The Wild Shore is a storytelling ramble by the sea, cliffs and hidden woods of North Devon

Step off the map and into a world where stories wash ashore with the tide - this August, award-winning theatre company Burn the Curtain invites adventurers of all ages to The Wild Shore.

Bucks Mills is the location for six performances from Tuesday, August 19 until August 25, offering a spellbinding promenade theatre experience set along the windswept cliffs and hidden woods of North Devon.

It follows hot on the heels of Burn the Curtain’s ground-breaking sister production Swim From the Wild Shore, hosted at Hele Bay near Ilfracombe earlier in the summer.

This time participants can stay dry as they search for smugglers through ancient woodland, glimpse strange sea-born figures against the horizon and uncover messages cast adrift by voices long lost to the waves.

“The Wild Shore is part folktale, part ramble,” says the show’s writer Bernadette Russell.

“It’s full of mystery and mischief, woven from stories you might overhear in a harbour pub or dream after a day in salt water: tales from the sea, the shore, the woods, the earth, the flora and fauna as well as the people of this incredible place. This isn’t a show you simply sit and watch… it’s one you dive into.”

As twilight falls, an age-old ritual begins: villagers and wanderers gather to receive the sea’s offerings – bottles cast ashore, each one bearing a memory, a warning, or a wish.

But this year, a shadow looms. The relentless Customs Posse is on the hunt, determined to catch the elusive leader of a feared smuggling crew.

Winding through forest glades and echoing coves, audiences will encounter fearless fisherwomen, shipwrecked sailors and mythical creatures all brought to life by professional performers. Expect sea shanties, twilight trickery and the thrill of the unknown.

The Wild Shore is the culmination of months of creative adventures, from wild swims to storytelling workshops and follows the success of Swim from the Wild Shore, where intrepid swimmers performed a ritual of theatre and myth in the open sea.

Claire Ayres, Creative Producer at Beaford Arts, said: “We’ve seen an incredible response to this project so far.

“People are hungry for experiences that feel fresh, real and full of wonder. The Wild Shore is exactly that - it’s intimate, exhilarating, and deeply connected to this wild, beautiful place.”

The evening shows take place from 7.30 to 9pm from August 19 to 25, with no show on the Saturday. For tickets and more information, viosit https://beaford.org/events