Town’s coast and harbour will be celebrated for Ilfracombe Coast Week
A packed programme of events for the new Ilfracombe Coast Week will be running from Saturday, May 30 to Sunday, June 7
Ilfracombe’s harbour and amazing coastline is set to be celebrated with a packed nine days of activities from Saturday (May 30).
Ilfracombe Coast Week runs until Sunday, June 7 and brings a programme of dozens of coastal activities, heritage, art, wildlife, water safety, boat trips, workshops, talks and family-friendly experiences across the town.
It has been put together by Visit Ilfracombe and Ilfracombe & District Business and Tourism Association and will offer something for residents, visitors, families, community groups and local schools.
Across the week people can enjoy VR (virtual reality) headset experiences, guided walks with the National Trust, Ramblers Association and Wander Women, as well as talks covering the RNLI, local history and coastal heritage.
Plus there will be art sessions, chocolate making, cookery workshops, boat trips, watersports, nature activities and more.
There will be scuba diving trial sessions with Easy Divers for local youth groups, with the first session taking place on Sunday, May 31, giving young people the chance to experience diving in the safe and supported environment of an outdoor pool.
One of the week’s highlights will be the arrival of the world’s last seagoing paddle steamer, PS Waverley, which is running a free sailing trip on Thursday, June 4 for 500 local primary school children from Ilfracombe.
Paul Semple, managing director of Waverley Excursions, said: “Given the long association Waverley has with Ilfracombe we wanted to offer something back to the town and wider community.
“I am delighted that so many schools have taken up the free offer to come for a trip on the ship, with some incorporating Waverley and the history of the paddle steamers that once served Ilfracombe into their curriculum.”
Paul Bateman of Ilfracombe & District Business and Tourism Association, which runs Visit Ilfracombe, added: “Ilfracombe Coast Week is about celebrating everything that makes this town special: the harbour, the coastline, the people, the wildlife, the stories and the sense of adventure.
“We wanted to create a week that residents can be proud of and visitors can really get stuck into, whether that’s stepping aboard a boat, joining a guided walk, trying something new in the water, discovering local history or taking part in a creative workshop.
“It’s also a brilliant opportunity to showcase the businesses, volunteers and organisations who help make Ilfracombe such a distinctive coastal destination.”
You can view the full Ilfracombe Coast Week timetable at https://www.visitilfracombe.co.uk/series/ilfracombe-coast-week