11 of the best unusual events in the West Country – part two

Every year across the world, people celebrate some interesting traditions in very unique ways and nowhere does it better than the West Country. Here’s part two of our look at some of the most unusual festivals in our corner of Britain (read part one here)…

Giant Bolster Festival, St Agnes
Every May, the village of St Agnes recreates the story of the Giant Bolster, who terrified the local people and rampaged through the neighbourhood, only to be brought to justice by a fair maiden. In a lively celebration of Cornish music, art and legend, the pageant takes in life-size puppets, dancers and a live band culminating in a spectacular showdown between the Giant Bolster and the knight Sir Constantine. All the while, a 28-foot high effigy of the Bolster watches over proceedings. Saturday evening’s lantern procession takes villagers up to the top of St Agnes Beacon for a bonfire, followed by a barbecue and musical performances.

Flora Day, Helston
Every May, the Cornish market town of Helston celebrates the ancient Flora Day festival (pictured above) to welcome in the springtime. Processional dancing takes place throughout the streets from early morning, when the big bass strikes, until late at night. Men wear top hats and tails and women don elegant dress, while shops and homes across town are adorned in bright, colourful flowers. The Helston Town Band play traditional tunes until the early hours.

Hunting the Earl of Rone, Combe Martin
Every Spring Bank Holiday weekend, the town of Combe Martin escapes into ancient tradition as locals dress in 19th-century peasant costume and roam the streets on the hunt for the ‘Earl of Rone’. Local legend claims that the Earl was Hugh O’Neill (Earl of Tyrone) who fled Ireland in the early 1600s, only to be shipwrecked in the local bay and captured by Grenadiers. The hunt begins on Friday… when Monday comes around and the Earl is ‘found’, he is mounted on a donkey, taken down to the sea and thrown in!

Honiton Hot Pennies day
Back in the 13th century, Honiton was granted a Royal Charter; today, this is celebrated with Hot Pennies day. The town crier - in full historic dress – enters the Old Pannier Market to announce the start of the procession and crowds cram the streets along the route to catch the warm pennies. The pennies give a nod to the days when affluent members of the community would throw hot coins to peasants to watch them burn their fingers.

Totnes Orange Rolling Race
Started by Sir Francis Drake (so legend says) back in the 16th century, the orange rolling race is one of the zaniest – and messiest - of the country’s traditions. The 450-metre dash starts from the top of the hill at Market Square - contestants must throw their orange down the hill and then kick, throw or roll it to the finish line. The winner must arrive with an orange! The event takes place in August and also includes an Elizabethan market and charity auction.

Tar Barrels, Ottery St May
Every November, the East Devon town of Ottery holds the procession of Flaming Tar Barrels. The tradition is hundreds of years old and Ottery is the only place in the West Country where people carry flaming barrels on their shoulders instead of rolling them! There are 17 barrels carried throughout the day, with the final barrel brought into the square at midnight. Ottery’s giant bonfire is a key part of the annual tar barrels and is in itself a dazzling spectacle.

That rounds off our selection of some of the West Country’s most unusual events. Which are your favourites? Which have we missed? Let us know in the comments.

11 of the best unusual events in the West Country

Every year across the world, people celebrate some interesting traditions in very unique ways and nowhere does it better than the West Country. Read on for an intriguing glimpse into the most unusual festivals in our corner of Britain…

Lentsherd in Clovelly
Every year on Shrove Tuesday, the village of Clovelly marks Lentsherd (pictured above). On this day, locals honour the age-old custom of ridding the village of all the negatives of the previous year. When dusk falls, children gather to walk from the town centre down to the harbour, each dragging a tin can attached to a long string. These cans are then thrown into the sea, driving the devil away just in time for Lent to begin. Every child who takes part receives a free pancake decorated with sweet toppings and entry is free after 4.30pm.

