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| An exotic mix of coal and wood smoke
drifts lazily on the evening air as you wander back through
the village streets. Fresh from a bracing walk
on cliff or moor, clutching memories of that ‘oh
so perfect’ rainbow. Through part-misted
window the russet glow of warmth from ‘the local’
leaks out – perhaps a meal there later? But now it’s
time to put a flame to the logs in the
fireplace and soak some soothing warmth from the dancing
flames. |
| Where better as the evenings draw in to spend a break
than in a cosy and warm West Country cottage?
With the many we have for you to choose from, our intimate
knowledge of each and every one of them will help guide
you to the one that suits you perfectly. Bring your
dog - many of our cottages welcome pets.
If you were hoping for just one last dash to Devon over
October half-term - good news, we’ve
still got a few left.
A14,
G10,
Q13,
E7,
G12,
Q434. |
| Carnival season approaches;
try to join the evening crowds as these wildly illuminated
floats hit the West Country streets this autumn.
There’s a great website
with all the dates and locations. If there’s one to
which you’d really like to go to, give us a call and
we’ll see if we can find you a holiday home nearby. |
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On November 5th there is that
great
firework event at Sticklepath
near Okehampton, where a fanciful story ends in the total
immolation of the stage.
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| Belstone |
And then there’s
the Sherborne
Castle Fireworks extravaganza on November 3rd.
You’ll find live music, food and entertainment from
4.30pm.
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| Henstridge |
And never to be forgotten,
the tar barrels at Ottery St Mary on Guy Fawkes
Night – totally mad and scary! Plus an enormous
bonfire and fun fair!
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| Southleigh |
| Hatherleigh Carnival also shares this
ancient barrel-rolling ritual and this year it’s on
November 10th. |
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| Sampford Courtenay |
Bridgwater Guy Fawkes Carnival is at
St Matthews Field on November 8th starting at 6pm.
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| Barton St David |
Also on 10th November is Tavistock’s ancient
Goose Fair. Long ago it was the time of year when
farmers brought their geese to market and had some fun at
the same time. Now there’s still plenty of
fun to be had with streets closed for stalls and
a funfair, but will there be any geese?
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| Tavistock |
November is synonymous with ghosts and spooks
and where better to be a little frightened by a strange
story than a castle?
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Dunster Castle has
a whole week of ghostly tales from October 20th –
28th and children in Hallowe’en costume have free
entry. And at Portland Castle in Dorset
they’ll be telling their own particular stories from
October 29th – 31st. Down in the depths of Cornwall,
Pendennis Castle not far from Falmouth
has some ghostly trails lined up from October 22nd –
November 4th; you may need to book, so call 01326 316594
for details.
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| West Bagborough |
And on a similarly devilish theme, on November 5th each
year, the locals of Shebbear in West Devon
turn the strange ‘Devil’s Stone’,
which weighs about a ton and lies in the village square.
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| Meldon |
| You might feel like some foody reassurance
after these scary tales and we know just where to send you… |
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Falmouth Oyster Festival
is held from 19th – 22nd October and there’s
a fantastic range of local craft, produce markets, working
boat races and…OYSTERS! |
| And starting on the same day, the
Mendip
Food and Drink Festival runs for 10 days with
loads of Somerset’s finest food and drink
on offer.
The villages of Lynton and Lynmouth
are hosting their first Lyn Food Fest and Treasure
Hunt on Saturday October 7th as part of the
Exmoor Food Festival, which runs from October 6th
– 14th.
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| Barbrook |
| …but have you considered perhaps a different venue
for your Christmas shopping this year?
Here are some ideas…
Exeter recently opened a new retail
area in the Princesshay part of the city
which has attracted lots of new shopping names. The whole
scene is now a blend of shops, restaurants and apartments
and its first Christmas is likely to be quite special.
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Plymouth also saw
the opening of Drake’s Circus, its new shopping
mall, earlier this year so the West Country can
now offer fantastic venues for Christmas shopping.
Further west, head for Pendennis Castle
to buy traditional Cornish craft products and enjoy mulled
wine while your children go looking for reindeer
hidden in the grounds. November 24th and 25th, 10am –
4pm.
And once the lights are switched on
at the beginning of December, St Ives
is a wonderful place for late night shopping.It’s
so easy to go a few miles further south to Mousehole
and just a few east to Angarrack, which
both really go to town with Christmas illuminations. We’ve
got properties in both areas – so do call us and
we’ll tell you more.
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The initial burst of 2008 brochures is
now on its way. For a week or so, our village hall suspended
its usual calendar of flea markets, kick boxing, social
nights and panto rehearsals to play host to Kim
and her fantastic band of Chagford ‘stickers
and stuffers’. Kept going with tea, homemade cake
and endless village chat and gossip, their non-stop
envelope filling resulted in us mailing 70,000
copies in record time. Well done.
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Three more carefully scrutinised properties
join us this month. In Somerset, E61
is a plush new renovation sleeping 8 overlooking the Somerset
levels; and in Cornwall Q15, a beach-side, sea view house
in Portreath, and near Land’s End Z26, a sweet Georgian
granite cottage (no doubt the meadows will be flower-filled
at the right time of year!).
All three are on our website.
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| Compton Bishop |
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| Portreath |
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| Dowran |
| We hope you can find time for a short break (or longer
if you can make it) this autumn. As always, there’s
plenty going on to amuse you and, as a bonus, the landscape
is always magnificent, the food is getting great, the shopping
is getting interesting and the natives are mostly friendly.
Escape the bustle, slow down, take your time, appreciate
the good things in life and above all else, enjoy yourself
– you’ll feel better.
Best wishes
Moray Bowater
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