The county of Devon is as diverse as they come! In the centre is the large and spectacular Dartmoor, while in the north you will find the delights of Exmoor. Devon is endowed with many beautiful rivers, offering canoeing, sailing, fishing and even some exciting white water rafting.

The Northern coastline has rugged cliffs and long sandy beaches; good for families and surfing grannies alike, whilst the coves, beaches, sandy inlets and harbours of the southern coast are a sailor's paradise and also ideal for holidays. Devon is a walkers delight and most villages have picture-postcard thatched cottages and pretty pubs, and offer everything from antique shops to farmer's markets to department stores.  There are also many National Trust houses and gardens including Rosemoor, Arlington House and Marwood Gardens in the North and in the South, Castle Drogo, A La Ronde, Killerton and Saltram, plus many, many more.

Rural life is alive and well, with around 240 WIs serving our villages and hamlets. Whether you are retiring down to the West County or just here on holiday you can be sure of a warm welcome from our Federation Secretary and her staff. Life in the WI in Devon is as full (or relaxing) as you want it to be. Come and make new friends, tackle local or national issues and be part of an exciting modern organisation opening doors that you didn't realise existed.

Accommodation and Hospitality Lists
There is a list of Bed & Breakfast accommodation available in Devon, and a list of WIs who will provide lunches, teas, suppers, guided walks, etc. Booklets are available for £1 plus postage and packing from the Federation office

Devon WI calendar 2011  Our calendar for 2011 is now available.  Entitled 'Our Beautiful Devon' it contains wonderful photographs of our fantastic county.   It has plenty of space for appointments etc. and available through our Federation office for £2.50 plus postage and packing.

Events  As a Federation we have many events organised by our sub-committees.  Some of those coming up in the next few months are: 

July kicks off with our  90th Anniversary river trip (with jazz band) on the beautiful River Dart and is swiftly followed by a trip to the Hampton Court Flower Show and Kew Gardens and then the Hungarian Rhapsody Day which will follow up the Hungarian holiday last year. There are also two Croquet Days in different parts of the county during the summer and the first of our special History Days takes place at Castle Hill, Filleigh in mid August.  Two more of these follow in October and November, again in different venues round the county.  Two walks in September, at Appledore and at Meldon Reservoir start the autumn activities and there is also a visit to Ugbrooke House in September.   Towards the end of the year we have our Christmas Shopping outing, this year to Worcester to the Victorian Christmas Market, which should be a really good day out!  Please see our Diary Dates page for a full list of activities for the rest of the year and into 2011.

Our Special Autumn Council Meeting in mid-October will be held in The Guildhall in Plymouth this year, where our afternoon guest will be Monty Halls. Many will have seen him - and mad dog Reuben - in a television series this spring. Finally in December we have our beautiful Carol Service held in Exeter Cathedral with a 150-strong choir made up of WI members from all over Devon and this will be the culmination of our wonderful 90th Anniversary year.

The Federation office staff will be pleased to supply further information on any of the above.

Linda Carew

Federation Chairman