Phew! It’s been a busy old day… Hence the slightly later than usual posting time! Fortunately, the subject matter for today’s post is a lazy stroll around one of the prettiest and most unusual places that Paddy and Plunkett have visited in a long time. Welcome to Clovelly, a village in northern Devon which has been privately owned since the 13th century! It’s built on a veeeeeery steep slope, and the houses almost appear to tumble down the hill into the harbour…
Clovelly is well-known for its beautiful cobbled streets, which are apparently made from stones gathered at the beach below. Paddy wanted to take a photo of himself with the sea waaaaay down at the bottom of the main street…
… But then Plunkett commandeered the camera for a snap of the cobbles themselves.
“Beautiful! Look at those nice smooth edges!”
Fortunately, Paddy was able to regain control of the picture-taking by telling Plunkett that there were even better cobbles further down the hill. Normal service resumes!
You might have noticed already that these streets, as well as being very steep, are also reeeeeally narrow. And that makes Clovelly officially a car-free zone! In fact, using any form of wheeled transport is pretty much impossible – although I wonder how many runaway carts ended up in the harbour before they figured that one out?
Anyway, back in the day, donkeys did all the -ahem- donkey work of ferrying people and their chattels up and down the hill. But that’s a hard day’s work for anyone, and these days you’re more likely to see the donkeys taking it easy in the sanctuary at the top of the hill. So if you want to move anything, you’ll be using one of these!
These sledges are what locals use to bring home their shopping. After parking their cars up at the top of the hill, they load up the sledge and bring their deliveries to their front door on foot. At least it’s downhill all the way!
And as you can see, Paddy has found the perfect way to turn this system to his own advantage.
“Hop in, Plunkett! Let’s get a lift to the harbour!”
Their journey took them past some of the achingly pretty shops and houses on the main street…
… And soon they could look right into the harbour from above!
It’s lucky the tide’s out, or Paddy probably would have tried to dive in! The lads decided to opt for a sedate walk down to sea level instead.
“Ooooh! It’s beautiful!”
And the view behind them wasn’t bad either!
The only thing they have to worry about now is how to get back up that hill!
We’ll be rejoining Paddy and Plunkett in a couple of weeks… Because now it’s MY turn to go on holiday! I’ll be taking a break from blogging while I’m gone, but I’ll be posting on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter as I travel.
See you again on the 19th for fresh Beastie fun!
It looks very picturesque there but the steep streets must be a killer on the knees.
I’d say so… And that’s before you start pulling sneaky stowaway Beasties around on a sledge! 😆 Thanks for popping by, Laura!
What a beautiful place!! ! Have fun!!
Thanks Tajana! Fortunately I’ve found myself in somewhere much less hilly today… I wouldn’t fancy hauling my wheelie suitcase up that slope! 😁 Cheers for joining the boys on their latest adventure!
What a lovely place to visit!
Dankeschön für’s Zeigen und Präsentieren…
Have a pleasant time off WP!
Liebe Grüße zur Nacht vom Lu
Vielen dank, Lu! 😊 I’m enjoying the lovely German sunshine already ☀️😎
Oh yes, it’s pretty hot here these days 🤗😁🌻
And that’s fine with me! 😁
And also with me, enjoy!
Have pleasant days over here 🌻🌟🌻
Thanks… Have a good week yourself! 😊
Thanks a lot! ⭐
⭐ 🙂 ⭐
🌻🌼🌻
Have a lovely holiday 😊
Thanks, Paula! I will 😁
Have a great holiday, this looks like an amazing place I have to visit one day 🙂
It does, doesn’t it? And it’s probably much easier for you to get to than it would be for me! Thanks for stopping in, Simon! 😁
Yeah, I don’t have to swim! Lol
Ha! I wonder if that’s how Paddy and Plunkett made it over? 🤔
Knowing them probably…
Not impossible… But stowing away in human luggage is really more their style! 😉
Yeah I can see that working too lol
😀😀😀
What a lovely village. It sounds like an amazing place to spend the day.
