👋 Hi Devon Fun Seekers,

Welcome to Go Devon!, a weekly newsletter with fun, interesting and unique things to do in Devon. Thanks for being here!

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Take a nostalgia trip on the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer

The Waverley, built 77 years ago and maintained in pristine condition, is taking bookings for cruises along the North Devon Coast and to Lundy beween Friday 31st May and Sunday 23rd June.

Based at Ilfracombe for the period, sailings start with a cruise to Bideford, the ship’s first visit to the River Torridge since the 1980s.

There are 3 Lundy trips, 5 along the coast, and 1 to Minehead.

Tickets: Adult, £35-£50, child £1-£24.50. Details and booking.

Have a day out at the family friendly Plymouth Motor Show

This is where Plymouth folk show off their prides and joys at a 2-day celebration of motors, but that’s not all.

There are dog shows and music on both days, including the vintage entertainment trio The Liberty Sisters, singing jazz and swing from the 1940s and 1950s.

Enjoy autojumble, food and craft stalls, children’s rides, and a Devon & Cornwall Fire Brigade display.

Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June. £5 entry per person or showing car. Free parking.

Plymstock Albion Oaks Rugby Club, Horsham Playing Fields, Wembury Rd, Staddiscombe PL9 0DF

Alfie Moore: A Face for Radio

Retired police officer Alfie Moore brings comedy moments “you couldn’t make up” to his new tour, which comes to Tiverton and Ilfracombe in May and Torrington (July) and Paignton (October).

He says 30 years of shift-work, in the Sheffield steelworks and then as a copper on the beat (where he was punched in the face quite a lot), left him with “a face for radio”.

But it also generated a wealth of funny material which led to a BBC Radio 4 series and TV appearances.

“His charisma shines through as bright and colourful as a twirling blue light,” said the Mature Times.

Hear some of his best jokes (video).

8pm, Friday 10th May, Tiverton Community Arts Theatre, Bolham Road EX16 6SQ. Tickets £17.50

8pm, Saturday 11th May, Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe Tickets from £21

Up, up and away for the biggest Devon Balloon Festival

Exeter Racecourse is the stage for a celebration of hot air balloons, including a stunning night time Glow Show.

Balloon rides, weather permitting, are available to book and a line-up of on ground entertainment is planned including wrestling, extreme bike battle shows, and Robbie Williams and Beyonce tribute acts.

Funfair rides include the UK’s newest, Blaze, there are face painters, hair braiders and glitter tatooists and a street food court provides Greek, burgers, chicken and churros.

12pm to 11pm, Saturday 25th May. 12pm to 9pm, Sunday 26th May.

Tickets: Adult £10.84, child £7.59, family £27.10. Under 3s and carers free.

Saturday car parking is sold out but return shuttle buses will operate from Exeter St David’s Station for £5.

Kennford EX6 7XS

Let the Big Band fly you to the moon

The South Devon Big Band has been bringing swing, funk, latin, soul and pop to the region for 11 years.

Hear them belting out favourites such as Fly Me To The Moon, Chattanooga Choo Choo, I Got You Under My Skin and the cinema adverts classic Pearl and Dean Asteroids.

The next two concerts are on Saturday 1st June at Budleigh Salterton and on Thursday 6th June (tickets £12.50) at the Totnes D-Day 80th Anniversary commemoration.

More details and all band events here. 

Devon Curiosities #5: The lost village of South Hallsands, Start Point

Once a fishing village of 37 homes, a pub, and 159 residents, South Hallsands was washed away in a storm in 1917. Miraculously, no one was injured but only 1 house and a few wrecked walls survived.

The disaster was blamed on extensive shingle dredging in Start Bay which started in 1896 and removed 650,000 tonnes a year over the next 6 years.

The ballast was used for concrete to build the rapidly expanding Devonport Dockyard in Plymouth. The effect of the massive dredging operation was the beach protecting the village gradually slipped away.

Historians say the atmospheric ruins stand as testament to the power of the sea and the danger of over exploiting natural resources.

The South West Coast Path passes nearby. A viewing platform has unfortunately been closed as the footpath has been dangerously eroded.

More history and pictures are available on the South Devon National Landscape website.

