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POWDERY sands, vibrant wildlife, crystal waters and less crowds – one Caribbean island has it all.

South Caicos is one of the islands found in Turks and Caicos, a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean.

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The picturesque island often known as the fishing capital of the archipelago, with a variety of sea life including eagle rays, hawksbill sea turtles, nurse sharks, parrotfish, bonefish and conch.

Despite historically having a prominent fishing and salt industry, today the island remains largely untouched and according to Travel and Leisure, it is becoming the next Caribbean hotspot.

When it comes to things to do on the island, a lot of the top activities revolve around the local wildlife.

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For example, you can go bird watching at the salt ponds across the island.

These salt ponds were operational until the 1960s, but today stand still as a haven for birds including wild flamingos.

The salt ponds aren’t just home to birds though; you might even catch a glimpse of a wild donkey.

Another wildlife-based activity you can do from the island, is heading on a boat tour to see whales such as humpbacks, between January and April.

Thanks to the island being largely underdeveloped, it is also a great spot to stargaze as there is little light pollution.

Cockburn Harbour is the main town on the island and here, visitors can expect to see dramatic cliffs and reefs – which make for great snorkelling spots.

The town itself boasts Bermudian style buildings as well as stone walls down each street and is the best place to try some of the local cuisine such as conch fritters and conch salad, spiny lobster in garlic butter and whole boiled fish.

Another popular spot to visit nearby, is The Boiling Hole, which is a tidal pool connected to the ocean via underground caves.

If you head to the outskirts of Cockburn Harbour, you’ll see the salt salinas (marshes and ponds) as well.

Away from the main town, head to Highland House and Government Hill, where you’ll find a ruined colonial home that has views of the town as well as the surrounding area.

Down from Highland House, you can visit Highlands Beach – a rugged spot backed by limestone rocks and sand dunes, that also makes a great start or end point for hikes.

At the north end of the island, there’s the remote Plandon Cay Cut and beach, and if you want a more swimmin-g friendly spot, head to Long Beach, which stretches on for 1.25 miles.

This spot is often thought to be the best on the island for snorkelling as well.

If you happen to be on the island in May, you can experience the Annual South Caicos Regatta where there are a number of parties, boat races and games.

There are even beauty pageants, Maypole dancing and float parades as well.

In fact, it is the oldest native festival across the Turks and Caicos islands.

When it comes to places to stay in South Caicos there are a few options – though be warned they do come with a bit of a price tag.

For example you could stay at the Sailrock South Caicos, an SLH Hotel, from £611 per night.

The hotel features a variety of suites and villas as well as a spa, Ridgetop Spa Cabanas, sailing experiences, snorkelling and sand volleyball.

There’s also Marriott’s Salterra, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa which was named one of the best new hotels of 2025 by Travel and Leisure.

Inside, there are around 100 rooms for guests to choose from as well as a sprawling swimming pool, spa and a number of experiences including sunset cruises and flyfishing sessions.

A stay at the resort costs from £525 per night.

The best way to get to the island is by catching a short 20-minute flight from Providenciales.

A one-way flight between London and Providenciales in June costs from £362 per person.

On the 80th anniversary of the first flight of the de Havilland Canada Chipmunk basic trainer, an aircraft that generations of British and other military pilots learned to fly on, it’s worth recalling perhaps the most unusual episode of its career. Between 1956 and 1990, a handful of these propeller-driven trainers kept watch on Warsaw Pact forces in the divided and heavily fortified city of Berlin — a front line of the Cold War.

One of the two Chipmunks flown last week by the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight is WG486 — formerly attached to the RAF Gatow Station Flight for intelligence-gathering flights over Berlin:

At the end of World War II, defeated Germany was left divided between the Allied powers of France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The division of the country also extended to the former capital, Berlin, which was left deep within the Soviet occupation zone. Under the quadripartite agreement, the Western Allies retained the right of access to Berlin, using land and air corridors running into the Western-occupied zones of Germany.

