Guest blog by Robin ‘Hopcott’ Watson
Enjoy local music traditions after exploring Exmoor and West Somerset traditional arts, crafts and glorious natural countryside
Exmoor and West Somerset is well known for its unspoilt countryside, dramatic coastline, historic buildings and craft but is perhaps less well known for the thriving music traditions still very much alive within its local community.
For those that know where to look, hidden away in the pubs and clubs of Exmoor and West Somerset, often off the beaten track, you can still find the sort of countryside music that has been making pulses beat faster in English rural areas for centuries.
So, after a leisurely day enjoying the beautiful Exmoor countryside and local arts and crafts, why not relax with a pint of ale or glass of wine
and a meal to the sounds of traditional music with the locals?
In the good old fashioned way, much of the music is provided by amateurs so expect the odd blemish but the local musicians are more than likely to give you a cheery welcome and make you feel at home. If you are an acoustic musician yourself, you may well be invited to join in and play along with them because traditional music is social music and it’s all about people getting together to have fun!
The photo (top) shows some local musicians playing some tunes and singing some songs at the Washford Inn, Washford, West Somerset (Saturday 2nd February 2013) but, for up-to-date details of local traditional music sessions, the Somerset and Dorset Folk Diary (or SaDFolk) at http://www.sadfolk.co.uk/weekly.php gives details of weekly events. Look down the page for ‘Half Pace’ to find the regular Exmoor and West Somerset traditional music sessions.
Of course, if you are around Minehead Sea Front in West Somerset on a sunny day, you may well also see one or more of the local musicians enjoying the sunshine and keeping Exmoor and West Somerset music traditions alive outdoors which, of course, is probably where all traditional music began.
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