This week it’s art by the sea or folklore on the moor.

Exmouth Art Weekend takes over the coastal town with all things creative.

Inland, the Dartmoor Tors Festival offers something completely different with a programme of dawn walks, ghost stories and standing stones.

Plenty to get stuck into — whether you’re in the mood for paint, peat, or a bit of both.

Yours in Devon,

P.S. What pulls you more? Watching artists at work by the sea, or walking ancient paths at dawn? Take the Member Poll below.

70 artists, one long seafront

4 days of art starts tomorrow in Exmouth.

The town’s new Art Weekend means exhibitions, studios, workshops and pop-up events.

You can find them in galleries, churches, cafés, or on the beach.

The stand out event is the “en plein air” (that’s artist-speak for outdoors) painting along the seafront with 70+ artists creating and getting judged.

If your paint pot is not full after that lot, watch the live mural painting and community mosaic, and buy that art you need at the car boot market.

Friday 1st to Monday 4th May. Website

Dartmoor Tors Festival: ancient stones and early starts

If art’s not your thing how about embracing Dartmoor this weekend?

Starting today, the Dartmoor Tors Festival offers 3 days of escapism into landscape, folklore and creativity.

Here’s our pick of 40+ walks, talks, exhibitions, performances and workshops.

• A drawing walk to Bench Tor

• Night time ghost stories at Drizzlecombe

• Wisht hound storytelling at Hound Tor

• A dawn walk through standing stones

• Celtic artist Gwenno headlining on Saturday night

• Mummers and Morris dancers celebrate Beltane

Download the full programme

OK ladies, this is your night

[Partner promotion] Ladies Night is a full-throttle girls’ night out built around the touring revue The UK Pleasure Boys.

Perfect for hen parties or just a great girl’s night out, expect choreographed routines, plenty of crowd interaction, and a few headline-grabbing touches.

The show is backed up with a free Prosecco for single tickets and free cocktail pitcher for groups of 4 or more. Tickets are £15.

For those wanting to stay over there’s an inclusive accommodation package including the ticket from £55 per person.

8pm, Saturday 13th June. Monkey Puzzle, North Devon Resort, Ilfracombe. All tickets

Devon open gardens, North and South

It’s that time when private garden gates swing open and we peek inside. Here’s our pick of Devon gardens opening for charity in May.

On Sunday the best of Horrabridge Village Gardens near Tavistock take centre stage, in aid of St Luke’s Hospice. See them all for just £6.

The recently re-designed Lewtrenchard Manor is open on Wednesday 6th and the secluded moorland Stroll Gardens in Yelverton offers rare entry on Sunday 10th, both courtesy of the St Luke’s scheme.

Heading north, the isolated Brendon Village Gardens near Lynton reveal their secrets under the National Garden Scheme on Sunday 3rd.

And you can enjoy many rare and tender plants thriving in the micro-climate at Upper Gorwell House, Barnstaple on Sunday 17th.

All entry fees, donations and cake profits go to charity.

Devon Done Proper #2: A History Day Out in Devonport

The streets of Devonport make an ideal day out for history fans or anyone with a interest in Plymouth’s illustrious naval heritage.

One of their best kept secrets is the Devonport Naval Heritage Centre in Vivid Way, the guardian of some of the dockyard and the Royal Navy’s most prized artefacts.

You can lose yourself pondering the mystery of the rare Captain’s chamber pot recovered from a wreck off Rame Head or reading the poignant telegram telling the Devonport sailor’s tale of the serious illness that saved his life.

The free museum is open Wednesdays and the second Saturday of each month from March to October.

Less than 10 minutes away in Ker Street are more fascinating reminders of Devonport’s glory days, including the Devonport Guildhall (now an art and events venue) and the monster Devonport Column, open to visitors by arrangement.

In the same street is one of the weirdest buildings you’ll ever see, the Odd Fellows Hall (Egyptian House), now a social club.

If after all that you are all historied out, refreshments beckon from the Terra Nova Cafe where you can enjoy coffee, brunch or lunch with an adventure theme.

MEMBER POLL

Last week’s result

Outdoor cinema: Lovely summer ritual or wet night in a field?

• Depends entirely on the film - 70%

• I’m there for the picnic and atmosphere - 16%

• Nice idea, but I’d rather go indoors - 7%

• Ask me again when the weather improves - 7%

Laura said: “Been to a few outdoor cinema screenings at National Trust properties over the years. A great evening out.”

Devon Curiosities #105: The Hunting of the Earl of Rone

There are weird rumblings afoot in the coastal town of Combe Martin.

Military style parades. A manhunt in the woods. An arrest and humiliation.

The Earl of Rone, wearing sacks and what looks like a string of biscuits, will be paraded backwards on a donkey.

Amid a costumed fool, hobby horse and grenadiers, there will be some in the crowd of locals who might even know what’s going on.

It’s strange, a bit sinister, and completely compelling.

The origins are murky. One version links the Earl to the fugitive Earl of Tyrone, said to have fled Ireland in 1607 to hide in North Devon.

Or it could just be a mix of older local customs and legends, stitched together over time.

What’s certain is this: The Hunting of the Earl of Rone ran annually on Ascension Day until 1837, when it was banned for encouraging “licentious behaviour” and made a comeback in 1974.

Here’s where to catch the weirdness:

• 7pm, Friday 22nd May — Procession with drums

• 11am, Saturday 23rd May — Children’s Day procession

• 1.30pm, Sunday 24th May — Full procession

• 6pm, Monday 25th May — Full procession with finale on the beach

🔭 Looking Ahead North

🔭 Looking Ahead South

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon leisure prizes

FEATURED: 🍷 A 4-course chef's table experience for 2 with matching drinks at The View Restaurant, Exeter (30th May)

🏇 A family ticket to a Newton Abbot Racecourse raceday in 2026 (1st May)

🏁 A Devon mini break for 2 in a beachside apartment with tickets for karting, zip-lining and a giant swing, plus £250 cash for travel (4th May)

🌊 A 2-night stay at the art deco Burgh Island Hotel in South Devon with breakfast and dinner, worth £1,200 (16th May)

NEW!  🏊‍♂️ A Plymouth Lido season ticket worth £155 (18th May)

NEW!  🍺 A box of Devon Chunk pasties and a shandy selection (26th May)

🌳 A restorative 3-night escape at Wilderhus Glamping South Molton (31st May)

🌊 A short break worth £920 in a spacious lodge at the Riviera Bay Coastal Retreat, Brixham (31st May)

Did you win something? Let me know

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🎉 Mayday Morris Mayhem

🌳 Organic farm open day

⚖️ How I met Verity

🌞 Devon Done Properly

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

NEXT ISSUE English Music Festival

Andy, Esme and Lara