Actually, Cinderella was an unhappy old barmaid…

Fed up with watching the Ugly Misters get drunk every night she longed to escape to attend the local brewery awards.

At least that’s the story according to The Plymuff Players, who have recast her as an ageing barmaid called Ciderella.

Prepare for some Plymouth puns as the local cast (trained at North Prospect school nativity plays and Barne Barton’s Got Talent) pull out all their worst.

They say it should be a magical night you will never forget. However much you try.

Friday 13th to Tuesday 24th December. Tickets from £16.50

Barbican Theatre, Castle Street, Plymouth PL1 2NJ

Be part of a mass Santa impersonation

This looks fun, even for those of us who don’t like dressing up.

You can join hundreds of fake Santas taking part in fun runs for charity in Plymouth and Exeter.

Entry fees and sponsorship go to good causes, and if you pay a bit more you get a free Santa suit.

Exeter: 9am Sunday 1st December. 2.5K and 5K. Town centre route. Entry £19 including Santa suit.

Plymouth: 11am Sunday 8th December. 5K circular route around Barbican and Hoe. £15 including suit.

Maritime heritage inn is Devon pub of the year

There are loads of outstanding pubs in Devon. Bayards Cove Inn on Dartmouth’s quayside deserves to be called the best in 2024, according to Food Drink Devon.

Welcoming, cosy and rich in maritime heritage, the pub manages to also feel modern and stylish, said the judges. It won top marks for championing local and sustainable food.

They enjoyed beautifully presented pork belly and confit duck cooked to perfection and crisp and succulent fishcakes.

All adding up to “a memorable dining experience that went beyond expectations”.

The growing popularity of dry stone walling

Something is drawing people back to the centuries old activity of piling up rocks to make something lasting and solid.

Dry stone walling seems to be taking off as a recreational activity, some saying it’s positive and calming, others because it’s physically demanding, rewarding and satisfying.

There’s no shortgage of supply, with at least 4 organisers of dry stone walling courses for beginners now running in Devon.

Dry Stone Walling Association (South West) 2-day course £100

Devon Rural Skills Trust 1-day course £45

Quince Honey Farm 3-hour course £50

The Husbandry School Hedge laying and stone walling 2-day course £160

Take a course then build your own wall? Most courses take place in spring and summer, so something to plan for 2025.

Gypsy jungle turbo folkstep

If energy and enthusiasm were all it took, Ushti Baba could be described as a great band, but there’s the amazing music as well.

Mixing Balkan traditional with modern dance, beatbox, fiddles and accordians, the outcome is riotous and hypnotic at the same time.

“Simply blew the place apart. Their sheer energy and joy in their music is matched by their musicianship.” Priddy Folk Festival.

The 7-piece band whose name means “wake up father” in Macedonian, are building quite a following for festival performances. Watch them here (video) or for one night in Totnes on Friday 15th November.

Barrel House Ballroom, 59a High Street TQ9 5PB. Tickets from £13.20

Devon Curiosities #31: Beer Quarry Caves

A labyrinth of limestone caves mined by the Romans, Saxons, Normans and Victorians just outside Beer in South Devon, is open to the public for guided tours.

The workings span 2,000 years and are marked by their shape: Roman ones are round and Saxon ones square. The Norman caves have rectangular columns supporting the roof making the space look like a huge church.

The success of the quarry all came down to the quality of the stone, which is easy to cut and has a soft golden colour. It was in high demand and used in more than 20 cathedrals including St Paul’s and Exeter, as well as Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.

Closed in winter, you can take a tour, or even get married in this subterranean world.

You might encounter members of a large bat population, mainly the Greater and Lesser Horseshoe species.

Opens Easter 2025. Adult £12, child U15 and seniors over 66 £10. Free parking.

WHAT ELSE IS ON

🌊 North Devon

NOVEMBER

Sat 9th

MUSIC | 🎸 Sing-Along-A-Gareth: My Life Through Song | Gareth Malone | Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple EX31 1SY | Tickets from £31.50

Sat 9th to Fri 31st Jan

ART | 🏺 Winter Sculpture Exhibition | RHS Garden Rosemoor, Torrington EX38 8PH | Admission: adults £15.85, child £7.95

Fri 22nd

CASINO GAMES | 🃏 Casino Royale! | The Pig on the Hill, Westward Ho! EX39 5AH | Tickets £11.55

Fri 29th

CHRISTMAS | 🎄 Combe Christmas street market and parade | Ilfracombe War Memorial, Ilfracombe EX34 9EY | Free

Sat 30th and Sun 1st Dec

FESTIVE | ⭐️ Magic of Christmas: Craft and Food Fair | RHS Garden Rosemoor, Torrington EX38 8PH | Admission: adults £15.85, child £7.95

