Dartmouth Book Festival took place from 18 to 20 September 2026, with talks, poetry, film and other events based at the Flavel Arts Centre. Exact dates for the next edition haven’t been announced yet.
The cards below describe the 2026 programme. It ranged from Michael Rosen’s performance about loss and recovery to books about climate, festivals, European rivers and maritime history.
An overnight visit needs transport planning. Dartmouth has no mainline railway station: official visitor information identifies Totnes, approximately 14 miles away, as the nearest national rail station. Buses, taxis and the ferry connection from Kingswear can form part of a visit, but choose the return journey around your event.
The festival’s organiser and main venue is The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth TQ6 9ND. Begin there when checking the next programme, tickets and practical details.
Quick answers
Main site: The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth TQ6 9ND. Official location
- Latest festival: 18–20 September 2026.
- Next dates: exact dates haven’t been announced yet.
- Main venue: The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth TQ6 9ND.
- National rail: Totnes, with an onward journey to Dartmouth.
- Programme: follow The Flavel.
What kind of festival is it?
The 2026 edition was the third Dartmouth Book Festival. Its programme brought visiting writers and public figures together with sessions about landscape, maritime subjects and local interests.
That combination makes it worth reading the individual event descriptions instead of choosing only by name. A subject you had not expected to follow may fit naturally into a visit to Dartmouth.
The previous programme included performances as well as conversations. A one-person show offers a different experience from a chaired discussion, and a literary walk asks different things of a visitor from a seated event.
When the next programme appears, consider the format as well as the subject. Check whether an event involves walking, participation or a particular kind of seating before deciding whether it suits you.
You do not need to fill the whole visit with sessions. A few carefully chosen events, with room for meals and the practical journeys between them, can make a satisfying short break.
If you are travelling with someone else, compare interests before booking. You can share the programme or choose different sessions and meet afterwards. Agree the meeting point and keep track of separate tickets.
What’s on
Earlier 2026 conversations
Elemental
· The Flavel
Snell discussed climate change and geopolitics with Nightingale.
Fiesta
· The Flavel
Stables and Hesp explored what celebrations reveal about cultures.
Can We Be Rich Again?
· The Flavel
Hunt discussed Britain’s economic prospects with Suchet.
The Owl and the Nightingale
· The Flavel
The group read from Simon Armitage’s version of the medieval poem.
Three Rivers
· The Flavel
Winder traced the Rhine, Rhône and Po through European history.
Getting Through It
· The Flavel
Rosen performed monologues about bereavement, illness and recovery.
2026 event detailsAt 3 festivals in 2026
The Shipping Forecast
· The Flavel
Clothier discussed the forecast and Britain’s maritime culture.
Master and Cartographer
· The Flavel
Harper discussed Greenvile Collins’s voyages and surveying.
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The next festival and tickets
Check the Flavel’s official website for the next Dartmouth Book Festival dates and programme. The published 18–20 September dates belong to 2026.
For an annual return visit, wait for a fresh date announcement before buying travel that cannot be changed. Do not assume that a festival will use the equivalent weekend in another year.
Accommodation can be investigated before the programme appears, but read the booking conditions carefully. If you reserve a room, choose terms that suit the uncertainty in your plans and note the cancellation deadline.
Once the new timetable is available, start with the session that most interests you. Check its date, venue and finish time, then plan the rest of the visit around it.
For a day trip, the return may be the main part of the decision. An event that is easy to reach during the afternoon may finish after your preferred connection home. An overnight stay could give you a more relaxed choice.
Check the date and time before paying, especially when following a link from an older article or saved page. Make sure the booking belongs to the edition you want. A room reservation does not reserve a festival seat.
Contact the box office about access or carer tickets affecting the purchase. Give the title and date so that staff can advise on the right session. Share the venue, start time and arrival information with anyone whose ticket you hold.
Before travelling, check for changes to times, venues or speakers. A small adjustment can affect a ferry, bus or train connection.
