Tuesday 26 November 2013

Candlelit Dartmouth Weekend


CANDLELIT DARTMOUTH WEEKEND 6 – 7 DECEMBER AT THE FLAVEL – advance information!
Children's Christmas Craft Workshops - Main Hall
£5.00 for 3 activities. e.g mobiles, decorations, cake decorating etc
Suitable for aged 5+ and under 9s need to be accompanied by an adult
Adult Workshops - Green Room
Make Your Own Vintage Tea Cup Candle - £8.00
There will be a small additional charge in the workshop to cover the cost of your chosen vintage china tea cup or glassware or bring your own!
Learn how to make candles using natural materials, scented with your own special mix of essential oils as a unique Christmas gift...or just to keep for yourself!
Create Your Own Wood-Washed Artwork - £10.00
Workshop price includes all the materials you need to make your own custom sign, including Farrow and Ball paints and decorative tape for hanging.  Why not try your hand at creating your very own piece of artwork?  In this workshop you'll learn how to prepare boards for printing and make your own letter blocks that will type out the message you want on your board.  Frequently featured in all the homes' magazines and popular on Pinterest and Etsy, these simple but stylish artworks can bring uniqueness to any home.  A great Christmas present!
Competitions during the festival…
Best dressed dog!
There will be three categories of entrants for this competition which will be judged by Linda Howard from Dartmouth Pet Foods
at the Bandstand at 2pm on Saturday 7th December 2013 – just turn up with your Christmas Dog !!
Photography
We are looking for some budding local photographers who can take some really great images that capture the wonderful essence of Candlelit Dartmouth 2013 !!!
Entrance to the competition is free. Send these by email giving your name and address, age and which category to info@candlelitdartmouth.co.uk
Fancy Dress
For all children under 11 years, come along to Candlelit Dartmouth on Saturday morning dressed as Jack Frost or the Snow Queen and you may win a prize for the best fancy dress !!!!
There will be two categories : under 7 years and 7yrs – 11yrs
Judging takes place at the Bandstand at 11am on Saturday 7th December
Plus the ever popular Candlelit Arias from The Little Opera Company at The Flavel on Fri 6 and Sat 7 December.  Starting at 7.30pm, this fantastic, international group of talented operatic singers will bring some festive cheer to you all!  Tickets £16 and 35 under 18s  to book > www.theflavel.org.uk

Tuesday 17 September 2013

The Crow's Nest Autumn Cookery School Promotion 2013


We recently noticed that some of the dates we have free this autumn tie up with cookery course dates at Manna from Devon so we decided to put together a promotion for you!

Book a min 2 night stay with us and get 10% off a Manna from Devon course, free Ferry tickets (max 4) to get over the lovely river Dart, and a complimentary bottle of bubbles in your fridge to celebrate!


All you have to do is find a course you would love to attend and then check the dates with us to confirm your booking and grab yourself a very nice offer!

This promotion starts 24th September and runs until December 18th 2013


Enjoy courses such as FabulousFish " For our very popular fish class we take a wide selection of fresh, local seafood and learn to prepare it from scratch as we discuss sourcing, how to buy the best fish and how to cook it whether steamed, pan-fried, grilled or baked." 


Or Essential Devon " This class is a must for anyone wanting to learn about the great range of food available in Devon as we share our knowledge of Devon produce and producers".


Take a look at the Manna from Devon website for more courses here


NB: There is limited availability both on the courses and at The Crow's Nest so please check first and book early!

Tuesday 20 August 2013

The Crow's Nest mini guides - 3) Crabbing in Dartmouth.

 Dartmouth crab fishing tips for holidaymakers and visitors.



There is a past time in Dartmouth that takes place each year from April to October depending on the weather. It is essentially a fine weather sport. It is suitable for all ages although children tend to be more enthusiastic and enthralled. It is harmless and the equipment initially costs around a fiver. The equipment consists of a bucket, preferably clear, a fishing line with a mesh bag on the end and bacon. That's it. It involves skill, patience, luck and fierce inter-family competitiveness.  The past time is crab fishing,known as 'crabbing' locally. The art of catching crabs off the embankment by line.

Years ago this was carried out using normal fishing lines with hooks on the end. The bait, usually cheap supermarket bacon was then placed on the hooks and the line dangled into the water. The problem here was twofold. The hooks hurt the small crabs and the hooks sometimes hurt the small children's fingers. The solution was easy. The hooks were substituted for nylon mesh bags when it was realised that with fresh bacon inside, the small crabs would cling on tight until they had eaten their fill. No need for nasty hooks.
Almost overnight, the past time became enormously more popular and safer to one and all!




If you get hooked (sorry!) on crabbing you can arrive in Dartmouth, buy your gear and be crabbing within 5 minutes. Some guests of ours recently reported catching 94 crabs in about 1 hour from the North Embankment. They must have used a very big bucket and excellent quality bacon.

