A thousand years of history, steep cobbled streets, magnificent views over the Bristol Channel, quaint old-worldiness and donkeys...Yes, I said donkeys. That's what you'll find at Clovelly if you're fortunate enough to visit and, trust me on this, you will not be disappointed.
I hope you'll scroll down and join me for my little pictorial presentation of Clovelly and yes, I will get to the part about the donkeys in due course.
Clovelly is old, in fact, it sits on an Estate once owned by William the Conqeuror, the fist Norman King of England (from 1066-1087). After a few hand-me-downs within the royal family it was acquired in 1242 by the Giffard family. Until the mid 1800's the village simply went about its business of being a fishing village largely unnoticed by anyone other than those who lived there.
But in 1884 it was inherited by Christine Hamlyn and it began to gain in prominence. Now, since 1983 in fact, it has been owned by The Hon. John Rous, Christine's Great grand nephew. That's right folks, Clovelly is still privately owned.
It doesn't go unnoticed anymore though as many tourists visit Clovelly each year for a step back into time, to enjoy the views and to eat at the Red Lion, a very enjoyable pub at the harbour.
On arrival visitors are greeted at the rather large visitor centre and it's here you'll purchase tickets, about £8 ($15AUD) and after a poke around the shop area it's off to the village. (There's a cafe up there too.)
We were very fortunate that there weren't many people around and it felt really peaceful. We walked on down a path, through some gardens, with smiles on our faces as the views over the Bristol Channel were simple spectacular. Then...Donkeys.
Due to the very steep nature of the streets donkeys are used to pull wooden sleds loaded up with whatever the shops and residents need. Of course, it's also a nice little tourist attraction that the kids kind of like...Even big kids like Faith as you can see. The donkeys have a practical use though and when you realise how steep the streets are it makes a lot of sense.
All of the street of Clovelly are cobbled, quite narrow and head downwards to the harbour. My photos don't really show how steep they are but you'll have to take my word for it.
As I said, Clovelly is privately owned but people also live here. A lot of the residents work for Clovelly or near by. We stopped to chat with a lady pottering around in her front garden and she told us she and her husband visited three years earlier, fell in love and a year later moved there. I can see the attraction, although it would be busy in tourist times I guess. It's a lovely spot though, so maybe that balances it out.
As one meanders the winding streets and heads ever downwards there's a few spots to stop and explore. They do some amazing crafts here and a few of the more historic homes are open to view; They are set up as they would have appeared back in the old days. Of course, there's a few cafe's as well and some little shops along the way, no different to any village. Above is a couple different streets we came across; As you can see the Bristol Channel is pretty much always visible.
This little house, actually someone's home, was my favourite. It has spectacular views from the other side from where the image is taken and whilst not large, would suit me and Faith I think. This also demonstrates how narrow the streets are. We were struck by how colourful this little town was and everywhere one looked there were planter boxes full of flowers in bloom, a nice contrast against the blue of the Channel and the sky.
Down we went, picking our way over cobbled streets, and marvelling at the lack of people which suits us just fine! It means my photos are largely peopleless, it wasn't noisy and it didn't feel very touristy at all.
The shot above is Faith. I took this from pretty much in front of the house pictured above...So you can imagine what the views are like from their lounge room window. Pretty spectacular! Here you also get a concept of how steep it is as I am standing on a path almost directly above Faith.
This photos was taken a little below from Where Faith is standing in the last image. I wanted to show the full vista of the view. Directly below you can see the harbour. This is where fishing boats have brought their catch in since William the Conqueror ruled England in 1066 and the Bristol Channel lies beyond. Note, the building to the left is the pub, the Red Lion.
It would be easy to imagine this place as a little pirates retreat, you know a place where the salty sea dogs came to spend their loot, drink and carouse with the women. But it all felt too wholesome for that...Although...I spent money there...I had a drink and some food at the Red lion...And I had my woman with me...So maybe I'm a pirate? (If only.)
We kept heading down to the harbour, and the Red Lion, as it was lunch time. We found this cool little street that runs under a building and down to the harbour. Warning, tall people watch your head!
Once at the pub we enjoyed a pretty hearty meal which was probably a little more costly than we would have liked, it was very good though. We didn't linger over lunch too long though...We had ice creams to buy...Yeah, you know me...Can't bypass the ice cream shop. And off to the harbour we went licking ice creams as we went.
At water level one can look back up at the village above and it really hits home just how steep it is...And of course, the penny drops that we have to get back up there somehow...But more on that later.
From here we walked around the pebble beach a little, just to get a different perspective and that's where the very first image above was taken. Again, I was reminded of the happiest pirate village on the planet; It was just all so picturesque.
Here's a shot from the end of the breakwater. It looks to me like cray and lobster is what these fellows fish for as the thing in the front of shot looks like a cray pot to me. I have no clue though, I'm a huntsman not a fisherman. You can also see the Red lion in this shot, the white building immediately at the end of the breakwater with the little red sign on the front.
Clovelly was an absolute joy to visit and I think it was even better considering the lack of other people. There were a few of course, but I think we were there at just the right moment. It was reasonably priced to get in, has history, nice spots to eat and is jam-packed with stunning views which a good photographer could work with - Unfortunately good photographer isn't how I would describe myself, but these images, and the others I got, tell a story and they mean something to us.
It was interesting to be in such an old place and to see it thriving still, largely through the tourist dollar I expect, and we had a really good time there. I'd suggest that if you are in the area it is well-worth your time.
We had our own car when we were in England however buses come out here too. There's an excellent car park up the top if you bring your own though...No tourist vehicles are permitted down the bottom so be prepared to walk. You will not need the whole day here but I'd suggest arrival around mid-morning and about four hours to see all the bits and pieces. Maybe, if you have kids, longer or shorter depending on their attention span and behaviour.
Now...Getting back up to the top...
Walking is one way...But we chose the old Landrover passenger service that heads back up from behind the Red Lion...It was a few pounds each, but worth it I think...It saved the old legs for our next adventure.
That's about it for my little tour of Clovelly folks, I hope you have liked it. If you're interested here's a video link courtesy of the Clovelly website which shows off the little village and adds some perspective. It goes for a couple minutes.
Thanks for reading and if you feel inclined I'd love to see your comments below. If you have any questions let me know.
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If you're interested here's a video link courtesy of the Clovelly website which shows off the little village and adds some perspective.