Upcoming events

A ‘Taster’ retreat for those who would like to try a retreat for the first time.

This event will be no more than an hour for the questions and we have a tea break in the middle. Plants will be offered as prizes. (Refreshments available from the Grange Restaurant)

Requiem by Howard Goodall plus a selection of unaccompanied baroque and renaissance motets The Collati Singers Trefor Farrow Director

26th November to 22nd December 11:30 - 14:30 (not including Sundays and the 1st-2nd December) Join us for a Special Christmas Feast at the Grange Restaurant for only £23.50 Includes coffee and mince pies Pre-booking essential. Cancelations must be 48 hours before start of the booked event.

The Christmas Event will be across 3 locations – Schiller Hall, the downstairs of the Guest Hall and The Grange Terrace.
At this years Christmas Food and Craft Fair we have:-

Craft Stalls
Food Stalls
Food and Drink workshops
Craft Workshops
Kids Activities (Education department)
Christmas BBQ
Mulled Wine/Cider/Applejuice
Roast Chestnuts
Carol Singing and Live Entertainment
Internal Department Stalls

A 'Come and Sing' Carol Service sung by associated choirs of the Royal School of Church Music

Vivaldi's Gloria, with traditional Christmas carols & festive music by Praetorius, Ešenvalds and Daldorph Exeter Chamber Choir Andrew Daldorph Director

A whole variety of foliage and ideas for different wreaths. Includes festival refreshments. Cost includes all materials and refreshments.

A whole variety of foliage and ideas for different wreaths. Includes festival refreshments. Cost includes all materials and refreshments.

Service accompanied by organ and brass, with congregational carols, readings and carols for choir. Tower bell ringing from 2.00pm and after the service until 5.00pm.

From the Immaculate Conception to the Assumption through the music of Dufay, Byrd, Victoria and other early composers. Voces Martyn Warren Director

Our home made table decorations, again with copious foliage choices. Cost includes all materials and refreshments.

Unfortunately this concert has been cancelled

Festival Carol Service A sequence of seasonal music and readings for Christmas

International recitalist Richard Lester performs Olivier Messiaen's organ mediation inspired by the birth of Christ. Each movement of La Nativité serves as a musical commentary on a different aspect of the Christmas story. There will be a short pre-recital talk at 15:15 in the Monastic Guest Hall about this fascinating work.

Garden Quiz – The Grange Restaurant 9th Januray 2019 A chance to test your gardening knowledge and meet others for whom gardening is an important part of life. A presentation including power point images etc. £3pp

Jan 16th - Wednesday. Pruning Workshop (Weather permitting). How to approach pruning trees and shrubs if you have never done it before or would like to develop your existing skills. Max 12 people 10am - 4pm £18 pp

Jan 23rd - Wednesday. Organic Pest Control Talk. We use several techniques for keeping pests in balance. Both in the main grounds and inside our glasshouses. How to deal with your slugs & snails etc. Talk includes tea/coffee & cake – £11 pp

Feb 13th - Wednesday Succulent plants and how to be creative with them - It is amazing how creative you can be with these spiky plants. Come and get your creative head on! Making three dimensional or vertical plant displays. Frames and plants provided. £17pp

March 13th – Wednesday Botanical names demystified. A talk about why we have complicated names for plants and how you can make sense of them. Talk includes tea/coffee & cake £11 pp

Workshop 1 - Giving your bees a flying start to the season! 'You can't build a great building on a weak foundation. You must have a solid foundation if you are going to mave a superstructure.' Gonrdon B Hinkley. This workshop will outline some of the ways which you can promote and strengthen the welfare and fitness of your colony in Spring to pave the way for a productive season. Saturday 16th March. 2pm to 4.30pm

Book all 4 'Better Beekeeping Workshops' for a reduced cost of £15. Includes: Workshop 1 - Give your bees a flying start to the season! 16th March 2019 Workshop 2 - Making increase. 18th May 2019 Workshop 3 - When to leave your bees alone. 25th May 2019 Workshop 4 - What the books don't tell you and why bees change their minds! 13th July 2019

20th March 2019 Wednesday Behind the Scenes A tour up to the gardeners’ base and glasshouses with the Abbey’s Head Gardener. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp. Please note this tour involves a lot of walking.

