My First Delivery….

The sun is shining and the sky is blue, as I start my descent down into the village of Clovelly, here in the heart of North Devon.

The cobbled path is steep and I’m looking down into the village from above…..it’s slated rooftops are welcoming me.

I’ve just finished loading up one of the communal sleds, with fresh loaves of bread and an urn of milk. I’ll sell these goods to villagers, and I have no doubt that many of them would like to hear a little bit of gossip as well. I look forward to chin wagging with these people.

Clovelly is a part of my regular delivery route and I visit twice a week. It’s a beautiful place and very isolated. The only way in is by foot or by small fishing boat……it thrives because of its fishing catch….. but the catch is getting smaller and I wonder how long their way of life can persist.

Ah well…. Everything changes.

Going down into the village I have to stop the sled from running and accelerating downhill by pulling on its rope with all my strength. The hard slog back up is not for the faint hearted either.

Mrs Tithecott will be my first delivery….. and there she is, leaning over her wall…. ‘Good morning my dear’, she yells up the street…..

It’s a way of life that has all but disappeared in Clovelly today, but the sleds are still a vital part of its infrastructure. The fishing boats have all gone, although one boat still makes a small living from the lobster and crab to be found out by Lundy Island.

It’s a way of life that I teach about as my tour group and I descend down to the old harbour and quay.

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