Festivals Galore

Saturday 2^nd July is Cottingham Day, starting from 12noon, it starts with an old fashioned parade with classic cars, cheerleaders, dancers and floats. There is a bird of prey display, Magic Carpet Theatre and Hull’s very own Ukelele band, what more can you ask for.

On Sunday 3^rd July at the Ashes Playing Fields at Howden is the excellent Howden Festival. This year it is also featuring a food festival. There are lots of stalls and events. Always good is the handicraft tent where you can see adults fighting over the prestige of getting first prize for the Best Victoria Sponge Cake or Jar of Homemade Sponge.

In Beverley on Sunday 3^rd July, there is Beverley Armed Forces Day, with lots of things to see and do, face painting (army style of course!), wall climbing etc.

Hull’s Literature Festival is underway (25^th June – 10^th July), it has had great attractions and more to come, this weekends events include ‘Funny Bones’ which is a dramatised reading aimed at children on Saturday at 10.30 and 2pm at Ings Library. For budding adult writers there is plenty on including an open mic session. Details are available at http://www.humbermouth.co.uk

Tying in with Humbermouth is ‘Ring around the Humber’ at Hull Truck. Tickets are £10 and shows start at 7.45pm, book in advance at the Hull Truck website. The performance is 4 plays written by four local new writers.

Steam Rally at Little Weighton

Little Weighton Steam and Vintage Rally is on this weekend (25th 26th June)

It is a nice event at Cowlam Farm and costs just £3 for adults and 50p for kids. There will be lots of steam engines, vintage cars and plenty for the whole family. Gates open at 10am on both days. Make the most of the sunshine!

Railway children

Indoors or outdoors? The weather is just so variable, although with Glastonbury and Wimbledon on this weekend it is no surprise that we are expecting plenty of the wet stuff.

At Sledmere House near Driffield is a “Nostalgia Weekend”,  go back in time to the 1940s/1950s and see what it was like in Britain after the war, there’s lots of vintage cars, bikes etc and a model railway exhibition for all the big kids.

For a trip to the cinema with a difference, there is a drive in cinema at Bustardthorpe Field, York, on Saturday (25^th June) they are showing Dirty Dancing, Tickets are £25 per car and can be booked in advance, more details are here.

Railway Children and other fans with love the latest off from NYMR. They are letting children go for free until 1^st July. Full details can be found here. You will need to watch the video and then follow the link. It is just a perfect excuse to go to Whitby, eat fish and chips and buy some freshly smoked kippers from Fortunes.

Beer Beer and more Beer

After a few weeks of events and activities for the children in this lovely East Yorkshire area, I thought it was best to concentrate on the adults especially as it is Fathers' Day (just in case anyone has forgotten).

In South Cave this week is the South Cave Beer Festival. It starts at 4pm on Saturday 18^th June in the Bull Field. There is a great selection of real ales and some music to listen to as you savour the pints.

For more of the emphasis on music then a must this weekend (17-19 June) is the Beverley Folk Festival. It is really worth going, you can get day tickets as well as tickets for the whole weekend.

Taking place in September is the much larger Hull Beer Festival. It is always best to get there on the first day as the best beers have a habit of selling out.

On the 8th and 9th July there is the excellent Moonbeams Wold Top Festival and 26th to 28th August there is Galtres Festival with more great real ales and music including The Levellers and The Charlatans.

Music, beer, music and more beer, maybe even the odd pint of cider, who can ask for more?

Owl Ice cream, Snake Sandwiches and Farm Sunday

If you go down to the woods today be sure of a pleasant surprise.

Is it a deer? Is a Gruffalo? Well it could be either.

At Sledmere House they are giving tractor and trailer tours around the park so that you can spot the red deer.

At Burnby Hall gardens there is a day of Gruffalo adventures, treasure hunts, stories, crafts and quizzes organised by Simply Books.  If you bring your picnic, make sure the Gruffalo doesn’t  steal your snake sandwiches or owl icecream.

If you just want to go down to the woods today and not bump into various creatures then the Jurrasic Walk around Hotham is a great place to a peaceful stroll. There should be just enough time to catch the end of the gorgeous rhododendron flowering season.

Farm Sunday – for some reason reminds me of Ski Sunday. Anyway it is a great excuse for a FREE day out on a farm. There are several in the area. More details can be found here.

My favourites are Weighton Wold Farm on the outskirts of Market Weighton where you can find out about weighing cows! (The scales might even be able to take my weight)

Slater Organics near Skirlaugh, where there is a fantastic walled garden and some spinning demonstrations.

Carr House Farm near Driffield with artisan bread, milling displays and a childhood favourite- pond dipping.

Some many activities and events to choose from this weekend in East Yorkshire. Enjoy them!

I scream for ice cream!!

July 17^th marks National Ice cream Day. Personally I think that is too long to wait, so this weekend is going to be all about lovely ice cream.

Whilst there are some fantastic ice cream shops across our wonderful East Yorkshire coast line there are also some fantastic ones in land. A great afternoon treat is an ice cream from the Beverley Ice Cream Co on North Bar Within. There is just such a selection that you need to have two.

Mr Moos also produces some fantastic ice cream with a great ice cream parlour in Skipsea. Gooseberry and Elderflower has to be one of my favourites. To walk off some of those ice cream calories there is a nice walk which has some great view of the East Yorkshire countryside but also takes you past a nuclear bunker and some World War 1 and 2 outposts.