Verity is a 60 ft high stainless steel and bronze sculpture created by the artist Damien Hirst who is no stranger to controversy – and Verity continues the tradition. She was created in 2012 and is on a 20 year loan from the UK’s richest living artist who has had a close relationship with Ilfracombe for a good number of years, and still has a farmhouse home not far away.

The word Verity in this instance refers to its meaning of ‘truth’, and Hirst himself describes the work as a “modern allegory of truth and justice”. Verity holding the scales of justice behind her back standing on a pile of law books may not be the first thing that you’ll notice when you stare up at her though because your eyes will automatically be drawn to the pregnant torso which exposes her internal anatomy –  including the foetus. Something I have to admit I wasn’t expecting, but at least you’ve been forewarned.

Needless to say, she’s attracted a mixed reaction from both locals and visitors alike, but I think it’s fair to say that she’s brought a fair bit of interest to a town that was in desperate need of a boost, and when the time comes for the artist to want her back, then I think there’ll be a lot of people who will miss her.

Ilfracombe Harbour is also the departure point for the MS Oldenburg’s sea crossing to Lundy Island: The two hour journey means that a day trip is definitely worth considering if you get the chance, but try and pick a day when there isn’t a sea-mist.

Fortunately, there was no sea-mist today as we headed out of the harbour up the coast towards Great Hangman. Overlooking Ilfracombe on this side of town is Hillsborough, a good place to go for a walk if you like great views. Back in the 1890s the local council had the foresight to buy this strategic lookout point with its Iron-Age hillfort in order to save it from unwanted development.

Hillsborough is also known as the Sleeping Elephant which can best be made out from Lantern Hill rather than at sea level. Can you make it out?

On the other side of Hillsborough is Hele Bay with its small sandy/shingle beach. Lying at the bottom of a short valley, it could well have been a hidden gem at one point, but after reading some of the Trip Advisor reviews it doesn’t sound like it now. It has to be said though that others see it differently, and not having been there myself, I can’t really comment. I suppose it’s all down to what people expect.

Whatever people want from a holiday is bound to vary, but if a majestic coastline is what you’re looking for then you’ve come to the right place, and you’ll soon see what I mean as we pass the coastguard cottages above Haggington Beach to reach Rillage Point where the view ahead is something else.

Between Rillage Point and Widmouth Head is Samson’s Bay which has a small secluded beach. I’m not really surprised that there was nobody on it because how you get down to it, and more importantly, how you get back up is anybody’s guess.

Widmouth Head, along with Sexton’s Burrow opposite, protects the inlet known as Watermouth. It’s a safe haven for small boats, and also a magnet for people who come to visit Watermouth Castle. Don’t get too excited just yet though because it was built in the mid-19^th century to make it look like a castle, and if you were hoping to find paintings by John Constable, furniture by Thomas Chippendale, and a sweeping landscape by Capability Brown then you might be disappointed because it’s now a family theme park.

I haven’t been there myself and it was too far away from the boat to photograph, but from Trip Advisor reviews, it seems that people who came to visit a castle were less than enamoured, but families who wanted entertainment for the kids loved it.

Around the corner from Sexton’s Burrow is a hundred foot high outcrop called Burrow Nose, but if you view it from the Watermouth side it resembles a monkey’s head, and that’s what some people call it.

With one or two exceptions, the North Devon coastline is more suitable for ‘wrecking’ than sunbathing, but not far from Watermouth is Broadsands Beach, which although not very big, is an absolute gem in my view. It’s not the beach itself that makes it so, but the location. Some people see it as a mini-Thailand, which may be stretching things a bit far, but I can see what they mean. It may not be Maya Bay but there are a lot less people.

The coastline between Broadsands Beach and Little Hangman is interrupted by Combe Martin, a small seaside resort with a long main street: In fact, for many years it was regarded as having the longest village street in England, but that accolade actually goes to Stewkley in Buckinghamshire. Depending on where the measurements are taken from, the 1½ -2 mile long street is all due to the wooded valley (combe) that runs down to the sea; and the ‘Martin’ part of its name comes from the Norman FitzMartin family who were the original owners of the manor.

Combe Martin, like other North Devon Victorian seaside resorts, really owe their existence to the magnificent surrounding scenery as much as anything, and where the village ends, the Exmoor National Park begins. Looming over Wild Pear Beach is the unmistakable Little Hangman. At 716 ft (218m) above sea level, Little Hangman is not as high as its neighbour, Great Hangman, but better looking if you ask me. Great Hangman is 1043 ft (244m) above sea level and the cliff face is supposedly 800 ft high, which according to Wikipedia, makes it the highest sea cliff in England, but for what it’s worth, I reckon it depends on how you define a cliff.

I don’t think the name ‘Hangman’ has anything to do with an executioner ending someone’s life on the end of a rope, but this is where we end our own journey along this stretch of the North Devon coastline. Believe me though when I say that there’s plenty more North Devon coastline to see.

POSTED – JULY 2025