The jazz festival umbrella parade

For the first time, the annual jazz festival in Lyme Regis will be extended to a Jazz, Blues and Beer Festival in 2012. The festival will be held from Friday, May 25th to Sunday, May 27th in the Marine Theatre, Royal Lion Hotel, Pilot Boat Inn and Masonic Hall.

The festival will be officially opened by the Mayor of Lyme Regis in a ceremony with live music at Cobb Gate at 4:00pm on Friday 25th. The annual Jazz Festival Umbrella Parade will take place at 10:30am on Saturday 26th.

There will also be on offer specially-brewed, jazz-theme beers from The Mighty Hop Brewery, Town Mill Brewery and the Art Brew on offer during the Saturday and Sunday at the Marine Theatre.

Holiday cottages in Lyme Regis

Fun at the Fossil Festival

The fabulous Fossil Festival in Lyme Regis is great fun for all of the family and a great opportunity to learn about the formation of our planet and The Jurassic Coast in particular.

There will be a Grand Marquee with free entry full of hands-on activities for all ages. There are also related music and theatrical productions and fossil walks and talks. You can visit the Travelling Pliosaur Cinema and take a simulated flight along the Jurassic Coast.

Dozens of scientists from the Natural History Museum will be on hand to chat with visitors, and the British Antarctic Survey will be back too, with all the kit they use to keep warm in the frozen South!

Holiday cottages available around Lyme Bay from 4th May.

Bridport Music

Record Store Day sees independently owned record shops join forces with artists to celebrate music. Record Store Day came into being in 2007 when over 700 independent stores in the USA came together to celebrate their unique culture. The UK followed suit and 2012 will see the fourth celebration of the UK’s unique independent sector.

At Bridport Music in South Street, Bridport, there will be free cakes plus live acoustic performances from ukulele group the Bucky Don’ts, Peter Millson, Jinder, Gravity Drive, Lucy 9mm, Declan Duffy, Teenage Wasteland, Marshall Stapleton and Mitch.

The South Street shop will open at 8.30am and have a host of local musicians giving instore performances throughout the day on Saturday April 21st.

Discover Exeter with the help of a guide

Red Coat Guided Tours are the perfect way to explore Exeter, one of the oldest cities in England. A variety of tours are available, each one focussing on a different aspect of Exeter’s history.

The tours operate throughout the year except Christmas Day and Boxing Day, and they are free. No booking is required, simply choose a tour, meet your Red Coat Guide and spend 90 minutes discovering the city. Tours begin outside the Royal Clarence Hotel in Cathedral Yard, or from the Quay House Visitor Centre.

All tours are 90 minutes long, except ‘Exeter’s City Wall’ and ‘Exeter’s Canal and Boat Trip’ which last two hours, ‘Introducing Exeter’ which lasts one hour and the ‘Custom House Tour’, which lasts 30 minutes.

The festival gives new and classic adaptations a fascinating context with discussions and workshops with authors, screenwriters, directors and film academics.

The film festival runs from 11th – 15th April, 2012.

Forde Abbey near Chard

More than 900 years of history and romance are encapsulated in this elegant former Cistercian monastery and its 30 acres of award winning gardens.

Forde Abbey was founded by the Cistercians in 1140 and became one of the richest and most learned monasteries in the country. The church was demolished in the dissolution, but in 1649 Sir Edmund Prideaux transformed the Abbey into a magnificent commonwealth house.

The 30 acres of gardens include a walled working kitchen garden, ponds, cascades, ionic temple, rockery, bog garden, and the Centenary Fountain, the highest powered fountain in England.

At weekends during February, you can visit and see the gardens displaying a glorious carpet of snowdrops – the first sign that spring is on its way!

Discover beautiful West Dorset

Marshwood Trails offer a range of cycling and walking tours designed to help you discover all this beautiful area has to offer. Every tour is led by a knowledgeable guide who will make sure you see all the special places that many visitors miss. 

Marshwood Trails offer both scheduled tours, a great way of meeting people, or bespoke tours if there is a group of you keen to explore West Dorset. For further details visit the Marshwood Trails website.

Holiday cottages in West Dorset:
Two Bedrooms / sleeps 4
Three Bedrooms / sleeps 5

Learning to bake bread at Otterton Mill

Otterton Mill is set beside the River Otter in one of Devon’s loveliest valleys and just a mile from East Devon’s world heritage Jurassic Coast.

You can enjoy the very best in local foods in the highly acclaimed restaurant, artisan bakery and Devon food shop – you can also learn traditional bread making within the bakery. The gallery and craft shop display exceptional works of art and examples of traditional West Country crafts.

At Otterton Mill you can also enjoy the music of local talented artists – for a full programme of events see the Mill website.

All of this and more, in the idyllic setting of an historic working watermill on the River Otter with beautiful surrounding natural East Devon countryside.

Holiday cottages in East Devon near Otterton Mill:
One Bedroom / sleeps 2
Two Bedrooms / sleeps 4
Two Bedrooms / sleeps 4

Come on in, the water's...freezin'

You can start off with the Fancy Dress Swim in aid of the RNLI on Christmas Day morning in Charmouth at 11:00am sharp.

On Boxing Day you can try ‘The West Bay Wallow’, a charity fancy dress swim off East Beach in West Bay organised by Bridport Round Table – this happens at midday.

On New Year’s Day you can complete the set by heading to Lyme Regis for ‘The Lyme Lunge’ and take a dip in the water off Cobb Beach at 1:00pm – this year the charities supported are the RNLI and ShelterBox.

Of course if you’re not feeling that hardy (and who could blame you), you can just enjoy the fun as a spectator and help to support these worthy causes! Everyone is welcome, whether ‘dipping’ or simply spectating and contributing to a charity collection.

Christmas in Lyme Regis

Late night shopping every Friday up until and including 23rd December in the delightful seaside town of Lyme Regis offers a great opportunity to find a gift that’s a little different. There are lots of interesting, individual stores crammed with original gift ideas. Carols, hot chestnuts and strolling players all add to the festive atmosphere.

The art galleries, coffee shops and restaurants will all be open to add to your enjoyment and there is plenty of free parking after 6:00pm.