SU CARROLL rounds up the very best activities to do and things to see close to the coastline this October.
ANIMAL MAGIC
Aberdeen Art Gallery is hosting the 59th Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibition, developed and produced by the Natural History Museum in London. The world-renowned exhibition features exceptional images which capture fascinating animal behaviour, spectacular species and the breath taking diversity of the natural world.
Using photography’s unique emotive power to engage and inspire audiences, the images shine a light on stories and species around the world and encourage a future of advocating for the planet.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is the most prestigious photography event of its kind, providing a global platform that showcases some of the best photography talent from around the world for nearly 60 years. This year’s competition attracted an astounding 49,957 entries from photographers of all ages and experience levels from 95 countries.
One of the winning entries on display is Coral Connections by Alex Mustard from the UK who was highly commended in the Under Water category (pictured).
The Aberdeen Art Gallery exhibition also includes a sound installation by Andrej Bako which draws from his practice of documenting the natural world through field recordings. The 38-minute composition engages with the relationship between water and the diverse environments that support life on earth.
Ends October 27, aberdeencity.gov.uk/AAGM
LOCALS LOVE
Aberdeen’s proximity to granite quarries has given it the nickname “the granite city”. The stone was used to build St Machar’s Cathedral with its twin spires which stands dramatically overlooking the river Don within the Old Aberdeen conservation area. The 15th century cathedral has a world-famous heraldic ceiling and glorious stained glass and is the oldest building still in active use in Aberdeen. It is open 365 days a year for formal worship and for those seeking a place of quiet contemplation, as well as for visitors. stmachar.com
DEVON REFUGE
Catherine Gillen, owner of the Brownston Gallery in Modbury, Devon, discovered a treasure trove of over 300 canvases covered in dust and cobwebs when she visited an isolated cottage in the middle of Dartmoor. She had been invited the grandson of artist Jean Jones to see the forgotten work and resulted in the first exhibition of her work in 40 years.
The latest show, Solace of Place, is packed with Jean’s bright, playful pictures and reveals how Devon and Dartmoor offered Jean a refuge over the years.
Her father, Samuel Robinson – a successful civil servant – had survived four horrific years in the trenches of the First World War. Struggling with post-traumatic-stress-disorder and under immense pressure to provide for his family in a period of economic depression, Samuel reached breaking point in 1934 and was given sick leave to recuperate in the Devonshire countryside.
Jean was able to return to the landscape she loved when she married a young Oxford academic, John Jones, whose parents lived in the Devonshire countryside. While Jean and John had a network of close friends, who included writers William Golding, Iris Murdoch and JRR Tolkien, Jean struggled with the overbearingly patriarchal and intellectually stuffy atmosphere of Oxford.
In 1958, the couple bought a cottage for Jean on the southern edge of Dartmoor. It became Jean’s refuge and she found herself in the very landscape she looked out at as a child. From the late 1960s, Jean exhibited regularly in Oxford galleries and in October 1980 was honoured with a solo exhibition at the Ashmolean Museum. She continued to paint into old age and died in 2012.
Jean’s vivid, bright renderings of the very landscape she fled to as a child alleviated the chaos and upsets of modern life. Painting was not simply an idyllic escape but a way of reconciling trauma and recovery.
October 4-26, brownstonart.com
LOCALS LOVE
Picture perfect Andrew’s Wood nature reserve is just five miles from Modbury and from the top offers views over the undulating hills as far as the eye can see. It has mixed oak and ash woodland and meadow and pasture with several ponds. It is home to nuthatch, hazel dormice, the blue tit and grass snakes. There are three walking routes which are signposted. devonwildlifetrust.org
ENERGY BOOST
For two years the Discovery Museum in Newcastle-upon-Tyne will host an ambitious new exhibition, Steam to Green: A North East Energy Revolution, which will inspire people of all ages to engage in the green energy revolution that is being spearheaded in the north east.
In partnership with Newcastle University, the exhibition features historic technology, state-of-the-art interactive exhibits, artwork and incredible models that chart a journey over the last 150 years exploring how north east innovators and businesses have harnessed different energy sources – from Victorian fossil fuels to the most exciting renewable energy solutions of the 21st century.
The Discovery Museum cares for a world class science collection, including the world´s first steam-turbine powered ship Turbinia, conceived and built on Tyneside by Charles Parsons (pictured), as well as the world’s first commercial lightbulb, which was invented in Tyneside by Joseph Swan (1828-1914).
Designed for all ages, the exhibition offers a fun and fantastic way to learn about energy and the wellbeing of the planet. You can launch a digital steam ship with an interactive exhibit combining the mechanics of coal, boilers and pistons or fly solar-powered airplanes, controlled by mirrors on the ground.
