Looe Music Festival 2012 has landed and there’s not a muddy, wet, overcrowded festival field in sight

Looe Music Festival 2011 was fantastic!

It brought the town alive, lifted spirits and gave everyone something new and exciting to look forward to. A huge number of musicians played everything from Celtic folk music to Ska. Here are just a few of the famous, infamous and yet to be famous names who played at last year’s festival:

• From The Jam
• Roy Wood
• The Selecter
• Adrian Edmonson & The Bad Shepherds
• The Normals
• Sandfire Siren
• Fraser
• Company B
• Phantom Limb
• State of Undress
• Kirsti Robinson
• Pentorr
• James Shead
• The Bounce

Headline bands for 2012

For the complete 2012 line-up see the tabs below but to whet your appetite these are the main head line acts for Looe Music Festival 2012.

So, what else is new for Looe Music Festival 2012?

• Well, the new festival website is looking fabulous.
• Rumours are rife about this year’s headline acts so I expect them to be big names.
• There’s a a Mini Music Festival coming up (sold out) and it seems like half the town has already succumbed to ‘Festival Fever’ – it’s a lovely thing to see.
• New T-shirts and other items will be on sale.
• Money raising events, quizzes and competitions are being held all the time.
• The festival is now a registered charity, no. 1146140.
• There is an amazing array of motivated and enthusiastic sponsors backing the event including the Adrenalin Quarry, Skinners, Crantocks and St Austell Brewery.

Basically, it looks like 2012 is going to be bigger and better than last year.

So, what are you waiting for?

If any one of the following apply to you then you should seriously consider coming to the music festival this September.

• If you love Looe.
• If you love Cornwall
• If you love beach parties
• If you love music festivals
• If you love the idea of dancing to the best live music on golden sands with your shoes off
• If you love trying new things and want to do something different this year
• If you LOVE MUSIC!

If you love any of the above, don’t miss out. Go get tickets for the Looe Music festival today.

Places to stay in Looe

Looe has a huge choice of accommodation to choose from.

• Looe Hotels
• Bed and Breakfast Looe
• Self Catering Looe

Camping and caravanning sites are nearby too if you prefer the outdoor living experience and everything you might ever need is right here in town so you can travel light and get what you need when you arrive.

The best place in Cornwall

Looe is already the best place to be on New Year’s Eve and now we’re going for the best place to be in September!

Looe Music Festival – the best place to be in September 2012

For all the music festival updates

BOOKMARK this post and download the essential Looe App for all the news, festival details and mega musical line-up info you might need.

Stay in touch via Twitter or Facebook for the latest details and announcements too.

Please leave a comment about this or last year’s music festival.

If you’re looking for things to do in Looe throughout 2012 then there are several options.

1. Phone a friend.
2. Trawl the web.
3. Visit the ilovelooe.co.uk things to coin Looe Events page.
4. Download the free iLoveLooe App and look through the month by month Events calendar .

If you have a mobile phone then please download the iLoveLooe App as the things to do in Looe events calendar now has 31 events listed in it. Wow, how many times can I say Things to do in Looe in this post!

We have all kinds of things to do in Looe, including:

• ‘Burns Night Dinner’ at the Jubilee Inn (01503 220312) in Pelynt tomorrow night.
• Looe VMCA Rockpool Ramble (Free) on the 12th February. Call Matt on 01503 262532 for more details.
• West Looe May Fayre in West looe on May 9th.
• Looe Diamond Jubilee Celebrations from the 2nd to the 5th June.
• Looe Food Festival on 23rd and 24th June.
• Looe Carnival Week – July 29th to August 4th.

Sorry, I can’t list them all here. What I do suggest though is that if ever you needed an excuse to buy a new and shiny smart phone, the Looe Events Calendar on the iLoveLooe App is just the reason you need. The App is free so that’s another bonus

Are you holding an event in or near Looe?

If you are then pop on over to the Events page, enter the details and I will add your event to the App and the ilovelooe Events page for Free.

If you don’t tell me about it, I can’t help you publicise it!

Enjoy your day.

