 | Lynmouth Local Customs | Tips 1 - 4 of 4 |  |
Popular Local Customs | Other Local Customs Tips | All Tips (4) This is really a tip which could equally apply to most of rural England but we'll put it here seeing as we had a visit the other night.
Morris dancing is a peculiarly English tradition where "teams" of dancers visit local pubs to perform outside and collect money for local charities. It is thought to have originated as a means for peasants to supplement their incomes and the name "Morris" to have evolved from the word "Moorish" refering to the fact that historically the dancers would black thier faces.
Usually having finished thier performance and passed the collecting tin they will then pop into the pub for a beer or two and if you are lucky will treat the customers to an impromptu music session. Leave a Comment
|
Visiting Lynmouth?
Read reviews about Lynmouth Hotels
Real Reviews from Real VirtualTourist Members.
The annual Lynmouth Raft Race is usually held on a Sunday in July or August, with exact dates and times depending on the tides, and is one of the highlights in everyones' social calendar, whether participating actively or not. The raft race is organised by the local Lyn Lions and is a purely amateur event with all craft being home made with whatever materials are available. This is a great family fun day out with a collection of stalls in the village centre, live music and entertainment and of course the race itself.
Whilst the race can be very competitive it is not really taken TOO seriously; one of the traditions is that the spectators "bomb" the competitors with flour at every opportunity but remember that the participatants are allowed to fight back!
The event is well supported by local businesses and visitors and raises several thousand pounds for local charities.
For more pics see travelogues. Website below is general N Devon events page: Leave a Comment
|
 | |  |
No-one seems quite sure how this recent event came about, but a few Augusts ago there seemed to be a spontaneous outburst of scarecrows around the two villages, some with charity collecting tins, others just appearing in all sorts of odd places. This has now become an annual ritual every August with an amazing variety of characters, sometimes in the oddest of places. The trick is to keep looking around, you never know where one is lurking and children especially enjoy making a game of spotting them.
See also my Lynton page for a travelog with more pics. Leave a Comment
|
In addition to the annual raft race there is also the Lyn Duck Race, usually the Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend, in aid of the local firefighters benevolent fund and other local charities. This event involves disgorging about 2,000 numbered yellow plastic ducks off the upriver bridge and allowing the river to carry them down to the footbridge just before the harbour. Spectators "purchase" a duck for a pound and the first duck to reach the footbridge earns its "owner" the 100 pound first prize.
The ducks take about 20 minutes to sort themselves out in the upper section of the river with the majority getting stuck in the many pools on the way down but a few find the natural current channels on the route to the finish.
They are still not necessarily freed from the river's hazards however, which this year included a little boy of about 4 years old, who, seeing the leading duck floating close to the shore, rushed out and plucked it out of the water with cries of "Look Mummy, I've caught a duck!" Mummy, needless to say, was somewhat aghast as she became focus of the thousands of spectators collective laughter!! Leave a Comment
|
| | |
 | 1 |  |
|
|
on July 17, 2006
