146 
THE FERN WORLD 
Leaving this charming spot, and rounding the glen which 
on our right opens up in all its splendour to the sea, nothing 
being seen but sea and wood, the two sides of the glen 
uniting in a point, our path rapidly descends. We cross 
another murmuring stream tumbling down the glen to the 
sea, and then we appear to be almost lost in a sylvan maze. 
On our right is the musical glen, on our left a hillock, steep 
and tree-crowned with trees of stately growth overarching 
ferny banks. 
On we go, our road winding round and round, and down 
and down — giving ever-changing peeps of steep glen and 
ferny bank, blue sea and sky — until we come at length upon 
a spot, whence we appear to be looking out from a leafy 
heaven upon the snug little world of Clovelly lying below us, 
and seen only between the leafy interstices of the trees, its 
white-slated and thatched houses clustering on the hillside. 
For a moment the place has the appearance of being buried 
under the trees. Ho much, indeed, do the trees outslant, 
that they appear as if they had been hewn down and thrown 
on to the houses. 
Again, we cross a stream that flows down a little ravine 
right into Clovelly. We pass down on the other side of this 
ravine. Now our path rounds the back of the town, lying 
from our point of view embowered on the hill, the blue sea 
seen beyond in all its loveliness through the green interstices 
of the trees. 
At the end of the road continuing the Hobby Drive towards 
Clovelly (the New Road is the name given to the last mile), 
a turn to the right leads us on to a spot whence we get a 
most charming peep of the cliff, along which our path has 
been cut. But, pursuing our road towards the romantic 
little town, we come into its ‘ High-street,’ and begin to 
explore this singular place, the site of which has been cut 
out from the steep bill-side. First, the street goes straight 
