Clovelly and the surrounding area is one of the most beautiful parts of North Devon. Located on the Hartland Peninsula just west of Bideford, the villages of the area are rich in beauty, nature, and scenery.
Ideal for a family day out, or visits spread over multiple days, the Clovelly area is also very dog-friendly and gives a great taste of what North Devon has to offer.
As well as Clovelly itself, there’s also Hartland Abbey and Gardens, Bucks Mill, and the Milky Way Adventure Park (great for kids and teens) to explore and enjoy.
Read on to discover why these places are worth a visit and what you can see and do at each location.
Clovelly
Clovelly is one of North Devon’s most iconic locations, having been used in multiple films and TV shows. A privately-owned harbour village near Hartland, the village charges a small entrance fee to enter as a visitor but dogs enter for free.
The majority of the buildings are listed, and the highlight is the steep pedestrianised cobbled main street flanked by the quaint, traditional houses and a breathtaking view over the ocean and surrounding countryside.
Getting to Clovelly
You’ll need a car to get to Clovelly as it’s in quite a rural part of North Devon. The car park at Clovelly is free, and you enter the village through the visitor centre after you’ve paid the entry fee – you can find up-to-date entry prices via their website.
You then follow the path through the shop and down to the top of the village, but be warned, visiting Clovelly is strenuous, the hill is very steep and cobbled and on the days when the Land Rover is out of service the walk back up the hill can be tough! However, Clovelly is beautiful and absolutely worth the effort.
What to see at Clovelly
There’s plenty to see and do at Clovelly and keep you busy on a day trip of half-day trip. As well as the village itself and main high street, there are also other attractions such as the Court Gardens, Clovelly Donkeys, Kingsley Museum, Fisherman’s Cottage Museum, and Craft Workshops.
You can even take a guided tour of the village or a boat trip around the local coves. If you walk all the way down the cobbled high street you’ll get to the harbour quay where you can get down on the beach for a walk, or enjoy a drink in the pub.
Each year in early September there’s also the Lobster and Crab Festival which celebrates Clovelly’s links to the sustainable fishing industry. You can enjoy traditional folk music, cookery demonstrations, craft stalls and beer tasting, and an abundance of lobster and crab dishes on offer!
Where to eat at Clovelly
Clovelly sources as much of its food as possible from the Clovelly estate. Thus great care is taken in local sourcing, and fresh fish, crabs, lobster are all landed on the quay at Clovelly daily in season.
They’re also part of the sustainable fishing partnership to ensure our waters have lobster for generations to come.
There are a number of pubs and cafes at Clovelly, including the Cottage Tea Rooms which is perfect for a light lunch or delicious Devonshire cream tea, and the New Inn Pub which has Hamlyn’s, a relaxed cafe which serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and cream teas. The New Inn also has Up Along Bar if you fancy a drink.
Further down on the Quay itself is the Red Lion which is where the locals mostly mingle. At the Red Lion you can find the Snug Bar, Harbour Bar, and Harbour Restaurant. In the summer you can buy drinks and snacks from the Red Lion and sit outside on the Quay in the sunshine to enjoy them!
Hartland Abbey
Hartland Abbey is a beautiful house and gardens close to Clovelly, with dogs welcome in the gardens and grounds, but not the house. Think beautiful Hydrangea trails with stunning royal blue flowers, a trail of ferns and other Jurassic plants, and a cottage garden filled with pretty old greenhouses and native flowers and plants.
Once you’ve visited the gardens make sure to visit the grand old house and have one of the huge pieces of cake from the cafe.
If it’s a sunny day, you can walk to Abbey River beach, which takes around 45minutes from the Abbey.
Bucks Mills
Close to Clovelly is Bucks Mills, a rocky and secluded cove with an impressive waterfall at the bottom end of the picturesque hamlet.
There are no shops, pub, or café here, but there is a small church and the pretty hamlet provides a gentle walk and is ideal for nature enthusiasts and photographers.
Getting to Bucks Mills
As you wind your way down the valley leading to Bucks Mills, you are surrounded by lush, green woodlands which create the most perfect dappled sunlight effect on the road.
The woodland belongs to the National Woodland Trust and there are lots of pathways and walks to explore if you enjoy walking.
When you arrive at Bucks Mills there’s a small car park at the top of the hamlet where you can park, and an illustrated map at the entrance to the car park gives a brief history of the Bucks Mills.
What to see at Bucks Mills
On the way down to the beach and waterfall you will find St. Anne’s Church on the left hand side, which was built in 1862 and on the weekends between June and August they serve a delicious traditional Devon Cream Tea.
As you go through the village what was once the Temperance Hotel is on the left, and next door stood the Corn Mill which was powered by the stream. The hamlet is divided by the stream and marks the boundary between Parkham and Woolfardisworthy Parishes.
Most of the cottages in Bucks Mills are private homes or holiday homes, and were built around 1812 to 1835 to provide accommodation for estate farm workers.
Further down just before you reach the steep path leading down to the old quayside and beach, is a small cabin run by the National trust. Perched above the sea overlooking the ocean, the Cabin was the studio and summer residence of painters Judith Ackland and Mary Stella Edwards from the 1920s until Judith’s death in 1971. The interior and its contents have remained preserved, almost as the women left them, for over 40 years.
Once on the beach at the bottom of the cliff, you can walk along to see the waterfall, which is the stream you saw further up the path falling over the cliff edge.
Milky Way Adventure Park
Perfect for families, The Milky Way Adventure Park is North Devon’s most thrilling attraction. With a great offering of activities including rollercoasters, rides, live shows and crafting sessions, The Milky Way Adventure Park welcome well behaved, friendly dogs on leads.
There are currently very limited tickets available for selected sessions due to reduced capacity and ALL visits must be booked online in advance, so don’t miss out.
Things to do at Milky Way Adventure Park
Ride the Cosmic Typhoon Devon’s tallest, fastest and longest roller coaster and have a wild time in North Devon’s biggest indoor adventure play area with dodgems, assault courses and slides built for both adults and children.
Whizz down the huge Gravity Rider donut slide, run around the maze and jump for joy on the huge outdoor bouncing pillows. To wind down you can paint some pottery, ride the mini-train, or play a game of mini-golf.
In addition, there’s a new play space for babies up to 6 years, including a role play pizzeria and a sensory room for the under-3s.
You can also sit back and watch their amazing live shows featuring Merlin from Britain’s Got Talent, plus fantastic displays from the North Devon Bird of Prey Centre.
The Milky Way Adventure Park has attractions to suit all ages, whatever the weather.
With over 85,000 sqft of indoor fun and acres of outdoor activities, The Milky Way theme park is the biggest all weather, family day out in North Devon. Plus all the rides, shows and play areas are included in the entrance fee.
The park’s newest addition is Ziggy’s Blast Quest, a brilliant interactive ride for all ages that invites you to pilot a Cyber Scooter and use your Blasteroid laser to destroy rogue asteroids and meteors before they destroy the planet.
Food-wise there’s the Planet Play Café, which offers pizza, pasta and nachos, and the park have created a new mobile app which offers remote food ordering and ride queueing to minimise contact within the park.
Clovelly has plenty to do for everyone
Clovelly and the surrounding area has a lots to do for all the family all year-round and is one of our favourite parts of Devon. It’s close to the Tarka Trail for keen cyclists, too.
Make sure you visit and spend a day there next time you’re in the area!
