Ilfracombe England
United Kingdom
Frequently Asked Questions
It does not dock. Small and mid-size ships anchor offshore and land passengers by tender right in the harbour basin, among fishing boats and excursion launches. You step onto the quay and the town begins there.
Yes. Shops, cafés and sloping lanes climb straight up from the quays, and the Tunnels Beaches lie a few minutes' walk west of the centre. Bring some puff: this north Devon resort clings to a very steep coast.
The ten-minute climb to St Nicholas Chapel, walking through the Tunnels Beaches and a stretch of the cliff path fill four hours. With six, add a boat trip — seal watching or a coastal cruise — or a longer walk out to the Torrs.
A 20-metre bronze figure at the harbour entrance, half anatomical study, half allegory, a sword raised to the sky. The work of Damien Hirst, it has divided residents since it was installed. It is the first thing you see from the ship's deck.
A tiny whitewashed chapel perched on the Lantern Hill headland above the harbour, guiding sailors since 1361. It is reckoned to be the oldest working lighthouse in the country: a lantern still burns there. The climb takes ten minutes.
Four tunnels hand-cut through the cliff by Welsh miners in the 1820s, giving access to sheltered coves and tidal pools. You walk through the rock and emerge onto shingle beaches framed by grey walls. Period signs recall the era of strictly separated bathing for men and women.
Yes, the town sits on the South West Coast Path. Eastwards the route climbs Hillsborough for plunging views over the harbour and rooftops; westwards it heads for the Torrs, a series of zigzags cut above the waves.
Yes, but everything is uphill and the beaches are shingle, not sand. The Tunnels Beaches and their tidal pools appeal to children, and the quay lines up lobster pots and stalls serving crab and the day's catch a few metres from the boats that landed them.
Pounds sterling and English. Cards work in most shops, but the quayside stalls and small businesses still appreciate cash. No French-language service is offered.
May to September, when the boat trips run and the tidal pools are inviting. The north Devon coast is very exposed: passengers land by tender and the call can be cancelled in rough seas, which happens more often outside the summer months.
