books each month and aims to introduce new authors and broaden the reading experience of enthusiastic readers who feel stuck in a rut with their book choices. The Library also runs a VIP Book Club which offers anyone with a visual impairment the chance to discuss audiobooks or large print books in an informal and supportive atmosphere; an evening reading group and an informal Top of Town book club which meets over a cup of tea at Sainsbury’s to discuss one book a month. For more information or to join phone Dartmouth Library on 01803 832502.
41 42 43 44
Eat takeaway fish and chips on the Embankment at
least once in 2013. What better location to enjoy fresh fish from one of Dartmouth’s many fine chippies’ than overlooking one of England’s most beautiful rivers.
With fun to be had on the land, the water and in the air, Dartmouth
Regatta is an event not to be missed. The port’s biggest annual celebration takes place next year on August 29, 30 and 31. Be sure to put it in your diary.
The Dart Music Festival will liven up the town once again next
year, with festival organisers setting aside the dates May 10, 11 and 12 for the annual jamboree. Music lovers will be able to revel in three days of free jazz, rock, pop, blues, choral and classical music with beautiful Dartmouth as the backdrop.
Be prepared to chuckle and belly laugh your way through Dartmouth’s
Comedy Week which takes place every March. Organised by the Flavel Centre, previous audiences have enjoyed intimate gatherings with a wealth of comic mystery guests including Eddie Izzard, Harry Enfield, Keith Allen, John Sessions, Phil Cornwell and Gary Beadle. Which comedy king will open the 2013 festival?
45 46 47
Witness the wacky spectacle of Blackawton’s
Wormcharming Festival in May. Since the festival began in 1984, hundreds of zany methods to try and coax the worms to the surface have been employed. Now an established annual fixture, the event attracts hundreds of teams and spectators to the village and raises vital funds for charity.
Annual festivals celebrating food, crabs, drama, art
and Christmas are also all included in Dartmouth’s 2013 calendar, all helping to put the town on the map as one of the top entertainment destinations of the South West. Make sure you add them to your diaries too.
Have fun at the Strete Village Day held annually on the first
Saturday in August at Manor Farm. Traditional events include dog agility displays, falconry, sheep shearing, willow weaving, sports, live music and refreshments such as ram roasts and cream teas. The event is all-round family fun.
48 49
Jump on a River Dart pleasure boat and head upstream to
visit Totnes Castle, one of the earliest Norman strongholds in England. Commanding a domineering position over the town on a large artificial earth mound, the castle was surrounded by wooden fortifications which enclosed a high wooden tower to symbolise the importance and strength of the new regime. Owned by English Heritage, the castle is open to the public from April to October.
For a perfect, gentle day’s walk, follow The Dart Valley
Trail from Dittisham to Totnes. This eight-mile walk links village to nestled, unspoilt village as it follows the silver ribbon of the Dart through Devon’s rolling hills. Take the ferry to Dittisham and start the walk at The Ham. The route takes you through Cornworthy, Tuckenhay and Ashprington, with plenty of refreshment stops along the way at The Hunters Lodge, Maltsters Arms, Waterman’s Arms and the Durant Arms. In springtime, the woodland just past Sharpham drive is carpeted with bluebells and primroses. Along with mixed broadleaved trees are larches, Britain’s only deciduous conifer with tufted needles which turn a beautiful golden colour in the autumn. Look out for reed warblers as you pass the reed beds in the river south of Totnes. These small brown birds with white throats and sharp slim beaks weave nests suspended from several reed stems. For more information about the Dart Valley Trail visit
www.southdevonaonb.org.uk.
50
Fly a kite. For the sheer exhilarating fun of it. Find a windy open
space like Coronation Park and you’re up up and away!
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