Claim 50+ special offers for Devon residents only with the latest voucher pack from Visit South Devon, including:

• 50% off communal sauna at You Can Sauna, Haldon Forest

• 25% off afternoon tea at the Cliffden Hotel, Teignmouth

• 25% off a meal for 2 at Venus Cafe, Bigbury, Broadsands or Teignmouth

• 5 for 2 group tickets with Stagecoach buses

• 20% off Torquay Watersports RIB rides

The offers are part of the popular Days Out On Your Doorstep campaign. You must have a Devon PL, EX or TQ postcode.

Sign-up to receive your voucher pack here.

Happy New Year!

Yours in Devon,

P.S. Would you be interested in a regular Go Devon! leisure offers email? Let me know in the poll below.

Devon wassailing

Starting this weekend cider drenched toast will be hung in branches and lots of noise will be made to bless the coming apple harvest.

On Saturday, Stoke Village in Plymouth kicks off with a green garlanded procession from the Stoke Inn to Fort Blockhouse, where cider is poured on tree roots accompanied by singing and pot banging. (Yes, really)

The village orchard and Cleave Inn host the festivities in Lustleigh, with Beltane Border Morris in charge of the flaming torches, and in Sandford, near Crediton, there’s Morris dancing and apple cake at the Lamb Inn.

A wassail king and queen are chosen in Whimple, near Exeter, cheered on with traditional singing to bless the trees and drive away evil spirits.

Up the road at Exwick Community Orchard the Exeter Wassail Song will be sung and garlands and lanterns made for the dusk orchard procession.

There’s more apple tree worship at Stoke Gabriel, Mincinglake, Chillington and Buckland Abbey.

Famous film scores in a cathedral

Mix together tunes from Star Wars, the Lion King and Schindlers List.

Add an illuminated orchestra, light show and the vast space of Exeter Cathedral and you have a dramatic evening on your hands.

You’ll also hear themes from Avatar, Dune, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings, Man of Steel, Matrix, Pirates of the Caribbean and Titanic.

Ever popular, there are 2 shows for this film tribute to the composers Hans Zimmer and John Williams on 7th February. Tickets from £34.46.

Hedge laying, Devon style

Here’s a chance to connect with nature and learn the skill of hedge laying on a 1-day course.

You’ll be in the safe hands of the Devon Rural Skills Trust as you learn to swing a billhook and lay a traditional Devon hedge.

This is an age-old way of managing hedgerows, with young trees partially severed and bent over to form a living fence held by long pegs, called crooks, hammered into the bank.

Suitable for beginners and hedge laying improvers.

9.30am to 4.30pm, Saturday 24th January, Exbourne near Okehampton EX20 3QT. Tickets £45. More details

Other hedge laying courses are taking place in Sidbury and Clyst St Lawrence in February. More details

The Bard of Windmill Hill

He’s a rare mix of poet, comedian and stand-up philosopher.

The Bard of Windmill Hill, real name Trevor Carter, manages to embrace social and political comment, comedy and history all in one.

"Some poets make you laugh, some make you cry and some make you think. Not many can do all these things,” said one fan.

Catch the bard’s Brick by Brick show when he not only delivers verse and musings but explains the anecdotes and processes behind each one.

7pm, Thursday 19th February, The Plough@St Annes, Barnstaple. Tickets £6 online. £8 door.

Seaquest Sundays

Join a monthly sea watch at Wembury Point near Plymouth.

On the first Sunday of the month Devon Wildlife Trust host a morning where you can learn about and look for Devon’s coastal marine life.

Sea watch expert Paul Burley demonstrates how to search for whales, dolphins and sea birds from land and will explain their behaviour.

• Data is collected as part of a citizen science project.

Best for adults with a marine interest as it involves watching the sea with binoculars, probably without seeing much, so exciting when you do!

8:30am to 10:30am, Sunday 1st February, Wembury Point. Free. More details.

DC#89: The Minerva Inn

These days there’s live music and a weekly quiz.

Back in the old days you could lose your freedom in The Minerva Inn.

The pub was home to the notorious press gang, paid to lure drinkers into naval service, whether they liked it or not.

The pub is believed to have opened in 1540 making it the oldest still serving in Plymouth.

• Some of the woodwork is said to have been taken from the Spanish Armada Fleet, including the central pillar of a spiral staircase.

• Sir Francis Drake is said to have owned a property in the same street, so may have supped at the bar.

• Ask the landlord for tales of peep holes, secret tunnels and ghost stories.

Looe Street, in the Barbican area.

MEMBER POLL

Last result: How far will you travel for a good show?

Quite a long way judging by responses.

• 25 miles - 50%

• 50 miles - 38%

• 10 miles - 12%

Annie said: “I travelled from Melbourne to Devon to see Macbeth. Beat that!”

olyskulsky selected 25 miles and commented: “That’s about the limit of public transport and getting home in the evening.”

WHAT ELSE IS ON?

🌊 North Devon 

🐬 South Devon

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon leisure prizes

FEATURED: NEW!  ♒️ A floatation therapy bundle of 3 floats worth £145 in Totnes (24th Jan)

NEW!  ♨️ A Wintering Well stay at HARTA Retreat in North Devon in a underfloor heated tipi with breakfast and sauna worth £485 (10th Jan)

NEW!  🌳 A 3-night luxury break for 4 people in an eco-conscious lodge at The Mole Resort, North Devon, with hot tub and daily local sourced breakfast pack (14th Jan)

NEW!  🌊 An overnight stay for 2 at the Cary Arms & Spa, Torquay, with breakfast and 2 hours spa entry, worth £350 (EX/TQ postcodes only) (30th Jan)

NEW!  ♨️ A luxury hot tub caravan break for 4 at Whitehill Country Park near Totnes (31st Jan)

DID YOU GET LUCKY? Let me know

More competitions here

New member? Catch up here

🔥 Unique and offbeat shows 2026

🎅 Santas on a Bike

🐮 A great North Devon escape

🌲 Festive arts & crafts near you

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

NEXT ISSUE  Parallel universes

Andy, Esme and Lara