Humor & Whimsy in Clovelly

The picturesque English village of Clovelly, along the northwest coast of Devon, is a tourist trap in the best sense of the word. Although they provide a parking lot, and you can park as long as you want for free (Yes, Parking really is totally free!), you then enter a visitor center where you must pay an admission fee. Along with a large gift shop, the visitor center boasts a cafe where you can buy lunch, drinks, or enjoy your afternoon tea. The best part of the visitor's center is a movie room, which is decorated on all sides by human-sized dioramas illustrating all aspects of life in the village. Then the room darkens, and the movie tells you more about Clovelly's past and present.

Upon leaving the visitor center, you walk down the main (Or should I say only?) street of Clovelly. It's a steep descent, and you need to watch your footing on the cobblestones. But at least you don't have to worry about cars, trucks, motorcycles, or even bicycles passing you. Unlike most modern English towns and villages, Clovelly is still ruled by the family that has lived for generations in the nearby manor. They may not be the Cary family, as depicted in Charles Kingsley's novel Westward Ho! But they've decided to preserve the historic appeal of their village by ruling that only humans and animals shall walk the streets (Sorry, the street) of Clovelly.

I wonder how they feel about pogo sticks?

Sleds like this are a common sight. They help shop owners, residents, and donkey's carry items up and down the hill, and help the milk man deliver everyone's daily pint, yogurt, and clotted cream.

Yum, clotted cream...

Of course, that doesn't mean that folks in Clovelly don't get tired of walking up and down that hill. (Especially after having tea and scones with that delicious clotted cream). Visitors likewise revel in making those steep descents and ascents. So local businesses thoughtfully provide visitors with no end of shops offering homemade fudge, ice cream, and all other sorts of goodies. I'm not sure if all that refreshment makes walking easier or more difficult, but it's their attempt to help keep everyone's spirits up. 

In Clovelly, there's no distinction between residents and visitors. It's everyone against the hill. So residents decorate the fronts of their homes with flowers, whimsical displays, and humorous mottos. 

Signs such as these read:

Please: No Singing, No Dancing, No Swearing.
This is a respectable house.

Happiness is being owned by a cat.

I can only please one person per day.
Today's not your day,
and tomorrow doesn't look good either.

After all, complaining just drags every one's spirits down, right? And no one ever wants to get dragged down, especially not in historic, picturesque, clinging-to-the-side-of-the-hill Clovelly.

Dragon Dave

Pursuing Jesuits with Charles Kingsley at Clovelly

In Charles Kingsley's Elizabethan Era novel Westward Ho!, one person Amyas Leigh distrusts is his cousin Eustace. This has less to do with the fact that Eustace and his father are Catholic, than it does with the fact that Eustace often lies to him. One thing that Amyas, his brother Frank, and his friend Will Cary discover is that Eustace is secretly working with the Jesuits. One evening, the brothers follow him, and discover Eustace meeting two Jesuits who have landed in the dead of night along the shores of Clovelly, a village a short ride from Bideford, along the northwest coast of Devon in England.

While Queen Elizabeth allowed her subjects to practice Catholicism, she forbade missionary activity is forbidden. So the Jesuits lie about their names and identities when they sneak into England. They also hide the tracts they have smuggled in. 

Through Amyas' life and adventures, Charles Kingsley links religion with nationalism. The Pope has blessed Spain's efforts to invade England, depose Queen Elizabeth, and forcibly convert all British citizens back to the true faith. Given that, it's not difficult to understand how most English citizens of this era might have viewed their fellow Catholics as disloyal and unpatriotic. 

Tension and fighting between England and Spain will ultimately culminate in the Spanish Armada. Compared to that massive attack on England, the nighttime landing at Clovelly at first seems an entertaining but insignificant event in Kingsley's novel. But the discovery of the Jesuit landing, and the resultant fight, will alter the course of Eustace's life, and by extension, significantly affect Rose's future. Before, he may have wrestled over his love for Rose (Yes, he loves the Rose of Torridge as well) and his yearning to join the Jesuits. The encounter, and resultant fight, force Eustace down a road leading to heartache, treason, and death.

It's easy to walk along this rugged, forested coast, and imagine Amyas, Frank, and Will Cary defending England against a small incursion of tract-carrying Jesuits.

