Visitor attractions to reopen this weekend

Two of the main tourist attractions in the Seaton area are set to reopen this weekend.

Seaton Tramway and Beer Quarry Caves will open on Saturday, July 4th having closed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The government has now given the go ahead for outside attractions, museums and galleries to open, and the tramway and quarry caves will be keen to make the most of the summer season after the three-month closure.

Seaton Tramway, which operates heritage trams between Seaton, Colyford and Colyton, will be open from 10am on Saturday.

There will be limited capacity and distanced seating on board, and passengers will be asked to wear face masks.

Contact details of passengers will also be taken for the Track and Trace system and other safety precautions such as floor markings, screens to protect staff and hand sanitisers on platforms will be in place.

For more details or to book a trip on the tram, visit the Seaton Tramway website.

Beer Quarry Caves offers guided tours of a 2,000-year-old man-made complex of underground caverns.

Numbers on the tours will be in line with government advice and guidance so visitors are being asked to pre-book by calling 01297 680282 and pay by card. If no answer, leave you name and number and you will be called back.

More information about the caves can be found on their website.

Beer's other main tourist attraction, Pecorama, has announced it will not be opening to the public just yet.

The gardens and steam railway will remain closed to protect staff working at the adjoining Peco model railway factory.

A statement from Pecorama said: "Whist we are really missing our customers and very sad that the trains cannot run, for the safety of all, we do need to remain closed for the moment. But the directors are reviewing the situation regularly in connection with the frequently changing government restrictions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Many of our customers will know, Peco is, first and foremost, a renowned manufacturer of model railway products. The need for our factory staff to work 'COVID safely' has meant temporarily moving some production facilities into undercover areas within the tourist attraction.

"This, of course, will also have a bearing on when we are able to reopen and what facilities may be available when we do."

The Peco model and gift shop is currently only operating a mail-order service or customers can also call and email orders and arrange collection if preferred.

For full details visit the Pecorama website.

Seaton Jurassic will also not be reopening yet.

Richard Drysdale, head of visitor centres for the Devon Wildlife Trust, which runs the attraction, said: "Unfortunately, we are not currently in a position to reopen this weekend due to funding issues and additional safety concerns for an attraction that relies on people interacting with exhibits and staying in one place for a significant length of time.

"Of course, we will be updating our social media pages and website as the situation changes but I will add you to my list of contacts to update as soon as we have confirmed news."

You can find updates at the Seaton Jurassic website.