Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Venus or the Perseid meteor shower. Book your place and hope for clear skies. The obser-
vatory is a few minutes' drive east from the centre of Sidmouth.
Sidmouth Museum
( 01395-516139; Church St; 10am-4pm Tue-Sat Apr-Oct)
East Devon's history emerges in
engaging style here, from the interactive Jurassic Coast exhibit and Iron Age mirror, to
displays on Sidmouth's architecture and the extensive collection of local, hand-made lace
(known as Honiton lace); there's even an intricate collar worn by Queen Victoria.
MUSEUM
Festivals
Sidmouth Folk Week
(
www.sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk
)
Early each August Sidmouth is transformed by this vibrant fest-
ival of world and traditional music. Around 700 sessions are staged in scores of venues
around town - including pubs and beer gardens - with impromptu performances often
spilling over into the streets.
MUSIC
WORTH A TRIP
RIVER COTTAGE EATERIES
East Devon's rolling farmland and glittering bays overflow with fine produce - no surprise then that campaigning
TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has set up two eateries here focusing on local, sustainably-sourced ingredi-
ents, as well as a cookery school that teaches everything from butchery to foraging.
The
River Cottage HQ
( 01297-630300;
www.rivercottage.net
; near Axminster; 4-course lunch/dinner
£50/80; noon-4pm Fri-Sun, 7.30-11pm Fri & Sat, booking required; ) delivers a true taste of HFW's 21st-
century take on
The Good Life
. Hop on the tractor trailer, bounce down the farm track, then tuck into complex
dishes packed with the flavours of Devon's hills and shores. It's a friendly affair, replicating the communal scene
you've seen on the small screen: the warm fuzzy glow people get when they come together to enjoy fantastic
food.
The
River Cottage Canteen
( 01297-631715;
www.rivercottage.net
; Trinity Sq, Axminster; mains £6-10;
9am-5pm daily, 6.30-9pm Wed-Sat; ) is set in the middle of market town Axminster. Here a rustic-chic
former pub is the setting for hearty dishes including cured wild boar, venison scotch eggs, and sharing platters of
local meats, fish and cheese. Drinks include Stinger Beer, brewed from (carefully) handpicked Dorset nettles -
it's spicy with just a hint of tingle. In Plymouth there's another River Cottage Canteen (
Click here
)
.
Sleeping & Eating