DECEMBER

Tue 10th

FESTIVE | 🎶 Christmas Carols | Cedars Inn, Barnstaple EX31 2HE | Tickets £5.50

Thu 12th to Tue 31st

PANTOMIME | 🎭 Beauty and the Beast | Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple EX31 1SY | Tickets from £20

Fri 13th

FOLK MUSIC | 🎸 Mad Dog Mcrea | JCT27, Barnstaple EX31 1SB | Tickets £23.10

Fri 20th

CRAFT | 🎄 Christmas Table Centrepiece workshop | Quince Honey Farm, South Molton EX36 3RD | Tickets £37

MUSIC | 🕯️ Christmas by Candlelight | The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe EX34 9BZ | Tickets from £29

🐬 South Devon

NOVEMBER

Sat 19th Oct to Sun 12th Jan

ART | 🖼️ Land Sea Sky: Ingrid Pollard, JMW Turner and Vija Celmins | The Box, Plymouth PL4 8AX | Free

Fri 15th to Sun 15th Dec

SHOPPING | 🎄 Exeter Cathedral Christmas Market | Exeter Cathedral, Exeter EX1 1HS | Free

Sat 16th

ART | 🎨 Exhibition on Screen: Van Gogh: Poets and Lovers | Exeter Pheonix, Exeter EX4 3LS | Adult tickets £15, U25s £10

Fri 22nd to Wed 1st Jan

FESTIVE SIGHTS | 💡 Twas the Night Before Christmas | Saltram House, Plympton PL7 1UH | Adult tickets £14, U18s £7

Wed 27th

CLASSICAL MUSIC | 🎻 Plymouth Symphony Orchestra concert | Minster Church of St Andrew, Plymouth PL1 2AD | Tickets £17.60

Thu 28th to Sun 15th Dec

SHOPPING | 🎄 Plymouth Christmas Market | City Centre, Plymouth PL1 1HH | Free

Thu 28th to Sun 5th Jan

PANTOMIME | 🎭 Cinderella | Exeter Northcott Theatre, Exeter EX4 4QB | Tickets from £21.50

DECEMBER

Sun 8th

CLASSICAL MUSIC | 🎵 Handel’s Messiah with the Exeter Cathedral Choir | Exeter Cathedral EX1 1HS | Tickets from £15

Fri 13th to Sat 4th Jan

PANTOMIME | 🎭 Jack and the Beanstalk | Princess Theatre, Torquay TQ2 5EZ | Tickets from £13

Sat 21st to Sun 5th Jan

PANTOMIME | 🎭 Sleeping Beauty | Palace Theatre, Paignton TQ3 3HF | Tickets from £13

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon prizes

FEATURED 🏨 2-night’s accommodation in the Agatha Christie Suite at the Grand Hotel, Torquay, including a classic afternoon tea and spa treatment (24th Dec)

NEW!  🦞 A 2-night luxury stay in a cliff top South Devon hotel (no closing date given)

NEW!  🌳 A 2-night luxury treehouse stay for 4 people and 2 dogs in North Devon (no closing date given)

NEW!  🎅 A family ticket to The Magic of Christmas at a North Devon attraction (no closing date given)

NEW!  🐬 A day trip for 2 to Lundy Island, 2 nights in a 4-star hotel, breakfast and £100 spending money (no closing date given)

🏇 An Exeter Racecourse hospitality package including 3-course lunch for 2, worth £260 on 1 or 2 dates in January 2025. (10th Nov)

💡 3 family tickets (2 + 2) to the RHS Rosemoor Glow winter light trail (17th Nov)

NEW!  🎸 2 tickets to a Spandau Ballet and Duran Duran tribute concert at Exmouth Pavilion on Friday 13th December. (25th November)

NEW!  🏠️ A Twixmas 2 or 3 night break for 4 in an East Devon farm cottage between 27th and 30th December including a decorated Xmas tree (27th Nov)

🍷 A meal for four at @thirty-four in Exeter College (30th Nov)

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

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

👨‍👨‍👧‍👦 A 2-night stay for up to 16 family and friends at a Devon farmhouse (31st Jan 2025)

NEW!  ⛵️ 3 nights away for 2 people in Sidmouth and Salcombe with breakfasts and 1 dinner plus £1,000 spending money (28th Feb 2025)

🪙 £150 in shopping vouchers to spend at Affinity Devon outlet shopping village Bideford (no closing date given)

Missed last week’s newsletter? Catch-up here.

That’s all for this week, but…

Would you help us improve by taking this one-click survey?

With Devon love,

Andy, Esme, Lara and the Go Devon! team