So thick are the trees, bushes, and flowers outside Clovelly that, at times, all sight of the coast and the ocean disappears. Beware the temptation to venture off the path though, or you might find yourself unexpectedly falling into the sea. If that happens, you'd better hope a few of those evangelical Jesuits are trying to beach their little boat along this rugged Devon shoreline. Sometimes, we all need a helping hand, even if that hand belongs to a tract-wielding Jesuit.

Along the coastal walk, one place to stop and rest is this heaven-sent gazebo.

There, beneath angels' wings, you can rest, eat your lunch, and imagine pursuing Jesuits with Amyas, Frank, and Will. 

Or you can follow my wife's lead, and take a moment to sketch some of the beauty surrounding you, amid a landscape little changed since Charles Kingsley wrote Westward Ho! in 1855.

Dragon Dave

Charles Kingsley on Loving the Rose of Torridge

In Charles Kingsley's epic novel Westward Ho!, young Amyas Leigh is drawn to a local beauty named Rose. But he's only a young teen, with so many plans he wants to accomplish. Chief among those is going out to sea. Eventually he becomes a sailor, and the sea faring life turns out to be everything that he had dreamed. Yet every night he stands on watch, or walks the deck of his ship, he stares out across the ocean waves, and up at the starry sky. Always, his thoughts return to Rose. He meditates on her beauty. His admiration for her virtues increases. When he returns to Bideford after his first tour at sea, he has one plan: to win Rose's heart, and marry her.

Where Amyas is burly, strong, and boisterous, his brother Frank is slim, elegant, and refined. Frank has toured Europe, tutoring the children of aristocrats, and even served in the royal court. You could not imagine more dissimilar brothers. You might think that such different people wouldn't get along. Yet when he learns the celebration the townspeople of Bideford are planning to welcome Amyas back from his first tour out at sea, he begs permission to leave the royal court and return home to the family farm outside Bideford.

There, despite all the wealthy beauties he has known in London, he too falls head-over-heels in love with Rose. 

A house on a hill overlooking Bideford

Mrs. Leigh is a quiet, trusting woman, whom both brothers adore. When Amyas and Frank discover that each wishes to win the same woman, suddenly each views the other as an enemy. They take to fighting. Then they notice the pain they are causing their mother. So they decide to sit down and talk the situation through. 

Neither Amyas and Frank wishes to cause the other pain. Yet there is only one Rose, whom they both love! Despite Amyas' wealth of experience, and Frank's impressive education, neither can decide who has the best claim to Rose's affections. So they travel down to Bideford, to discuss the situation with their friends.

There they discover that their friends adore Rose too. They also desire her! Perhaps this should not surprise Amyas and Frank so. Such is her famed beauty, that she has gained a certain celebrity status. She is known as the Rose of Torridge, named after the gleaming waters of the river that passes through Bideford, and gives the town its link to the sea. 

The Rose of Torridge,
A restaurant along the riverfront in Bideford.

It was one thing to debate who had the better claim to Rose's affections, when Amyas and Frank imagined that they were her only two suitors. But as they learn how strongly each of their friends admire her, they realize they can not cause all their friends the pain of losing her. So instead of each insisting upon claiming his own happiness, they form the Society of the Rose, swearing together that none of them shall possess her, until each should, for whatever reason, relinquish his devotion to her.  

It's hard to imagine people making such a sacrifice for their family and friends. Most writers probably wouldn't even attempt to make the reader believe that their protagonists could be so admirable. But then, Westward Ho! is an unusual novel. And Charles Kingsley, a priest who consistently preached and wrote of the need for better living and working conditions among the English poor, seems a very unusual author. 

Dragon Dave

Boatbuilding & Hill Climbing in Appledore

I wasn't sure what to expect when we pulled into the visitor lot in Appledore. Charles Kingsley had mentioned the town in his novel Westward Ho!, but not in any great detail. We could have visited the maritime museum, located conveniently across from the parking lot. But it was mid afternoon when we arrived, and I wanted to see what the town looked like today, versus merely walking around in rooms and perusing displays. 

Not knowing how much there was to see, or how much time to allot for our exploration, we paid for two hours, and started walking.

A few blocks downhill took us to the river. Or rather, where the River Torridge flows when the tide is sufficiently high. We walked along the riverfront, enjoying the views, and stopped in at a little bookstore called Walter's Emporium to peruse the selection. Lots of great books on offer, but nothing I had to have. This was an important consideration, as the interior of my suitcase was not infinite (unlike Doctor Who's TARDIS), and I needed precious space for many must have items such as Wagon Wheels, Clotted Cream Toffees, and boxes of Yorkshire Tea. So we continued our walk along the quay.

