Members may wish to note that the next annual post-Christmas Forum Lunch will take place in the Regency Suite of the Devon Hotel on Friday 15th January 2015.

The cost this time will be £18.25 for 3 courses folowed by tea or coffee and mints.  Drinks (apart from the tea or coffee) will be extra.

Menus will soon be available at the Wednesday meetings for members to peruse prior to booking.

Over the last couple of months Forum walkers have completed circular walks centred around Otterton, Sidford, and Clyst Hydon, and also a one-way walk from Tiverton to Bickleigh, with buses having been used to get from Exeter to Tiverton and then to return walkers to Exeter from Bickleigh.

A selection of photos taken on these walks can be seen in the following slideshow.

 On 22 September a party of Forum members assembled in Belgrave Road Exeter to board a coach to Torquay.   The trip consisted first of a stop at the Babbacombe Hotel for a light lunch, but after that the coach travelled round to Torre Abbey to allow members to tour the recently renovated and refurbished attraction.

Dating back some 800 years, the Abbey was founded in 1196AD.  Now it functions as a museum - partly telling the story of the Abbey itself, and partly hosting a number of other exhibitions of more general local interest.  Some of the rooms contain displays of a number of the ancient artefacts found on site.    However, with the application of Lottery funds, the local council has created a museum in the building with space to accommodate a wide range of exhibits.  We saw an exhibition devoted to the life of Agatha Christie, an exhibition detailing some of the history of the Devon and Dorset Regiment, a large number of artworks from the Council's collection,and a gallery setting out the story of the Abbey over the 800 years of its existence. 

Outside the grounds are beautifully laid out but incorporate several stone ruins, relics of ancient Abbey buildings.   There is also a large tropical glasshouse containing many exotic plant species, and finally, in the lower ground floor there is the tea-room, wherein most of the party spent the last half hour or so of their visit.

This was a fascinating day out, all the more enjoyable for being able to leave the task of navigating through the congestion of Kingskerswell and its roadworks to our coach driver.