Michael Jordan, author and chairman of the Association of British Fungal Groups, will lead fun and informative walks through the gardens to discover and identify the many different types of mushrooms and toadstools to be found at Hestercombe.
There will be two walks during the day:
10.30am – 12.30pm & 2 – 4pm.
£12 online, £13 offline.
FInd out more and book here: http://bit.ly/2cxAd0X
Celebratory Dinner to countdown to Exmoor Food Fest 2017
Join us on 21 September 2016 at 7pm for the
Exmoor Food Fest 2017 Media Launch
at
Knowle Manor
Claire’s Kitchen is serving up an Exmoor Feast!
5 courses for £50.00
Claire’s Kitchen Elderflower Cocktails on arrival
Canapes
including crispy wonton with blue swimmer crab, poached pineapple, spring onion and chilli jam
Vietnamese Poached Duck Leg on an Asian salad
with a fresh coriander and sweet chilli dressing
Local Braised Shin of Beef
with melting onions, Rosemary Boulangere potatoes, leek gratin croquetas
Blackberry and White chocolate Cheesecake
with a Sloe Gin ice cream and Brandy Snap Crumble
Local Cheeseboard
served with Claire’s Kitchen homemade cider shots
Vegetarian options will be available.
LIMITED SPACE!
A celebratory dinner on 21 September 2016 at Knowle Manor near Dunster will launch the countdown towards the 2017 Exmoor Food Fest which will take place across Exmoor during February 2017.
Media and the public are invited to join the Exmoor Food Fest team for an Exmoor Feast served up by Claire’s Kitchen, a local catering company run by Exmoor Ambassador chef Claire Lynch.
“2017 will be our third year,” explains festival coordinator Elke Winzer, who runs Exmoor4all, a social media platform for all things Exmoor, and also works for Visit Somerset and Exmoor Tourism.
“We have just been advised that the Exmoor Food Fest is a finalist in the Somerset Life Food & Drink Awards as best food event in Somerset. This is an extraordinary achievement for such a young festival, and we are grateful to our sponsors Arthur David whose generous support made it possible to get the Exmoor Food Fest off the ground.”
During February, restaurants, including several with Michelin stars and numerous awards, across the region offer 2 courses for £10/ 3 courses for £15. In addition, a range of foodie events take place, from tastings through to gourmet dinners at unique locations. A food and drink festival in Dunster on the last weekend of February will yet again be the grand final.
“We estimate that the hospitality sector in the region was boosted by £450,000 during February, a traditionally quiet month, by the Exmoor Food Fest 2016. We hope to increase this figure in 2017 by working closely with travel and food bloggers as well as Visit Somerset and Exmoor Tourism, raising awareness of the event further afield. We will also work with the West Somerset Railway to make certain events more accessible for visitors from Taunton,” explained Elke Winzer.
The Pleasure Dome Theatre Company production of Macbeth, set in the dramatic scenery of the Valley of Rocks, has still tickets available. Performances run until 20 August at 7:30 with no show on Mondays and 3:00 Sunday matinees. Helen Payne is the Creative Director, Scott Le Crass directs Macbeth who is played by Chris Clynes. You can read more about them here.
Remember to bring rugs or picnic chairs to ensure your comfort. Bring along a picnic or sample the delights of Mother Meldrum’s Tea Garden and join us for a brilliant play in an astounding location!
Get your tickets now.
Photos by Julia Amies-Green.
Visitors to Minehead can now get a bird’s eye view of the town, coast and countryside from this new the observation wheel which will be at the seafront for 8 weeks this summer.
The wheel, standing 33m high is open 10am-8pm. Tickets £5 for an adult, £4 for children and senior citizens and £15 for a family ticket.
The Dulverton Farmers Market returns to the Lion Stable Car Park this Saturday, 30 July, from 10am till 4pm. It is a fantastic opportunity to stock up on local produce and find locally made gifts.
Amongst the traders are Secret Orchard Cider, Little Oak Farm (sausages), Styles Ice Cream, Grown Up Marshmallows, JinKs Art, and Rupert Smith Wildlife Photography, plus many more.
Jazz, Brazilian and Greek music will be performed live at the 4th Dunster Music Festival from 29th-31st July 2016. This much anticipated annual event held at The Luttrell Arms Hotel offers a varied programme of music by local artists on Friday and Saturday and concludes with a chance to hear upcoming new talent at the Open Mic on Sunday 31st.
Friday’s programme begins with the return of the ever popular singer/songwriter Bob Gallie followed by the much loved rock n rollers, The Beverley Brothers.
And finally a chance to sing along with the fun guitar/mandolin duo Don and Mark who perform Irish and 60’s and 70’s songs with great enthusiasm.
