Good Morning my beauties and greetings from beautiful North Devon. Apologies for my radio silence! We haven’t had much time to get out and about exploring of late as work has had to come first. It’s the crazy season, school holidays! All hands on deck here at Warcombe Farm as the army of tourists descend upon the south west! Hope you are all doing ok as the World starts to open for business again. We are still very wary even though we are double jabbed, it just doesn’t feel right somehow to go to Cinemas etc. with Covid still rife. Anyhoo mask wearing allows me to swear at stupid people in Tesco and has saved me a small fortune in cosmetics!! We are enjoying this part of the UK very much indeedy . Morning and early evening beach visits each day keep me sane. Can’t beat an early swim at Barricane. You have to pick your times, either before the Grockles get up or when they’ve all gone home! I don’t like sharing my sunrise and sunset with holiday makers!!

Anyway, we managed to fit in a very enjoyable visit to nearby Clovelly before things busied up. It’s many years since we last took Matt there as a little boy. Such a beautiful place and provided you don’t attempt it on a Bank Holiday or in the middle of August, it has a nice big Carpark suitable for Motorhomes. If in doubt, phone ahead to the Visitor Centre. For those of you who have never been, I shall explain. No cars are allowed down into the village, it’s totally pedestrianised. It is very steep and narrow with uneven cobbles, slippery when wet. The two main streets (Up-a-Long and Down-a-Long, very aptly named) were created using large pebbles hauled up from the beach!! Sensible footwear is essential. Heels are a definite no no ladies!! Clovelly was once owned by the Queen of England. It is still privately owned today and only accessed via a visitor centre. An admission fee is payable. Do take time to watch the little informative film before you venture down. There’s a cafe and gift shop at the top and various places to eat and drink down in the village itself. Use the loos in the Carpark!!

The village tumbles down a 400 foot cliff with spectacular views all the way down, out over the Bristol Channel. Some of the fisherman’s cottages have been turned into mini Museums so you can get an insight into what life must have been like back in the day. Difficult for the locals without a doubt, especially in Winter. Supplies are still delivered on wooden sledges pulled along the cobbles. I particularly enjoyed the Kingsley Museum, dedicated to the Author, Charles Kingsley, who lived in Clovelly as a child. The walls are decorated with very lovely murals of his Water Babies. My absolute favourite book growing up. I had an illustrated edition which I treasured. The famous Clovelly working donkeys still live at the top of the hill. Go and pay them a visit! Lots of interesting little craft units up there too by the stables. You can lose yourself amongst the flower strewn alleyways and higgledy piggledy architecture as you wander downwards. There is a small, pretty , working harbour right at the bottom dating back to the 14th Century. Lots of smuggling history. More importantly, a bleddy good Pub, The Red Lion. You can enjoy a cold pint whilst watching the boats come and go. The whole place is incredibly quaint and makes for an excellent day out. Be sure to take in an obligatory Devon Cream Tea with a view!! If you don’t fancy the long haul back up th’hill, you can always cheat and hop on one of the Landrovers. They operate a shuttle service from around the back of the pub for a small fare. Most welcome on a hot day! So that’s Clovelly folks. Gets top marks in my book, we loved it. Can’t wait until our next jaunt but for now it’s back to the grind stone! Wishing you all a most splendid Summer. Hopefully now we’ve kicked Covid’s ass and should be able to crack on with life again. Sending love and good wishes to all. Cheerio for now xxx