The prettiest tough guys in the West

The Devon Truck Show is the top event in the South West for truckers, their trucks and their admirers.

It’s also a great day out for the family with free entertainment and camping if you want to make a weekend of it. And it’s not just pretty paintwork.

MONSTER TRUCK SHOWS: Feel the ground shake as colossal machines perform stunts and tricks.

LIVE MUSIC: Local acts (including The Wurzles) and entertainers each day.

PLUS: Wrestling, circus workshop skills and vintage steam engines.

Friday 23rd to Sunday 25th May. Smeatharpe Airfield, Honiton.

Tickets: Adult £15, senior £10, child £7.

A scenic boat trip with music, for good causes

What better way to support charity than on an evening river cruise, drink in hand, listening to music?

Rock The Torridge is a trip on the MS Oldenburg from Bideford with 9 Yards, a professional, 5-piece covers band, playing a mix of classic rock, pop, blues and disco.

CHARITIES: Children's Hospice South West and SS Freshspring Trust.

7pm, Friday May 16th. Bideford Quay.

Tickets: £30

Strictly star Nikita in Barnstaple

Strictly Come Dancing favourite Nikita Kuzmin is bringing his Midnight Dancer stage show to Barnstaple.

With a cast of dancers and vocalists, the evening is packed with hits and world-class dance.

Midnight Dancer is from the team behind similar shows produced for Strictly stars Oti Mabuse and Johannes Radebe.

MORE ABOUT HIM: Six times Italian champion in Latin and Ballroom, Nikita is 27 and was born in Ukraine. His family moved to Italy when he was 9.

WANT A SELFIE? To get up close, check out the VIP meet and greet package.

Friday 25th April. Queens Theatre, Barnstaple

Tickets: £33

A night of adventure through films

Kendal Mountain Tour Films takes you through breathtaking landscapes with a selection of award-winning films.

Highlighting feats of courage and human resilience, the evening is for both seasoned explorers and those who appreciate the majesty of nature.

PROGRAMME: Drop The Mic (mountain bike stunts), Plunge (sea swimming), Odyssey of Loppa (Artic ski-touring), Alpha (crossing an ice cap), It’s All Downhill From Here (alpine trail running). Trailer (video).

PLUS: A talk from expedition doctor Will Duffin.

7pm, Thursday 27th March, Exeter Barnfield Theatre.

Tickets: £21, concessions £15.50

Save 20% on unique images inspired by water and nature

[Partner promotion]* Artist Megan Hall had her first salt water swim in 2018 and has never looked back.

The experience brought together her creativity and love of the outdoors and, despite no experience as an printmaker or artist, nudged her to start something new.

In her limited edition prints the Devon artist captures the connections we have to water and the emotions they bring.

They make a perfect Mother’s Day gift for 30th March.

Claim 20% off and free postage using the code GODEVON, exclusive to Go Devon! members.

How to design gardens large and small

Garden designer Jacquie Felix-Mitchell gives a fun and informative talk in Bovey Tracey on the principles of garden design.

Find out how to enhance your garden space, regardless of size, in an intimate gathering with a chance to ask questions.

ABOUT JACQUIE: A contributor to BBC Gardeners’ Question Time, she hosted on an award winning Blue Peter Garden at RHS Chelsea, and has given talks at Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival at Powderham. Based in Buckfastleigh.

Principles of Garden Design. Thursday 3rd April, Grace & Favour Home, Bovey Tracey.

Tickets: £13.70

🚀 Advertise your Devon brand

Boost your business by reaching an engaged, fast-growing audience of Devon leisure and events lovers. See the features list for opportunities aligning with your Devon brand.

Devon Curiosities #47: Crownhill Fort

Probably the best remaining 19th-century fort in Britain, Crownhill is not just a tourist attraction: you can stay there in self-catering accommodation in 12 acres of grounds.

HISTORY: Built in the 1860s to defend Plymouth from the French, the fort was used by the Ministry of Defence until 1986. It was a transport centre in the First World War and an anti-aircraft station in the Second World War.

• The fort has been owned and managed by the Landmark Trust since 1987, with public funding helping with its preservation. Video.

NEXT EVENT: Guided tour, 10am to 12.30pm, Saturday 29th March, including the ramparts and below ground areas not usually accessible. Take in the museum displays and witness the firing of a Georgian field gun. Tickets £5. Parking £2.50.

COMING UP: Thursday 12th June: Firing of the Moncrieff Disappearing Gun. Thursday 4th September: Firing of the Caponier Guns. Saturday 27th September: Plymouth History Festival. Thursday 2nd and Friday 3rd October: Bat walks.

