Places to Potter: Ilfracombe

I visited Ilfracombe in August with my darling mother. It's not the first time I've been, my mum grew up there and I used to visit all the time as a child, but I haven't been in about 10 years. 

I drove down there, which took about 3 hours and was quite a big deal for me! Although I passed my driving test 3 years ago, I am not a confident driver at all, I hate parking, other drivers and basically all elements of being in a car. But I did it, so yay me! 

The harbour and front are lovely with lots of cute shops, restaurants and beaches. The high street is now a bit run down, which is a shame as it used to have loads of lovely independent places.

Some recommendations if you visit Ilfracombe:

• Go to The Tunnels beach (this wasn't open when I went but hopefully it will be soon cos it's the cutest place with a lush tidal pool)
• Get an ice cream from the Hockings ice cream van
• Visit the Verity sculpture by Damien Hirst  

           

• Eat the following, which is law when you got to any seaside town: A pasty (I had a vegan cornish pasty and it was G R E A T), Roly's fudge, Fish and chips 
• Walk to the top of Capstone and admire the sea views
• Have some retro fun in the arcades
• Visit nearby Lee, which has some lovely beaches which aren't overcrowded
• Take a boat trip to Lundy Island, which has wildlife galore, including a absolute shit ton of puffins 
• Visit Ilfracombe museum, where you can do a brass rubbing and see a shrunken cat's head in a jar, something I was weirdly obsessed with as a child 
• Have a peek inside the RNLI shop and support a great charity 

This was taken mere moments before I slid on some rocks and fell on to my back like an upturned beetle