Until September 2026, discoverymuseum.org.uk
LOCALS LOVE
The Life Centre in Newcastle is not like any other museum. For more than two decades it has been home to educators, researchers, clinicians and businesses who work side by side. It’s benefited thousands of people, in so many different ways – babies brought into the world by groundbreaking fertility treatment; children who visit the science centre, and see the world (and the stars) like never before and researchers and clinicians whose work is helping people live better lives.
Explore by looking, touching and getting creative at all of the exhibitions. Explore interactive zones, discover off the wall activities and get inspired by a range of immersive experiences. life.org.uk
FISHY FEAST
More than 40 varieties of locally caught fresh seafood are landed at Brixham fish market and its coastal neighbours, Paignton and Torquay, on the English Riviera. To coincide with British Food Fortnight and National Seafood Month in October, Seafood FEAST has more than 30 events and special menus across 40 different eateries. There’s even a tasting menu for dogs at the Seadogs at Shoreline event.
Among the highlights of this year’s FEAST are foraging expeditions, masterclasses led by renowned chefs, a seven-course tasting menu from seven different chefs, sizzling barbecues by the beach and a vineyard tour paired with a delicious seafood meal.
For those with adventurous spirits, there is the unique experience of a sea swim followed by a rejuvenating sauna session and a sumptuous seafood dinner. Pop-ups, takeovers and restaurants featuring award-winning dishes from the winners of the National Fish and Chip Awards 2024 will also be in the area and guests can also savour a meal inspired by the favourite seafood dishes of iconic local author and national treasure, Dame Agatha Christie.
Local chef Mitch Tonks (pictured), acclaimed restaurateur and founder of Rockfish says: “England’s Seafood Coast boasts an incredible array of species caught and landed by local fishermen. FEAST is an exceptional opportunity to celebrate this bounty over a couple of weeks, offering visitors the chance to explore and indulge in a multitude of seafood delights.”
September 27-October 13, englishriviera.co.uk
LOCALS LOVE
At the heart of the English Riviera’s seafood world is Brixham Fish Market where the catch makes it the biggest fish market in the country by value – in 2022 it was worth a record £60.8million. There has been a fishing industry here since the 14th century, and in the 19th century it gave employment to 1,600 men. Until 2019 Brixham fishermen have sold their catch via a ‘shout auction’ with an auctioneer taking bids from fish buyers who represent wholesalers, fish merchants and restaurant owners. Then a new web-based clock auction was introduced – the first in the world. Take a fish market tour for £25, with breakfast included and a donation to the Fishermen’s Mission. brixhamfishmarket.co.uk
READY PLAYER ONE
The world’s largest interactive exhibition of the culture and history of video games at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh brings together over 100 playable games spanning 50 years. It features iconic characters from Space Invaders to Mario and highlights Scotland’s role as a pioneer and world leader in video game development.
Game On presents Scotland as home to some of the most innovative and influential game makers, including Rockstar Games, creators of the Grand Theft Auto and Red Dead Redemption series. Objects from the developer’s archive will be displayed for the first time, including limited edition merchandise and a Key to Liberty City, awarded to players who completed 100 per cent of Grand Theft Auto IV within one week of the game’s release in 2008. Only 500 were ever made.
The exhibition reveals the story of Scottish gaming, from its roots in Dundee in the 1980s with the manufacture of the ZX Spectrum computer to emerging talent such as Sad Owl Studios, whose game Viewfinder was awarded best British game at the Bafta Game Awards 2024. Visitors will also discover the important role Scottish studio, 4J studios played in making Minecraft a global phenomenon.
The exhibition is organised in thematic sections, exploring hardware formats such as handheld to home consoles to arcade machines, as well as wider cultural aspects such as the links between music, film and gaming. There are relaxed viewings for those with sensory needs and family-focused activities to inspire videogaming’s next generation of creators.
Ends November 3, nms.ac.uk/GameOn
LOCALS LOVE
Another great destination for families in Edinburgh is Dynamic Earth, a world-class science centre and planetarium that tells the extraordinary story of planet Earth. Appropriately located at the foot of a volcano is this immersive, interactive and impactful visitor experience. Be there at the moment of the Big Bang, dive to the dark depths of the ocean, and avoid rainstorms in a tropical rainforest. Plus there’s an incredible planetarium and an ever-changing schedule of activities and events. dynamicearth.org.uk
LIGHT FANTASTIC
This year marks 200 years since the establishment of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and to commemorate the occasion, a public art work will be installed on the banks of the Salcombe and Kingsbridge Estuary.
Covering over 35,000 square meters of countryside, the Salcombe Field of Light will feature 20,000 lowlight, fibre-optic stemmed spheres that will illuminate with a slow subtle change of hue. Visitors will be able to view the art installation from the harbour front in Salcombe or the estuary.