Member poll

WHAT ELSE IS ON?

🌊 North Devon 

MARCH

Sat 1st

WALK | 🐴 Exmoor Pony Experience | The Porthole, Woolacombe | Tickets £20

Sun 2nd

MOTORBIKES | 🏍️ Bideford Classic Motorcycle Show | Bideford Pannier Market, Bideford | Entry £1, U12s free

Tue 4th

NATURE TALK | 🗣️ Lions and Tigers and Bears with Gordon Buchanan | Queen’s Theatre, Barnstaple | Tickets from £33

Thu 6th

BOOK SALE | 📖 Big Book Sale | Arlington Court, Barnstaple | Free event, general admission fee applies

Sat 8th

CLASSICAL MUSIC | 🪈 North Devon Sinfonia Spring Concert | Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, Mahler’s Totenfeier. Queens Theatre, Barnstaple | Tickets from £14.50

Sun 9th

RACE | 🏃‍♀️ 30th Bideford Half Marathon | Bideford Amateur Athletics Club, Bideford | Registration £31.05

See 45 more North Devon events

🐬 South Devon

FEBRUARY

Wed 26th to Sat 29th Mar

THEATRE | 🎭 Mary Poppins | Theatre Royal, Plymouth | Tickets from £25

MARCH

Sat 1st

COMEDY | 😃 Katherine Ryan | Plymouth Pavilions | Tickets from £32.86

Wed 5th

COMEDY | 😆 Jimmy Carr: Laughs Funny | Princess Theatre, Torquay | Tickets from £40.72

Fri 7th

GUIDED WALK | 🚶‍♀️ Guided walk on the beautiful South Devon coast path | Coleton Fishacre, Kingswear

Sat 8th

SILENT DISCO | 🪩 Dancing for International Women’s Day 2025 Celebration | The BOX, Plymouth | Tickets £13

Sat 8th and Sun 9th

GEM SHOW | 🪨 Rock, Gem and Bead Show | Newton Abbot Racecourse, Newton Abbot | Adult tickets £3, U16s free

See 58 more South Devon events 

🏆️ Get lucky! Win Devon leisure prizes

FEATURED: ♨️ A 2-night lodge stay for 4 people, including private hot tub, at The Mole Resort, North Devon, worth over £250 (1st Apr)

🐴 Free admission and a table for 10 worth £1,650 at Exeter Racecourse’s Construction Raceday on Friday 7th March (2nd Mar)

🎫 1 of 4 family tickets to Diggerland (4th Mar)

🍸️ 2 bottles of vodka from Tors Distillery (5th Mar)

♨️ A private 55-minute sauna session for 1 in Totnes worth £99 (5th Mar)

🌳 1 of 2 x 2-day pitches for caravan or motorhome at the peaceful Woodland Springs Touring Park, Drewsteignton (12th Mar)

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 A family ticket to drive diggers and dump trucks at Diggerland (23rd Mar)

NEW!  🐮 2× 1-day tickets to the Devon County Show (24th Mar)

🥧 £150 of your choice of Devon-made pies, pasties and sausage rolls delivered to your door (30th Mar)

NEW!  🐰 An Easter family day out to one of Devon’s top attractions with bus transport included. EX or TQ postcodes only. (31st Mar)

NEW!  ♨️ A 2-night stay for 2 at Ilsington Country House Hotel and Spa, Newton Abbot (31st Mar)

🪙 A “golden ticket” with free entry for 4 people to more than 30 Devon attractions, worth £1,500, for 12 months from date of issue (31st Mar)

NEW!  🌳 2 VIP tickets to Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival in Exeter worth £200. (3rd Apr)

🎉 1 of 4 free 2025 Devon holidays at either River Dart Country Park, Cofton Holidays, Woodlands Grove or Crealy Theme Park (30th Apr)

😜 2 weekend family tickets to the Gone Wild Festival, Exeter worth £1,200 (29th May)

🐑 A midweek or weekend break for 4 people at Lower Campscott Farm in North Devon including farm activities (no closing date given)

New member? Catch up here

🌞 The oldest daffodils in Devon

😂 Comedy and offbeat shows 2025

🏁 Return of the Gladiators

🏍️ Behold, the classics of the road

That’s all for this week, but don’t forget to check out the Flotsam Prints shop partner promotion* for Mother’s Day gift ideas, and claim 20% off with the discount code GODEVON.

Thanks for being a member.

With Devon love,

Andy, Esme, Lara and the Go Devon! team