Clovelly in North Devon

CLOVELLY NORTH DEVON                   Where to Stay in the Clovelly Area
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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.

Traffic is banned from the high street, visitors parking at the top of the hill adjacent to the Heritage Centre. For a small fee, a landrover service ferries visitors up and down the steep hill via a back road, to the harbourside Red Lion Public House.

The visitors centre homes a cafe and souvenir shops to grab that little memory of the uncommercialised village. To understand the history of Clovelly, you can watch the 20 minute audio-visual film to make the most of your visit.

"Suddenly a hot 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." A quote from author Charles Kingsley from over 150 years ago and since then the village has hardly changed.

The street of Clovelly are too steep for motor vehicles, hence why for centuries, donkeys were used for getting up and down the street. Donkeys still live at the the top of the hill where children can have a donkey ride in the summer. Nowadays all goods from groceries to furniture are transported by sledge. The sledges can be seen at the side of the cottages as you walk down through the village to the Harbour.

The Lower part of the village was saved from development by the Hamlyn family. The policy of the Clovelly estate has maintained - against all the odds - this picture postcard village as a living village. There are no Holiday cottages allowed in the main village, and the mode of transport is either sledges for the Friday deliveries, or donkeys for the visiting tourists.

For anyone visiting Clovelly, be advised to wear sensible footwear as the street is steep and can be slippery. The cobbled street is made from the pebbles moved from the beach so is very uneven, this being the reason why the street itself is not suitable for wheelchair users, however the visitors centre, donkey stables and other attractions at the top, are the village are wheelchair friendly.

There is a small admission fee which includes parking as well as admission to see the audio-visual film and the Kinglsey museum. Prices for 2008 are £5.50 per adult, £3.50 per child aged 7 - 16, under 7's enter free. Also available is a family ticket which covers 2 adults and 2 children, which is £15.00.

Clovelly has been a place of settlement for many years, but it was a 16th century lawyer, George Cary, who really established the village as a viable community. George Cary, built the stone harbour quay - establishing Clovelly a the only safe harbour between Boscastle in Cornwall and Appledore. The small harbour was sheltered up to 60 fishing boats, but due to the decline of the herring fishery this has now dwindled to a handful of small boats.