Buckingham Lodge Bed and Breakfast Guest House

Its nearly June!  In our 13 years running our bed and breakfast in Torquay we have found June to be a really good month in which to visit this area, the weather is normally beautiful and there are events happening which can be enjoyed without the crowds that July and August brings. There's always something happening on the  English Riviera and with that in mind I have handpicked 7 activities to enjoy during June here in Torquay and further afield. 1. Torbay Air Show 1st and 2nd June Back for its third year in Torbay, the airshow has certainly grown in popularity bringing in excess of 165,000 spectators to the Bay of Torquay, Paignton and Brixham. The event is free, just grab a picnic and a spot either on the beach or along the seafront to take advantage of all the different aircraft demonstrations. Including the Red Arrows.  Or sit in one of the many cafes and bars to watch the live show! We have a couple of rooms still available and as we are only an 8 minute...

There has been an increasing awareness of the amount of plastics in our oceans and on our beaches and this awareness has recently been highlighted by the great Sir David Attenborough. The shocking images of the 5 mile radius of floating plastic litter in the Caribbean Sea both saddened and maddened me whilst making me feel guilty about what mankind is doing to our lovely planet. As I live near the sea and have a crazy Labrador cross Springer Spaniel I am often found on the beach - not starring out to sea but head bent either picking up litter or picking up beautiful sea glass.  The sea glass I keep and recycle into art; the rubbish goes straight into the nearest council bin or recycling container. Manufacturers are slowly adjusting their practices which means reducing their use of  plastic packaging which is good news but it did make me think hotels/guest houses/b&b's should also get their act together to be more environmentally friendly. So.... at my guest ho...

Well, its Tuesday and we're hurtling towards the busiest weekend in the year for our bed and breakfast business, www.buckinghamlodge.co.uk packed to the rafters after Friday so praying for some sunshine for our guests to enjoy Theres quite a bit happening in Torquay over the Bank Holiday.  Take a look at the following and see if anything is there to tempt you down to our lovely English Riviera. Torbay Classic Powerboat Race Will take place in Torquay on 25th and 26th May 2013.  Meet the teams and view the raceboats from Friday 24th May on Haldon Pier. First race is Saturday 25th May at 3.00pm. Sunday racing starts at 12.30pm. English Riviera Geopark Festival 25/5/2013 - 2/6/2013 During the annual festival, there’s fun for all the family with music, entertainment, arts and crafts in celebration of our incredible geology, landscape, culture and heritage. The annual festival really brings the Geopark to life, with an amazing range of activities to enjoy, from walks ...

The Devon County Show takes place on 16th, 17th and 18th May at Westpoint Exeter. Livestock and animals, stunts, JCB Dancing Diggers, beer tent, honey, stalls clothes, Falconer, Food and drink, horses, sheep shearing, steam engines, vintage cars, and crafts to name just a few of the attractions taking place.  A fantastic day out for all the family. We have accommodation available at the Buckingham Lodge www.buckinghamlodge.co.uk so why not combine a visit to the show with a stay on the beautiful Riviera in Torquay.  Contact us direct and let us know you are going to the County Show to receive a discount on accommodation. 01803 293538 or stay@buckinghamlodge.co.uk For more information about the show follow this link www.http://www.devoncountyshow.co.uk/attractions Tariff Adults £19.00 £17.00 Family (Saturday - 3 children per adult enter FOC) £45.00 £40.00 Children (Saturday - 3 children per adult enter FOC) £7.00 £6.50 Senior Citizens £17.00 (per person) £17.0...

Cockington Ceramic Festival 10th and 11th May 2013 The beautiful village of Cockington is only a mile away from our bed and breakfast www.buckinghamlodge.co.uk and taking place this week is the Ceramic Festival. This two day festival will showcase local talent and will re-enforce Cockington Court’s growing reputation as cultural centre of excellence. Cockington’s Kitchen Gallery is known in the arts world as a contemporary gallery space of regional significance, having exhibited work by artists of international acclaim as well as emerging local talent. The festival will offer yet another high quality, accessible event, and will include an interactive and informative programme, designed to encourage the engagement of both amateurs and professionals involved in art and crafts. The programme and festival will celebrate all aspects of clay, and there will be outreach sessions for local schools and community groups in the run up to the event, as well as workshops and demonstrat...