Isn’t it beautiful? Part of me would love to see it in the snow… I wonder if anyone’s ever braved that hill on a toboggan? 😆 Thanks for stopping by, Catherine!
Hmm…cobbles, steep hills…I can just see the Tour de France location scouts slathering over how tortuous this would be to set a stage of next year’s race. Have a GREAT holiday (you did check the Ed Sheeran concert schedule before you left, right?)
Gaaaaah! No! I didn’t have time before I left. I did think of you at the airport though, when I noticed that the girl in front of me in line at security was wearing a t-shirt from that fateful tour! Hopefully he’s done with Europe now…
I hope she got the most uncomfortable seat in the plane!
Let’s hope so! I ran away as soon as I could to make sure I was ahead of any potential acolytes of the dark lord Sheeran! 😂
Oh, and I’m not sure which would be worse… Riding a bike uphill, or trying to control it on a downward descent!
The scars on my face and legs are proof that downhill is WAY worse!
And this is why I don’t trust bicycles. They’re looking for any excuse to throw you off!
Amazing photos! The steep cobblestones do look like trouble but glad the Beasties were able to navigate it. I am just sitting here waiting for tierneycreates Beastie to arrive so I can take her on adventures too 🙂
She’s on her way! As for those hills, I now reckon sorry Beastie legs would be better equipped to tackle it than human ones. It’s just going to take the boys a looooong time to get back to the top of that hill 😆 Thanks for dropping in, Tierney!
Oooo I haven’t been to Clovelly for simply ages so thanks for sharing I NEED TO GO SOON 🙂
Beastie Travel, at your service! 😁 Send us a postcard if you go. Glad you enjoyed the tour, Mrs P… It certainly looks like a really interesting place! Thanks for popping in!
I want to go to here!!! This place looks awesome. I mean, I’d be falling down constantly because I can barely handle flat surfaces but. Theoretically awesome. Looks like one of those town where dining out is a dire affair though – jacket potato and beans ahoy, lads!
Hahaha! What, you mean jacket potatoes and beans aren’t the height of culinary excellence?! I think I might experience similar balance problems if I tried to navigate these steep streets… But at least the Beasties don’t have too far to fall if they trip over their own paws! 😂 Cheers for stopping in, Weekes!
Don’t get me wrong–I have probably enjoyed at least one jacket potato in every county of this fair island. It’s the only safe bet! Haha true… not far to fall on those cute little Beastie legs. I think the minimised risk emboldens them!
Well, certainly Paddy! Although if ever there was a Beastie who didn’t need further emboldening…
Clovelly is lovely, indeed! P&P always visit the most scenic and wonderful hilly places! The houses and storefronts and cobble stones… in the photos, Clovelly looks as though it could be the enchanted setting of a Miyazaki film. 🙂 I’m wondering if the Clovellians might consider installing a funicular given the terrain? Happy trails, Helen!
Heehee, thanks Shirley! Now you mention it, everywhere should really have a funicular! 😁 And hopefully Miyazaki will come across this comment and be inspired – maybe Paddy and Plunkett could be the stars of the next Ghibli film! Thanks for stopping in!
Wow, what an amazing village!But those hills!!!! I think wearing heels is probably out of the question?
Hahaha! Probably… I have enough trouble with those on flat surfaces!😆 Perhaps there might be a market for some sort of slanted platform shoe that evens out the gradient though? 🤔 Cheers for joining the boys on their latest adventure!
That’s a really neat little town! … another bullet point on my to travel list.
I just wonder if any of the inhabitants know how to ride a bicycle. I really can’t picture kids learn how to ride on this kind of road. 😀
Yes, I think I’d want to try somewhere a liiiiiittle flatter for my first attempt on a bike… Especially since there’s a very real chance that you’d end up in the harbour at the bottom of the hill! And my to-travel list is also getting longer every day… I should probably book some more holidays! 😉 Cheers for joining us in lovely Clovelly, Ivonne! 😀