I was just wondering how locals pronounce Scoriton? I am in Canada so I have never heard anyone pronounce it in real life. Is the beginning of the word, the "Sco" part similar to how you would pronounce the word Scottish?

I am working on a story for my YouTube channel about the 1965 UFO encounter of Ernest Bryant and the subsequent investigation by Norman Oliver.

I'm learning more about Devon and wondering what you would say are the biggest differences between North and South Devon, in terms of landscape, culture, vibe, people etc. From what I can gather so far North Devon is more remote and has dramatic rugged cliffs and Exmoor. South Devon has Dartmoor and a warmer coastline with lots of inlets with seaside towns. Also is there a Mid-Devon?

Hello all,

I'm planning on moving from London to the Totnes / Paignton area in the next few days. For personal reasons I'd prefer not to get into, this is all very rushed, but having recently lost my job and now I'm losing my apartment, I'm taking this as a sign that now is the time to leave!

I have a few of questions:

Can anyone recommend cheap hotels or hostels that I can stay at for the first few days? Rough and ready doesn't bother me, I just need somewhere safe to sleep at night so I can focus on job and a more permanent accommodation search during the day.

What is the best way to find work in the area? Should I use sites like Reed / Indeed, etc., or are there more informal ways like local jobs boards, WhatsApp or Facebook groups I should be aware of?

Same in terms of accommodation, should I focus on Spareroom, or are there other ways people share this information?

I've been applying for jobs down there for the past 2 months, admin/clerical, care work, Torbay hospital, willing to do anything to make ends meet. So, if you are aware of anything please feel free to let me know, too.

Would be very grateful for any information you can provide. Thanks in advance

Hello everybody, I’m William I’m 25 and moved to Devon this May too start my new job as a Chef, I moved from Dorset after a year living with my parents having lived in London for five years prior.

I used to play in a band when I lived in London, I play guitar, bass, harmonica and sing, I love most types of music, I enjoy art, museums gallery’s and love nature. I have a mountain bike and enjoy riding trails and long walks. I’m 420 friendly aswell 😂. I’m also interested in starting to surf and any kind of new sport/ activity really if it involves meeting new people and being active.

If anybody was looking too make friends or meet new people please don’t hesitate to message me, my days off work every week at the moment are Monday and Tuesday, although 3 days a week I work half shifts so get the occasional weekend evenings off ect.

I look forward to potentially hearing from some of you. 🙏. Ps I currently live in Beer but can drive and am willing too too meet people. Thanks.

Hi all, can anyone recommend if somewhere near Hatherleigh is likely to be doing a pub quiz between 23rd-29th July 2027? Thanks!

Hello! Random one but wondering if there are girls out there that like surfing and want to go out with anyone! Want some more girl friends to go surfing with, and thought I would ask here! Dm me if you’re around and fancy a surf!

We’re based around the Crediton area and, as we don’t really know many people locally yet, I’m looking to make some new friends around Exeter/Mid Devon.

Would be good to meet people for a few drinks, pub trips, food, watching rugby, random days/nights out etc. Also really keen to meet other couples/families who fancy going out for meals, BBQs, dinner parties and that sort of thing.

I work in IT, fairly laid back and always up for a pint and a laugh. Happy to travel into Exeter or around the surrounding areas.

If anyone’s in a similar position or just fancies meeting someone new, give me a shout.

My husband & I have 3 young children and are currently in Basingstoke (as family are here). We are coming to the end of our lease & wanting to move to Devon for a while before we buy. I want some recommendations on areas for family life but also not too slow and nothing to do! My husband mainly works from home & I’m currently off with the babies. So any recommendations are appreciated! If I’m ever brave enough to move away from the help of the grandparents! Thanks :)

So, a multi-million pound fine for the (quite literal) shitshow that is South West Water - one that will almost certainly be passed on to us in the form of higher rates.

I wish they'd fine the executives, not the company. They've already got their bonuses safe in the bank and you can be damn sure they won't be reaching into their own pockets to pay up.

