Without wishing to offend the locals, Devon definitely has a dark side to it and this becomes only too apparent when it comes to the Halloween celebrations which range from the 'bit of fun' for the children to some more sinister celebrations.
Halloween night in Babbacombe
Let's start with the Babbacombe Model Village in Torquay and the Halloween Evenings of Mini Horrors. This takes place on the week leading up to Halloween from Monday 27th October 2014 and is from 6 – 10 pm each evening. It's suitable for the whole family but the younger children will have to hold tight to mum or dad's hand as there are some live actors mingled in around the place which are sure to make you jump. Visit the Workshop of Horrors Tour through the woods and past abandoned workshops with just the flickering light of a lantern to see by.
When you have had your fill, a five minute walk down to the middle of Babbacombe will clear the head and how about some fish and chips from Hanbury's, voted the best fish and chip shop in the southwest, year after year!
Hold tight and scream for your life
The next event will also be a scream for the whole family, Halloween Spooktacular, which is held at Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre in Lifton on Dartmoor from Saturday 25 October to 1 November 2014 from 10 am each day. This interesting place is home to lots of vintage fairground rides and the effect of how scary these rides can be is quite surprising, especially the ghost train! Kids are admitted free when dressed in Halloween costume.
How about something which is adults only? Exeter's Zombie Ball fits the bill perfectly, held in 2014 at Lemon Grove. It is proving to be a very popular event with local and national bands are there to entertain you and needless to say there are quite a few scary surprises lined up throughout the night to frighten the life out of you. The event is for over 16s only and features performers Skindred, Glamour of the Kill and I Divide.
The Zombie Ball starts at 7pm but before that there is the extraordinary Zombie Walk which takes place through Exeter city centre. Previous years' walks prove really scary with plenty of blood and skeletons. Lots of people dress up as zombies and walk through the city causing quite a stir along the way, you have to feel sorry though for the poor souls who have just stopped off at one of the pubs for some light refreshment without being aware of the event, then stepping out onto the street and thinking that there is some kind of zombie invasion!
Fishermen and ghostly figures in the Original Brixham Ghost Walk
Lastly, an event which cannot really be described as a barrel of laughs is the 'The Original Brixham Ghost Walk' ‐ very scary this one. Join Madame Noir, Treacherous Tracy, Deadly David and Matilda Balm who lead the tours through the narrow streets of Brixham telling of ghostly happenings and strange unexplained occurrences in the actual town. The walk starts at the William of Orange statue on Brixham Harbour and lasts 90 minutes with spooky stories, ghostly tales and paranormal activity. These walks also run from May to September on Tuesdays, Wednesdays in school holidays, and Thursdays.
There are many other Halloween related events all over Devon so make sure that you check the local press for details wherever you are staying because this is one night of the year which you definitely don't want to miss.
There is little doubt that some areas of the UK take Halloween more seriously than others. Is there an event which you can recommend for visitors to Devon at Halloween; one which will be guaranteed to have anyone shaking in their boots?
Born in Cheshire, Gillian Birch moved to Cornwall at her earliest opportunity and never looked back. After 20 years, her ongoing discovery of popular attractions, quiet footpaths and local eateries has made her a fount of knowledge as she entertains readers with her informative articles on the hidden gems of Devon & Cornwall from a local point-of-view.