Here’s a couple of events for the weekend I’ve just found out about.

See inside the Royal Citadel in Plymouth on Saturday 13th June. Tour tickets are £12.50 here.

A new health event, Exmouth Wellness Festival, is on Sunday 14th June. See details below on how to access treatments on the beach.

Yours in Devon,

P.S. Our dog ownership poll caused some growling. A majority of you (60%) have dogs and want better event and venue access, but non-doggie folk (40%) are actually looking for dog-free events. Hmmm, how to solve that one?

Teignmouth Folk Festival returns from Friday 19th to Sunday 21th June, with a midsummer mix of music, dance and workshops.

The opening concert is Dartmoor folk couple Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman playing Friday night in St James Church.

Here’s a taste of the 15+ other events with 36 Morris sides in attendance.

Saturday 20th

Sunday 21st

Festival website and tickets

At Birch Farm food growing is a bit different: weeds, pests, birds and mice all treated as part of the mix rather than the enemy.

See inside on this open day with head gardener Joshua Sparkes who uses pioneering eco-friendly methods for organic produce and meat from rare-breed livestock.

Learn about intensive edible growing, “the edible forest” and experimental techniques that you can apply in your garden.

The ornamental reclaimed rubble garden sounds interesting too.

Saturday 13th June and Friday 17th July, Woolsery. Tickets: £10

Plymouth Symphony Orchestra is offering a medley of big orchestral and opera showpieces for its 150th anniversary year.

Headlining is up-and-coming soprano Sky Ingram who will be blasting out favourites from Tosca, The Merry Widow and Il Trovatore.

She’ll be resting her lungs while the orchestra delivers Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade and Shostakovich’s Festival Overture.

If you’re new to classical music and opera, this would be a good place to start: an accessible venue and a reasonable ticket price.

Wednesday 24th June, St Andrews Church, Plymouth. Wheelchair access. Tickets: £16-£18.

Pay £55 and get a whole day of as much as your body and mind can take of yoga, pilates, mindfulness, and breathwork.

The Exmouth Wellness Festival is billed as Devon’s first ever full-day beach wellness festival.

You’re buying access to 50+ sessions across 5 zones delivered by professional instructors, teachers and speakers.

It’s first come, first served, so its probably worth arriving early, and, bring your own exercise mat.

Sunday 14th June, Sideshore, Exmouth. Tickets

Described as lead guitarists rather than chamber musicians The Katona Twins are not your average classical guitar duo.

Their playing shifts between classical precision, flamenco colour and finger-picking energy, and they’ve played in Vienna, New York, and Tokyo.

Watch a video

Their Alhambra Inspirations programme has prompted warm reviews praising their “dazzling guitar virtuosity” and “almost eerie unanimity of style”.

If you like Spanish guitar, or just guitar music, this is for you.

Saturday 4th July, Plymouth Methodist Hall. Tickets: £25

We got up before dawn. He wanted a picture of a sunrise over the rocks. I wanted the atmosphere.

The stones were quite hard to find in the dark: they are quite small. The sun didn't turn up so we got this moody picture instead. Looking back, I shouldn't have been standing on an ancient monument.

Visiting Merrivale Stone Row with my uncle I really felt Dartmoor’s weird remoteness. No road noise, no artificial light, maybe just like it was 5,000 years ago.

But the two parallel double rows and a stone circle are actually quite near the B3357 between Tavistock and Princetown.

English Heritage says it’s one of Dartmoor’s best pieces of pre-history, but it’s not a dominating structure.

And the mystery is that even today, with all our technology, no one really knows what it was for. More history here

Use Merrivale Car Park or, slightly further away if you prefer more of a walk, Four Winds Car Park

Do you have a dog? And should Go Devon! cover more dog-friendly days out?

Judith replied: “I’m always looking for dog-friendly places to go”

Margaret said. “I’d like to know about safe walks for dog and owners and dog friendly places to stay.”

Jan said: “When I fancy somewhere different that isn’t too strenuous and dog friendly, I struggle for inspiration.”

Fancy wrote: “Sick of dogs being welcomed everywhere - cafes, shops, it’s madness! Some people just want a hygienic place to sit.”

jsgs commented: “Would like info focusing on dog free events and places! Many people actively do not like dogs!”

FEATURED: 🥃 3 chances to win a Dartmoor whisky tasting experience for 2. You must have an EX or TQ postcode to enter (30th Jun)

NEW! 🎫 1 of 10 pairs of tickets to inaugural shows at the newly-refurbished Bridge Hall, Barnstaple (12th Jun)

NEW! ⚓ A master distiller’s tour of Plymouth Gin’s Blackfriars Distillery for 2, worth £110, with drinks and a selection of gin and gin cocktails (15th Jun)

NEW! 🦆 Ceramic duck painting for 2 at Arty Boat in Exmouth (26th Jun)

NEW! 🏰 A 2 night self-catering stay at Watermouth Castle, North Devon, and free entry to the theme park and dog-friendly gardens (30th Jun)

NEW! 🍷 A tour of the vines and winery and Devon tea for 2 at Wellhayes Vineyard, Tiverton (30th Jun)

🍻 A beer and pasties giveaway. A 12-pack of Devon Dumpling beer and 8 Chunk of Devon Steak or Chunki Roast Veg pasties (30th Jun)

🐑 A 2-night stay in a shepherd's hut for 2 adults and 2 children in a choice of locations, including Devon (Purchase required) (2nd Jul)

NEW! A 4-night stay for 4 people in a Cofton Holidays luxury cottage near Exeter with hot tub, dinner and swimming pool access (5th Jul)

🐶 A 7-day stay for 8 in a dog-friendly holiday home in Appledore. Content creation required (14th Jul)

Did you win something? Let me know

🐶 Your invite to doggie heaven

🛳 Paddle steamer trips to Lundy Island

🌳 Fabulous food and glorious gardens

🎼 Forgotten English Music

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

NEXT ISSUE Plymouth Boat Fest

Andy, Esme and Lara