Chris

Looe New Year’s Eve 2011 fireworks display was a cracker.

The rain just about held off and I managed to snap a few pictures which are all below. You can also find them in the Looe New Year’s Eve 2011 fireworks display gallery.

Please tell your friends, family and fans about the photos and link to them from your blog or website if you’d like to.

Hey everyone, a big thank you if you posed for the camera this evening. All photos will be live in a day or so so please pop back – there are a few to go through

Off to bed now… photos of the fireworks coming too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE…

I went along to a meeting the other day with a wonderful group of people in West Looe.

The group are known formerly as the West Looe Traders and their remit is to encourage us all to get over to West Looe and do more shopping.

This is not just a Christmas group either and I would encourage other business owners who weren’t there to contact Edwina and join in.

Anyway, down to the press release from Edwina which I received last week which relates to the forthcoming Christmas celebrations, the tree and the 100′s of stars that have been painted by local children.

Read more about Christmas in West Looe with West Looe traders

Traders in West Looe are planning their first ‘Christmas in West Looe’ celebration on Saturday 3rd December from 10am – 6pm.

Local Cornwall Councillor Edwina Hannaford who has been helping the fledging group said, “Although West Looe may be the quieter side of the river, the shops have a very distinctive flavour with a wide selection of artisan shops.” “The day seeks to showcase West Looe by offering children face painting, carol singing and shop window competitions, mulled wine and of course highlight the 20ft Christmas Tree kindly donated by Hillcrest House Nursing Home which for the first time will be bedecked with hand painted stars.”

Although West Looe may be the quieter side of the river, the shops have a very distinctive flavour with a wide selection of artisan shops.

Owner of The Lovely Lane Interiors Christine Iles said, “West Looe is gaining a reputation for quality hand crafted, stylish and unusual gifts. The range of shops is fantastic with flowers & Christmas wreaths, a café and tea room, curios, paintings, art pieces, jewellery, ladies wear, shoes and accessories, delicatessen and food store as well as home ware and soft furnishings.” “We invite people to come and have a browse, sample some mulled wine, join in the carol singing and rest your feet with a cuppa and cake in West Looe’s café and tea room.

Christine continued, “ People often overlook the businesses on West Looe at Pennyland, The Millpool and Hannafore, we want to make sure people are aware of not only the wide range of shops but services which include an optician, haberdashery, hotels and guest houses, charity shops, hairdressers, florist and dog grooming parlour.

West Looe boasts the oldest pub in Looe and possibly one of the oldest pubs in the country The Jolly Sailor. The pub is featured in a wills cigarette card collection called 40 oldest inn’s. You will also find the 14th century St. Nicholas Church on the harbour side, which is apt as St Nicholas was a man known for his generosity. The characters of Father Christmas and Santa Claus are based on him and his good works.

We invite people to come and have a browse, sample some mulled wine, join in the carol singing and rest your feet with a cuppa and cake in West Looe’s café and tea room

If you would like to commission a hand painted Christmas Tree star dedicated to a loved one or decorate one yourself contact Val at The Tole Fairy, West Looe Quay or check out the Facebook group West Looe Traders. Stars are just £1.50. Children from surrounding schools are busy decorating their star which have been donated by West Looe businesses free of charge. The winning designs will be judged and all stars will be put on the tree. Deadline for entries of 25th November. Prize winners will be announced at 1pm on 3rd December round the tree on West Looe quay.

If you are interested in joining the West Looe Traders contact Christine Iles of Lovely Lane Interiors on 01503 265556 or Anne Sherrington in Olivers Tea Rooms.

The next meeting of the Traders is on 25th November 5pm The Tole Fairy, all traders welcome.

The Munchtime Express starts today from Looe Railway Station.

The deal is, you buy a ticket for the train, enjoy the wonderful scenery up the Looe Valley Line to Liskeard and back whilst enjoying gourmet cuisine from some of the best restaurants in Looe. Oh, did I mention that the food is all FREE?

At the end of this post is a comment form and it would be really great to get your feedback about this and even last year’s event if you were lucky enough to go. I’d also love to know which are your favourite restaurants in the town and why. Thank you in advance.

