The Exeter Ship Canal

If you are looking for a relaxing walk or cycle with a difference why not try the visiting The Exeter Ship Canal which runs for 5.3 miles from its basin in Exeter to the River Exe at Turf. The River Exe is popular with rowers and canoeists, walkers and anglers and both commercial and leisure boats. The huge variety of birdlife makes it a popular destination for birdwatchers too.

The Riverside Valley Park follows the Exeter Ship Canal and offers a variety of long and short walks. A pleasant stroll of one and a half miles will take you along the canal basin to the Double Locks Pub where you can stop for some refreshments. If you fancy venturing a little further the two and half miles between the pub and Topsham Lock Keepers Cottage includes the Double Locks, the Devon Wildlife Trust Reserve, the River Exe and the historic village of Topsham. Continuing a further one and a half miles will take you to the Turf Hotel, passing by the estuary mud flats, the Turf Lock Hotel (for more refreshments!) and Exminster Marshes. There are car parks for walkers at various points along the canal.

Cycling is permitted along the entire length of the footpath, 11 miles in total, starting at the Quay in Exeter and taking you through the Riverside Valley Park. It’s a leisurely route for cyclists of all standards and with lots of wildlife to see along route is particularly popular with young families. A shorter seven mile canal trail is also available. If you haven’t got your bikes with you cycles can be hired in Exeter.

Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens

On the outskirts of Abbotsbury village (one of the prettiest villages in Dorset) you will find Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens – magnificent Victorian walled gardens set in 20 acres of woodland valley.

The gardens were established in 1765 by the first Countess of Ilchester as a kitchen garden for her nearby castle and have since been the site of many plant introductions to this country. The first camellias introduced to Britain in 1792 are now magnificent tree groves! The unique micro climate enables rare and exotic species from all over the world to thrive here. At the heart of the gardens is the Colonial Teahouse with its splendid veranda which overlooks the sunken garden. There is also a very well stocked plant centre, a gift shop, a children’s play area and free car parking. A viewing point in the Garden, at the top of the Magnolia Walk, offers stunning views of West Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.

From 14^th October through to 1^st November you can enjoy the gardens at night – you can stroll along the garden pathways and through enchanted glades, illuminated by candle light. Lights go on at dusk until 8:30pm. The full walk takes about 40 minutes but there is a shorter route for the less fit and wheelchair users, if required.

Burning barrels at Ottery St. Mary

‘So tell me again, you hoist a barrel with flames pouring out of it, onto your shoulders and you run through the streets of the town…’ Hard to believe, I know – but for residents of one east Devon town this is a loved tradition.

Every year on November 5th flaming tar barrels are carried through the streets of Ottery St Mary to the delight of thousands of townsfolk and visitors. Ottery St. Mary is internationally renowned for its Tar Barrel tradition which is hundreds of years old. The exact origins of the tradition are unknown but probably started after the gunpowder plot of 1605. Various alternative reasons suggested for burning barrels have included fumigation of cottages and as a warning of the approach of the Spanish Armada.

Each of Ottery’s central pubs sponsors a single barrel. In the weeks prior to event the barrels are soaked with tar. On the day the barrels are lit outside each of the pubs in turn and once the flames begin to pour out, they are hoisted up onto local people’s backs and shoulders and carried through the streets of the town. The streets and alleys around the pubs are packed with people. Seventeen barrels in total are lit over the course of the evening. In the afternoon and early evening there are women’s and boy’s barrels, but as the evening progresses the barrels get larger and by midnight they weigh at least 30 kilos. In most cases, generations of the same family carry the barrels and take great pride in doing so.

It is an incredible night to remember and if you are in the area you simply have to see it to believe it. One of the biggest bonfires in the South West is ignited on the banks of the beautiful River Otter providing an impressive background to the whole occasion.

The following holiday cottages are near to Ottery St. Mary:
The Old Chapel (FB101) – sleeps 2
Bantam Cottage (OM201) – sleeps 4
Ixworth Cottage (OM202) – sleeps 4

The Marine Theatre in Lyme Regis

While you are on holiday in the Lyme Bay area why not enjoy an evening’s entertainment in a theatre that has to be in one of the most wonderful settings for an entertainment venue in England.

The Marine Theatre is right in the heart of the delightful coastal town of Lyme Regis, overlooking Lyme Bay. If you are going to visit the theatre, do yourself a favour – go to the upstairs bar, buy a drink and then head to the outdoor balcony. You will have to go a long way to discover a more wonderful setting for a pre-show or interval drink. As you look forward to being entertained you can enjoy the most stunning views across Lyme Bay – worth the entrance ticket alone!

Forthcoming attractions at the theatre include Think Floyd, dubbed ‘the definitive Pink Floyd experience’, Kiki Dee & Carmelo Luggeri and the imaginatively named King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys. However, the performance I am looking forward to the most is Adrian Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds. Adrian is best known as a comedian in The Young Ones, Bottom, and The Comic Strip Presents. He was a teenager when punk arrived and the songs of The Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Jam were the soundtrack to his life through the late 70’s and early 80’s. For Adrian, punk was the folk music of its day and The Bad Shepherds bring punk and folk together. Yes, they play punk songs on folk instruments, punk with a Celtic feel – got to be worth seeing!

