Click here for the June Newsletter
Images by our Guest Photographer Nick Bowdler.
The New Higher Ferry arrives in its new Dartmouth home on Monday 15th June at 11.30 hrs
As the final leg of the journey is completed, the new Higher Ferry was accompanied by an official Naval escort and the banks of the River Dart were crowded with interested onlookers to welcome the new vessel as it takes up its final position.
The ferry's hull was manufactured at the Dutch Ravestein yard on the bank of the River Waal and transported to Falmouth, where the new vessel was fitted out at the Pendennis Shipyard. The new ferry will replace the 48-year-old vessel and will be able to carry 32 cars at a time.
Vehicles will be positioned in four lines of eight and will cross the River Dart in just three minutes. The new vessel will have a state-of-the-art traffic-light boarding and disembarking system - and will operate on hydraulically driven bullwheels along two steel wires.
www.dartmouthhigherferry.com
The 92-metre Mayan Queen a Super Yacht owned by the second richest man in Mexico berthed at Dartmouth in South Devon recently the home town of the Royal Naval Britannia College, and stayed for a few days.. "It is a magical yacht. It is out of this world, it is so well-finished and equipped." A chance to see how the other half live!!!!!
Dartmouth harbour is very busy with naval vessels as well as visiting super yachts, pleasure boats, and ferries. As a Devon holiday destination Dartmouth is particularly colourful during the June Carnival and the Dartmouth Royal Regatta in late August. No trip to dartmouth would be complete without a trip on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway or a river boat trip from Dartmouth all the way up to Totnes and back. Spend a full day on the “Round Robin, (boat, bus & train)
Visiting Ships 2009
VENUS WINS GOLD Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth
NATIONAL ENGLAND FOR EXCELLENCE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AWARD
Venus is England’s leading environmentally friendly beach café and shop operator and that’s official!. The South Hams based company has won the Gold Award in the Enjoy England for Excellence Awards National Sustainable Tourism Award category. Venus was one of only three sustainable tourism national finalists. The Awards organised by Visit Britain, reward the very best in tourism through a rigorous and independent judging process and act as a quality benchmark to the industry and to customers. The win tops a hat trick of major awards for Venus within twelve months.
In 2008, Venus won the British Small Business Champion Awards, Southern Area, a Business in the Community Big Tick and Impact on Society Small Company Award and Gold Award in the Tourism Excellence Awards for South West of England. Venus based near Dartmouth in South Devon, has operations at five stunning beach locations in Devon and Cornwall. Venus Cafés offer customers alfresco Mediterranean style eating and the business ethos is quite simply “Loving the Beach”. The family owned business set up in 1995, has created a successful brand renowned for quality and corporate responsibility. Venus operates The Venus Café at the beaches of Blackpool Sands, East Portlemouth and Bigbury on Sea in South Devon
By the Dart
Introducing a new publication to enhance your enjoyment of your holiday in and around Dartmouth. A copy of the Monthly Community Magazine and Business Directory for Dartmouth and surrounding Villages is provided in every Cottage and Apartment at Hillfields. This month they continue Nick Shepard's journey along the Dart. Interviews with the local Coastguard, Artist Trevor Price, the team on Resnova, Greenway's property manager and the Chairman of the music festival. There is information about new business's in Dartmouth as well as reviews of some that are long long established. We are hopeful of providing a regular link to this publication to keep the friends and regular Guest's of Hillfield with all the local gossip.
Rent a Scoota
Is your agility not what it used to be? Does your freedom and independence suffer because of a lack of mobility? Rent a Scoota may be able to help get the most out of your Holiday with some of the best deals for mobility scooter hire in South Devon. Their friendly staff are always on hand to advise you of the best package for you. Short-term hire and longer-term rental can be easily arranged so if you require a mobility scooter hire for a family holiday, they can organise this for you. Why not hire one of their mobility scooters next time you go on holiday? Folding models are available to fit in the back of your car to enable you to get the most from your holiday in South Devon.
Two Very Rare Baby Owls Arrive in Devon
Two beautiful fluffy rare baby Owls have arrived at Woodlands Family Theme Park. Their proud parents Katrina and Rasputin are very rare Russian Siberian Turkemanian Eagle Owls which are Hybrids and are not found anywhere in the wild. There are only about eleven of these rare owls in England at the moment. Katrina is an excellent Mum and Rasputin became very excited and protective when the babies hatched two weeks ago. They have been watched closely on Closed Circuit TV cameras by the park’s two Falconers Geoff Pearson and Lyn Goss. There were three eggs but after Katrina had hatched out the first two babies she pushed out the third egg and ate it. Breeding mothers have a way of knowing whether the eggs are fertile or infertile even before they hatch. These eggs are often eaten by the females to gain extra nutrients.
