Ilfracombe in North Devon is a holiday resort which has been popular for decades. Perhaps its most recent claim to fame is as the birthplace to the famous triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, to whom there is a monument outside the town’s Landmark Theatre.
Today, the bustling former fishing port still hosts fishing trips, boat charters and wildlife watching tours as well as enjoying a thriving tourist trade, with many gift shops selling postcards, gifts, fudge, shortbread and rock. There is an aquarium located harbourside, a number of pleasant walks around the town and up the steep grass-covered cliffs behind plus a successful local arts scene based around the Landmark Theatre. The town is a riot of smells; salt and seaweed from the sea, fudge and candyfloss (cotton candy) from the gift shops, coffee and newly baked scones from the teashops, fish and chips from the restaurants. Above it all rise the omnipresent sounds; the seagulls’ crying and the waves breaking on the shore, punctuated only by the church bell tolling the hours and the slapping of the wet ropes on the rigging of the boats in the harbour.
Spectacular Views from Ilfracombe Cliffs
In clear weather the view from the quiet residences and bed and breakfast houses clinging to the cliffs high above the town is spectacular, a vista of green rolling meadows and blue glittering sea with sharp brown jagged cliffs in between. Wales is visible across the Bristol Channel and with a good pair of binoculars it is possible to see the tankers and cargo vessels lumbering in and out of the docks that dot the coast. The seagulls loudly proclaim that this is their territory, swooping low over tourists and locals alike, and wheeling over rooftops in formation.
Day Trips from Ilfracombe
There is a ferry connecting Devon with Mumbles in Wales, allowing for day trips. The Eden Project in Cornwall is within three hours’ drive, and is worth the journey. The Dartington Crystal works, near Great Torrington, has week day tours of the factory and a vast factory shop selling glass, Edinburgh Woollens, clotted cream fudge, shortbread and more. The historic village of Clovelly is also within driving distance and a visit to the famed golden sandy beaches of Woolacombe is recommended. Lynton and its port Lynmouth, devastated by a flood similar to Boscastle’s, contain enough history to keep interested tourists enthralled for many hours – and for the brave there is even the cable car ride between the two to negotiate.
Ilfracombe: A Mix of Ancient and Modern, Bustling and Calm
Ilfracombe’s steep, narrow streets and the sense of history about the place belie a town more than capable of keeping up with the times. It may be a perfect place to practice hill starts and parking in tight spaces, but it also has plenty to attract the modern visitor. Drive only a couple of miles away from the town, however, and there is a sense of timelessness and peace, a panorama of green rolling fields and hills punctuated by narrow, sunken roads with the great expanse of the sky arching overall, uninterrupted by tall buildings, just maybe an occasional pylon or telegraph pole. It is the perfect location for inspiration, quiet beauty and inner peace, and it is possible to see why the locale is so favoured by artists and creative types.
Ilfracombe is not a place for loud pubs, vibrant night life and dusk till dawn parties. It is, however a place to recharge batteries, to walk for miles, to catch the sea breezes and the seagulls’ screaming, to sit and stare at nature and find peace.
Paula Thomas - Paula is, among other things, an editor & proofreader. She also enjoys technology - retro or modern - travel, music, motorsport and ...
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