Organised by the RNLI, the Field of Light has been made possible by the generous donation from the artist Bruce Munro and support of local landowners and businesses. Salcombe Field of Light will welcome guests free of charge and present opportunities for community engagement and fundraising for the RNLI, including the local lifeboat station in Salcombe.
British artist Bruce Munro is best known for producing large light-based installations, which often employ a massing of components by the thousands. His childhood and teenage summers were shaped by the shimmering inlets and verdant hills of the Salcombe estuary, a landscape that always lifts his spirits.
He has strong memories of the Salcombe volunteer lifeboat crew that he met and admired as a teenager working in the town. He says the installation is a small thank you to the RNLI and their mission ‘to save every one’.
The Salcombe Field of Light will have its own website for individuals and businesses to sponsor the lights.
From October 5 until January 2025, salcombefieldoflight.com
LOCALS LOVE
Salcombe is a fashionable yachting centre which still has traditional boatbuilding crafts in the town and the water very much at the heart of activities. The local Maritime Museum has a treasure trove of models, paintings, photographs and artefacts which tell the story of Salcombe’s links with ships and the sea from ancient times to the Second World War.
Younger visitors will love the tales of local smugglers and pirates as well as hands-on displays and models in the young sailors corner and sea-bed treasures recovered by divers from the hundreds of shipwrecks that line the coast.
Check website for opening times, closes October 31, salcombemuseum.org.uk
MAKING WAVES
Leading Cornish contemporary art gallery Beside The Wave in Falmouth has a distinguished portfolio of artists – some have been exhibiting with the gallery for years, others are emerging talent – ensuring a dynamic and evolving collection of work through the year.
Painters draw inspiration from the natural world, capturing its beauty through landscapes, still life and abstract forms. Working with earthenware, stoneware and porcelain, the ceramists employ various techniques to create unique pieces and functional tableware and all jewellery is crafted in Cornwall using the highest quality materials.
October sees a solo show by painter Jon Doran. His original oil paintings are a combination of classical themes, in a fresh contemporary painting style. Quiet misty scenes of Cornwall, from calm rivers to impending north coast cliffs, create a sense of the sublime and are described with a unique signature process of oil painting that blends a range of textures and effects.
The surface of the paintings is a variety of abstract marks that on a close inspection are a dance of rough shapes and scrapes layered onto and blending into each other, but at a distance work together to create a sense of being at the location. They include this canvas of Porthtowan (pictured).
October, dates TBC, beside-the-wave.co.uk
LOCALS LOVE
Books! Falmouth has several really good bookshops and avid readers can indulge their love of literature at the annual Falmouth Book Festival. There are talks and performances from local and national authors, lots of events for children and workshops on creative writing, poetry, illustration, the Cornish language and more. This year’s line-up includes Rick Stein, Petroc Trelawny and Nick Harkaway.
October 14-20, falmouthbookfestival.com
Looking for more things to do around the coast this month? Why not visit these coastal literary festivals in Devon
WIGHT WORDS
There’s a wonderful mix of speakers lined up for the Isle of Wight Literary Festival, held at the Grade II* listed Georgian manor Northwood House (pictured). In a year that saw a general election, there’s plenty of politics in the programme.
You can hear from Norman Fowler, a cabinet minister in Margaret Thatcher’s government and now in the Lords; former Labour MP and campaigner Chris Mullin, espionage novelist Nigel West who, as Rupert Allason, was a Tory MP for Totnes for ten years, and Gyles Brandreth, also a former MP and much-loved as a TV presenter, panellist and writer.
Also appearing are writer and broadcaster Clare Balding, who is lead presenter at Wimbledon and won a special Bafta for her work at the London Olympics and Paralympics in 2012. Susie Dent is a writer and lover of language who has spent 30 years in Dictionary Corner on TV’s Countdown. Martin Sixsmith was the BBC’s correspondent in Moscow, Brussels and Warsaw. His book, The Lost Child of Philomena Lee was adapted for film as Philomena which starred Steve Coogan and Judi Dench. Helen McGinn is the resident wine expert on the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and is the author of several books on drink as well as three novels.
Full programme online.
October 3-6, isleofwightliteraryfestival.com
LOCALS LOVE
The Romans settled on the Isle of Wight and a visit to Brading Roman Villa will reveal remarkable remains discovered in the 1880s. The occupants farmed the fertile soils and lived in luxurious circumstances with lavish decoration including fine mosaics, one of which depicted the Roman God of agriculture, wine and fertility – Bacchus. The collection holds over 100,000 artefacts offering a snapshot of Romano-British life over nearly 400 years of Roman rule. bradingromanvilla.org.uk
SHELL SHUCKED
For over a century, Cornish families have derived their livelihood from oyster dredging in the Fal Estuary and surrounding rivers. They still use sail power and hand-pulled dredges, possibly the only oyster fishery in the world still to use these traditional methods. Ancient laws were put in place to protect the natural ecology of the riverbeds and oyster stocks, oystermen by prohibiting engines.