So, in 2011 the Restaurants taking part are…

Read more about the Munchtime Express

The restaurants in Looe that are taking part are:

1. Barclay House
2. Trawlers on the Quay
3. The Plough at Duloe
4. Ocean and Earth

Last year’s event was a huge success both for the Looe Chamber of Commerce, the Looe Valley Line and the restaurants involved. Infact I believe the event won an award at a national rail event this year so more details on that when I have them.

For now though, if you fancy some top quality nosh for free(!), head on down to the Looe Railway station at about 12.30pm to catch the train at 12.46pm. You will arrive back in Looe at 13.50pm all relaxed and ready for the afternoon.

Munchtime Express dates

All Munchtime Express trains run on Tuesdays at 12.46pm.

• Tuesday 8th November 2011
• Tuesday 15th November 2011
• Tuesday 22nd Novemebr 2011
• Tuesday 29th November 2011

Tickets

Just pay for your ticket and the food is free.

• Looe – Liskeard return is £3.70.
• Four people can travel for the price of two, so £7.40.

Last year’s Event

The Looe Festival of the Sea was a huge success this weekend and wow, thee were so many people in town. Looe was buzzing.

Below is one of the pictures I photographed during the naming and dedication ceremony of the new Ollie Naismith D class Lifeboat for the RNLI station in Looe.

The Ollie Naismith Lifeboat, named after local lad Ollie Naismith who died in a tragic car accident just before Christmas in 2009, was dedicated to the Looe RNLI by his father during a solemn and yet heartwarming ceremony outside the RNLI boathouse on Saturday.

Hundreds of people gathered to pay their respects to the Naismith family and to remember Ollie for the person he was. I think the event was one of the most important in Looe for a long time as it brought together all parts of community in what is recognised as being probably the most important charity in Looe.

The initial lifeboat appeal was for £31,000 but in the end the RNLI managed to raise over £84,000 which was used to pay for a specialist tractor and trailer to launch the Ollie Naismith and also pay for the lifeboat’s running costs for its lifetime. Quite an amazing achievement for our little town of Looe.

The Ollie Naismith D class Lifeboat

I have a couple of dozen more pictures of the Ollie Naismith Lifeboat and the Dedication Ceremony which I will upload in a few days time.

Looe Festival by the Sea is an annual festival that celebrates Looe and it’s connections with the sea, good food, local music and all things Cornish.

Now in its seventh year, the Festival by the Sea promises to be bigger and better than ever before with events such as food tasting, raft racing, choral singing, lifeboat naming and exhibitions by the RSPB and Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

When

Looe Festival by the Sea is being held on the 9th and 10th of July 2011 – this weekend!

Where

Festival events will take place on East and West Looe quays – see Looe town map.

Time

As far as I know festival events kick off at 11am on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Weather forecast

According to my weather forecast it’s going to be sunshine with a few fluffy clouds, so if you live here, are coming to here on holiday or just fancy popping into Looe for a day out, then get here early to enjoy the best of what’s on offer.

Want to know more? Click the following Looe Festival by the Sea “Read More” link…

Read more about the Looe Festival by the Sea 2011

Food – Grazing on the Quay

Okay, this is not a complete list as I have haven’t heard back from some restaurants and food providers so I expect there to be more than the good people who got back to me below.

Foodie events and tasting sessions are being held on both days with the ever so popular ‘Grazing on the Quay’ taking place from 11am each day. I must admit that I don’t like the phrase ‘Grazing on the Quay’. I think it’s the ‘cow/grazing’ connotations. It just conjures up the wrong images when you consider the food on offer is provided by some of the best restaurants in Cornwall! I’ll have to put my mind to an alternative – unless you have a better one – drop me a line.

Award winning restaurants taking part

It’s true, some of the best food restaurants in Cornwall are right here in Looe.

We have Gold, Silver and Bronze Award winners from the Taste of the West Awards and most if not all will be on the quayside at the Festival by the Sea this weekend.

