Visiting Clovelly
Clovelly is a beautiful, picturesque fishing village, steeped in maritime atmosphere and history. It was once owned by the Queen of England!
Book TicketsBook a stay in Clovelly
The Red Lion Hotel is an 18th Century 4-star Inn that stands on the quay alongside Clovelly’s ancient harbour in North Devon. Each of its 17 beautifully decorated rooms boast a sea view.
To wake up to the sights and sounds of Clovelly’s ancient fishing harbour and the sounds of the sea at the Red Lion Hotel is a unique and unforgettable experience.
The Red Lion
Clovelly Court Gardens
Clovelly Court Gardens are a must see whilst visiting the famous village. Plants thrive in this sheltered sunny corner of North Devon, which has the added benefit of the warmth the Gulf Stream brings.
You’ll find neat, carefully tended gardens and beautifully restored Victorian greenhouses within its old walls. The incredible variety of fruits & vegetables grown here supply the Red Lion Hotel. You can even take some home with you!
Clovelly Court Gardens
Clovelly activities & shops
Check out our shops, galleries and museums. Try your hand at our arts & crafts workshops, charter a boat for a fishing trip or take a stroll along the beautiful cliffs, beaches and through the village. The choice is yours in Clovelly!
Things To Do
History of Clovelly
Originally the estate was owned by William the Conqueror, King of England, gifted to his wife and then had many royal associations until 1242 when first acquired by the Giffard family. Until the middle of the 19th century Clovelly was unknown to the outside world. It was partly as a result of Charles Kingsley’s ‘Westward Ho!’, set in and around the village, that visitors began to come.
History of Clovelly
Clovelly Quay
Clovelly Quay and its bay are sheltered from all the strong westerly winds. The settlement has been here since the 13th century. Landing a boat on the treacherous North Devon coast with its cliffs and rocky foreshores has never been easy. As long ago as the 13th century a rudimentary quay was constructed. Small fleets of fishing boats from Clovelly sailed Bideford Bay in search of herring and mackerel.
Building the Quay, It’s hard to imagine how the men of Clovelly managed to drag such huge boulders across the foreshore and hoist them into position. They could work only at low tide; using ropes and pulleys, brute force and determination. The stones had to be fitted as tightly as possible; behind them they inserted a backfill of smaller stones to create a firm bed. It was a formidable achievement, but the result was invaluable: they had created the only safe haven for boats along the entire stretch of rocky coast between Appledore and Boscastle.
The Devon antiquary, historian and topographer Risdon, writing in about 1630, described the work as a ‘pile to resist the inrushing of the sea’s violent breach, that ships and boats may with more safety harbour there’. Clovelly fishermen in later years certainly appreciated the effort it had taken to build the quay. The village evolved into a bustling and prosperous centre for fishing.
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