Village in Devon ‘feels like Greece’ with cute streets and crystal sea | UK | Travel

A solo traveller claims she may well have stumbled upon the “prettiest village in the UK” as she compared its cobbled streets and crystal-clear waters to those you’d expect to find in Greece.

Lana, who is known on social media as Storky Adventures, took to TikTok to showcase an idyllic location in Devon, which she described as a “dreamy little place with the most picturesque scenery”. Her short clip began with peering out into the sea before making her way down to the beach via a cobbled path.

She went on to make her way around the steep streets amongst “charming cottages” before indulging in a cream tea. “I can’t believe this is in Devon,” she confessed, revealing the location is the fishing village of Clovelly in the north of the county.

“It was like stepping back in time with no cars allowed and had a kind of Greece feel to it with the cobbled streets, bright white houses, hanging flower baskets over looking a turquoise ocean,” Lana gushed.

For those interested in checking it out for themselves, however, she warned: “It’s on a steep cliff so be prepared for abit of a walk and don’t be like me and wear flip flops – which also broke so that was interesting on steep cobbled paths.”

Lana also pointed out that you have to pay to enter the village as it is a privately owned estate – but the fee includes parking. She closed: “There seems to be a handful of holiday accommodation which I wouldn’t mind checking out, as I want to to go back ASAP.”

Writing in reponse, one TikTok user who had also visited the village penned: “Beautiful Clovelly, worth the £9 per adult, absolutely stunning. The £9 ticket is valid for seven days so definitely worth it, visited gardens too and bought a little plant.”

A second person added: “It’s great there, shame you have to pay to see it, but it’s worth it. Even the waterfall on the beach too.” A third admitted: “I love it here! But the walk back up in the summer was a killer.”

A fourth agreed: “Great place – if you don’t mind the walk up and down. Some hill!” Whilst a fifth individual said: “So beautiful, sometimes would never think it’s in the UK.”

The history of the village, meanwhile, is detailed in a dedicated website, which states: “Originally the estate was owned by William the Conqueror, King of England, gifted to his wife and then had many royal associations until 1242 when first acquired by the Giffard family. Until the middle of the 19th century Clovelly was unknown to the outside world.

“It was partly as a result of Charles Kingsley’s ‘Westward Ho!’, set in and around the village, that visitors began to come. Christine Hamlyn inherited the estate in 1884 and married in 1889.

“She and her husband renovated many village cottages, hence why you see her initials in place. The current owner of Clovelly, The Hon. John Rous, is her great grand-nephew. You can see a lovely portrait of Christine Hamlyn in her wedding gown as above in the Hamlyn’s Room at the New Inn.”