Taster Days from April to September 2019 For people thinking about taking up beekeeping. We will be running four seperate days on the following dates (this is not a four week course - each day is a self-contained unit which is repeated to allow more oppertunities to attend). Saturday 30th March Saturday 6th July Saturday 27th July Saturday 7th September The day starts at 11am and finishes at 4pm with an hour for lunch (bring your own or fine at the grange restaurant on site). We will be giving you an overview of the basic responsibilities and commitments involved in keeping bees aliongside the costs and where best to get your kit. You will have the chance to see inside a hive and expereince the fascinating world of the honey bee first hand. A full information pack will be given out for you to keep. Cost £25 *This is not a substitute for a beekeeping course. It's an attempt to let you know what you might be letting yourself in for if you decide to take up beekeeping as a hobby!

A mixture of theory and practical experience to start you off on your journey with honey bees. The course is designed to cover most of the bee keeing season from the spring build up and swaring to honey harvest and the preparation of bees for winter. We will be running two beginners courses in tandem every other week. This enables us to keep the group numbers low and allow some flexibility between groups, (if you can't make it one week you could always join the other group session the next). Beginners Course A, cost £100 Saturdays: 6th and 20th April 4th; and 18th May; 1st, 15th and 29th June; 3rd August. Beginners Course B, cost £100 Saturdays: 13th and 27th April; 11th and 25th May; 8th and 22nd June; 10th and 24th August. Both courses are from 10am till 12pm Please note: there are no classes in July to give the bees a break and to allow students holidays. It is impossible to learn everything there is to know during only 8 weeks so students are welcome to join our community beekeeping group on a Sunday afternoon, during or after the course has finished, to top up their experience and understanding.

Wed 10th April Bulbs & Spring Growth We have agian planted over 20,000 new bulbs ready to appear this year. Join us for a walk and talk with the Abbey’s Head Gardener looking at our many varieties of Tulips, Narcissi, Anemones, Crocus, Allums and many more. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp

A mixture of theory and practical experience to start you off on your journey with honey bees. The course is designed to cover most of the bee keeing season from the spring build up and swaring to honey harvest and the preparation of bees for winter. We will be running two beginners courses in tandem every other week. This enables us to keep the group numbers low and allow some flexibility between groups, (if you can't make it one week you could always join the other group session the next). Beginners Course A, cost £100 Saturdays: 6th and 20th April 4th; and 18th May; 1st, 15th and 29th June; 3rd August. Beginners Course B, cost £100 Saturdays: 13th and 27th April; 11th and 25th May; 8th and 22nd June; 10th and 24th August. Both courses are from 10am till 12pm Please note: there are no classes in July to give the bees a break and to allow students holidays. It is impossible to learn everything there is to know during only 8 weeks so students are welcome to join our community beekeeping group on a Sunday afternoon, during or after the course has finished, to top up their experience and understanding.

Reboot your beekeeping skills. Sometimes turning the computer off and then on again will sort out how well it reponds. We can easily become unfocussed and sloppy when looking at our bees. Going back to basics and relearning the fundamental procedures and preceptions which we use to manage our colonies will refine, refresh and strengthen a frmaework for great working practices. Saturday 20th April 2pm to 4.30pm

April 24th – Wednesday Container Planting. Please bring containers of your choice, we will supply the medium & the plants. You will be able to drive to the workshop to unload & then load up afterwards again. £11 pp

One of two seperate afternoon sessions which explore the phenomena of honeybee swarming. Saturday 27th April 2pm to 4.30pm. We will deal with the why? how? and when? questions about swarming including how ofter do you need to insect in order to prevent or control it.

One of two seperate afternoon sessions which explore the phenomena of honeybee swarming. Saturday 4th May 2pm to 4pm We will focus in more detail with different methods of preventation and control which we think are the most effective to stop you losing your bees.