The Buckingham Lodge   guest house is a 5 minute walk from the Riviera Conference Centre which means no need to pay for parking if travelling to Torquay for a conference this year. If you are attending any of the following conferences please free feel to get in touch to find out our special rate, we offer a breakfast to suit delegates schedules, free wi-fi, free fax or printing service, collection service to and from the railway or coach station and as mentioned earlier free parking. Forthcoming Conferences at the Riviera Centre 1st and 2nd March Rotary International District 1100.   www.rotary1100.org 9th and 10th March West of England Brass Band Contest.  http://www.webba.org.uk/2013.html 7th - 9th May Independant Schools' Bursar Association.  www.theisba.org.uk 10th - 12th May Toastmasters International Conference.  www.toastmasters.org 13th - 17th June Miss England.  27th July to 10th August The 100th Chess Cha...

The Seville orange season is upon us which means its time to make the very popular and tasty homemade marmalade to serve with our scrummy breakfasts.  The recipe is simple, the hardest part is actually cutting up the orange peel which is quite labour intensive but the resulting taste is well worth it.  This time, instead of just making plain orange marmalade I am also going to make a batch of ginger and whiskey marmalade, will let you know how I get on. Recipe for Seville Orange Marmalade or Three Fruit Maramalade makes about 12 x 450 g jars This traditional marmalade can only be made in season- usually January to early February. Wash and cut in half : 1.4 kg (3lb) Seville oranges (or 1 grapefruit and 3 large oranges) 2 large lemons Cover a plate or small bowl with a piece of muslin. Squeeze out the juice then strain the pips and any membrane or pulp you can remove from the skin in your muslin. Tie up the pips and pulp and put in your p...

Happy New Year to all our guests past and hopefully future! 2012 seems to have flown by, cant quite believe we are now in 2013, where has the time gone?  We've enjoyed the Queen's Jubilee with celebrations here in Torquay, and of course the Olympics with all the success that this has bought to our small country in the way of tourism, prestige and rejuvenation. On a smaller scale we are always looking at ways to improve our accommodation, service and overall experience here at the Buckingham Lodge Bed and Breakfast. Whilst we are closed at the moment, this doesnt mean we are resting on our laurels.  Scaffolding has gone up at the rear of the property with new rendering completed, double glazing going in next week.  This means our family room, superior room and kingsize double will now be snug and warm in the winter helping the environment and of course our fuel bills! Added to that we are decorating/carpeting our twin room which makes up part of our suite, a fam...

Christmas can be so busy and stressful with January being a little bit of an anti-climax. Why not escape the hum drum, check out the January sales and visit Torquay or the surrounding beautiful towns of Brixham, Dartmouth or Totnes. The Buckingham Lodge small hotel in Torquay is currently running the following offer available when contacting us direct. Stay 2 nights during the months of January 2013, February 2013, and March 2013 in a twin, double or Superkingsize bedroom with breakfast and a bottle of Cava for a special rate of £99. Please note Easter is not included in the offer. To take advantage of this offer through please contact us direct on 01803 293538

Why not celebrate New Year on the English Riviera, Devon and stay at the Buckingham Lodge Bed and Breakfast.  We are a 15 minute walk from the centre of all festivities and are offering a late breakfast to enable you to recover from the over exuberance. New Year's Eve in a double or twin room with late breakfast is only £90 for two people with a bottle of wine to kick start the celebrations. This offer is only available when booking direct either by calling 01803 293538, or emailing us at stay@buckinghamlodge.co.uk ask to speak to Steve or Nicola, we look foward to hearing from you soon. Specials page

Problems finding the perfect Christmas Gift? Give someone something special this year - The Buckingham Lodge Gift Vouchers make wonderful presents for those hard to buy for friends and relatives and are available with two options. Vouchers can be bought in £10 denominations towards part of a stay or £99 for a 2 night break for 2 including breakfast. The Buckingham Lodge Gift Vouchers