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Is this Devon's biggest winter swim?

Is this Devon's biggest winter swim?

Cool Things To Do 12.12.24

December 12, 2024

Ben Metcalfe, Youtube

Is this Devon’s biggest winter swim?

People say they’re crazy, but perhaps those racing down the beach at Exmouth on Christmas Day are the sane ones.

HISTORY: The Exmouth Christmas Day Swim tradition is thought to have started in 1970. The crowd sings We Wish You a Merry Christmas before the plunge.

HEALTH BENEFITS: These days much more is known about the physical and mental benefits of cold water swimming including improved circulation and mood.

If you don’t fancy it, watch from the beach, from the sea, or from a drone if you have one.

WHEN AND WHERE: 11am. Exmouth Clock Tower.

(If you know a bigger swim in Devon, let us know).

Imagine spending Christmas in a castle

Find out what it would be like by visiting Powderham near Exeter which is all festively dressed until New Year’s Eve.

WHAT TO DO: Stroll the Illuminated Light Walk, take in the secret garden and maze, then browse the rooms, dreaming of waking up to all that grandeur.

There’s a Ferris wheel for giggles and Santa’s grotto to meet the main man. Food sellers operate in the grounds, or enjoy a Festive Afternoon Tea inside in the warm (extra charge).

Tickets. Adult £14.95, child £8.95, carers free.

Get your smashed avo at the Devon Cafe of the Year

Drive down a few twisty South Devon lanes near Modbury and you’ll reach the Cafe of the Year.

Upmarket it certainly is, and not a greasy spoon in sight. Shilstone House Cafe wows with dishes like smoked haddock kedgeree, tahini brownie, and mushrooms and beans on toast.

SETTING: In the grounds of an impressive manor house with extra seating in a flower-filled courtyard, this is one of those places where you’ll definitely find smashed avocado on toast.

Variations on British favourites inspire the all-day menu that Food Drink Devon judges praised for “flavours, balance, texture and presentation”.

FROM THE MENU: Poached eggs, Portobello mushroom, potato rosti, baked beans £10, dippy egg and roasted asparagus spears £10, eggs Benedict or Royale, with Hollandaise sauce and English muffin with Parma ham or smoked salmon £12.

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Where's home for you?

Take to the ice your way

Have a fun disco skate or glide around serenely during an adult-only quiet session at Exeter’s new undercover rink.

Housed inside the main arena at Westpoint Exeter the all-weather rink takes up to 400 skaters (restricted numbers for the quiet sessions).

WHEN: Every day except Christmas Day until Sunday 5th January.

ACCESSIBILITY: Manual wheelchairs are allowed on the ice.

Tickets (including skate hire): £15 for 45 minutes. 1.5 hour Friday night disco sessions £20. Free parking. Clyst St Mary.

ELSEWHERE: Skate at Plymouth's Winter Wonderland until 1st January (excluding Christmas Day and Boxing Day). Festive music, food stalls and an après-ski bar. Tickets Adult £14.50, U18 £12.50

Women's Rugby World Cup comes to Exeter

It’s not often international rugby comes to town.

As women’s rugby booms, Exeter’s Sandy Park has bagged 7 fixtures for the Women’s Rugby World Cup next autumn, including 2 quarter finals.

FRANCE V ITALY: Saturday 23rd August, 8.15pm
NEW ZEALAND V JAPAN: Sunday 31st August, 2pm
FRANCE V BRAZIL: Sunday 31st August, 4.45pm
CANADA V SCOTLAND: Saturday 6th September, 12pm
WALES V FIJI: Saturday 6th September, 2.45pm
QUARTER FINALS: Saturday 13th and Sunday 14th September, 12.30pm

As usual with big sporting tournaments, tickets are rationed to encourage demand, which makes getting hold of them complicated. The next tranche is released on 25th February. Register your interest.

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Devon Curiosities #37: Buckfast Abbey

It’s in pretty good nick for an “old abbey” but Buckfast Abbey isn’t really that old, being completed in 1938.

It’s home to a community of Benedictine Monks who live, pray, work and study, and manage to run a tourist attraction at the same time.

HISTORY: An abbey was built on the site in 1018. Henry VIII tore most of it down in 1539. It was reinstated as an abbey by French monks with building starting in 1902.

WHAT TO DO: The Abbey Church, car park and well-kept gardens are free to enter. Eat at the large restaurant, learn the history in the exhibition centre, or buy a memento in the shop. Or you could just sit, admire the architecture and reflect.

Near Buckfastleigh, close to the A38.

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WHAT ELSE IS ON

🌊 North Devon

DECEMBER

Wed 4th to Sat 21st

ART | 🖼️ North Devon Arts Winter Show | The Corn Store, Barnstaple

Fri 13th

FOLK MUSIC | 🎸 Mad Dog Mcrea | JCT27, Barnstaple | Tickets £23.10

Fri 13th and Fri 20th

DRINKS | 🥂 Festive Cocktail Masterclass | The Mole Resort, Umberleigh | Tickets £35

Sat 14th

CHRISTMAS FAIR | 🎅 Santas on motorbikes | South Molton Town Square | Free.