Barclay House, Trawlers on the Quay and The Plough (in Duloe)

Barclay House

Barclay House is one of the premiere Hotels in Looe. The hotel has an enviable reputation, both for its position overlooking the town and for the restaurant which has won so many awards. Barclay House is listed in the Michelin Guide with two AA Rosettes for excellence (top 2% of 40,000 restaurants), has won Gold in the Taste of the West awards and Silver in the Cornish Tourism Awards! They’re pretty good!

Head Chef Benjamin Palmer and Assistant Chef Jake Palmer should both be at the Barclay House stand ready to answer any of your questions and share some of their delightful, locally sourced dishes. Their Stand will be outside Trawlers on the Quay.

Trawlers on the Quay

Trawlers on the Quay is a sister restaurant to Barclay House and is possibly the best seafood restaurant in Looe. The restaurant is contemporary in design and occupies a great position overlooking the harbour. Trawlers has also won a Gold at the Taste of the West Awards and were featured in the Which Good Food Guide.

Trawlers specialise in locally sourced seafood and having been there just a couple of weeks ago (thank you to our friends who paid for this) I can personally recommend them. We had some beautifully presented dishes which tasted divine and the service was always with a smile. We like Trawlers.

Hopefully, Head Chef Jono Hancock will be at the stall on Saturday and Sunday so you can have a chat about his culinary delights. Let me know what you think in the comments below.

The Plough in Duloe

The Plough in Duloe (very near to Looe) is a new member of the Barclay House family. The pub had been closed for a while until Barclay House took over and renovated it in 2011.

The restaurant in The Plough is overseen by Chefs Katie Gilmon and Jordan Davies. I haven’t been there yet so I can’t pass on an opinion but should the opportunity arise, I’ll report back to you straight away.

The food at the festival

According to the PR department at Barclay House, all three restaurants will be serving a selection of locally sourced dishes perfect for the festival including:

• Scallop and Prawn Toasts
• Cataplana and Baked breads
• Cornish Crab Gaspachio

Food will be served throughout the day (11am to 5pm) and Trawlers and Barclay House will be open during the evening on Saturday (Trawlers Sunday).

Blue Plate Restaurant

Blue Plate are another of South East Cornwall’s best restaurants. The restaurant has an open, fresh and contemporary feel to it and is minutes away from Looe, in Downderry.

Blue Plate will be taking part in the Looe Festival by the Sea on Sunday, serving food from 11am until 5pm (earlier if they sell out!) on the quayside in East Looe near Trawlers and the Old Sail Loft Restaurant.

Blue Plate Chefs, Nick Barclay and Iain Shillito, will be cooking up tasters of ‘Crispy Fish Taco’s’ and their nearly legendary ‘Seafood Cocktails’. Come and meet the guys and try what they have on offer. Having dined at Blue Plate before I can guarantee everything will be delicious.

Blue Plate competition

Nick has informed me that Blue Plate will be running a competition for a table for 2 for dinner at Blue Plate. I’m not sure what it entails but it has to be worth a go.

The Old Sail Loft Restaurant

I have just been given an update by The Old Sail Loft Restaurant who say they will be at the Festival by the Sea too. This is great news as they are a very popular restaurant and I’m sure their fans would miss them if they weren’t there.

Dominic tells me that they will be serving the following dishes:

• Fresh Local Mussels in a Cornish Orchards Cider Sauce
• Festival fish cakes with caper mayo

Both sound utterly delicious and thanks for the update Dominic.

Other Events at the Looe Festival by the Sea

The RNLI who are co-ordinating most of the events during the festival will also be naming their new D Class lifeboat the Ollie Naismith at 11am on Saturday at their boathouse.

This is a major event for the Looe RNLI as Ollie was a much loved and respected local lad who died in a tragic car accident. The RNLI had to raise £31,000 for the new D Class boat but has infact raised over £69,000! Great going to all those involved.