St Ives Silver Ball
Over in Cornwall, one of the best-loved local traditions comes in the form of the ‘hurling of the silver ball.’ Celebrated on the 9th February, this tradition is part of the St Ives Feast - a festival that begins with the mayor’s civic procession and blessing in honour of the anniversary of the consecration of the Parish Church of St Eia. The ‘hurling’ event consists of two teams playing a very lively game of old-style rugby to gain possession of the cricket-sized silver ball. The game takes place across the town and the ball has even ended up in the sea on occasion but the ultimate goal is to return the ball to the mayor at midday in front of St Ives Guildhall.

’Obby ‘Oss day
The ‘Obby ‘Oss (Hobby Horse) day is hugely important to the local people in Padstow and Minehead, as it makes up the traditional Mayday celebrations. Dressed in traditional white garb, the crowds cheer on the two ‘obby ‘oss mascots, decked out in colourful masks and costumes. The parades travel through the flower-strewn streets all the way to the maypole, with revellers accompanied by the beat of the drums and the sound of the maysong, and horses escorted by a ‘teaser’ who leads the song and dance in an excitable fashion.

Knob Throwing in Dorset
If you fancy doing something a bit different this year, head on over to Cattistock, Dorset on 3rd May to take part in the annual Knob Throwing event. The “knob” is actually a traditional local biscuit shaped like a sphere, which has been baked in the village since 1880. Participants must (underarm) throw the knob as far as they can – winners receive their biscuit and their name on a plaque in the village hall. The unique event also includes such activities as Knob Darts and Guess The Weight of the Big Knob.

St Piran’s Day
St Piran’s Day honours Cornwall’s patron saint and is such a popular event that locals are campaigning to make it a bank holiday. Legend has it that Piran landed on the shores at Perranporth after being cast to sea by the Irish King, who believed him to be suspicious due to his magical powers. It was here that he built a chapel in the sand dunes and people came to hear him preach. Today St Piran’s Day is celebrated by hundreds of people who make a pilgrimage to Perranporth to watch a re-enactment of his story on the sand dunes.

We’ll post the remaining 6 events next week!

Making waves for charity

We're delighted to share that we raised a remarkable £13,776.91 in 2014 for the Marine Conservation Society, our nominated charity of the year. 

The money was raised through the annual cricket match between Helpful Holidays and neighbouring Gidleigh Park Hotel and the generosity of Helpful Holidays’ customers who have chosen to donate when booking their holidays.

Moray Bowater and Helen Hayes, the Managing Director and PR Manager of Helpful Holidays, met Monty Hall, the BBC wildlife presenter and marine biologist who avidly supports the MCS, at the Marina Hotel in Dartmouth to present the cheque.

Helen said, “We’re privileged to live and work in the wonderful West Country, surrounded by magnificent coastline, so it’s been a pleasure to work closely with the MCS this year. They do a fabulous job in drawing attention to the wonderful creatures living in these waters. They also have a vital role in raising awareness of important issues affecting our coastline. Most of the money raised was through the generosity of holidaymakers who’ve booked cottages with Helpful Holidays and we’d like to express our sincere thanks for their generosity.”

Katherine Stephenson for the Marine Conservation Society said “The Helpful Holidays team truly live up to their name and have got involved in raising funds for our work through cricket matches, cake sales, beach cleans and more. We’ve had a fantastic year with them and their customers, and their support will make such a difference to the conservation of our seas, shores and wildlife in the South West.”

Winter Walks in the West Country

A bracing winter walk can be a highly satisfying way to explore the hidden treasures of the West Country, and there are plenty of welcoming fireplaces to warm your cockles afterwards.

We're blessed with many recommended routes and helpful resources to show us the way, such as the excellent South West Coast Path website, which features mapped-out guides to walks such as these two in North Devon - this short easy walk out to the tip of Baggy Point and back, or this 5km walk along the Torridge Tarka Trail.

Or if you're in SE Cornwall and feeling especially energetic, how about this 12km walk covering Looe, Talland & the Giant's Hedge. Or if that's a bit of a stretch, try this 5.5km walk from Cremyll Ferry to Kingsand & Cawsand.

There are also plenty of great walks to sample as part of the Ramblers' Festival of Winter Walks, with hundreds of free, group walks to choose from between 20 December to 4 January 2015. 

A great example is this one starting from Porthtowan at 11am on Boxing Day, a moderate 8.9km circular walk run by the Kernow Boots walking group.