May 8th - Wednesday Trees & Shrubs Join the Abbey’s Head Gardener looking at the many varieties of trees and shrubs we grow in the Abbey grounds. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp

Workshop 2 - Making increase. It's always a good ideal to have more than one colony just in case something goes wrong. Instead of buying in expernsive nucleus colonies why don't you produce your own? Splitting your bees is the simplest form of queen rearing and we can show you some of the ways which have worked for us most successfully. Saturday 18th May from 2pm to 4.30pm

Wed May 22nd Sensory, Physic & Millennium Gardens A guided tour with the Abbey’s Head Gardener. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp

Workshop 3 - When to leave your bees alone. Have you ever wondered how some larger professional beekeepers manage to look after so many colonies? Do they inspect them relentlessly every 8 or 9 days all through the season? How good record keeping and basic understand of the natural life cycle of a colony can lead to less manipylation, more meaningful inspections and happier bees. There are times when your girls can do perfectly well (actually better) without you. Learn when and how to inspect your colonies and when you can give them a break for less string and a more relaxed summer. Saturday 25th May from 2pm to 4.30pm

THey could be stressed! The balance of your colony is essential for its health, wellbeing and success. Learn how to read your colony and to recognise when they are out of kilter. You could steer them back onto the right track by using simple management techniques. Sometimes these could make the difference to your colony surviving and florishing or dwindling and dying out. Saturday 8th June 2pm to 4.30pm

Wed June 12th Being Creative with Lavender Using lavender stalks collected from the Abbey grounds to hang creatively in your wardrobe etc. Also, making a lavender bag and a summer salad dressing. £11 pp

June Wed 26th Peter’s Creative Floristry. Techniques for making hand posies. There will be a demonstration and the opportunity to create your own posy. Includes wrapping materials. £15 pp

Wed July 10th Lavender Garden Tour A guided tour with the Abbey’s Head Gardener. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp

Workshop 4 - What the books don't tell you and why bees change their minds! Bee behaviour can be confusing and we often resort to the anthropomorphic and rather desperate statement "Oh well bees don't read books!" Actually there is an awful lot in books which is misleading or only partially correct (depending on what books you read of course). This workshop aims to debunk some of the common myths and misconception about bees which are often quoted in literature and by word of mouth. Saturday 13th July 2pm to 4.30pm

A detailed look at Honey Bee disease: diagnosis, treatment and avoidance. The day will teach you how to recognise healthy brood and how to detect when things are not as they should be. Plenty of hands on experience coupled with expert advice and tuition. Saturday 20th July from 11am to 4pm. *Bring your own lunch or dine at The Grange Restaurant on site.

Wed July 24th Private Garden Areas A garden tour with the Abbey’s Head Gardener exploring garden areas not normally open to the public. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp

Wed August 14th Herbaceous Plants and Grasses Maia Hall will accompany you on this interesting tour. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp

Wed August 28th Seeds & Cuttings A more practical tour taking seeds and cuttings from our grounds with the Abbey’s Head Gardener and Maia Hall. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp

Wed Sept 11th Plants and Pollination A talk by our Head Beekeeper. Clare has a wealth of knowledge about individual plants and how they can help the bee population. Talk includes tea/coffee & cake. £11 pp

Wed Sept 25th Behind the Scenes at Buckfast Abbey A tour up to the gardeners’ base and glasshouses with the Abbey’s Head Gardener. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am £3 pp. Please note this tour involves a lot of walking.

Wed Oct 9th Winter Bedding Plants and Techniques How to get containers ready for the 'off season'. Please bring your own containers. £11pp

Wed Oct 23rd Gardening Philosophy & Organics. A tour with the Abbey’s Head Gardener. Meet outside The Grange Restaurant at 11am. £3 pp

Wed Nov 13th Garden Quiz in The Grange Restaurant This event will be no more than an hour for the questions and we have a tea break in the middle. Plants will be offered as prizes. £3 entry. (Refreshments available to purchase at The Grange)

Wed Nov 27th Christmas Wreath Making. A whole variety of foliage and ideas for different wreaths. Includes festive refreshments. £15 pp - includes all materials and refreshments. (If this workshop fills then it will also be offered on Thursday 28th)

Wed Dec 11th Christmas Table Decorations Our home made table decorations, again with copious foliage choices. £15pp includes all materials and refreshments. (If this workshop fills then it will also be offered on Thursday 12th)