Clovelly Devon

About 12 miles along the coast from Westward Ho! lies the well known fishing village Clovelly. The village has been built into the side of a cleft in the 400 foot high rocks and is mostly cobbled lanes and traffic-free.

As a visitor to Clovelly you park at the top of the village in a large car park and enter the village through a tourist visitors centre. Entrance for an adult is worth every penny and costs just under £6. We watched an audio film at the centre on our return from the village.

If you are a little worried about heights, or unable to walk up and down hills then you can take a land rover ride however you will miss the wonderful cottages along the pebbled streets and the donkeys which used to be used for carrying goods up the hill. Not sure if this is still the practice?

Outside many of the cottages you will see sledges or large bread trays used to bring things down the hill as they easily skim over the surface of the cobbles.

Clovelly has a rich maritime history and there is much to see in fisherman's cottage which has been opened to the public as a museum. There are stunning views in all directions and you need your camera permanently to hand here.

Clovelly is a privately owned village and has been in the hands of the same family for hundreds of years

The climate is mild and certainly suits the many butterflies you will see here. When you reach the bottom of the hill there is fresh mackerel and lobsters to be had though as we had packed a lunch we walked along the pebble beach to a waterfall. It is said that the Arthurian legend Merlin was born here!

The walk back up the hill will set your heart racing and we stopped for an ice cream with clotted cream and then for a pint at the New Inn Hotel.