Show of Hands

A week of music and entertainment hits the marquees and streets of Sidmouth, East Devon when the town hosts its annual folk festival.

There is a packed programme, with highlights including a concert on Saturday 31st July by Devon’s award winning folk duo, Show of Hands.

The first festival in Sidmouth was held in 1955. Since then, the event has grown and grown. During the week, there are gigs in the town’s pubs, dancing in the streets, and major concerts in the festival marquees.

For more information visit the festival website.

The Lyme Regis Town Band

Throughout July and August the Lyme Regis Town Band stage free evening concerts on the Marine Parade, Lyme Regis. The musicians put their many weeks of preparation into practice and perform their ‘Music by the Sea’ concerts every Tuesday evening.  There are additional concerts on some Sunday afternoons, starting at 2.30pm.

A highlight of this season’s concerts will be on 24th August when the Wantage Silver Band once again join the Lyme Regis outfit for a joint concert.

Full details can be found on the diary page of the band’s website.

Flash-opera arias, historical re-enactments, military parades and a party on the streets are all part of this year’s Exeter Summer Festival. The event has been part of Exeter’s cultural calendar for more than 30 years now.

Events begin on 25th June 2010 with a parade of schoolchildren dressed in circus outfits.

This year’s Festival presents a programme of over 40 events to suit all tastes and is funded by Exeter City Council and supported by a variety of sponsors.

Music, comedy, dance, theatre and much more. For full details visit the festival website.

The powerful woolly mammoth

A 30,000-year-old tusk from a woolly mamouth found in a Dorset quarry is being shown with other prehistoric mammal fossils in Dorchester’s Dinosaur museum. The county is one of the few places in Britain that has preserved remains of the woolly mammoth.

Bones of a pre ice-age mammoth were found during the late 19th Century in Dewlish in Dorset and more recently a tooth of the mammal was found by Boscombe Pier.

This year, the Dinosaur Museum is celebrates its 25th anniversary. The museum is the only one on mainland Britain dedicated to dinosaurs. The museum combines life-sized reconstructions of dinosaurs with fossils and dinosaur skeletons to create an exciting hands-on experience. Multimedia displays tell the story of the giant prehistoric animals and their enthralling world millions of years ago.

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The maze at Escot

If you are visiting East Devon it’s well worth spending a day at Escot Park. This is a Devon estate with its roots in Norman times. It’s somewhere that can be enjoyed by all ages. The estate is located in the beautiful East Devon countryside and offers a great day out.

Visitors can solve the world class maze, letterbox around the estate (a kind of nature-based treasure hunt), watch the wildlife (including otters, birds of prey, wild boar and red squirrels), discover the Play Barn and the exciting forest play areas (including Forest Leap, a unique woodland drop slide) and marvel at the collection of tropical fish in the Aquatic Centre.

An Anglo-Saxon village is currently under construction at Escot Park. Over the coming years a living history site will enable individuals and groups to investigate and experience the day-to-day life of our ancestors.

Escot really is a great day out with something for everyone.

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From Page to Screen

A new festival in Bridport, West Dorset, is celebrating novels that have been made into films. Organisers believe the ‘From Page To Screen’ film festival is the only one in the country to look at books that have gone on to be movies. The festival runs over the Easter break and will present a fantastic programme for all ages – there are 19 different events in venues around Bridport.

A key part of the festival will be talks by award winning authors, screenplay writers directors and  academics. Highlights include appearances by Julian Kemp (My Last Five Girlfriends), Alan Cubitt (The Boys are Back), Daisy Allsop and emerging local talent Natasha Solomons (Mr Rosenblum’s List). A Clockwork Orange will be introduced by Dr Ian Hunter, director of the international Centre for Adaptations at DeMonfort University and author of a forthcoming book on Stanley Kubrick.

After a week of activity the closing film on Friday 9th April is the Bafta-winning An Education, a Nick Hornby adaptation of Lynn Barber’s short memoir. Lynn Barber will be joining a discussion about the book and its on-screen incarnation.

To book call 01308 424204 or visit Bridport Arts Centre box office.

Powderham Castle near Exeter

Powderham Castle is located in a unique, picturesque setting beside the Exe estuary, near Exeter. Six hundred years of history are contained within the walls of one of England’s oldest family homes.