Sun 15th

BALLET | 🩰 Live screening of the Royal Ballet’s Cinderella | The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe | Tickets from £14

Fri 20th

CRAFT | 🕯️ Christmas Table Centrepiece Workshop | Quince Honey Farm, South Molton | Tickets £37

Until 28th Dec

LIGHT SHOW | RHS Glow Winter Illuminations | RHS Rosemoor, Great Torrington | Tickets from £12.95

JANUARY

Sat 18th

TALK | 🗣️ Jason Fox: Life at the Limit | Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple | Tickets from £34

ART | 🎨 Introduction to Suminagashi with George Rayner | The Cornerstore, Barnstaple | Tickets £30

Fri 24th

MUSIC | 🪘 Drumming Experience with Djembe Devon | The Cornerstore, Barnstaple | Adult tickets £15, children £5

Fri 31st

COMEDY | 🤣 Jack Dee, Small World | Queens Theatre Barnstaple, Barnstaple | Tickets from £34

FEBRUARY

Wed 26th

HUMOUR | 🎙️ Ed Byrne: Tragedy Plus Time | Queens Theatre Barnstaple, Barnstaple | Tickets from £36.50

🐬 South Devon

DECEMBER

Thu 5th to Tue 31st

FESTIVITIES | 💡 Christmas at the Castle | Powderham Castle, Kenton | Adult tickets £14.95, U18s £8.95

Wed 18th

CRAFT | 🎄 Glass Bauble Workshop | House of Marbles, Bovey Tracey | Tickets £55

Fri 20th

TRAIN RIDE | 🚂 The Polar Express | South Devon Railway, Buckfastleigh | Other dates available in December | Tickets from £48.90

Sat 21st

DRINKS | 🥃 Dartmoor Whiskey Tasting Experience | Dartmoor Whiskey Distillery, Bovey Tracey | Other dates available in December and January | Tickets £30

Sat 21st and Sun 22nd

EXPERIENCE | 🦁 Breakfast with Santa at Dartmoor Zoo | Dartmoor Zoo, Plymouth | Adult tickets £25, children £30

Sun 22nd

WATERSPORTS | 🌊 Social Paddleboarding | Royal William Yard, Plymouth | Other dates available in December | Tickets £20

Until Sun 22nd

CHRISTMAS MARKET | 🌲 New market offering food stalls, family activities and mulled wine | Torre Abbey, Torquay | Free

JANUARY

Wed 15th

ENVIRONMENT | 🌊 Shoresearch Volunteer Survey | Wembury Marine Centre, Wembury | Free

Thu 16th to Sat 18th

LOCAL PRODUCE | 🍺 Exeter Festival of Beer | Exeter Corn Exchange, Exeter | Tickets £12

Fri 24th and Sat 25th

COMEDY | 😆 Rob Beckett: Giraffe | Princess Theatre, Torquay | Tickets from £35.18

Sat 25th

CHALLENGE | 🏃‍♀️ South Devon Marathon | Beesands | 10km, half marathon and ultra marathon distances also available | Entry starting from £35

Want your event listed? Contact us.

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon prizes

FEATURED: 🐷 A midweek lunch for 4 with wine at a country restaurant just outside Exeter (no closing date given)

NEW! 🍸️ A master distiller's tour for 2 people (make your own gin) and a hamper at Plymouth Gin (no closing date given)

NEW! ♨️ A 2025 3-night weekend break at a holiday park in Chudleigh, including hot tub (no closing date given)

NEW! 🦃 An organic Devon-reared 3-bird roast and cheese bundle worth £169 (14th Dec)

🌳 A 2-night stay for two at Nymetwood Treehouses, near Crediton, worth £500 (15th Dec)

🐎 A 1 night stay for 2 in a deluxe garden room at a Dartmoor hotel with a 3-course meal and breakfast (15th Dec)

😃 A wellness break for 4 at Lynmouth’s Tors Park, worth £900 (17th Dec)

🌊 A 2-night holiday cottage stay at Cary Arms & Spa for you and your family (18th Dec)

🏰 A 2-night festive stay for 2 at Boringdon Hall Hotel, Plymouth including breakfast and free entry to the spa (18th Dec)

🏨 2 nights in the Agatha Christie Suite at the Grand Hotel, Torquay, including a classic afternoon tea and spa treatment (24th Dec)

NEW! ⭐️ A 2-night stay for 2 in a 4-star luxury Devon hotel, a day pass for 2 to Agatha Christie’s Greenway, travel expenses and a Poirot merchandise bundle worth a total of £650. (29th Dec)

NEW! 🌊 A 2-night stay for 2 at a Saunton Sands hotel and spa, worth £680 (30th Dec)

🍬 A tasting collection of award winning Devon fudge (31st Dec)

🍾 A 1-night stay with dinner for two, plus Prosecco on arrival, at one of the oldest pubs in South Hams (28th Feb)

⛵️ 3 nights away for 2 people in Sidmouth and Salcombe with breakfasts and 1 dinner plus £1,000 spending money (28th Feb)

♨️ A 2-night stay in a 2-bedroom lodge with a private hot tub at a North Devon resort (no closing date given)

Got a competition? Let us know

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