In Westward Ho!, Amyas Leigh prepared and provisioned his ship in his home town of Bideford. When he and his crew were ready to take off on their adventure, they sailed down the River Torridge to Appledore. There, amid great celebration, they made their official departure. Shipbuilding still goes here, and I suppose lots of vessels still set sail from Appledore. But obviously, their captains must time the launches for when the tide is well and truly up.

Appledore boasts a picturesque riverfront, with shops, pubs, and vendors to cater to the visitor's needs. But we found ourselves sated with the views across the river.

Across the river lies the picturesque village of Instow, but even if I had brought my drawing kit with me, I lacked sufficient time to complete a drawing. So I contented myself with enjoying the view.

Everyone sees the world differently. Artist Ashley Jackson, for example, finds wind farms not just unnecessary, but also unsightly. Personally, I think they add interest and elegance to the landscape. Perhaps I should draw one sometime, and pour into the artwork all my admiration for these examples of green energy production. 

What do you think? Would someone buy a sketch of a wind farm? Would you?

By the time we reached the end of the riverfront (where, ironically, we found a more conveniently placed carpark offering cheaper rates), my wife and I faced a dilemma. More than half of our two allotted hours had passed. Should we retrace our steps, or attempt to find a shorter route back? Either way would necessitate a walk up a fairly steep hill. In the end, we walked about halfway back along the seafront, then ventured up, up, up a narrow street that promised to take us in the direction we needed to go. And it did, until it dead-ended. So we had to backtrack a little, which meant more walking down and then uphill again. Oh joy! 

Thankfully, we found our way back to the visitor lot, and with a few minutes to spare. 

Believe me, as we walked up (and down, and up) that steep hill, we were rueing the time we had spent exploring that little bookstore in Appledore. But then, there will always be things in life that you simply must do, even if you regret them later. Don't you agree?

Dragon Dave

How We Almost Curtailed Our British Adventure: Part 2

Walking the Long Bridge in Bideford, England

As I said in Part 1, our GPS unit was clearly malfunctioning. Lacking adequate maps, we had to follow the M road in the general direction of Amesbury, our destination for the night. We could only hope that we would reach it before darkness. 

Thankfully, England enjoys long summer days. Far longer, it would seem, than our stores of patience. At least, that is, after a twelve hour plane ride, and a couple hours of sleep.

Although we don't usually use rest areas, we pulled off in one this time. Given our troubles, we headed inside, where we used the restrooms, and asked a salesman in one of the shops for directions. Thankfully, he confirmed that we were following the correct route, and suggested an off ramp that would take us into Amesbury. From there, hopefully we could reach our hotel.

Are you familiar with English rest areas? Many of them resemble strip malls in the United States, and cater to a traveler's every need. In addition to the toilets and a gas station, this one had several fast food establishments, a coffee place, and a bookstore. Although we had never seen one during previous trips, this one had a large atlas, available for five pounds. We opened its pages, and found it gave us just the highly detailed information we desired. While it might not replace the street-by-street directions of a properly-functioning Satellite Navigation System, this old school book seemed like a godsend. We couldn't have been happier as we pulled back onto the M road, and continued our journey. That night, despite the wonky instructions of our GPS unit, we found our hotel. After hauling our suitcases up several staircases, we were finally able to relax in our comfortable room.

Later, we discovered that somehow, perhaps months ago during the planning stages of our trip, as we entered our destinations into the system, it had somehow got switched over to Pedestrian Mode. We switched it back to Driving Mode, and after that, we never had a problem again. In fact, this year's driving was even more pleasurable than before, given that we now had two available means of navigation handy.

Another view from the Long Bridge

Staying home and pretending to travel doesn't force one to face those fears and overcome them. Besides, it's often in navigating your way through any complications life throws into your path that make any journey an experience you treasure later on. Now I can look back on that difficult driving experience and smile. Plus, we've got an additional navigation aid, that will surely come in handy on a future visit to England.

Still, it's taken me awhile until I could write about that experience, which probably gives you an idea of how frustrating and bewildering we found it.