Underground passages in Exeter

Exeter is a pleasant city and worth a visit for a shopping trip or to enjoy a meal at one of the wide variety of restaurants in the city centre or on its riverside development. However, there is another side to Exeter or should that be another level?

Under the city’s streets there is a network of medieval passageways dating from the 14th century. These medieval passageways under Exeter High Street are a unique ancient monument.

The passageways were built to house the pipes that brought fresh water from natural springs in fields lying outside the city walls, into the heart of the city. The pipes sometimes sprang leaks and repairs to buried pipes could only be carried out by digging them up as we do today. To avoid this disruption the passages were vaulted and it is down some of these vaulted passageways that visitors can take guided tours.

Visitors to this underground attraction pass through an exhibition and video presentation before their guided tour. However, if you suffer from claustrophobia this probably isn’t the experience for you! Under fives are not permitted on the tours.

The underground passages are open all year and currently admission is £4.90 for adults and £3.40 for children (concessions and family rates are available). See the website for full details.

Great Dorset Steam Fair

If you are visiting the Lyme Bay area during early September you can take a trip into the days of yesteryear by visiting The Great Dorset Steam Fair. The Fair is held at the village of Tarrant Hinton, near Blandford Forum in the heart of the beautiful Dorset countryside.

The Great Dorset Steam Fair is in its 41st year and combines the world’s leading steam and vintage vehicle event with a selection of great music across five stages – the music ranges from country and folk to choirs and jazz.

The Steam Fair is widely recognised as the leading event of its type in the world with 2,000 exhibits, 800 trade stalls and over 220 full size steam engines. You will find steam engine exhibits, vintage vehicles, heavy shire horses, real ale bars, a food hall and a variety of craft stalls on the 500-acre site as well as an old time steam funfair.

The festival runs from Wednesday 2nd September to Sunday 6th September and tickets are on sale from tourist information centres across Dorset or you can buy them online.

The X53

One of the most wonderful ways of exploring The Jurassic Coast is to take a ride on The Jurassic Coast Bus Service (the X53). This bus travels along what must be one of the most beautiful and scenic routes in the country and connects Exeter, Sidford, Beer, Seaton, Lyme Regis, Charmouth, Bridport, Abbotsbury, Weymouth, Wool, Wareham and Poole (summer service). An Explorer Ticket offers unlimited travel along the route for a day. The ticket costs just £6.00 for an adult, £4.50 for a child or £13.00 for a family ticket (up to four people with no more than two adults).

Not only can you sit back and enjoy the views from the top deck while somebody else drives but you can get off the bus and explore the towns, villages and attractions along the route. The bus service is also ideal for walkers who want to walk along a section of the coast path as they have the option of either travelling out or back by bus.

The low floor buses run every two hours and tickets offer unlimited travel for a day. So why not hop aboard and let the bus take the strain as you explore this stunning coastline.

Otterton Mill flour

Where can you find food, arts and crafts, music, bread making courses and much, much more all set in one of Devon’s loveliest valleys and just a mile from The Jurassic Coast? The answer is at Otterton Mill, which is located between Budleigh Salterton and Sidmouth on the banks of the River Otter.

Otterton Mill features a one thousand year-old working watermill, a restaurant, gallery and artist studios, a bakery, an award winning food shop and a music venue. The earliest written record of the mill is in the Domesday survey in 1068

Why not learn the timeless principles of traditional bread making from the mill’s Head Baker. Sessions take place in small groups within the bakery. You’ll learn the secrets of making the perfect loaf by hand, as you are taken through the techniques of mixing, clearing, fermentation, knock-back, cutting and scaling, hand moulding, proving and oven baking. The bread making courses are suited for any ability and are informative and fun.

Otterton Mill is set in truly beautiful countryside and after your visit you can take a stroll along the River Otter and enjoy its fantastic views and thriving wildlife – a great day out in a simply delightful spot.

The Philpot Museum in Lyme Regis

If history is your thing then take a trip to The Philpot Museum in Lyme Regis, where the story of Lyme and its ever changing landscape is told. From Civil war and rebellion, fossils and Mary Anning, literary Lyme to Lyme’s famous Cobb harbour – the museum vividly presents the history of this proud seaside town.

The museum is housed in a magnificent idiosyncratic listed building in the heart of the town overlooking Lyme Bay and the historic Cobb harbour. It was built in 1900 by Thomas Philpot and has recently been completely renovated.

The fortunes of Lyme Regis have been inextricably linked to the sea. For seven centuries trade has flourished and faded through its port, protected by the great wall of The Cobb. Fishing, smuggling, storm and shipwreck have left their relics and the collections at The Philpot are unusually rich for a small museum. Lyme’s lively local history is well represented by maritime and domestic objects and illustrated by paintings, prints and photographs. This part of the coast, known as The Jurassic Coast, is noted for its fossils and there are some excellent examples displayed in the geological galleries. The town’s literary connections, from Jane Austen to John Fowles, are illustrated in the new Writers Gallery.

The museum frequently stages interesting temporary exhibitions, guided fossil walks and a lively programme of talks and special events. Admission into the museum is £3.00 for adults with no charge for children and students.