The picture-perfect fishing village that’s like ‘stepping back in time’ – where cars are banned

THERE’S a town in the UK where cars are banned and holidaymakers feel like they’ve stepped back in time.

The picturesque fishing village is home to a small harbour and several cobbled streets.

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Set in north Devon, Clovelly is a privately owned fishing village that was largely unknown to the outside world until the mid-19th Century.

The small English village was originally owned by William the Conqueror who then gifted Clovelly to his wife.

But in 1884, Christine Hamlyn inherited the village and set about renovating the cottages alongside her husband.

The estate is now owned by Christine’s great grand-nephew The Hon. John Rous, and tourists are very much welcomed.

Clovelly has received a 4/5 star rating from more than 2,000 reviews on TripAdvisor.

One person wrote: “It was like stepping back in time, Clovelly is traffic-free and remains unchanged.”

A second added: “A spectacular place to visit, it was totally different from anything else we’ve seen on our various travels.”

While a third person wrote: “A beautiful hidden gem.”

Visitors have also raved about the fishing village on TikTok too.

TikTok user UK Hidden Gems posted a video all about their recent trip.

A caption over the video read: “A village in Devon where all cars are banned and the streets are cobbled.”

The footage showed several steep cobble-stone streets that were lined with picturesque white cottages.

At the end of the video, users also glimpsed a small harbour where fishing boats dotted the sandy bay.

In the comments, one person said: “It’s a gorgeous place to go to, I went a few years ago and it’s definitely worth going to.”

Another said: “It’s a fantastic place to visit.”

Holidaymakers need to pay to enter the town with tickets costing £8.75 per adult during the summer months.

Entry tickets for children aged between seven to 16 cost £5.10, while children under seven go free.

The ticket includes entry into the village, parking as well at the entrance into Clovelly Court Gardens, the Fisherman’s Cottage, and the Kinglsey Museum.

The fee also grants holidaymakers access to the local picnic areas and helps to support the planting of trees in the village.

There are plenty of things to do in the small village including Clovelly Court Gardens – a Victorian kitchen garden with restored greenhouses and carefully tended gardens.

At the Fisherman’s Cottage and Kingsley Museum where visitors can experience what life would have been like for a fisherman in the year’s gone by.

Other attractions include Clovelly Quay where visitors can walk around the small bay and admire the fishing boats, and a visit to the Clovelly donkeys at their stables.

Holidaymakers wishing to stay overnight can book a room at the Red Lion Hotel in Clovelly with a two-night stay costing £100 per night based on two people sharing a room.

There are other options too including the New Inn Clovelly and The Old Smithy Bed & BreakfastOpens in new window, both of which are slightly cheaper.

And the UK is also home to another time-warp tourist “town” that’s like travelling back to the 1920s.

The “living museum” of Beamish in County Durham allows people to see what life would have been like in the UK between the 1820s – 1950s, with replica homes, pubs, shops, businesses and more.

Meanwhile, this UK town has been compared to a dreamy Italian village.

And here are some of the most tranquil staycation spots in the country.

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