Guided tours of this magnificent Castle, one of the oldest family houses in England and home to the 18th Earl of Devon, reveal secret doors, stunning castle rooms, amazing architecture and intriguing stories that really bring the history to life. You can also visit the recently restored Victorian Kitchen where you can visualise what life would have been like in domestic service.

Visitors can join a Deer Park Safari and get closer to the amazing wildlife in the deer park. In the grounds of the Castle you will discover the Secret Garden and Courtenay Fort, a huge adventure play castle which is a big hit with the kids. Birds of prey will be soaring through the skies above the castle from 18th July to 30th August – there is indeed a full calendar of events and details can be viewed on the Events Page of the castle website.

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Retrace the footsteps of Austen and her characters

Jane Austen was a frequent visitor to Lyme Regis, first arriving in 1803 when she was 29. She stayed in a seafront cottage (still in existence) where she wrote Persuasion, setting part of the novel in the town. Austen fans can see and climb the steep steps, known as Granny’s Teeth, where her character Louisa Musgrove fell. The BBC’s film of Persuasion released in 1995 was partly filmed in Lyme Regis.

Another visitor to the town was Beatrix Potter and some of her watercolour illustrations for Little Pig Robinson were based on her views of the town.

In 1969 the renowned author John Fowles wrote the novel The French Lieutenant’s Woman which received international acclaim. Fowles and his wife Elizabeth moved to the secluded Underhill Farm, Lyme Regis in 1965. In 1980, part of the town underwent a transformation for the filming of the novel – the film starred Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons and featured dozens of locals as extras.

You can retrace the footsteps of Austen and her characters on the The Jane Austen Tours run by Natalie Manifold. You can also follow the French Lieutenant’s Woman across the cliffs to the former home of John Fowles, Underhill Farm, where he wrote and set his novel. Situated in complete isolation, his beautiful farmhouse was the perfect writer’s retreat. Wander around the grounds of Underhill, hearing extracts from his novel and diaries.

The Austen and Fowles Tours operate throughout the year and discounts are available for a combined booking. Visit Natalie’s website for more details.

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The Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink

Fancy a clotted cream tea, a pint of scrumpy cider or a slice of Somerset cheddar? Well why not visit the Exeter Festival of South West Food and Drink. The South West’s largest food and drink festival is held over the weekend of Friday 9th – Sunday 11th April 2010 in Northernhay Gardens and Exeter Castle Courtyard.

Food masterclasses, wine and beer tasting, workshops and cooking demonstrations fill the grounds of Exeter Castle. The South West produces fine organic fruit and vegetables, dairy and meat products and is undergoing a culinary renaissance, led by the likes of Michael Caines, the country’s youngest Michelin-starred chef. Look out for cooking demonstrations from Lesley Waters, the Tanner brothers and Michael Caines himself.

You can meet the farmers and producers as well as some of the region’s top chefs and learn all about seasonality, taste, cooking and the environmental impact of sourcing food close to home. Festival goers can also sample and purchase a fantastic array of regional products.

Come and experience the gastronomic delights of the south west of England and have a great day out.

www.devonanddorsetcottages.co.uk

Sienna in Dorchester

A small Dorchester restaurant has joined an elite group after being awarded a coveted Michelin Star – apparently the first Dorset establishment to do so for over 20 years. Michelin stars, which are awarded after a number of unannounced visits by reviewers, are considered to be the highest honour in the restaurant industry.

The Chef and owner of Sienna Restaurant Russell Brown and his wife Elena opened the 15-seat Sienna Restaurant in High West Street 2003.

Sienna, which has three AA Rosettes and is listed in this year’s Good Food Guide and Harden’s Restaurant Guide, offers modern British food with seasonal ingredients.

According to a local newspaper Mr Brown has stressed that the restaurant is ‘not pretentious’ and he is happy if a customer turns up in dressed in jeans and a T-shirt.  He said: “I don’t think anyone should feel intimidated when they go out to eat. All we try to offer is a nice relaxed atmosphere with good quality food and wine.”

If you appreciate your food Sienna looks well worth a visit.

www.devonanddorsetcottages.co.uk