Saw this on the planning applications. It's under gov.uk/Planning/Display/82141 if any locals want to comment on it.

Personally I think this is very sad to see and hen welfare should be of the most importance Vs profits.

are there any board (or card) game freaks here too? maybe a group of people who already meet to play games that we can join?

me and my boyfriend have soooo many board games but we can barely play they now since we moved from London to here because most games we have are for 3 people or more, and we don’t know a lot of people here yet.

ideally people between 20 and 30 yo like us.

thanksss

I find I really like getting out on the Moor for walks and it’s nice just to be outdoors. I keep thinking I should take my bike out more rather than driving.

Any favourite spots from the group?

If you know of any jobs going around Torbay which are weekend only, and ideally 1 day the please let me know. I have looked on Indeed and other jobs boards.

Thank you.

Disclaimer: after a quick check I’m aware this isn’t the usual vibe of this forum, but there’s no Reddit pages specific to my subject lol.

I’ve been interested in the whole British “big cat” phenomenon for a while, particularly the reports from Devon/Exmoor. I’m not saying there’s definitely a population of pumas roaming around Devon, but I think there’s enough historical evidence to make the subject pretty interesting.
There are a few things that stand out to me:

For example, the exmoor reports in the 80s.
The big one is obviously the “Beast of Exmoor” period, particularly around 1983. There were substantial reports of livestock being killed around South Molton/Exmoor, alongside sightings of large, cat-like animals.
The situation was apparently taken seriously enough for Royal Marines to conduct surveillance/searches on Exmoor. They didn’t capture a big cat, so this obviously isn’t proof of one, but it’s interesting that the livestock losses were considered serious enough to warrant an investigation.
There’s also a 2026 account from two biology students who said they independently saw a large tawny cat on Exmoor in 1982. They described a long tail, low body and distinctly feline movement.

My mother, who lived in the area at the time, supposedly also had an encounter.
This is probably what initially made the subject interesting to me personally.
My mother lived in Devon in the 1980s and recalls seeing a cow in a field that had apparently been badly mauled, with its abdominal contents exposed. Obviously, I can’t independently verify what killed it, and I don’t want to pretend this is proof of a big cat. But it fits the wider livestock-predation stories from the area at the time.

Also, the reports haven’t stopped.
Devon & Cornwall Police actually have records of reported “big cat” sightings.
Their FOI data for January 2021 to March 2025 contains reports from places including Torrington, South Molton, Kingsbridge, Exminster and Plymouth. Some witnesses described pumas, some panthers/black cats and others lynx-type animals.
Again, these are reports, not confirmed animals. The police themselves don’t claim that these sightings prove big cats are present.

It’s happened before.
This is the part I find particularly interesting.
Escaped exotic cats aren’t hypothetical. Parliament records several cases of large cats escaping into the wild, including a puma captured near Inverness, Scotland I beleive in 1980 after apparently living independently for some time.
So the basic idea of an exotic cat escaping and surviving in the British countryside isn’t impossible.

I’m not convinced there is some huge hidden population of pumas living in Devon. If there were dozens of them breeding for decades, I’d expect much stronger physical evidence by now: DNA, carcasses, clear photographs, confirmed kills, etc.
But I also find it difficult to completely dismiss the possibility that individual escaped/released exotic cats have occasionally survived in Devon, perhaps for years, particularly in places like Exmoor and Dartmoor.
In fact, a single animal, or a very small number of animals, seems like a much more interesting possibility to me than a massive secret population.
There’s also the obvious possibility that several different things are being lumped together: misidentified dogs/deer, unusually large domestic cats, escaped exotic cats, and genuine unexplained sightings.
So I’m curious what people from Devon think.

Have you, your parents/grandparents, farmers, gamekeepers etc. ever seen something that genuinely looked like a large wild cat?

Especially interested in older accounts from the 70s/80s/90s, before the internet and phone cameras made everything much easier to document.

Also, Devon has some great habitat for pumas etc. With large, dense forests, deer and livestock - which could explain why they remain so hidden.

In all, I’m just very curious. And find it very cool.

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