Coming up, in the county that has it all…

Afrobeat and 80s pop, giant begonias, daredevils hurtling downhill and world-class chamber music in village churches. Plus an ancient wall walk in Exeter, and leisure prizes galore.

I’m on holiday next week, so I’ve prepared a special edition for next Thursday on the Top 6 Devon Curiosities (as voted by you). Not to be missed.

Yours in Devon,

P.S. A reminder about the amazing prize competition we’re running with our friends at Visit South Devon. You could win a week-long break in Dawlish Warren, plus food and drink vouchers and a beer bundle. See Win Devon Prizes! below.

This Saturday: afrobeat, latin grooves, and trashy 80s pop at Plymouth’s newest performance space, The Amphitheatre.

The 9-piece band Town of Cats bring their eclectic set to the open space at the top of Armada Way. Location. Get ready for a blasting brass section and beats that make it hard not to get up and dance.

It’s one of the regular second Saturday in the month arts events supporting Plymouth’s rejuvenated city centre. All events are free, showcasing local talent.

Begonias the size of dinner plates take over Bideford on 15th August. Are these the South West’s most spectacular blooms?

They’re just some of the lovingly nurtured flowers on display at Bideford Gardener’s Club’s 58th Summer Flower Show.

Whether you know the difference between a giant double-tuberous begonia and a gladioli or not, it’s a gentile afternoon out marvelling at the patience that produces these works of art.

You can admire the vegetables, homemade goods and crafts, all competing for prizes, and when you’re dead on your feet, sit down for tea and cake.

1.30pm to 5pm, Saturday 15th August. Devon Hall, Bideford College. Entry £1. Free parking. Use buses 15, 15A and 319. Location

It could be a red telephone box or a bathtub. Or pieces of plywood held together with hope. They’ll all be careering downhill to Ilfracombe Harbour on Saturday 22nd August.

Following in Bideford’s tyre tracks, the Ilfracombe Soap Box Derby returns for its 2nd year, taking over the slopes around Larkstone and the Cove.

With everyone enjoying a bit of jeopardy (crashes are pretty much guaranteed) this is a crowd-puller that might attract 3,000+ visitors.

Racing starts at noon so arrive well before to grab your spot. The action continues to 5pm. Your refuelling options are street food or picnic.

Admission is free thanks to the work of the Ilfracombe Round Table and donations go to the North Devon Hospice.

The final event of this year’s Whiddon Festival in September brings together festival performers in Chagford Church for a Songs of the Sea concert.

Baritone George Clark, pianist Harry Baker and the tenors and basses of Corvus Consort perform Stanford’s rousing Songs of the Sea, while the Festival String Quartet evokes the Scottish coastline.

Other highlights of the 4-day festival:

Wednesday 16th to Sunday 20th September. Concerts are generally £20 each. All 7 concerts: £120. Benefit claimants get 50% off with the code UC50. Tickets here

Dunkeswell Raceway is shifting to festival mode for its first RevFest, celebrating 60 years of karting at the former airfield circuit.

Centre stage is an all-afternoon browse of distinctive cars, with live bands creating the atmosphere.

For an extra charge, try karting, Combat Lab laser tag or the Formula 1 racing simulators.

DJ Paul Gannon headlines the evening, with food and drink stands. Overnight camping is available for tents and small campervans.

Noon to 11pm, Saturday 29th August, Dunkeswell Aerodrome, Honiton. Tickets: £30

Free parking. Accessible toilets and facilities. Assistance dogs only.

What would you add to a Devon event to make a full day of it?

l.moth chose lunch and said: “Especially at a local small business”

May selected a nearby attraction and added: “After a long or busy journey to get to an event it would be nice to have somewhere to go to to extend the day”

Not a complete city circuit, but 1.5 miles of Exeter’s old Roman walls remain, much of them walkable.

The best preserved sections run behind Southernhay and up through Northernhay Gardens, making them among the most complete in the UK.

After roughly 1,800 years, the stonework is a fascinating mixture of Saxon, Norman, Civil War and Victorian repairs and improvements.

The best way to see them is with a Red Coat Guided Tour, one of a huge range of informative walks available around Exeter, all free, all year round.

The summer programme runs to 30th September, and places must be booked by 4pm the day before. Up to 15 participants, with a minimum of 2.

Alternatively, take a self-guided tour. From the High Street, turn up Little Castle Street for the first interpretation board. Download the route here

FEATURED: 🍻 A week-long stay for 4 including a dog at Hazelwood Holiday Park, Dawlish Warren, with £80 of food and drink vouchers, plus a Bays Brewery beer bundle (25th Aug)

💕 A £250 Love Plymouth gift card to spend at 80+ Plymouth retailers (7th Aug)

😎 A free holiday at Golden Sands & Dawlish Sands Holiday Park (7th Aug)

🏁 1 of 3 Porsche driving experiences (15th Aug)

NEW! 🫖 Afternoon tea for 2 worth £55 overlooking the river at Lympstone Manor, Exmouth (20th Aug)

🌳 A 2-night September holiday at the Waterside Coastal & Countryside Park, Paignton (20th Aug)

♨ A 2-night spa break in a wellness room at Boringdon Hall including a complimentary breakfast and 60-minute treatment per person (21st Aug)

NEW! ♨ A spa day by the sea including hot stone massage, facial, pool, sauna and steam room at Shaldon, South Devon. EX and TQ postcodes only. (31st Aug)

NEW! 🍓 A bumper cream tea and BBQ chutney bundle (31st Aug)

🐮 A weekend North Devon farm stay for 6 people and 2 dogs at Collaton Farm, Kings Nympton, worth £850 (9th Sep)

🫒 A 2-night stay for 2 with dinner at the award-winning Millbrook Inn, Kingsbridge, plus a foodie hamper (13th Sep)

🌊 A luxury coastal break for up to 8 people at Braddick’s Holiday Park, Westward Ho! (19th Dec)

🏨 A 2-night stay for 2 at The Mercure, Paignton (no closing date given).

🌊 An escape for 2 to Soar Mill Cove, Salcombe (no closing date given)

Did you win something? Let me know

🌺 Private Devon Gardens open in August

🚢 Rock the Torridge

🦇 Brutus, Bandamonium and Bats

👨‍🎤 Men singing songs, some of them funny

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

NEXT ISSUE Top 6 Devon Curiosities as voted by you

Andy, Esme and Lara