ILFRACOMBE

A framed document hanging in Ilfracombe’s little town museum charts 28 different spellings of the town’s name, from Alfreincoma in 1086 to Ilfracomb in 1675. The unusual moniker describes a place (‘the wooded valley where Alfred dwells’) that’s a world away from today’s bustling harbour town, whose hillside is steeply stacked with colourful houses.

Dating back some 2,000 years, the remains of a hillfort stand on a green-cloaked headland known locally as ‘the sleeping elephant’ for its distinctive shape. From this lofty viewpoint over the harbour (atop the elephant’s head) it’s plain to see