The quadripartite agreement also included provisions for the Allied powers to maintain ‘liaison missions.’ Formally, these were supposed to ensure communications between the Western Allies and the Soviets. In practice, they soon became a critical way of gathering intelligence, especially since the Western missions were permitted to move, relatively unimpeded, in the Soviet zone, which would later become East Germany. The same applied to the Soviets in the West. For the British, the liaison mission was known as the British Mission to Soviet Forces in Germany (BRIXMIS), and it was based in Potsdam, just outside Berlin.

Meet The Real Cold War Spies Of BRIXMIS • FULL DOCUMENTARY | Forces TV

The agreement also ensured access to West Berlin for the Western Allies, flying through three air corridors in and out of the city. Each of the Western Allies had an airport in the city, with the British using RAF Tegel. These corridors were full of transport activity during the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49, when the Soviets attempted to cut off the Western sectors of the city by blockade. Outside the corridors, Western Allied military aircraft could also fly over the Soviet Zone of Berlin, although this was something Moscow was never happy about.

By the mid-1950s, relations between East and West were becoming more tense, and this airspace access began to be exploited for intelligence-gathering.

After the Berlin Airlift, the Western Allies were prohibited from flying combat aircraft in the corridors. Transport and training types, like the Chipmunk, were excluded from this rule, and in late 1956, the British launched the top-secret Operation Schooner (later renamed Operation Nylon), under which the trainers would conduct spy flights within the roughly 1,200-square-mile Berlin Control Zone.

Flying out of Gatow, the Chipmunk flights were officially for continuation training, which provided the required cover story. Actual training flights were also regularly conducted, also to preserve the cover.

From the mid-1950s onward, East Germany rapidly became the focal point for Soviet military expansion in Europe, and the British and other Western Allies had a growing need for precise intelligence on Soviet basing, equipment, tactics — anything, in fact, that provided a better understanding of the adversary and potential warning of an attack.

The U.K. Prime Minister’s office individually approved the Chipmunk flights from RAF Gatow. Two or three sorties were typically scheduled for each week. These were flown under visual flight rules (VFR) — so only in good weather — and not above 1,500 feet. The quadripartite Berlin Air Safety Center, which ensured the security of flights in the Control Zone, was notified in advance, and each flight was planned to last around three hours.

The primary ‘targets’ were the numerous Soviet military installations located within the Berlin Control Zone. The Soviet controller within the Berlin Air Safety Center, not coincidentally, often stamped the flight request card with the words “Safety of Flight Not Guaranteed.”

Mission equipment, at first, was a handheld camera, operated by a BRIXMIS member in the front cockpit of the Chipmunk, with the RAF pilot sitting behind. Each sortie required careful preparation, with the crew wearing oxygen masks at all times to prevent their identification. They would climb aboard the aircraft inside a hangar, with the cameras already loaded, and the engine would be started behind closed doors. After all, Soviet ‘watchers’ were posted around Gatow, and observation towers overlooked the base.

Though the Soviets were well aware of the real nature of these flights (once, according to one BRIXMIS account, a camera lens was accidentally dropped from an open cockpit onto a busy parade ground), the quadripartite agreement provided diplomatic immunity to the Royal Air Force pilots. Nevertheless, Moscow was upset about any Western flights outside of West Berlin, and harassment of aircraft was hardly rare. At least once, a Chipmunk was damaged by groundfire from a Soviet infantryman.

The importance of Schooner/Nylon increased as the Soviets made efforts to conceal their military activity in East Germany. To try to avoid the eyes of the liaison missions, they set up more Permanent Restricted Areas (PRA) — another provision of the quadripartite agreement. Within the Berlin Control Zone, the Chipmunks had access to several major Soviet divisional HQs, including some of its best-equipped and highest-readiness forces.

The construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 underscored the East-West standoff and led to the Soviets further bolstering their military presence in and around the city, including new air defense missiles and surface-to-surface sites. According to some accounts, Chipmunks were among the first assets to bring back evidence of the extent of the border closures enacted by the Soviets in August 1961.

