Monday 6th October
Waking this morning the forecast looked good and the scene in front of our motorhome confirmed the day ahead looked good.
Our intention was to visit the Blackchurch Rock, but I realised while on the road that it would have required a 2.5 mile walk from the car. This was too much for Holly to manage, so we went onto our second planned destination at Clovelly
The history of this harbour village dates back to William the Conqueror, King of England and today remains privately owned. It is well worth a visit, but you need to be warned – it’s a steep walk down and a more challenging walk back.
The path down to the harbour is on cobblestones, so only visit during dry weather as I suspect it might be slippery in the wet.
Eventually the harbour comes into view…
The journey down through the houses was almost as steep as the remainder looks to reach the harbour. The building on the left is a hotel, so a welcome watering hole while we contemplate the return trip.
Fortunately for the unadventurous there is an alternative and easier way back to the top – behind the hotel is a road and for £3.75 you can get a lift in a Land Rover back to the top. So Vanessa took Holly back in the Land Rover which saved me the challenge of carrying her (Holly that is). I wanted to take a few more photos, so opted to walk back up the hill. My smart watch informed me I’d travelled up 47 flights of stairs.
Of interest, these houses are lived in and the residents have to transport groceries etc from the upper carpark to their houses. We noticed many sledges lying around and the clue to their use is in this photo.
After the Everest climb back to the reception hall I met Vanessa in the café to enjoy a well deserved cream tea.
The entrance ticket includes entry to the gardens nearby, but we found these unimpressive. On the walk through the woods we came across a few fungi.
Leaving Clovelly, we headed over to Hartland Quay which was a location we visited about 20 years ago when I was photographing with slide film. The additional trip to the Clovelly gardens meant that we missed an opportunity of a lower tide, which would have been more ideal.
We decided to stay here to catch the late afternoon sun and then retired the the adjacent pub for a very tasty curry and chicken and chorizo pasta bake.
Bateson's Travel log 