Devon

Southernhay House Exeter – Devon

A ” grandiose ” villa in a leafy Georgian square in Exeter, Southerhay House opened as a hotel last year. It’s a ” friendly ” yet ” elegant ” place with a restaurant that is considered the best in town, says Laura Fowler of Conde Nast Traveller.Inside is a mix of ” beautiful ” antiques and curios, with “ coherent and sophisticated ” results. The ten bedrooms are all different, but even the smallest ” has a huge bed and feels light and airy “. The menu of ” reinterpreted British classics ” is a bit ” fussy”, but the simpler dishes work well. Service is excellent.

Exeter – Norwich Flights Return

Great news for Devon and the South West – Flights between Exeter and Norwich are due to return to Exeter International Airport in March.

Loganair will operate the 75 – minute flight seven days a week with a 31 seater plane.

Rob Baxter signs Exeter Chiefs contract until 2015

Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter and his coaching team have signed contract extensions to keep them at Sandy Park until the end 0f 2014 – 15 season.

This is great news for the Devon club who currently sit third in the league as well as topping their group in the European Challenge Cup.

We Bought a Zoo : Mee family at New York premiere.

A family whose story of buying a zoo inspired a Hollywood film  have attended its New York premier.

” We bought a zoo ” starring Matt Damon and Scarlett Johansson, is about the Mee family’s purchase of a Dartmoor zoo in Devon.

This is really wonderful news for Devon following closely in the footsteps of the Spielberg film ” War Horse ” which again was largely filmed in the Dartmoor area.

Sherford Valley new town proposals given go-ahead

Plans to build thousands of homes in a new Devon community have been approved by South Hams District Council.

Developer Red Tree’s plans include 5,500 homes in Sherford Valley on the east side of Plymouth.

Stephen Spielberg’s film War Horse opens in New York

Exciting news for Devon again as the film we have all been waiting for opens in New York. Largely filmed on Dartmoor it is bound to have a  huge impact on tourism numbers in Devon. Cream tea country is once again in the news !

Devon Air Ambulance Trust to get new helicopter

DAAT needed £4.5 million to order a new , adapted EC135 helicopter.

The charity had secured £3.9 million , but a two -  year fundraising appeal by BBC Radio Devon raised £602,000 , the last of which was pledged earlier.

This is wonderful news for Devon and the South West region.

Kingskerswell bypass work could start in 2012

Great news for Torbay in Devon as work is exepected to start on the bypass in less than a year.

The government has awarded £76.4 million towards the £110 million cost of the 5.5 km dual carriageway around Kingskerswell.

The Mayor of Torbay, Gordon Oliver, said : At long, long last, what absolutely brilliant news for Torbay and South Devon.

GIDLEIGH PARK CHAGFORD

Gidleigh Park already boasts a stack of awards and has now won the prestigious title of South West Restaurant of the Year at this year’s Taste of the West Awards.

The restaurant has also ended up in the top realms of several categories of The Sunday Times Food List of Britain’s Top 100 Restaurants compiled by Hardens, including being rated third best restaurant in the country and best in the South West. And it has also won the votes for Most Excellent Restaurant in the Conde Nast Johansens Awards for excellence.

Gidleigh Park has also received a Gold Award from Visit Britain and five red stars for 2012, has been named Favourite UK Hotel runner-up in the Telegraph Travel Awards 2011 and made it onto the AA’s Notable Wine List 2011.

Last week  Sir Michael Parkinson hosted a fundraising event for The Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund at the restaurant.

Michael Caines the Exeter based two-Michelin -star chef swears by using seasonal , locally sourced  ingredient’s from Devon’s abundant ” larder “for his recipes.

” Buying local food is important and I think it’s really great that people have picked up on that.”

South West beaches hit high standards

South West Water said a record number of beaches in the region have reached the European Union’s highest standards in bathing water quality.

Out of 144 designated bathing waters in the South West Water region, 142 met or exceeded the European Union’s good standard and 137 met the excellent standard.

The operations director of South West Water said ” We are very pleased with this year’s results,which once again illustrate that the region has some of the finest bathing waters, beaches and rivers in the UK and Europe .”

This really great news for Devon and the tourist industry.