Beautiful Britain: Ilfracombe

Ilfracombe is a Victorian seaside resort on the North Devon coast. It is surrounded by rocks and cliffs and has a small harbour. The small harbour is in fact the largest in North Devon and has been existence as a post for many centuries. (Handy hint: There is a large pay & display car park at the harbour, I recommend parking here as at peak times street parking was very busy).

I was pleasantly surprised by Ilfracombe although I had no real pre-conceptions. There were lots of tea-rooms, restaurants and dinky shops and the area looked thriving. I wish we'd had more time to spend in Ilfracombe as I would have loved to try out some of the places to eat - I'll just have to go back again. There's no real beach to speak of at Ilfracombe but don't let that put you off. The rugged cliffs are quite beautiful.

Capstone Hill is a large rocky outcrop at the centre of Ilfracombe. You can walk to the top via a well-maintained path, however be warned, it's quite steep. We were dragged up by an over-enthusiastic 6 year old and needed a sit down by the time we got to the top. Coming down is a lot easier.

At the very top of Capstone Hill stands a statue of a young girl. I was immediately taken by this and was saddened to read that it has been put there to remember a young girl from Moscow, Kate Frolov who fell to her death from Hillsborough Hill on 19th July 2000 aged just 13. Apparently she was lost in the sea fog.  Hillsborough, known locally as the sleeping elephant is the site of an Iron Age hill fort.

There are lots of things to do in the surrounding area and Ilfracombe itself has several well-known attractions like the Ilfracombe Aquarium on the harbour which is an award-winning, all-weather attraction housing 75 species along with a cafe and a gift shop. It's really reasonably priced at just £3.99 for an adult and £2.99 for a child over the age of 3. There are family tickets available £12.99 for 2 adults + 2 children, and £15.50 for families with 3 children.   You could also visit the Ilfracombe Museum, go on a wildlife coastal cruise on the Ilfracombe Princess or catch a show at the Landmark Theatre. The Landmark Theatre is an interesting looking building and apparently is a bit like Marmite - you either love it or hate it.

Image Credit: BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/

Also in Ilfracombe is the Tunnels Beaches attraction. This is a network of tunnels, hand-carved in the 1820's,  which lead to a Victorian bathing pool and some sheltered beaches. Admission is £2.50 for adults and £1.95 for children over the age of 3 with family tickets available. Tunnels Beaches has been featured a lot on TV and the press and is becoming extremely popular for weddings. Once you've paid to get in, your ticket is valid all day and you can come and go as you please.

Image Credit: Tunnels Beaches http://www.tunnelsbeaches.co.uk/

There's no doubt about it, we'll definitely be return visitors to Ilfracombe in the future, but I may not walk up that hill again!  If you want to know more about Ilfracombe and what it has to offer, check out the Visit Ilfracombe website.