Nestling on the spectacular North Coast of Devon, the ‘picture postcard’ village of Clovelly is one of the most famous fishing villages in the world and a major attraction for visitors from both home and abroad. Clovelly is also quite unique, as although it remains a working fishing village which has existed since the Doomsday Book, and although it embraces two centuries-old inns and several shops, it has however managed to remain in the hands of the same family more or less since the time of the Norman Conquests.
Another almost unique thing about Clovelly is the fact that no motor vehicles are allowed into the village. The main reason for this is that the narrow, stepped cobbled street which leads down to Clovelly’s 16th Century harbour is barely wide enough for pedestrians, let alone motor vehicles, and is also extremely steep, dropping some 400ft in the space of half a mile. Just pause for a while, and consider the days when all village commodities had to be dragged up and down the shiny cobble stones on wooden sledges, which themselves were no light weight, even when empty. Donkeys were also used to perform this backbreaking task. However, things have improved somewhat today, and the present owners of Clovelly, the Clovelly Estate Trust, have established a Land Rover Service, which runs discreetly around the back of the village ferrying passengers between the Visitor Centre (where there is ample vehicle parking for everyone ) and the tiny sheltered stone harbour, way down below. Of course, visitors are encouraged to stroll down the narrow cobbled way in their own good time, letting the sheer magic of Clovelly to take over from there.
The tiny, geranium festooned cottages, standing almost on top of each either on the steep slope down to the harbour, have been home to the seafaring men of Clovelly for many hundreds of years, and as one gazes at them it’s not hard to imagine the colourful stories that have been told time and time again in the local inns, springing to life before your very eyes. Indeed, time itself seems to stand still in this historic old place. In years gone by, men of Clovelly have crept ashore on a dark night and hauled contraband up it’s steep cobbled high street; men of Clovelly have sailed with Drake to meet and defeat the mighty Spanish Armada; and men of Clovelly have risked their lives as some still do now, fishing the perilous waters of the unforgiving Atlantic Ocean for their very survival; so perhaps its hardly surprising that this place they all called ‘home’ has gradually been fashioned into the cosy and welcoming retreat from the outside world that we see before us today.
All visitors to Clovelly and it’s surrounding area are guaranteed to
find the experience simply stunning, and as they write their ‘postcards
from Clovelly’, eagerly endeavouring to transfer thoughts to paper,
they can rest assured that they are following are following in the famous
footsteps of both Charles Kingsley and
Charles Dickens, who were just two of the many thousands to be inspired by
Clovelly and this magical part of the North Devon coastline.
Although it is only possible for visitors to stay in Clovelly by checking
into one of it’s two hotels, there are numerous other fine guest houses
and self-catering establishments within the immediate vicinity, from which
to explore Clovelly, plus the countless other Devon attractions, such as The
Big Sheep and The
Milky Way, both situated locally, just off the A39 Atlantic Highway.