The start of the oyster season in October is celebrated with the Falmouth Oyster Festival which celebrates the oyster and all Cornish seafood with a mix of foodie events and entertainment.
There are live cookery demonstrations from Cornwall’s top chefs and food experts, Cornish food produce, arts and crafts, real ale, wine and Champagne bars, oyster and seafood bars. And, remembering the traditional origins of the oyster industry, there’s Working Boat Race, Grand Oyster Parade and shucking competition (pictured).
October 10-13, falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk
LOCALS LOVE
Enjoy panoramic views of the Fal Estuary and out to sea at Pendennis Castle on a headland which towers over the town. It was one of Henry VIII’s finest seaside fortresses and had a variety of active roles over the years, right up until the Second World War when the Battery Observation Point provided a round the clock watch. The collection of historic weaponry includes Tudor, Napoleonic, Victorian and 20th-century cannons.
There’s a fun family trail, exhibitions, and a soft play room near the cafe. english-heritage.org.uk
GOOD SPIRITS
Stirling SpiritFEST is a ten-day long festival of Spirits in Stirlingshire – established in 2012 with the launch of the first Stirling Whisky Festival, followed two years later by the Stirling Gin Festival.
The Stirling Gin Festival will bring hundreds of gin fans to the historic city to celebrate the best in Scottish craft gins. There are cocktail masterclasses all day, and gin lovers have the chance to sample the gins of a wide range of craft distilleries.
The Stirling Whisky Festival will have over a hundred of the country’s finest drams. Attendees can also sign up for whisky masterclasses. Event organiser June McCann of Stirling Distillery says the festival is a great opportunity for Scottish brands to promote their products as well as encouraging visitors to explore local Stirling businesses in the beautiful, historic city.
Stirling Distillery, situated in the shadow of Stirling Castle, was established in 2015 with a gin produced by June and husband Cameron to celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary. Their latest blended malt whisky, Castle Rock, is made from carefully selected Speyside single malts.
October 25-November 3, stirlingdistillery.com
LOCALS LOVE
Stirling Castle overlooks the distillery and is one of Scotland’s most celebrated visitor attractions. Cross the threshold into the Castle’s Royal Palace and enter an exciting world of plots, passion and intrigue with their costumed performers. The Castle Exhibition focuses on some of the Castle’s fascinating archaeology including the Stirling skeletons. There’s also lots for younger visitors including dress-up, musical instruments and games. Other highlights include the Great Hall, Chapel Royal, Regimental Museum, the Great Kitchens and tapestry studio. historicenvironment.scot
Halloween Glass Pumpkin Workshop
Ready to trade in your predictable pumpkin carving kit for something a tad more, let’s say, elegant this Halloween? Oh yes, we’re talking about making your very own glass pumpkin. Yes, you heard right. Glass. As in, Cinderella’s slipper but make it autumn.
It’s not every day you get to play with fire and come out with a pumpkin. No experience? No problem. Our wizards, I mean, skilled glass artists, will guide you through the mystical process of glassblowing, ensuring your pumpkin is the envy of every spirit, ghoul and fairy in town. We even cater for 12+ year olds if accompanied by an adult!
Don’t wait until the last bat hangs – spaces fill faster than a vampire’s diary on a blood moon. Book your spot now and prepare for an experience filled with fun, molten glass and a touch of Halloween magic. Halloween Glass Pumpkin Workshop | 23rd Oct – House of Marbles
COMING SOON
On December 4 1964 – a remarkable 60 years ago – The Beatles released their fourth studio album, Beatles for Sale. This was the height of Beatlemania which meant only eight of the tracks were written by The Beatles including I’m A Loser, Eight Days a Week and No Reply.
Cover versions of the album were staples of their days in Hamburg and at the Cavern Club in Liverpool (pictured). They included Chuck Berry’s Rock and Roll Music, Buddy Holly’s Words of Love and two Carl Perkins songs Honey Don’t and Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby.
At the Cavern in Liverpool today, resident band, The Cavern Club Beatles recreate the magic of the early days with a theatre style show in the Cavern Lounge, the stage that Sir Paul McCartney played on his return to the historic venue in 1999 and again in 2018. The Beatles played the Cavern Club 292 times between 1961 and 1963.
There are weekend shows (with different sets each night) from the band which formed in Liverpool in 2011. In February 2014 they celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first steps on American soil and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. Over a two-week period they played throughout New York and Florida. The following year they were invited to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the filming of Help!, in Obertauen, Austria.
The band are one of the headline bands for International Beatleweek in Liverpool, the world’s biggest Beatle festival held every August. cavernclub.com
