The Council has been providing free Red Coat Guided walking tours of the city for twenty-eight years. To keep up with demand, a training programme for willing volunteers has taken place every couple of years, with this spring seeing the successful recruitment of six new Guides.
After five months of training, the new Guides were presented with a certificate and the coveted Red Coat Blazer at the Lord Mayor’s annual reception in Exeter’s historic Guildhall.
This year’s new intake of Guides have come from very varied backgrounds, including retired teachers; an overseas tour guide; a medical consultant and a financial advisor, however they all share one passion, and that is Exeter and its intriguing history.
“Exeter City Council is extremely proud of these volunteers who give up their valuable time to entertain residents of, and visitors to, Exeter with tales about our fascinating city”, said Cllr Rosie Denham, Portfolio Holder for Economy & Tourism. “The Red Coat Guides are fantastic ambassadors for the city and the calibre of trainees we receive is astonishing”, she said.
The summer tour programme will run until 31 October, with free tours taking place daily. Tours include ‘Medieval Exeter’, ‘Murder and Mayhem’, ‘Ghosts and Legends’, the new ‘Roman Exeter’ tour and the ever popular ‘Canal Trip’ (June – August).
The summer tour programme will culminate on 31 October with a special ‘Spooks and Broomsticks’ Halloween Tour.
Exeter Red Coat Guided Tours take place every day except Christmas Day and Boxing Day and allow people to see places not normally open to the public. Tours depart either from the notice board on Cathedral Green or from outside the Custom House Visitor Centre on the Quayside. All tours are free of charge apart from the Canal Trip and last 90 minutes unless otherwise stated.
Download the tour programme at www.exeter.gov.uk/guidedtours , or pick up a copy from Exeter Visitor Information & Tickets, Dix’s Field or the Custom House Visitor Centre, Exeter Quayside.
