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Clovelly, often seen in nostalgic images with laden donkeys hauling goods up the steep cobbled hill, the quaint harbour and pretty houses, a vision from the past, is more than a museum piece.
This may be one of the most photographed locations in North Devon, but it is also the home of a lively community. It has a purpose-built Visitor Centre and there are craft galleries and a museum,
as well as shops and, two inns.
For those not able to manage the walk up the steep cobbled street, there is a fare-paying Land Rover service available (seasonal).
From the village a woodland path known as "The Long Walk' leads to Clovelly Court Garden, a classic example of the Victorian kitchen garden tradition. A visit to Clovelly is an unforgettable experience.
Set into a steep hillside, CLOVELLY is one of the most famous villages in the world. The single cobbled high street winds its way down the hillside through traditional whitewashed cottages festooned with fuchsias and geraniums. The high street drops 122m (400ft) in 0.8km (half a mile) through the 16th century cottages to a small harbour.
Historic, unspoilt North Devon
village where quaint, flower-strewn cottages seem to tumble over one
another down to the tiny 14th Century harbour below.
Clovelly a uniquely preserved coastal village, not a museum
but a living community with two pubs and food shops etc. unspoilt by
the 20th century the village has steep cobbled streets where the provisions
for the whole village are to this day pulled up and down the hill on
sledges with the help of donkeys.
Clovelly Harbour
No cars are allowed in the village
and access is only by foot. There are several specially preseved 19th
century cottages for tourists to look around including a fisherman's
cottage and the cottage where Charles Kingsley lived with an exhibition
of the author's life. The village boasts the usual craft shops, a pottery
and a visitor centre as well as boat trips from the quay.
Clovelly Harbour
Step back in time at the picturesque 14th
Century harbour at Clovelly. The beach is a pebbled beach set in the
middle of the peaceful harbour.
The stone pier serounding the harbour is a feat of 16th Century engineering,
to give defiance to the Atlantic Seas, and provides the only safe haven
for boats between Appledore and the Harbour at Boscastle in Cornwall.
Clovelly was much reliant on fishing with a substantial fleet of boats.
Today fishing is on a smaller scale.
Clovelly Harbour
Clovelly played it's part in smuggling using the many caves north of
the harbour, reaching its height during the time of the Napoleonic Wars
(1793-1815). Smuggling alcohol was especially popular to avoid paying
the duty.
Beach Type: Shingle/Rock - Dogs: Dogs
Allowed
Mount Pleasant is a small park surrounded by trees and overlooking the sea on the western edge of Clovelly. Known locally as the Peace Park, it was given to the National Trust in 1921 by Mrs Christine Hamlyn for the use of the people of Clovelly for all time and in memory of those connected with the place who died in the Great War 1914-1918; this is commemorated on a plaque by the entrance. A small shelter has been restored as a
place to stop and enjoy views across Bideford Bay.
Mrs Hamlyn owned the Clovelly estate from 1884 until her death in 1936 and it is largely due to her that the beauty of the village was preserved. She restored Clovelly's buildings and many of the cottages bear her initials. Today, this enchanting village, with its narrow cobbled street leading down to the tiny harbour, is owned by the Rous family and can be visited throughout the year.
"Suddenly ahot gleam of sunlight fell upon the white cottages, with their grey steaming roofs and little scraps of garden courtyard, and lighting up the wings of the gorgeous butterflies which fluttered from the woodland down to the garden." T his is how author; Charles Kingsley, described Clovelly over 150 years ago. Yet the village has changed so little over the decades that his words could have been written today.
Clovelly
Cobbled Street in Clovelly
However, Clovelly offers much more than just breathtaking scenery. You can discover fascinating history, wonderful walks, traditional crafts - and the famous Clovelly donkeys.
And don't forget that many of Clovelly's treasures are hidden down the tiny side streets and alleys, so do explore...
Clovelly's impressive quay dates back to the 14th century, as do many of the cottages. The famous cobbled street, known as 'Up-along' or 'Down-along', was built from pebbles hauled from the beach.
Clovelly was once a bustling fishing port, famed for its herring and mackerel. Although fishing has declined, it is still a part of village life. In past centuries, this coastline was rife with smuggling, wrecking and piracy. It is also notorious for shipwrecks - so, since 1870, Clovelly has had its own lifeboat.
Charles Kingsley lived in Clovelly as a child and returned many times as an adult, staying at what is now known as Kingsley Cottage. He wrote 'Westward Ho!' while in Clovelly, and the village also inspired him to write 'The Water Babies'.
