UK: Clovelly - One of a Kind!
 

If driving thru The West of England and especially along the Cornish Coast by all means drop by Clovelly - one of the most storied and unique 'untouched villages' in England.
Clovelly - once a fishing village today seems to be angling more for the tourist pound and the town could be called a tourist trap by some

But what a tourist trap: cars cannot navigate Clovelly's steep cobbled and stepped tiny main artery - High Street - as it precipitously drops several hundred feet to the sea.

The village is built in a thin swathe along the central cobbled chute. As you repel along one side of Main St - it's called Down-a-long and when you're going up the other side it's called Up-a-long

Both Down-a-long and Up-a-long sides are lined by awfully quaint, cute tiny whitewashed 1800s cottages - that seem stacked literally on top of each other along the street. Of course many houses are now tourist shops.

Fuchias, geraniums and hydrangeous lovingly girdle the tiny houses.

Go down Down-a-long till it ends at the Quay Pool, the village's tiny harbor, whose usually bright blue water is dappled by fishing boats and, more and more, pleasure craft. The harbor is framed by a breakwater, more tiny old stone fishermen's cottages and a very old weather-beaten inn.

There is also a storied life-boat station here that is still active.

Formerly taking a pack donkey down-a-long and up-a-long was popular for decades but, happily, the beast have been retired as many thought it was kind of animal abuse i guess. But all i saw were a few old donkeys grazing in the fields up top.

There is only sporadic bus transport to Clovelly but there is a huge parking lot - you enter a modern Visitors' Centre cum souvenir shop with snacks, etc. - then you go out the other door and fall into the 1800s - all the way to Quay Pool and the sea.

Up top is also Clovelly Church is full of the usual old monuments and memorials 0 it's kind of the quintessential village church surrounded by old tombstones.

Also here is Clovelly Court, built in the 1800s, whose construction is said to have become the owner's hobby - (house not open)

But Hobby Drive, a private road twists thru woods and has a viewpoint some 500 ffet above the sea - it's part of Clovelly Court.

So Clovelly - opinions vary after folks have seen it - i loved it for what it was - a rather tourist trap but also lovely lovely unique village that literally tumbles down to the sea.

Have you been to Clovelly - what do you think?

We visited Clovelly in 1982 and I still remember it distinctly.

I have been following your postings for some time.
You are obviously fascinated with England.
I hope that you will be able to visit some day.

Like many places in Cornwall, it needs to be visited when there is an R in the month.

Clovelly is actually in Devon, not Cornwall. It has been a magnet for visitors since the 19th century when paddle steamers brought day trippers from as far away as Bristol - the ships lay at anchor while the passengers were taken ashore in rowing boats.

Geoff - yes - i looked at the Michelin Green Guide map to see whether Cornwall or Devon, which border near Clovelly and saw Devon but wrote Cornish.

thanks for correction - does that mean Devon cream in its tea shoppes?

Just south of Clovelly indeed is Cornwall and the Cornish Coast - it makes a great driving tour.

Actually we drove from Exeter across the famous and desolate Dartmoor National Park

From Exeter - a typically wondrous old historic English town - and a very pleasant one to stay in - great cathedral, lively pedestrian shopping zone - the first stop we made was:

Buckfast Abbey, which has a long and chequered history

The abbey site dates from King Canute around 1000 AD - some original foundations remain from that era

But like most abbeys, the Cistercian abbey fell to Henry VIII's wrecking ball during the Disolution of Abbeys when he turned against the Catholic Church.

Today' Abbey was consecrated only in 1932 and was built by French monks who had fled here in the 1800s and followed in plan the one Henry 8 desecrated.

The new monastery church is huge - 220 feet in length.

In 1966 the Blessed Sacrament Chapel was opened with rather amazing stained glass, all designed by the brothers.

NEXT: DARTMOOR NATIONAL PARK -Prince Charles private park, basically.

Seven years ago we stayed at Tor Cottage which is very close to the border between Cornwall and Devon. The whole area (on both sides( is lovely. We did not, however, make it to Clovelly--which would be on my list for next time.

Yes, I've been to Clovelly a couple of times. I have some good photos, but it was seriously touristy (last time I was there was 1991). If you want to avoid the tourists walk the South West Coast Path or wander on the moors.

I spent a delightful evening in Clovelly last year. Go after closing hours. There's no entrance fee, no tourists and the restaurant down by the sea is still open.

It was wonderful.

And it's pronounced: cloVELLy

I visited Clovelly by bus from Barnstaple the first time I went to Devon many years ago. In a very quiet, bright April afternoon, I thought it was really nice.

Barnstaple is a good leaping off point for the scintillating drive south thru clo-VELLY and then Tintagel (awesome ruined castle overlooking oft bellicose sea) and Cornwall to Penzance.

Barnstaple has train service and the station there is called one of the finest Victorian train sheds in the U.K.