Ilfracombe

The Ilfracombe Red Petticoats

Green Man Celebrations

Broomhill Sculptures

A Lone Walker

Ilfracombe’s history has been shaped by the sea; A sea, so volatile it can lay like a mill-pond or strike the craggy shore with 25ft waves. In contrast, during milder months, Ilfracombe is blessed with the third warmest climate of any UK town. Often the sun shines brightly in Ilfracombe while the rest of the country hangs onto weatherman's promises . The town’s buildings are perched on picturesque hills, cliffs and valleys, with the sea adjoining the harbour area of town on three sides.
      The people here celebrate their long and rich heritage. The area in and around Ilfracombe offers the traveller a unique window into the past. Ilfracombe is a quaint town, which could be likened to a kind of quirky Victorian theme park. The harbour is a focal point with pier, aquarium, bobbing fishing boats, which together with rows of crab and lobster cages, the sand and pebble beaches create the town’s unique character.
      It’s origins as a settlement can be traced to the bronze age. In the Anglo-Saxon times of King Alfred the old name Alfrincombe was coined meaning wooded valley of Alfred. This original name was written into the Doomsday Book over one thousand years ago.
      Ilfracombe is on the Bristol Channel, once one of the busiest shipping passages in the World. Bringing produce from all over including cotton bails from America, many ships sailed up the channel as far as Ilfracombe only to fall a victim to the infamous antics of local pirates and ‘wreckers’ thus sharing their fate with the many ships buried in the graveyard of the seas. Wreckers would stand on the hills and jagged cliffs and guide ships onto the rocks with their lanterns. As the ships floundered, the drifting cargo was hauled in by the wrecking crew and later sold off. While most of those involved, did so for survival, some became very wealthy from the illicit trade. References to this roguish side of the towns history can still be observed in shop and restaurant names. The town’s numerous alleyways, and some of the buildings are evocative of this period.
      This fishing port’s glorious past recalls one of Sir Francis Drakes ships, which had split from the squadron in the Straits of Magellan and sailed into the harbour with an exotic cargo of medicinal bark used by sailors to prevent diseases while voyaging the seas.

Exploring the caves

In 1797 while England and France were at war, a local lady spotted a small fleet of four French war ships, just off the coast, finding and sinking small local vessels. Ilfracombe’s men were mostly away at war, so the lady fearing the town’s imminent destruction and invasion by the French, rounded up the towns women and asked them to take their red petticoats, (an undergarment, which used to be worn under their dresses) and drape them over their shoulders. They all marched up Capstone hill, overlooking the town and the sea, whilst banging on a drum, next to the flag-pole. They then took up prominent positions along the coastline and thus fooling the French crews into believing them to be a large red-coat regiment protecting the town. Deciding against a major confrontation that day, the French sailed past the town without attacking.

In the late 1880’s, during the Victorian era, Ilfracombe was discovered as one of the first tourist destinations. The town boomed, every week dozens of steam ships sailed into the harbour, while the newly built train station, positioned high above the town, brought people in by the thousand. The level of passenger traffic was so high between 1880 and 1891 the train tracks needed to be doubled. Today cars and buses have replaced these yet still the world’s last ocean going steam ship, The Waverly, brings people into and out of Ilfracombe.
The boat sails to and from; Lundy island, Wales, Exmoor National Park, and Bristol.

Lundy Island, once known as ‘the kingdom of heaven,’ is home to puffins, seals, whales, dolphins, and the ‘gentle giant’- basking sharks. Life on Lundy is like experiencing a time-warp. The island has only a single pub, one shop, no roads and limited electricity. Lundy Island provides the ideal environment for finding peace and getting back to nature. Many guests from Ocean Backpackers go there for day trips and some stay for a weeks voluntary conservation work. (contact; The warden 01237-470074)

You can find out more about Lundy and Ilfracombe’s fascinating history at Ilfracombe Museum, which houses some 20,000 exhibits, including the incredible giant stuffed seagulls, which stood a scary 2.5ft high!

From Ilfracombe it is easy to catch a ferry to nearby Lundy Island, which also has a long history of providing shelter for the pirates. Almost certainly some of the semi-submerged grottos and shingle coves still contain treasure of some description. It is not advisable though to go digging as this is one of the UK’s finest marine nature reserves.