The best places to go crabbing in Dartmouth? That's easy, the North and South embankments but watch out for boats especially ferries coming in to moor up!

The thing is, children simply love it! They cannot wait to get out and start catching the lovely creatures. it must be a combination of sport and the skill of pulling your line very gently out of the water so the crabs don't jump off before you pop them into the bucket of water. It is often said that Dartmouth crabs must be the healthiest crabs around. They spend most of the summer eating first class bacon and then go for a little ride up in the air to spend some time in a small bucket before being returned to the water to look for more bacon.



Crabbing in Dartmouth, the crabs love it, families love it and so do the supermarkets.

Buckets and lines sold by: Pillars newsagents Lower Street and many other outlets around town.
Bacon sold by The Co-Op Supermarket, Fairfax Place

Final Safety Tips: Don't let anyone fall in the water! and don't eat any that you catch, please put them back for the next crabbers.




NB  If by now you have a longing for fresh crab, Dartmouth is the right place to be. Our local restaurants, pubs, cafes and shops sell the freshest and finest crab in the world try it next time you visit.

Wednesday 31 July 2013

Crows Nest mini guides - 2) Cafe Alf Resco, Lower Street, Dartmouth.


Cafe Alf Resco  


Our short guide to Cafe Alf Fresco.

See why we love it and why you have to visit when you come to Dartmouth:

Local (very) breakfast & lunch halt
Bohemian
Atmospheric
Stylish
Coffee
Toast
Porridge
Mushrooms on Toast
Smoked salmon and scrambled eggs
Music
Laughter
Chatter
Friends
Dogs
Family
Children
Noisey
Charity supporters
Dartmouth supporters
Open every day
All year round
Social media fans
Great orange juice
Great teas
Great food
Meeting place

Fell in love with Alf's many years ago. One of the Dartmouth attractions, institutions. Best meeting place for breakfast? Love taking friends and family there for breakfast. Everyone loves Alf's. Have you been?

Thursday 25 July 2013

Crow's Nest guide to What's On in Dartmouth - 26th July - 1st August 2013


 

Crows Nest mini guides - 1) The Royal Avenue Gardens, Dartmouth

The first in a series of short articles describing some of the things we love about Dartmouth

1) The Royal Avenue Gardens, Dartmouth

We wanted to write about our favourite relaxing, peaceful green space in Dartmouth, the impressive Royal Avenue Gardens. Right in the centre of Dartmouth there is this wonderful space full of amazing flowers, grasses, plants and trees that so many visitors just walk right by.  What makes it so lovely is that it gets used by both visitors and residents of Dartmouth who know about its treasures.

So even though the gardeners constantly produce really spectacular flower beds and floral displays there are no 'Keep off the Grass' signs anywhere. People picnic, laze around, sun-bathe, read books or just chat and relax on the grass. Children dance and play. Well behaved dogs run around having fun. All on this small oasis of lush green garden right next to the Bandstand and overlooking the River Dart! People use it and enjoy it and love it.


The council gardeners are wonderful and because so many people love to use this space they work really hard to keep it in great condition. For instance at Dart Music Festival time each May, it is used particularly hard. Some flower beds get a bit trampled and stuff gets broken off. Within a few days it is all perfect again and always recovers!



There are benches dotted around the edge of the grass and a great new section was added to the gardens last year called the 'Newcomen Plaza'.  This is a very fancy phrase for an additional bit of space in front of the Thomas Newcomen Engine display room. There are several raised beds with herbs and plants in and some really nice paved areas with benches. It looks brilliant and is a lovely place to sit on a bench and 'stop to smell the roses'. 

That's because it is also adjacent to the Rose Garden. If you love roses, you will really like this. A circular area surrounded by ornate metal railings and arches that really shows off the collection of rose bushes. The scent is captivating and at this time of year the roses are fully out and so colourful, you would love it.


The Royal Avenue Gardens may not have the excitement of Dartmouth Castle or the attraction of Agatha Christie's house but nevertheless they are stunning, peaceful and relaxing. In our opinion you should make sure you walk around them the next time you visit or just plop down on a bench and read a book.


Oh, and did I forget to mention the small but beautifully formed pond with goldfish, surrounded by lilies and ferns and gunnera (like giant rhubarb leaves)?  This is tucked away right at the back of the gardens on your way through to the car park.

Crows Nest guide to Entertaining Kids on their Holidays

Always thinking about what you can do to entertain the kids? Well here is a ton of stuff they may enjoy?



Let us know if you try any of these things out.
Have fun.

Sunday 14 July 2013







Lunch at the Floating Bridge next to the Higher Ferry. Fabulous location overlooking the River Dart.
Instagram is a great way of producing good images of our 'out & about' in Dartmouth