Saturday’s programme starts at 1pm with a list of eight bands including Bristol’s famous rocking hillbilly band Slap Face and The Hoagies, Greek influenced music by Xenos and performances by popular local singer/songwriter Steve Pledger.
The festival takes place around the hotel, in the Monk’s Courtyard and Secret Garden. Admission is free.
Get the full three day programme and timings here
https://www.luttrellarms.co.uk/whats-on-in-the-hotel/dunster-music-festival/
Special rates for the festival start at £320 for two people for two nights to include dinner in Psalter’s
Restaurant on Friday. Call 01643 821555 or book online www.luttrellarms.co.uk
The twin towns of Lynton & Lynmouth are in the middle of the rugged Exmoor coastline with Lynton 500 feet above Lynmouth and the two towns connected by a cliff funicular railway. Five reasons to visit Lynton & Lynmouth this summer include open air Macbeth, the most scenic of Devon cream teas, a new arts trail, scenery that influenced the Romantic Poets and riding a water powered funicular.
See Macbeth in the Valley of the Rocks
New for this summer is the Pleasure Dome Theatre, an open-air theatre set in the dramatic and beautiful scenery of The Valley of The Rocks near Lynton. The Pleasure Dome Theatre are an artistic collective with the aim of using the natural landscape of the area to make Exmoor a cultural destination as well as a tourist hub. Their first performance is Macbeth which will be running from August 2nd until the 20th.
Enjoy a scenic Cream Tea at Watersmeet
The National Trust’s Watersmeet House is a 19th century fishing lodge with a beautiful Edwardian tea garden. Living up to its name, Watersmeet is where the East Lyn and Hoar Oak Water meet and cream teas can be enjoyed overlooking the rivers and spotting herons and dippers. Watersmeet is also located along some of Exmoor’s best walking and so makes a great spot for a mid-hike rest.
Indulge in Exmoor culture on the Arts Trail
Exmoor Arts Trail is a new concept which makes it easy for people to engage with art, craft and photography on and around Exmoor. Through-out the year visitors to Exmoor can use a web page with a clickable map that shows participating venues on the Trail including art and craft shops and galleries, eateries which have art on the walls, art and craft workshop venues and artists and artisans with studios which are open to the public.
Take a ride on a water powered funicular
No trip to the towns of Lynton and Lynmouth would be complete without a trip on the water powered Cliff Railway, formed through an Act of Parliament in 1888 which gave perpetual right to extract up to 60,000 gallons of water a day. The funicular is an exciting way to travel between these two historic towns. Enjoy stunning views of the North Devon Coastline as you glide up and down the 862-foot length of track from Lynmouth nestling at the foot of the cliffs to Lynton perched 500 feet above.
Channel your internal Romantic poet on the Coleridge Way
Walk up to 51 miles through the stunning Somerset countryside of the Quantock Hills, the Brendon Hills and Exmoor, a landscape that inspired Coleridge to produce some of his best known work. At Lynmouth the path links with the South West Coast Path National Trail. A delightful 30-mile circular walk can be made by walking from Porlock on the Coleridge Way to Lynmouth and returning along the coast path.
For more information on Lynton and Lynmouth visit http://www.visit-exmoor.co.uk
Exmoor theatre company, Pleasure Dome, are set to be the first to stage an open air theatre production at the Valley of the Rocks near Lynton. In order to fund the production, Pleasure Dome have launched a crowdfunding campaign and so are calling upon the support of the local community.
This summer, Pleasure Dome Theatre Company, will bring open-air entertainment to both the community and holiday makers alike, by staging a production of Macbeth to mark the year of Shakespeare’s 400th birthday. This production will be the start of a seasonal programme of outdoor entertainment consisting of classical theatre, opera and modern productions situated in the stunning surroundings of the Valley of the Rocks.
“We are an artistic collective who aim to utilise the dramatic and beautiful scenery of The Valley of The Rocks near Lynton, making Exmoor a cultural destination as well as a tourist hub. We provide outreach programmes and will offer local opportunities to work within a professional company to aspiring youngsters and enthusiastic older members of the locale alike.”
“I decided to found Pleasure Dome in 2015 after a lifetime of thinking someone should do some theatre at The Valley of the Rocks. I spent my early summers scrambling up and down it’s weaving pathways and peering out to sea. I always thought it was an otherworldly and magical location, somewhere not quite of this planet, a place where the sea meets the sky, a place where imagination meets reality, and I can think of nowhere more fitting to perform in. ”
Helena Payne
To buy tickets to Macbeth, or to become a patron of the company, visit http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/new-open-air-theatre-in-the-valley-of-the-rocks
To find out more about the production and the cast, please go to www.pleasuredometheatrecompany.com
Macbeth will run from the 2nd-20th of August at 7:30 (with no show on Mondays) and 3:00 Sunday matinees.
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