You arrive at a large visitor centre where everything is explained & you can watch the audio film. Clovelly is owned by one family since 1738. They look after it & preserve it, but it is full of tourists. The tiny cobbled streets lead down to the Quay at the bottom. The village is very pretty with 14th century cottages. The cobbled street is known as ‘Up-along’ or ‘ Down-along’ which was built from pebbles hauled up from the beach. Donkeys were the main transport & they still have them in stables in the village.
It was once a bustling fishing port famed for its herring & mackerel. It was also famous for notorious shipwrecks & smuggling but I am not sure how they got the carts up such a steep hill. There has been a Lifeboat station since 1870. You can sit on the harbour wall & enjoy a drink. You can stay at the Red Lion Hotel right on the waterfront with amazing views, or get a Landrover ride back up the very steep hill at £5 per couple.
You can take a boat ride to Lundy island, or go on from there to Hartland Point or Lighthouse. Well worth a visit to the wild & rocky coast with Lundy island rising up in the distance.
Wear sensible shoes! Take a walking stick! Not for the feint hearted.
