Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Taktsang Lhakhang, also known as the “Tiger’s Nest”.
Bhutan • 11 days, 10 nights
Festivals & Temples of Bhutan
from
Macchu Picchu
Peru • 10 days, 9 nights
Peru: Machu Picchu & the Last Incan Bridges
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The sign declares this the number-one gumbo shop in town.
Gumbo Hut Shioya
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
The truth is out there—somewhere.
The Truth Is Out There at the Dreamland Resort (or Should We Say ‘Area 51?’)
19 days ago
Edward Payson Weston
How the 6-Day Race Became an American Spectator Obsession
20 days ago
Alresford Spy Toilet
This Public Bathroom in a Sleepy English Village Was an Epicenter for Cold War Espionage
22 days ago
Manhattan Well
The Manhattan Well: How Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton United to Solve a Murder Mystery
23 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United Kingdom England Clovelly The Sledges of Clovelly

The Sledges of Clovelly

Wooden sleds have replaced donkeys to cart goods around this utterly charming car-free village.

Clovelly, England

Added By
Kerry Wolfe
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Delivering goods.   David Merrett
Delivering goods.   David Merrett
A local drags a sledge down the main hill.   Caitriana Nicholson
Sledges waiting to be used.   David Spender
Villagers once used donkeys to cart goods up and down the slope.   Tom Bastin
The dock.   Yiannis Theologos Michellis
The harbor.   milo bostock
The main street.   shirokazan
Lush flora adds brilliant colors to the whitewashed buildings.   Ed Webster
A curious cat investigates a sledge.   DavideGorla
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

You won’t find any cars zooming up and down the steep cobblestone street of this picture-perfect English fishing village. It’s pedestrian-only, meaning locals have long had to get crafty when it comes to carting their goods from place to place.

Most cottages in this delightfully cute village have large sledges (basically the British version of a sled) leaning against their whitewashed walls. People pull these huge wood and crate contraptions along the main road, which is called both Up-Along or Down-Along, depending on the direction you’re heading.

The locals typically construct their own sledges, making each one a unique part of the day to day life within this lovely village. Outside goods and supplies are trucked into the parking lot at the top of the village, then delivered to the residents and businesses that line the cobblestone street via the sledges. Garbage, too, is hauled down the hill to the harbor, where a ship awaits to ferry it away.

Before the villagers made the switch to wooden sledges, they relied on donkey power to get their items from one place to another. The braying beasts of burden schlepped heavy baskets of herring from the fishing ships docked in the harbor into the village, and also brought in supplies from outside towns. When tourists began trickling into Clovelly the donkeys also carried luggage and weary-legged visitors to the hotels.

Now, thanks to the sledges, the donkeys' days of trucking around heavy loads are over. With the people now taking on the hard labor, they’re free to enjoy a life of leisure—though they’re still enlisted to give the occasional ride to visiting children.

Related Tags

Villages Donkeys Fishing Houses Transportation Homes

Community Contributors

Added By

Kerry Wolfe

Published

March 16, 2018

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://archive.boston.com/travel/getaways/europe/articles/2011/07/24/clovelly_england_a_popular_cliff_top_destination_on_the_bristol_channel/
  • http://archive.boston.com/travel/getaways/europe/articles/2011/07/24/clovelly_england_a_popular_cliff_top_destination_on_the_bristol_channel/
The Sledges of Clovelly
Clovelly, England
United Kingdom
50.999451, -4.401781
Visit Website

Nearby Places

The Gnome Reserve

West Putford, England

miles away

Westward Ho!

Westward Ho!, England

miles away

Church of St. Morwenna and St. John the Baptist

Cornwall, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,233
Stories 145

Nearby Places

The Gnome Reserve

West Putford, England

miles away

Westward Ho!

Westward Ho!, England

miles away

Church of St. Morwenna and St. John the Baptist

Cornwall, England

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of England

England

United Kingdom

Places 2,233
Stories 145

Related Places

  • A cluster of Funaya.

    Ine, Japan

    Funaya of Ine

    The traditional houses along the coast of this charming Japanese fishing village allow people to sleep above the sea.

  • View from Above; a more recent concrete construction can be seen nearby

    Green Island, Taiwan

    Youzihu

    The ruins of a prehistoric village hide on a remote Taiwanese island.

  • Charles Cotton’s Fishing House

    Derbyshire, England

    Charles Cotton's Fishing House

    This small building nestled along the Dove River is seen by some as the birthplace of angling as a sport.

  • Winding street in Kampong Lorong Buangkok.

    Singapore

    Kampong Lorong Buangkok

    Singapore's last surviving traditional village is hidden among giant skyscrapers and modern infrastructure.

  • The last known Carville house.

    San Francisco, California

    Last Known Carville House

    The sole surviving relic of the San Francisco neighborhood cobbled together from old horsecars and streetcars.

  • Boat houses.

    Équihen-Plage, France

    Inverted Boat Houses

    These rustic holiday homes are made from discarded fishing boat hulls.

  • Kampung Biru Arema.

    Blimbing, Indonesia

    Kampung Tridi

    Bright Indonesian villages painted in a rainbow of competing color schemes.

  • Tuyoq.

    Tulufan Shi, China

    Tuyoq

    Natives of this mud-brick desert village use an ancient irrigation system to grow sweet, seedless grapes.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.