Route Walk: August 2014

Gull on guard! Overlooking Woolacombe beach in North Devon.

A MINI-BREAK over the weekend provided a dramatic change of scenery – swapping a city environment for the coastal delights of Ilfracombe, in North Devon.

Ilfracombe is a small resort dating back to the Iron Age. Hillsborough Hill, the site of an Iron Age settlement, overlooks the compact, traditional harbour. The resort is rich in history, but a recent controversy has been the gift of a statue - Verity - by artist Damien Hirst, who lives in the area.

Truth will out! Silhouette of the Damien
Hirst sculpture in Ilfracombe.

Verity is a 66-foot, stainless steel and bronze statue of a naked pregnant woman holding a sword aloft. Situated at the harbour entrance, she stands astride a pile of law books and holds an off-balance ‘scales of justice’ behind her.

The sculpture, on a 20-year loan to the town, is intended as ‘an allegory for truth and justice’ and her stance is modelled on ‘Little Dancer of Fourteen Years’ (c. 1881) by Edgar Degas.

What raised more than a few eyebrows when it was first installed is that half the statue reveals the internal anatomy of the woman, with the unborn baby clearly visible.

Unsurprisingly, it provoked heated reactions, ranging from ‘wonderful,’ ‘beautiful’ and ‘What’s not to like?’ to ‘obscene,’ ‘offensive,’ ‘disgusting’ and ‘makes me sick!’ Nothing like a bit of Damien Hirst to get the crowd going!

If anything, I found it quite ‘cartoony’- but certainly dramatic. And despite the initial hostile reaction from some quarters, it didn’t put relaxed holidaymakers off their chips or ice cream. In fact, it now seems to have become 'part of the scene' and a popular focal point – and will undoubtedly feature in thousands of holiday snapshots.

The nearby resort of Woolacombe was a real gem. Three miles of beautiful, family-friendly sands, with gentle sloping beach, where even little kids can splash about safely in the

Scales of Justice: Detail on
the Verity statute.

sea. A haven for surfers, too!

If I’m honest, my walking was more ‘lazy mooching around’ than ‘pounding the pavements,’ but it’s good to vary your pace now and again!

A quick visit to friends who run a smallholding – and a bit more walking around apple trees and pig pens - in the rolling Devon countryside rounded off a satisfying few days.

Back home in Coventry, my regular off-road routes have become overgrown, and the predominant colours of white and yellow flowers in May and June have been replaced largely by pale purple and pink.

So even on familiar routes, the scenery is ever-changing!

For the record, I stayed with my wife at Wildercombe House, a former 19^th-century ‘gentleman’s residence’ nestled on the hillside slopes overlooking Ilfracombe. It’s now a family-run guest house owned by Barry and Anne-Marie Marsh. Very relaxed, friendly – and absolutely spotless!

I feel some more walking in Ilfracombe coming on!