Listings

🌊 North Devon 

MAY

Sat 4th

CRAFT AND FOOD | 🧵 Makers and Bakers Market | Instow Village Hall, Bideford EX39 4JR | Free

Sun 5th

EXERCISE AND WELLBEING | 🧘‍♀️ Park Yoga | Rock Park, Barnstaple EX32 9AQ | Free

Tue 14th

GARDENING | 🐝 Planting for Pollinators Workshop | Quince Honey Farm, South Molton EX36 3RD | Tickets £25

Sat 18th

FESTIVAL | 🎪 Pigstock 2024 | The BIG Sheep, Abbotsham, Bideford EX39 5AP | Adult tickets 27.50, child £17.50

Sun 26th

BIKING | 🏍️ Bideford Bike Show | The Quay EX39 2HW | Bikes £3, visitors free

ENVIRONMENT | 🌊 Beach Clean Up | Mill Rock, Woolacombe EX34 7HL | Free

JUNE

Sun 16th

DAY OUT | 💦 Bideford Water Festival 2024 | The Quay EX39 2EY | Free

JULY

Sun 14th

CHALLENGE | 🚲 Croyde Ocean Triathlon | Putsborough Sands, Croyde, Braunton EX33 1LB | Enter here

Thu 18th

THEATRE | 🎭 Little Women | Arlington Court, Barnstaple EX31 4LP | Adult tickets £22, child £13.20

Fri 19th to Sat 20th

SEA FESTIVAL | 🚤 Lynmouth Regatta & Maritime Festival | Lynmouth Harbour, EX35 6EQ

🐬 South Devon

MAY

Sat 4th to Mon 6th

ART & CRAFTS | 🖼️ Buckland Art Exhibition. 10am to 5pm daily. | Village Hall, Buckland Monachorum. PL20 7LZ

Sat 4th to Sun 19th

EXPLORE | 🚶 English Riviera Walking Festival | 20 guided walks around Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. | Book here

Sun 5th

SEAFOOD | 🦀 Salcombe Crabfest | Island Street, Salcombe TQ8 8DP | Free

Sat 11th

FUN AND GAMES | 🧩 Cheesy Bingo Party | Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter EX1 1BW | Tickets £16.50

Tue 14th

CAR SHOW | 🚘 Quay Side Classics | A chance to meet fellow classic car owners and enthusiasts | Kingsbridge TQ7 | Free

GEOGRAPHY | 🪨 Geology day trip on the Devon coast | Stuart Line Cruises, Exmouth EX8 1FE | Tickets £25

Fri 17th

TALK | 🎙️ John Lydon, (Johnny Rotten) : I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right | Exeter Corn Exchange, Market Street, Exeter EX1 1BW | Tickets from £34

Sat 18th to Sun 19th

DAY OUT | ⛵️ Plymouth Pirate Weekend 2024 | Barbican PL1 2LS | Free

JUNE

Sat 1st

ADVENTURE | 🏃‍♀️ Dartmoor Prison Break 2024 | HMP Dartmoor, Tavistock Road, Princetown PL20 6RR | Entry £38.62

Sat 15th

FAIR | 🍺 Exeter Independent Market | Exeter Cathedral EX1 1HS | Free

JULY

Sat 6th

ADVENTURE | ⛺️ Roar n’ Snore | Dartmoor Zoo, Plymouth PL7 5DG | Adult tickets £89, child £55

🏆️ Win Devon prizes

We find Devon prize competitions so you don’t have to.

Closing dates in brackets. Terms and conditions apply, see individual websites for details.

You could win:

🐺 A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children to see unusual animals at Exmoor Zoo (no date given)

🏡 An escape to a newly refurbished cottage in South Devon (10th May)

 🍷 A one‑night stay for two in a boutique North Devon venue and pub, a three‑course dinner for two and a farm tour worth a total of £375. (15th May)

NEW!  ⛺️ A 2-night stay in a Brixham glamping pod. (27th May)

NEW!  🍓 A luxury afternoon tea for 2 in a Totnes delicatessen (30th May)

Got a competition? Let us know.

That’s all for this week, but…

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With Devon love,

Andy, Esme, Lara and the Go Devon! team.