Things to do This Summer! 2012
Things to do This Summer (2012) - Outdoors
On July 28th, why not learn to surf with the Discovery Surf School at Bigbury on Sea. A half price two hour surfing lesson for beginners is at 4:30pm, costing £19. Booking is essential. Pone 07813 639 622 or email martin@discoverysurf.com to book.
Why not enjoy one of the many walks around South Devon’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty featured on www.southdevonaonb.org.uk website. There are over 30 to choose from including the 4.5mile estuary foreshore walk taking in Charleton and Frogmore creeks. The Salcombe – Kingsbridge Estuary is a glittering jewel in South Devon’s crown and this walk explores one of its loveliest creeks, teeming with wildlife, along with some of the area’s ancient green lanes.
The Dittisham to Totnes Dart Valley Trail is a perfect, gentle day’s eight-mile walk which links village to nestled, unspoilt village as it follows the silver ribbon of the River Dart through Devon’s rolling hills. Cyclists can enjoy the East Portlemouth and East Prawle cultural trail. This is a classic bike route through superb and varied scenery, along a nice mix of green lanes and country roads. There is enough incline to get the blood circulating and superlative views to reward the effort. The trail consists of a 12 mile circular route along quiet country lanes, green lanes and bridleways where you can expect to encounter wildlife, local history and maritime history along the route.•
Watch the boats come in at Brixham Harbour. Get up early and see the day’s catch being auctioned off at Brixham Fish Market with Rick Smith of Brixham Trawler Agents. More than £25 million of fish is landed, bought and sold in Brixham and then delivered to many of the top restaurants across the nation and indeed abroad to our European neighbours. Enjoy a hot breakfast as the sun comes up at the Fisherman’s Mission. The fish market tour costs £8.00. Unfortunately children under 14 years of age cannot be accommodated. Booking is essential and can be done by phoning 07410617931
Slapton Ley Field Centre is staging wildlife canoe tours every Thursday throughout August. Join the team for a rare opportunity to experience Slapton Ley from a unique perspective. You will be taken on a two-hour educational canoe trip on the Ley, learning about its diverse wildlife and rich history along the way. The trips take place every Thursday in August morning from either 6am to 8am, 8.30am to 10.30am and 11am to 1pm and in the afternoons from 12noon to 2pm, 2.30pm to 4.30pm and 5pm to 7pm. The tours cost £20 per person. For more information and to book phone 07967 49724
On a rainy day, discover the secret life of otters at the Dartmoor Otters and Buckfastleigh Butterflies Sanctuary. The sanctuary has been carefully designed to provide its resident otters with the best possible conditions and its visitors excellent opportunities to see and enjoy them. Visitors can watch the otters swimming underwater in specially built glass enclosures and follow the otter keeper round at feeding time. The educational experience offers the chance to learn about the recreational and family life of the otter and become more aware of the plight of otters world-wide, specially our own native British otter Lutra Lutra. Visitors can also visit the butterfly farm and see new butterflies emerge in tropical surroundings.
As well as housing a wide variety of butterflies and otters the sanctuary has recently added North American terrapins and Costa Rican leafcutter ants to its collection. For more information visit www.ottersandbutterflies.co.uk or phone 01364 642916.
Why not round August off with a great little circular walk from the handsome and friendly market town of Modbury. The 2 mile walk offers wide open views across South Devon, the rich life of Devon hedgerows and echoes through history from the English Civil War. Modbury has existed since at latest Saxon times, when it was known as Moot Burgh - a moot being a meeting place. It was an important trading centre even then, and markets and fairs were held regularly in the town for hundreds of years. Modbury grew prosperous on the wool industry, and the whole process from raw fleece to finished cloth was carried out here. The wool trade declined in the 1800’s but the town remained an important stopping off place for coach travellers, with 12 inns to its name. The moderate graded walk starts at Poundwell Meadow Car Park, Modbury. For more information visit www.southdevonaonb.org.uk.
Cockington Court is the jewel in the crown of Torquay, set in 450 acres of beautiful
parkland, complete with a thriving craft centre, tearooms and stables. As well as discovering the picturesque doomsday village of Cockington with its thatched cottages and old forge, visitors can enjoy exploring the trails and walks around the park grounds and lakes on foot or taking it easy with a horse and carriage ride. If you are feeling inquisitive watch skilled glass blowers and blacksmiths in the craft centre, browse through local artwork while watching the artists at work in the gallery, take a journey back in time in the walled rose garden or learn about the craft of organic gardening in the kitchen garden. If all this activity leaves you peckish, enjoy a spot of lunch at Cockington Restaurant or your own picnic in the open air.
How about exploring South Devon via a Treasure Trail. Suitable for adults and
children, treasure trails are treasure hunts which help you explore villages, towns and cities in a fun and different way. Each Trail includes an easy to follow route which will take you to the most interesting and beautiful sights in that location. Along the way are clues to solve with the answers located on monuments, buildings and structures – some are easy to find while others are fiendishly tricky! Each Trail can be completed in your own time and at your own pace and you can chose to go on a treasure hunt, solve a murder mystery or crack the code to save the world on a spy mission.At £5,TreasureTrails are affordable family fun. Local Treasure Trails are available from Dartmouth Tourist Information Centre and for Dartmouth, Salcombe,Totnes, Kingsbridge, Bigbury-on-Sea, Brixham, Cockington, Paignton,Torquay, Ivybridge, Plym Valley, Plymouth and Plymouth Waterfront.
As September draws to an end, enjoy a two mile circular walk from Kingsbridge to West Alvington Woods. Stroll out of Kingsbridge for a tranquil dawdle through parkland meadow and dappled woodland, just a hop, skip and a jump from the town – an unexpected delight. Looking into the creek from the Quay at Kingsbridge at the start of the walk you can see seaweeds flourishing. This is a rarity as such a variety of seaweeds seldom survive so far upriver. They can only thrive here as the estuary is not fed by any major river and so the water remains very salty even at the head of the creek. If you are lucky you may spot the buzzard which is often seen circling above the parkland meadow by West Alvington Wood. The biggest of our common birds of prey, it is a majestic sight sailing the thermals on its broad, ‘fingered’ wings. Buzzards hunt rabbits, small rodents and birds, but they’re not above picking around in the fields for earthworms too, particularly in the winter. West Alvington Wood is a wonderful little pocket of old woodland. Its trees are mostly oak, beech and sweet chestnut. Below these taller trees grow many- stemmed, silvery barked hazel. The walk starts at Quay Street Car Park, Kingsbridge. For more information visit www.southdevonaonb.org.uk
First Published July 2012 By The Dart (Revised July 2013)