If you don't want to be tied down to the specific time and date of a group walk, you can also find your own winter walk with Ramblers Routes – an online library of 2,000 walking routes.

Many of our staff are keen walkers, so if you would like to ask our advice on the best routes and the kind of walking gear you'll need, call us on 01647 433593.

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Photo: Pilgrim Corner, Minehead (sleeps 8): http://bit.ly/1vKeEfM

Alternative Christmas Shopping in the West Country

You don't have to buy all your Christmas presents from the same old chain stores this year - why not take a look at the wonderfully diverse and eclectic range of local gifts available at Christmas fairs and special events across the West Country?

It’s a celebration of all things Cornish at Padstow’s traditional Christmas market, located on the quayside in a large marquee. It's one of the UK’s biggest food festivals, with cookery demonstrations and lots of free samples to set your taste-buds tingling. Explore the many stalls brimming with handmade gifts and marvel at the lantern parades and fireworks display.

The whole family is spoiled for choice at the Eden Project winter festival. Meet Father Christmas and his real reindeer, go ice skating, explore the enchanted rainforest at twilight, listen to choirs and live storytelling, and pick up some great gifts in their shop.

With the backdrop of the beautiful cathedral, a visit to Exeter’s Christmas market really cranks up the festive mood with more than 50 local and international traders present. Roast hog, Belgian chocolates, baklava, crepes, speciality cheeses and meats from across the continent, as well as traditional Christmas crafts and local foods will be on offer.

If you head to Bath Christmas Market, you'll find more than 170 twinkling, traditional wooden chalets surrounding ancient Bath Abbey and the famous Roman Baths deliver a mind-boggling array of handmade and beautiful gifts to delight your family and friends. Treat yourself afterwards to a tasty local dish or tipple.

Wherever you choose, you're sure to find a warm welcome and a healthy dose of Christmas spirit.

A trip to Lydford Gorge

Our marketing manager Adrian Innocent writes:

After much dilly dallying I finally managed to put my proverbial into gear and make my way to Lydford Gorge and I wasn’t disappointed, the south west’s deepest gorge living up to its billing as one of Dartmoor’s treasures.

I picked up a free map at the National Trust entrance to the site and set off with the intention of completing the entire walk of about three miles. There’s a well signposted route (helpful markers at regular intervals let you know exactly where you are so even poor map readers like myself can’t get lost) and I headed off in the direction of the famous White Lady Waterfall . At this point the gorge is lined with ancient woodland, full of birdlife but the first thing I noticed was the sound of water trickling (sometimes gushing) down the hillside. It was somewhat reminiscent of my walks of several years ago in the Lake District where you are never far from the sound of running water.

This first part of the route was fairly gentle but through wonderful woodland with some spectacular views down to the river Lyd rushing along the bottom of the gorge. I duly arrived at the far end of the site (you can park up and access the walk form there as well, there being two entrances to the National Trust site, both blessed with a cafe and shop) and enjoyed a well-deserved, revitalising pot of tea and sticky bun soaking up the late autumn sun on the patio outside the café. It was so refreshing and welcome I was already looking forward to more refreshments at the end of my walk before I’d even left this first staging post!

The second leg proved to be even more rewarding, especially the climb down to the bottom of the White Lady Waterfall – a 90 foot near vertical drop of white water, a splendid sight. The pathway then followed the route of the river from here and was quite slippery in parts as it clung to the side of the granite rock face lining the path of the river. This stretch eventually led to the other ‘must see’ feature of the gorge, the Devil’s Cauldron where foaming white water surges through narrow gaps between the rocks – you’ll hear it long before you arrive at the scene.

A short climb then found me back where I started and yet another round of refreshments, some delightful raspberry and white chocolate ice cream eagerly scoffed whist sitting on the grass outside the other café and stretching my ever-so-slightly weary legs. All told, it took about 2-1/2 half hours to complete the walk with plenty of stops to capture the beauty of the gorge on my camera.

If you decide to follow in my footsteps, it’s best to wear suitable footwear as the path is quite slippery and steep in parts.