Clovelly Harbour
Court gardens, Clovelly - a classic example of aVictorian walled kitchen garden including magnificent lean-to greenhouses.The unique maritime micro-climate also allows the growth of tender and exotic flowers.
Clovelly, the historic fishing village built on a 400ft cliff - The tiny fishing village of Clovelly is secluded, but easy to find. It hangs on a 400ft cliff less than five minutes drive from the A39, the main road from Bideford to Bude. Nine miles west of Bideford is Clovelly Cross and it is here that you turn off the A39 and follow the signs for Clovelly.
Of course car parks had not been thought of at the time man first made his mark on the area. On the plateau above the village stand Clovelly Dykes - very old earthworks which the Romans probably adapted from an even earlier, perhaps Stone Age, hillfort.
The modern history of Clovelly started with the acquisition of Clovelly Estate by the Hamlyn family from the Cary\'s in 1738. The Cary\'s had lived in the house for seven generations. Since then Hamlyn and Clovelly have been synonymous, with the ownership of the estate still being in the family.
Clovelly at Low Tide
From Elizabethan days, the fishing of herrings was the staple activity and the village prospered on this basis until the shoals began to move away in the 1830\'s and the season was much shortened. However, in the middle of the 19th Century Charles Kingsley returned to the village where he had been brought up when his father was rector and inspired by the atmosphere, wrote \'the Water Babies\' and \'Westward Ho!\' This and the Victorian love of the sea produced a tourism boom and by the end of the century ships were arriving from around the Bristol Channel to land excursionists by small boat onto the pebbled shore.
Telephone: +44 (0) 1237 431781
Clovelly, Bideford, North Devon
Steep Street Clovelly
This picture-postcard fishing villages clings to a steep hillside on the North Devon coast. Its colourful, flower bedecked cottages line the main stepped, cobbled street on such a steep incline that you can almost see down the chimney of the cottage below! Visitors to Clovelly manage the steep cobbled streets to the ancient harbour on foot as traffic is banned from the village. The only other form of transport are sledges, which are used to deliver weekly supplies to the community.
There are a wide range of facilities in the village that will enhance the enjoyment of your visit. There is the award winning Clovelly Centre which includes a gift shop, picnic area and self service restaurant. In the village you will find the New Inn and the Fisherman"s Museum and Charles Kingsley Exhibition. In addition, the Clovelly Pottery and the Silk Shop are open seasonally.
View of Clovelly - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly August 1923 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly 1927 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly 1927 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly 1927 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly 1927 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly 1927 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly 1923 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly 1923 - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly High Street - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly North Hill - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
Clovelly The Lane - photo presented with the kind permisssion of www.grumpystumpy.com
The famous Red Lion Hotel is dramatically located over the 14th century harbour.
Just to the east of Clovelly can be found the delightful seaside hamlet of Bucks Mills.
There is a small entrance charge to the village covering parking which contributes to the upkeep of Clovelly.
The dramatic view from the coast path above
Clovelly Harbour illustrates one of the reasons why this village is so unique.
The whole village is wedged into a fold in the cliffs.
People have lived here since the Iron Age, but the Saxons named it "Cleave Leigh", old English for 'cleft in the cliff'.
Clovelly is part of a private estate, once owned by the wife of William the Conqueror and listed in the Domesday Book, and has been in the ownership of but three families in the last 800 years.
This straggling village of irregular, gleaming white cottages with lichen-covered slate roofs, clings to each side of the cleft.
The traffic-free street, paved with cobbles hauled up from the shore, descends steeply in a series of terraces to a tiny fishing port, once famous for its herring catches, and its ancient wave-worn quay.
The only forms of transport you will see at Clovelly are sledges and donkeys.
Clovelly remains a vibrant community, which enjoys a way of life that visitors can but envy. They say it is this atmosphere, the stunning views and the maritime setting, which live on in their memories.
Despite its tranquillity, there is much to see and do, an audio-visual film at the award-winning Visitor's Centre, shops, traditional craft workshops, the Charles Kingsley museum - author of 'Westward Ho!' and 'Water Babies', who spent part of his childhood here - a cottage replicating the life of a fishing family in the 19th century, a Victorian kitchen garden at Clovelly Court, the manor house, and much more.
The main events are the Maritime Festival in July, the Lobster and Crab (Clovellian, of course) Feast in September and the Herring Festival in November. They are great days out for all the family.
You can even take a boat trip along the dramatic coastline or to Lundy Island. Alternatively, enjoy the magnificent views from a cliff top walk along 'Hobby Drive' or West towards 'Gallantry Bower'.
For those who do not want to walk back up, there is a fare-paying Land Rover service for much of the year to return you to the top of the village.
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