The Flavel
The Flavel is the festival’s main venue and organiser. Its published address is The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth TQ6 9ND. Tourism event pages also describe its location as Flavel Square. Use the venue’s full address when arranging transport.
Check the room named in your booking and any box-office instructions. Do not rely on the main venue name alone when you arrive.
For more than one event, look at the timetable before deciding how long to leave between sessions. Allow time to leave one space, find the next and deal with seating or access needs.
The box office number is 01803 839530. Contact the venue directly if you need help with a booking or a practical question that affects your visit.
Venue map
Festival venue map
- The Flavel: The Flavel, Flavel Place, Dartmouth TQ6 9ND
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Check the event entrance separately.
Use the official directions alongside the address on your ticket. For an event elsewhere, follow the individual page and include the extra journey in your plan.
Accessibility
The Flavel’s visitor information describes a shallow ramp at the front entrance and a lift to all floors.
It also describes removable seats in the front row for wheelchair users. Contact the box office before booking so that it can advise about the event and arrange a suitable place.
If you need a carer’s ticket, the Flavel asks visitors to arrange it through the box office by telephone or in person. Confirm the booking before the event instead of leaving the request until arrival.
Explain practical details when asking about access. Mention whether you will remain in a wheelchair, need to transfer to a seat, have difficulty with stairs or require a seating position.
Consider the journey outside the building too. Ask about a suitable drop-off or route from accommodation if walking distance, surfaces or luggage affect you.
Check accommodation access separately. A suitable event space is one part of a comfortable trip; the bedroom, bathroom, breakfast room and arrival details matter as well.
Getting there
By train
Dartmouth’s official visitor information identifies Totnes as the nearest national railway station, approximately 14 miles away. You need an onward bus or taxi journey to Dartmouth.
Build that connection into the plan before buying tickets. The time a train reaches Totnes is not the time you can arrive at the festival.
Check the relevant bus timetable for your actual date. Allow a margin for leaving the station, finding the stop and continuing to the venue or accommodation.
If you prefer a taxi, contact an operator about the journey. Give the date, train arrival time, destination and any access requirements, and ask how to arrange collection.
For a return after an event, confirm the transfer to Totnes as carefully as the outward journey. Work from the finish time and leave enough room to reach the station without rushing.
An overnight stay may let you enjoy a later session without depending on a tight onward train connection. Compare that with the complete same-day journey.
Kingswear and the ferry
The visitor information describes the seasonal steam railway to Kingswear, across the river from Dartmouth. Kingswear can also be an accommodation base, provided the ferry journey fits your festival plans.
Check the railway and ferry timetables for the actual date. A seasonal service is separate from an ordinary mainline connection.
For a festival visit, the return crossing matters. Start with the end of your final event and check which ferry service will get you back.
Do not assume that a daytime crossing pattern continues unchanged into the evening. Confirm operating times with the operator and leave a comfortable margin.
If staying in Kingswear, consider the route between the ferry landing and accommodation. Check it with luggage and any access needs in mind.
A riverside base can be appealing, but the best choice supports your programme instead of limiting which events you can attend.
Buses and local connections
The Flavel’s visitor information points to the Stagecoach 90 for journeys involving Townstal and the leisure-centre park-and-ride area. Check the current service for your date.
Use a complete outward and return plan. Knowing which bus reaches Dartmouth during the day is only half the question if you intend to stay for an evening event.
For a town-centre room, consider whether you will need a bus during the festival. The actual address and route matter more than a broad “Dartmouth” description.
For a property outside the centre, compare the timetable with every event you want. A base can be convenient for one session and awkward for another.
If you need a taxi as a backup, ask about availability and booking before travelling. Avoid building an essential journey around an unconfirmed assumption.
Keep operator information with your tickets so that you can recheck the return if the day’s plans change.
By car
Dartmouth’s visitor information highlights narrow streets and limited parking and describes a park-and-ride site at the top of town.
Plan parking before arrival. Check current operating times, charges and restrictions for the day you intend to visit.