Does travel make a difference in one's life? It's hard to quantify an answer like that. All I know is that being in Bideford, really being in this north Devon town I had read about in Westward Ho!, to which I had already traveled vicariously through Charles Kingsley's eyes, soul, and pen, proved a meaningful experience that could never be enjoyed by the armchair adventurer. I don't know about you, but for me, that's a reason to travel. 

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to relax in my comfortable armchair and do a little reading. Right now, being an armchair adventurer sounds really appealing.

Dragon Dave

How We Almost Curtailed Our British Adventure: Part 1

The riverfront in Bideford, England

I once corresponded with a couple who never traveled anywhere. Aside from the occasional day trip, they never ventured far from home, and never spent the night elsewhere. They claimed that they could get all the benefits of travel from the comfort of their armchairs, either by watching a TV program, or reading about faraway places in books and online. Their approach saved them the monetary costs, the hassles and exertion, and all the planning that real-world travel demands. 

Needless to say, fears accompany any untried venture. And even with the best of planning, there are things that can go wrong during any trip. As happened during this year's trip to England.

As we pulled out of Heathrow Airport in our rental car, we had trouble following the instructions given by our satellite navigation system. We had bought the unit during our first visit to England, back in 2011, and it was old and out of warranty. Still, we had thought it would be fine for our trip. Instead, it started giving us all these strange instructions. When we missed a turn off, it kept on wanting us to backtrack instead of recalculating an alternate route. In an attempt to turn around, we got on one of the M roads (the British equivalent of freeways in the United States. There it really went wonky, telling us to turn off in places where there was no off ramp. Plus, the M road was full of traffic, which meant that we were headed nowhere, and almost certainly in opposite direction from that night's destination, really fast.

We had never found a good map book or atlas of England on our previous trips. Google Maps had changed the way it operated, so while I had calculated the estimated miles between destinations, I hadn't been able to print detailed directions. This left us to rely on our satellite navigation unit. But even after we got off the M road, and headed in what we believed was the right direction, the system still seemed wonky, telling us to go in a counter-clockwise (instead of the correct clockwise) direction around roundabouts, and turn off the roundabouts using lanes that would have us driving on the right side of the road (instead of the left). 

Somehow, by relying on the faulty unit, we managed to start heading in the right direction. But we were so frustrated by this time that, had my wife suggested we return the rental car, and try to use buses and trains for our journey, I would have agreed. It would have made our vacation much more expensive, and limited our options, but really, what were our options at this point? Could we really reach all the places we desired, without adequate maps, and a GPS system that was clearly malfunctioning?

We thought we had planned adequately for this adventure, but clearly we had not, and lacking an adequate means of navigation, was this what we could expect every day of trip? Does that sound like a vacation to you?

Dragon Dave

Beautiful Bideford: So Much To Offer

Bideford may not seem remarkable to the average tourist. Yet after reading Charles Kingsley's novel Westward Ho!, I enjoyed exploring the north Devon city where his protagonist Amyas Leigh grew up, attended school, and set off from on his maritime adventures. Kingsley references lay everywhere. His name adorned local businesses and streets. Restaurants and public houses took their name from characters in the novel. The Burton Art Gallery & Museum offered up a Charles Kingsley room. And of course, there was his statue, where he stood atop his gleaming pillar, surveying (or guarding) the park. 

There's the Long Bridge, one of the longest remaining medieval bridges in England. Cars and pedestrians cross it constantly. Standing along its thick stone walls, one can soak in magnificent views of the surrounding houses and countryside. 

From there, we could also see the barge where we ate lunch. At least, we fancied we could. It's really back there, resting behind the other ships that seem intent upon hiding it from view. From the Long Bridge, Bideford's modern counterpart looks like it must run directly over the barge, but it's far enough away that when you're on the barge, you can't hear the cars passing by, the drivers intent upon traveling to and from work, and otherwise going about their daily lives.

Bideford has plenty to offer, including historic churches, summer festivals that celebrate the regions heritage, and a weekly Panniers Market. It even has a Citizen's Advice Bureau. There, Bideford residents can emulate the example of Compo Simmonite in the Yorkshire town of Holmfirth. As related in the show Last of the Summer Wine, he once visited his local bureau with Nora Batty to confirm that renting a room from her for twenty years constituted a common law marriage. Much to his chagrin, the resident legal export couldn't confirm his contention, but still, isn't it nice that residents have a place to learn the answer to practical questions like that?