Other highlights over the weekend include the

• Great Cornish Raft Race
  Sunday 10th July at 1.30pm.
  Starts on Looe seafront (or RNLI boathouse – conflicting reports!), goes up Looe River, under Looe Bridge, turns around and races back down to the beach.
  Organised by Looe Boats Owners Association.
  Featuring the historic Ryder Lifeboat, an air sea rescue and choral music by Looe Valley Singer and Keltique (7.30pm in the RNLI boathouse).
• RNLI Lifeguards and Whitsand Bay Surf Lifesaving
  Undertaking a sponsored paddle from the Rame to Looe beach!
• Exhibitions
  RSPB
  Cornwall Wildlife Trust
  West Looe Crafters
  The Monkey Sanctuary
• Net making
  Along the quayside

Other potential but unconfirmed to ilovelooe food exhibitors

Last year there were many other food suppliers on the quayside and I have read else where on the web that the following businesses are involved. Hopefully they’ll all be there for you to meet:

• The Old Sail Loft Restaurant
• Simply Fish, fish merchants
• Nippers Shellfish
• Pengelly’s Fishmongers
• Treleavens Ice Cream
• Squid Ink
• Tasty Corner
• OKeef’s Butchers

If anyone else would like to add to this article please send me the information. I can only add what I am given and no press pack or press release has been forthcoming – strange really so if you can help please send me the details.

Looe Lugger Regatta 2011 was blessed, once again, with wonderful weather and plenty of Luggers from around Cornwall and other far flung parts of the world.

I went down to see the boats on Friday and watch them set off out of Looe Harbour into the bay where they spent Saturday and Sunday racing each other. I am hoping to have the results in as soon as the organisers have collated all the information together. When I have it I’ll post it here and on the official CornishLuggers.co.uk website

More info and photographs of the Looe Lugger Association’s Lugger Regatta 2011, 

More info about our Cornsih Lugger Regatta 2011

Races took place on Saturday 4th June from 10.30 and Sunday 5th June from 11.30 but I particularly like the atmosphere in Looe on the Friday night just as all the Luggers are arriving and mooring up on the quayside in the harbour.

We had family visiting us during the week so I didn’t get to take as many photographs as usual but I did manage a quick walk along West Looe Quay.

There were at least a dozen Luggers moored up at the visitors berth and as it was such a lovely evening there were people milling around chatting with crew, listening to music, and generally enjoying the evening. If you were in Looe do drop me a line to share your thoughts and don’t forget to add your pictures to the ilovelooe Flickr group.

Photographs of Cornish Luggers from 2009 and 2011

2009 – If you’d like to see more pictures of Luggers from 2009, I have 49 photographs of Luggers here.

2011 – Click on this link to see this year’s Cornish Lugger photographs.

To see the remaining photographs go to the Cornish Lugger 2011 photo gallery.

Visiting the Lugger Regatta in 2013

If the Lugger Regatta is held in 2013 and you haven’t been before there are some good places from which to view the event.

Viewing moored up Luggers

East Looe Quay – Usually the best place to see the French boat the “” and any of the larger Luggers that attend the event.

West Looe Quay – The best place to view the smaller Luggers. Best place too if you want to chat with the owners and crew members.

Banjo Pier – At the end of out famous Banjo Pier you’ll get possibly the best viewing spot for Luggers anchored in the bay and boats leaving and entering the harbour.

Viewing the Lugger racing

East Looe Beach – Great place to watch the racing (bring binoculars) and take pictures of the boats. After the racing the Luggers anchor up in Looe Bay just off the beach. This is an age old scene and has been going on for centuries.

South West Coastal Path in East Looe – If you stroll out of town up along the coastal path you’ll get a really good vantage point from which to watch the racing and take photographs.

Hannafore Point – If you walk round to West Looe there are some excellent viewing points on Hannafore Point in front of the Hannafore Point Hotel. You can take good photographs here too of the boats as the leave and enter the harbour.

Banjo Pier – as mentioned above, this is a great viewing point for watching the racing too.

Top Secret Tip

The very best place to view the racing is from another boat. If you have a small craft or can blag a ride on a friend’s boat, then this is by far the best way to experience the Luggers in their element.

I hope you like the photographs. Please leave a comment below. Cheers. Chris.