UP-ALONG AND DOWN-ALONG

Thirty five years ago, we were staying in a caravan at Croyde Bay in Devon for a two-week summer holiday. In those days, our three boys wanted nothing more than to be on the beach with their surf boards, sun cream and plenty to eat and drink. Not sure too much has changed to be honest. However, Mrs. Snopper and I thought it would be a nice change to get away from the beach one evening and make a visit to Clovelly on the north Devon coast, not too far from where we were staying. We suggested it to the boys, who weren`t interested, so we took the gamble and left them to their own devices and off we went. It was the sort of thing you could do in those days - so different to the ultra-protective childhood of today.

That evening all those years ago, we parked for free in a nearby field and strolled up and down Clovelly`s one street and almost had the place to ourselves. Last week, during our stay in Devon, we went back to Clovelly again. Oh, how the years have changed things. Not the village itself, which is almost preserved in amber so nothing changes there; but the car park is now huge, there`s a big all-singing, all-dancing `visitor centre` and you have to pay a £5.50 entrance charge to get in to the village itself. Rampant commercialism must have arrived some time during the 35 years and I suppose I don`t really mind, for it is a unique place which needs to be preserved and if the commercial side of things helps to keep the amber coming, then fair enough.

We were pleased with our ability to make the long descent down to the quay at the bottom of the hill and to manage the climb back up again. The one street is called Down-along as you go down and Up-along as you climb back up. It kind of reminded me of the Woolston Ferry Song about the chain ferry - the floating bridge - that used to ply on steel hawsers between Southampton and its Woolston suburb the other side of the River Itchen. "When I sing of its construction, you`ll be surprised to learn. That the bow going one way, coming back becomes the stern."

For much more on Clovelly, please see http://www.devon-online.com/towns/clovelly/ .