Day 32 Sunday May 11 - Mothers Day

Went back to Clovelly today. Wather was a bit overcast, not like yesterday! Got to the village to find out they wanted £10 each to go in so changed our minds and headed off to Clovelly convent and gardens just down the road. We wandered through to the church and went inside and met with Tom who was one of the priest wardens. Tom told us of a way to get into the village for free so off we went back to the village,  what a wonderful place it is.

A gravestone in the churchyard

The church - All Saints Clovelly c1200

Inside the church

The gate house in the gardens

The tree as you walk in, just magnificent!

Inside the church

The font is from Norman times and the monolithic pillars are c1300. Since 1738, the Hamlyn family have been Lords of the Manor. They own the whole of Clovelly - 80 homes and 7 farms! 

Mother’s Day scones with cream cheese and chutney - divine!

The view from where we had morning tea!

All of the above are Clovelly village

While talking to Tom he told us to go to Hartland Quay as it was a spectacular place as well so we decided to drive there. It was only about 20 minutes away. We had to pay a toll of £3 to use the road. Well worth it once we got there! Unfortunately it started to rain along the way but it didn’t stop us. Hartland Quay was just unbelievable! If you’ve ever been to the Giants Causeway in Ireland, it’s very similar to that except the Slate formations are on their side rather than built up on top of each other. Pictures  just don’t do it justice. It was absolutely amazing.

Hartland Quays, it was absolutely breathtaking! 

Big black slate rocks

More rocks, we tried to walk over to what looked like caves but it was too difficult 

We walked through that whole but nearly broke our necks so gave up trying to go further!

Stunning

Still stunning

Still

Still

Hasn’t changed!

Still beautiful 

From there we decided to head home and have a bit of a break after our big day yesterday. We had a bit of a rest and read and then decided to walk into town.  Barnstaple really is a nice town. In the middle of the town there was this great big mound that had a sign on it saying that it had been Barnstable castle but was no longer there,  the mound had grown over it but you could see little bits of  what would’ve been the previous castle. At the front of the castle there was the lodge house or what was left at the lodge house.

The VE Day celebrations in Pannier Market

Lodge house at castle(less)

View from the top of the mound that was the castle - really high up!

Gary walking up the mound

View from top of mound - it was over 14 metres high

View of Lodgehouse

Barnstaple Castle - this mound is the most striking reminders of Barnstaple Castle, built around 1.000 years ago by the Norman’s. Before the Norman Conquest in 1066, the area was used as a cemetery! 105 Anglo Saxon skeletons were discovered here in the 1970’s. 

The mound is behind the trees

An old part of the castle that is left

The old castle gates

This wall was in an arcade in the town centre - it is painted with anti climb paint! 

Went for dinner at the Watergate pub, great pub , good food for Mother’s Day. We wandered into the Pannier Market  where they’ve been holding VE day celebrations so it was set up for the veterans to reminisce. There were people dressed up in old war uniforms. There was a young girl singing “We’ll meet again”And there were all these flags and British Regalia.

Back tomorrow our accommodation and heading off to Bath tomorrow