Dragon Dave

Riparian Reservations in Beautiful Bideford

Normally, my wife and I are early-risers. But England seemed to demand a different schedule. So it was that we arrived in Bideford shortly before noon. We left our car in a park, and as we stretched our legs, we came across an old barge along the river. It advertised good hot food, which is always attractive come lunchtime, so we walked onboard.

We could have eaten inside, but it was nice outside. So we decided to emulate the English, and dine alfresco whenever the weather allowed. 

It seemed a rather ironic place for Amyas Leigh to dream of a seafaring life at the beginning of Westward Ho!, given the low level of the River Torridge. 

On the other hand, the low river thrust those white houses Charles Kingsley described to the forefront. It was easy to imagine Amyas growing up in one of those, with his quiet but religious mother, and his much smarter brother Frank, who would grow up to tutor the children of wealthy families, and serve in Queen Elizabeth's court. 

While we ate, the tide came in. As the river swelled, the birds came too. The strong current, lapping against the river bed, served as gentle accompaniment to the calls of the birds. Seagulls flew, ducks swam, and the houses across the river, surrounded by verdant greens,  grew even more picturesque. 

There was so much I yearned to explore in Bideford, as well as the rest of this northern corner of Devon. I had done lots of research, and here was my chance to see it all! But part of a vacation is the idea of relaxing, just taking it easy. And then there is the subject of sketching. I'm not saying I'm a great artist, or that I ever will be. But I had vowed to do more sketching on this vacation. Still, I had to make a choice. Should I take it easy, and enjoy the scenic splendor of my riparian roost? Or should I abandon the nest, and camera in hand, strut my San Diego stuff through beautiful Bideford? In the words of The Clash: "Should I stay or should I go now?"

Westward Ho! Go Go GO! Yes Yes YES? Or no No NO?

What would you do?

Dragon Dave

My Charles Kingsley: Westward Ho! Journey

You might never have heard of Bideford (pronounced Bid-E-ford), a town in Devon, England, but it's strongly associated with one author. His name was Charles Kingsley, a 19th century Church of England priest, whose sermons and service was so highly regarded that he eventually served as chaplain to Queen Elizabeth, tutored the Prince of Wales, and was appointed canon of Westminster Abbey. But it was largely for his contributions to literature that he is remembered, and foremost of those is his novel Westward Ho!

Yes, you saw that right: there is an exclamation mark in the book's title. 

Although he published it in 1855, the novel is set in the 16th Century. It's about Amyas Leigh, a young man who feels the call of the sea. After his father's death, he's overseen by a powerful local benefactor, who sends him out to serve under Sir Francis Drake. In time, he becomes a captain of his own vessel, searches for treasure and a city of gold, and leads his crew into battles against the Spanish. His military prowess is such that, in the novel's final section, Drake relies on him to help defend Britain against the dreaded Spanish Armada. It's an engaging read, if a little imposing at times, as Kingsley was a highly educated man, and his erudite prose makes the book anything but an easy read. 

Still, the novel offers a little something for everyone: Christianity versus Witchcraft, Adventure and Intrigue, Love and Revenge, even if the Spanish and the Catholics (specifically the Jesuits) are the antagonists. In fact, Kingsley has come under fire in recent decades for his anti-Catholic views, but he was writing of a time in which people in Britain were highly segregated in their religious views, and people associated Catholicism not only with the Spanish Inquisition, but also how the Spanish and the Catholic Church (mis)treated the peoples they subjugated in the Americas. Then there's the fact that the Pope declared Queen Elizabeth unworthy of being Queen, and the manner in which the Catholics hence viewed her could hardly have warmed the British to their Spanish neighbors. 

Kingsley's novel taught me a lot about 16th century England, and left me feeling as though I had gotten my money's worth. This proved especially true as I got it for free online, and it took me a couple months to read. Some say that you don't value what you get for free, but I'll be remembering Westward Ho! for a long time to come. Apart from the history, romance, sorrows and joys, thrills and drama, I'll remember Amyas Leigh's remarkable transformation from young teen to mature man. More importantly, it made me curious to see Bideford, that historic town along the River Torridge, and the other historic locales in North Devon that feature in the novel. 

What an incredible gift to receive from a book of fiction written over one hundred-and-fifty years ago! Onward, David! Westward Ho!

Dragon Dave