Get money off and special deals at 40+ Devon venues as part of a scheme to boost the off-season economy.

Among them is a 30% saving on visits to Kents Cavern, Torquay, a 25% discount on cream teas at the Cliffden Hotel, Teignmouth, and 2-for-1 saunas at Blackpool Sands.

Register with Days Out On Your Doorstep, running until the end of February. PL, EX and TQ postcodes only. Enjoy!

Yours in Devon,

P.S. Don’t miss the glorious Helios sun sculpture at Market Hall, Devonport, which can be seen until Sunday 28th September. Entry is free. Here’s Go Devon! team member Lara enjoying Luke Jerram’s masterpiece.

Ideal places for stargazing in Devon

The best times to go stargazing are after the clocks go back on Sunday 26th October and on days when there’s no moon.

Take a free astronomy app to identify and wonder at the stars, constellations, and planets, or combine with an active event.

EVENTS: To mark the start of the observing season Exmoor Dark Skies Festival has organised 60+ things to do, getting you out and about under the stars.

• Starlit sauna sessions in the Doone Valley £15

• Dark Skies yoga and supper at Oare House £40

• Ranger guided walk at Bossington Hill starting at dusk £5

• Exmoor night e-bike riding at Porlock Weir £49

• An evening at the Poltimore Inn observatory £52.50

The festival runs from Friday 17th October to Sunday 2nd November. Download the programme

FIND YOUR OWN SPOT: Try some of the 50 officially recognised dark sky sites in Devon, away from light pollution and where you can park at night, mostly free (but not always).

Check them out on the Go Stargazing website

From “gate to plate” in Exmouth

Taste and buy from over 60 local producers at the Gate to Plate market in Exmouth run by the eat: food festival organisers.

Free to attend and offering a range of authentic food and drink from nearby farms and fields, eat: prides itself on a day out.

Expect quality street food, free entertainment like jugglers, DJs, or buskers, with the promise of a well laid out format and easy access.

10am to 4pm, Saturday 26th October​, The Strand, Exmouth. Details

Discover Crownhill Fort after dark

Night-time walking tours with costumed stewards, short lectures and displays of gunfire make this illuminated Crownhill Fort opening something a bit different.

Crownhill is part of a ring of fortresses built in the 1800s to protect Plymouth from a French attack from the rear, but not a shot from its mighty cannons was ever fired.

After extensive restoration in the 1980s, the fort is probably the best preserved of its era and definitely one of the biggest.

Peer over the battlements, view the soldiers’ cramped quarters, and discover what the fort is used for today. Food and drink is also available.

5pm to 8pm, Friday 3rd October. Adult £5, child £3. Tickets

Harvest festival apple pressing, a simple meal and dancing

The ritual of harvesting and celebrating nature’s bounty takes place at a special event in the village of Exwick near Exeter on Saturday 11th October.

You can bring your own apples and a bottle for pressing, then enjoy a meal of soup, bread and apple cake. Followed by a Ceilidh dance with music from the Exe Maniacs.

4pm to 9pm. Tickets

MEMBER POLL

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Looks like we hit the spot! Thanks for your feedback.

capetownkay said: “Easy to scroll thru' for dates, venue, subject. Thank you.”

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Devon Curiosities #77: Coleton Fishacre

You know how it is. You’re out sailing on your yacht, spot a pretty looking cove…and decide to build a house there.

That’s the backstory of Coleton Fishacre, built on a whim near Dartmouth by a wealthy couple determined to enjoy life. And who wouldn’t in their shoes?

The place is an interesting day out with a intriguing house with its “jazz age” contents and semi-tropical gardens rolling down to the sea.

HISTORY: Rupert D’Oyly Carte was the son of the founder of the Savoy Hotel in London and the creator of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera company.

• When he his wife Dorothy spotted Pudcombe Cove, they wasted no time building the stunning arts & crafts style house, now in the hands of the National Trust. Read more of the story on The Garden History blog.

TODAY: See exotic plants, herbaceous borders and sea views, bordered by woodland and wildflowers.

• Access to the South West Coast Path at the bottom of the garden. Visit the cafe and shop.

Brownstone Road, Kingswear. Website

WHAT ELSE IS ON?

🌊 North Devon 

🐬 South Devon

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon leisure prizes

FEATURED: 🏰 A 2-night stay for 2 at the 5-Star Boringdon Hall Hotel, with Michelin-starred dining at Àclèaf, a second evening at the 2 AA Rosette Mayflower Brasserie, plus breakfasts, spa entry, bottle of gin, and 10% off treatments (no closing date given)

NEW!  🎦 A 1-night stay in a “dream maker” luxury room at Moxy Plymouth, with breakfast, plus a £50 voucher for Everyman Cinema Plymouth (29th Sep)

NEW!  🪙 £100 in theatre tokens for the Theatre Royal and a 1-night stay for 2 at Plymouth’s Crowne Plaza Hotel, with breakfast and a sea-facing room (30th Sep)

🦞 2 nights for 12 people at the soon-to-be-launched Sea Holly House in Beer (1st Oct)

🌊 A North Devon 2-night stay worth £568, with a view of the sea (6th Oct)

🍾 A 2-night stay for 2 with a sea view at Woolacombe Bay Hotel, including breakfast each morning, a 2-course dinner, prosecco, 45-minute Rasul experience and access to the spa (10th Oct)

NEW!  🌻 A weekend or mid-week holiday cottage break for 10 people near Ottery St Mary, East Devon (16th Oct)

🧶 1 of 5 pairs of weekend tickets to Stitch Fest South West at Newton Abbot racecourse in November, worth £36 (16th Oct)

NEW!  🍺 A riverside stay for 2 at the Maltster’s Arms, Tuckenhay, worth £450 (20th Oct)

NEW!  🐶 A 2-night stay in a luxury eco-conscious lodge for 4 people and 2 dogs with blankets bowls and treats provided, a welcome hamper for the humans, access to swimming pool and gym and 2 free spa treatments (24th Oct)

🎟️ 5 pairs of tickets for the Westpoint Exeter Motorhome & Campervan Show on 21-23 Nov (9th Nov)

NEW!   🐖 A 3-day farm stay experience in South Brent and 1 of 5 bumper packs of bacon (30th Nov)

Have you won a prize from a link here? Let me know

New member? Catch up here

🎨 Satisfy your inner creator with an autumn workshop

🎶 The smooth, warm voice you’ll remember from the 1990s

🎭️ True story, offbeat and comedy shows in September and October

🎼 High quality, possibly world class, choral music in 5 Devon villages

That’s all for this week. Thanks for being a member.

NEXT WEEK   Theatre shows to book early

Andy, Esme and Lara