The owls are now being hand-reared by the Falconers to give them extra care and attention. They are to be kept at a precise temperature, not too hot and not too cold. “Feeding the chicks every four hours by hand is a bit tough, at least they don’t wear nappies, but they do have to be cleaned and picked up for cuddling”. Geoff continued “we then gain the trust of the babies and soon they accept other people. All being well they should be ready to take part in the Woodlands Falconry Displays by August, where they eventually fly and land on gauntlets held by the public”.
Geoff and Lyn are looking for two Russian names, male and female, so that the chicks will be able to recognise when they are being called. Visitors to the Family Theme Park are able to enter their name suggestions into a competition, or if anyone can think of two Russian names then please send your suggestions to Woodlands Family Theme Park, Dartmouth, South Devon, TQ9 7DQ. The babies will occasionally be able to be seen at the Falconry Centre office where they will be looked after during the day until they can be placed outside.
Fast Rabbit Garden
May is by far the best time of year to explore one of South Devon’s hidden gems! Fast Rabbit Garden is filled with a mixture of exotic and native plants but is very much a ‘wild’ garden—the owners having intentionally encouraged the spread of wildflowers. It is the antitheses of a fussy well manicured garden and it’s probably for this reason that it’s so beloved by wildlife. It’s hard to get far down any of the walkways without a rabbit rocketing out of the undergrowth. This real ‘secret garden’ is a nature-lovers paradise. The Garden was started in "Strawberry Valley" in 1991.
Fast Rabbit Garden is filled with a mixture of exotic semi-hardy plants from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. There are extensive planting's of azaleas, rhododendrons and camellias which start flowering early in the year. Extensive swaths of spring-flowering bulbs carpet the hillsides in early Spring. 2009 Opening Times are limited to: Each Sunday from March through to October. Also Bank Holiday Mondays Open 11am - 5pm. Admission: Child 50p, Adults £3.50
Riverford Organic Farm!
The Riverford Field Kitchen has won Best Ethical Restaurant in the Observer Food Monthly awards. It was a customer-voted award, so we want to thank everyone, including our hard-working team in the Field Kitchen, for their support. We're over the moon! The Field Kitchen, our restaurant on the farm in Devon, has been going since 2005, serving freshly-picked organic food straight from our fields, cooked up by Jane Baxter and her team. Over the last four years, Jane's no-nonsense, gutsy dishes have won rave reviews from critics including Gordon Ramsay and the Guardian. The recipes also feature on our vegbox newsletters - so give them a try in your own kitchen.
New Flights from London City Airport to Plymouth
Customers using Air Southwest’s new flights from Plymouth to London City Airport, which start on 20 April, will be able to enjoy an even more convenient travel arrangements to the South West. “The New London City service offers a faster way to enjoy the delights that Devon has to offer within easy reach of Londoners looking to escape for a short break to relax and rejuvenate.” Air Southwest flights from London City Airport start from just £29 each way including taxes and baggage and will operate twice daily, Monday to Friday, and once on a Sunday. The new service complements the existing four-times-daily service from Plymouth to London Gatwick. Generous hand baggage and free hold-baggage allowances, a ‘Business Plus’ service and 20-minute check-in at Plymouth and Newquay are all ways in which Air Southwest has responded to meet the needs of its customers.
Seats are on sale now at
Avis Car Hire at
Visiting Ships to Dartmouth Harbour
Residents and visitors to Dartmouth love to see new arrivals in the harbour. You can find details of forthcoming ships from the following links and learn more about them.
Village update!
Following many years of design, discussion, legal and environmental issues we were finally in January granted detailed planning permission for the remaining accommodation and facilities. However we have taken a break from our development having completed so far 28 luxury cottages and apartments. With the Banks currently not co-operating we are looking for a kind benevolent soul with the financial resources and foresight to help us complete the Village. If there is anyone out there who would like to help us please give us a call! (you can’t fault us for trying!) We are currently showing booking levels well above those of last year with a lot of friends that we have met over the years returning to see how Hillfield’s is developing and many new ones too. So if you are looking to holiday with us this year early booking allows you a better choice.
Planning a special occasion or just a get together.
The Village is the ideal location for those looking for accommodation for larger groups or for more than one family or group holidaying together. We now have six properties sleeping eight or more, plus several smaller properties conveniently located close to each other. Hillfields is a popular base for a family holiday with spacious grounds, children’s play area, grassy areas for ball games and an all-weather tennis court. Cots, high chairs and stair gates are provided and baby sitting can be arranged through a local company. Equally we can offer exciting rates for couples or smaller groups at some of our larger properties at certain times of the year (call Caroline on 07816 074387). For special occasions, hampers, wine, flowers, catering or a Treatment with Sally at the Garden Rooms can be arranged.
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