If staying overnight, ask about the property’s parking. Find out whether a space is included, needs reserving or involves a separate location.
Think about unloading as well as leaving the car. A central room may have arrival instructions that need reading in advance, especially with luggage.
Once parked, decide how you will reach the venue and return after your final event. Add the journey from the car park to the theatre when choosing an arrival time.
If you need a suitable drop-off, ask the venue for advice. Agreeing a meeting point can help more than trying to decide where to stop in an unfamiliar street.
Walking during your visit
Check walking routes from accommodation to the venue before deciding how much time to leave. Consider your pace, the route and whether you will carry bags or books.
For a literary walk, read the individual event information carefully. The 2026 writers’ walk was described as 1.25 miles, with two short climbs and some steep steps down.
That description belongs to that event. A future walk may use a different route, so check the new page before booking.
Wear footwear that suits the activity. If surfaces, steps or duration raise a question, contact the organiser instead of assuming the walk will be manageable.
If you want a quieter day, choose seated events and leave time for the necessary journeys between them. You can organise a full festival visit without adding an activity that makes it uncomfortable.
Food and time between sessions
Leave enough time to eat comfortably. A short interval may not be a realistic meal break once you include leaving the venue, ordering and returning.
If you want a restaurant, check opening times and booking for your date. Plan around the event timetable instead of fitting an event around an uncertain meal.
Ask directly about dietary requirements that need preparation. A general menu description may not resolve your question.
For an evening session, consider eating beforehand if the return journey is fixed. That can avoid depending on finding food after the event.
A break can be more than a meal. You may want to discuss the talk, look at a book or rest before the next session. If companions choose different events, agree a meeting place and time so that everyone can enjoy their programme.
Where to stay
There are three starting points: Dartmouth, Kingswear and Totnes. The Dartmouth stay guide compares them with named properties.
A Dartmouth base may make it easier to attend without a separate journey into town each day. Check the property’s exact address and route to the Flavel.
Kingswear requires attention to ferry times, especially after an evening event. Include the journey between accommodation and the landing as well as the crossing.
Totnes may suit someone arriving by national rail or combining the festival with other plans. It involves an onward journey of approximately 14 miles, so arrange transport before paying for a room.
Choose a base that supports your programme, access needs and preferred pace. A lower room price helps less if it makes your final event difficult to attend.
Plan your days
Begin with one event that gives you a clear reason to visit. Then look for another that complements it or introduces a different subject. A maritime book and a discussion of the natural world might interest the same reader for different reasons.
Read beyond the title. Check speaker, chair, format and venue, and make sure you understand whether a session is a conversation, performance or walk.
Leave a usable break. A short gap may be enough to change rooms, but less helpful if you also want a meal or need to return to accommodation.
If transport home is fixed, work backwards from that departure. Include time to leave the venue and reach the pickup point, bus stop or ferry.
For a weekend stay, think about pace. Several sessions on one day and a quieter second day may suit you better than filling every available slot. Compare events with check-in and checkout, and ask about luggage where necessary.
Save the venue address, tickets, accommodation contact and operator details together. A settled practical plan gives you freedom to choose the conversations that interest you.
FAQs
Have the next festival dates been announced?
Exact dates for the next edition haven’t been announced yet. The 18–20 September dates and cards on this page are from 2026.
Which railway station should I use?
The official visitor information names Totnes as the nearest national rail station, approximately 14 miles away. Confirm the onward bus or taxi and return connection.
Can I stay across the river?
Kingswear is an option if the ferry and the route to your property fit your events. Check the final crossing before booking an evening session.
Can you go to Dartmouth Book Festival without a ticket?
Tickets are needed for events; check the official box office for the session you want.
How far ahead should I book a room for Dartmouth Book Festival?
If reserving before dates are announced, read the cancellation deadline carefully and record it somewhere you will see. Book the visit that fits your plans instead of assuming you need every day. Compare the stay advice.
Sources
Checked 28 October 2026: