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Clovelly

Clovelly is one of the most picturesque and visited villages in North Devon. It has a single cobbled street that drops down a 400 feet cliff at a very steep incline to a small harbour.

Charles Kingsley was the son of the local vicar and when he returned to live there as an adult, he wrote his famous books “The Water Babies” and “Westward Ho” there. With tourism becoming a fashionable idea during the Victorian times, these books stimulated a lot of interest in the area and particularly in Clovelly.

Clovelly street
Clovelly street2

The Clovelly estate which includes the village, was purchased by the Hamlyn family and Christine Hamlyn dedicated herself to preserve the character of the village. Her initials can be seen on some of the cottages she renovated as in the picture on the left. The result is unique in that the village remains exactly as it was 150 years ago.

Clovelly harbour

Clovelly does not permit cars, so visitors must park in the car park, pay a fee at the visitor centre to enter the village and walk down, although there is a land rover taxi service for the infirm or donkeys for the adventurous. The village is well worth the effort with the quaint traditional cottages decorated with colourful flowers with the Red Lion Hotel at the bottom of the village being a suitable watering hole to enjoy the surroundings before the climb back up.

Other attractions in the area include the Clovelly Court Parkland Gardens and the Milky Way (Downland Farm).

Clovelly Hotels
Clovelly Cottages

Clovelly harbour 3
Clovelly house
Clovelly red lion
Clovelly harbour 2