Somerset Hospice, a local
charity providing free care, advice and support to people
in Somerset who have been diagnosed with an illness that
is no longer responsive to curative treatment. www.somerset-hospice.org.uk
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