Mortehoe, Devon, EX34 7DT
Mortehoe is the village on your doorstep, and it has been quietly charming you since before anyone thought of writing about it. Less than two miles from Woolacombe on the coastal road, this small cliff-top settlement is built around a medieval church, a car park, a cream tea café and a remarkably good free heritage museum, with the South West Coast Path running right through it.
The Church of St Mary Magdalene is worth stepping into, a Norman building with remarkable medieval mosaic floors and an unusual 15th-century carved rood screen. The Mortehoe Heritage Museum, run by volunteers in the village car park building, tells the story of local shipwrecks, smuggling, lighthouse keeping, and village life with real warmth and care. It is one of those small museums that punches well above its weight.
From Mortehoe you can walk in either direction along some of the finest sections of the South West Coast Path. To the north-west, the path leads to Morte Point in about 25 minutes, with its grey seal colony and panoramic Bristol Channel views. To the east, the coast path connects to Bull Point Lighthouse and the dramatic cliffs above Rockham Bay and Lee Bay.
The village itself has a pub, a couple of cafés and a very pleasant atmosphere, particularly in the evenings when the day-trippers have gone and the walkers settle in. Coming here for an evening meal before a sunset walk to Morte Point is one of those simple pleasures that makes a North Devon holiday memorable.
Mortehoe also has a good farm shop and several excellent places to eat within the village. The cream teas at the local café are a particular highlight, and the combination of a walk to Morte Point followed by a proper cream tea in the village is one of those simple North Devon pleasures that you mention repeatedly. The village church, with its Norman origins and medieval floor tiles, is worth a few minutes even for those not generally inclined towards churches.