By the end of the 1960s, one of the Gatow Chipmunks had received a permanent camera installation, and both got new radios. According to one pilot, the new camera was powerful enough to “record the maker’s name from the inside of a tank if the turret was open.”

10 April 1978, the British BRIXMIS Liaison Mission had access to two Chipmunk aircraft, which they used for photo reconnaissance over parts of East Germany, between West Berlin and the Inner German Border. In this case they’ve captured a T-64 engine being removed for maintenance. pic.twitter.com/NQTdOn7Qul

— The Tank Museum (@TankMuseum) June 5, 2023

On one occasion, a BRIXMIS member recalled being intercepted and closely followed by a Soviet Mi-24 Hind attack helicopter, which escorted the Chipmunk from the Soviet helicopter base at Oranienburg to the north of Berlin.

Right at the very edge of the Berlin Control Zone was an especially interesting ‘target,’ the Soviet airbase at Werneuchen. This was latterly home to MiG-25 Foxbat reconnaissance jets, and it also hosted periodic deployments of Soviet long-range bombers. It was also deep within a PRA, making ground access very difficult. The Chipmunks would fly close enough to photograph every aircraft on the flight line, aware that if they strayed beyond the main runway centerline, they would be outside the Berlin Control Zone and would be shot down.

Also connected to Werneuchen and even more remarkable in terms of mission equipment is the fact that at least one Chipmunk was fitted with electronic intelligence (ELINT) gear. This modification was approved by the U.K. Prime Minister in 1981 but was only revealed by aviation journalist Ben Dunnell in 2024. It is known that the ELINT equipment was used to gather information about a new Soviet battlefield radar, equipping the 9K35 Strela-10 (SA-13 Gopher) short-range air defense system. However, it was also used in at least one flight over Werneuchen. No other details of the results of these missions have ever been released.

The Chipmunks remained busy until the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 heralded the end of the Cold War. Immediately before German reunification, in 1990, BRIXMIS was stood down and, with it, the need for intelligence-gathering flights came to an end. At its biggest strength, the RAF Gatow Station Flight never had more than four Chipmunks assigned.

The Gatow Station Flight remained active until 1994, when the last Chipmunk departed. Gatow finally closed as an RAF station the same year.

Last week, as the Royal Air Force marked the 80th anniversary of the classic Chipmunk trainer, it is worth remembering the unique role that the aircraft played during one of the tensest periods of recent history, during which the intelligence it collected helped keep the peace between East and West.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

A FURIOUS passenger has called out a major airline for giving him a smaller than usual seat.

A British passenger has bashed KLM Royal Dutch Airlines after they revealed their assigned seat was “30 per cent smaller than usual”.

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Calling out the airline on X, Mike (@finnishmike), said: “Almost 8 months ago @KLM said they will reimburse my payment for this seat, which is not supposed to be on sales for passengers.

“Since then, they’ve completely ignored me won’t even reply back to emails anymore.”

According to The Mail, Mika was assigned seat 30A but when he arrived he realised it was much smaller than he expected it to be – even though he had sat in the same seat previously.

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Mika had specifically paid to be on an exit row, which usually means extra leg room.

However, the seat he eventually sat in was 30 per cent smaller than the one next to it, despite both seats being the same price.

Mika added: “It was only €99 (£85.57) and its not about the money, its principle.

“Just common sense they should reimburse me back, shame.”

One commenter pointed out that the seat is relatively new and is normally used for staff travelling between cities.

Sun Travel has contacted KLM for comment.

VENEZUELA Fury may have just bagged a £5million wedding gift from her Gypsy King dad Tyson – but the teenager’s first marital home is a far cry from the millionaire lifestyle she grew up in.

The Fury dynasty toasted the teenager’s lavish wedding, which included Peter Andre performances, towering cakes, and a dress with a 50ft train, this weekend. But now, the 16-year-old bride and new husband Noah Price, 19, have moved into a £46,995 static caravan that had been sitting unsold for months – after furious buyers blasted the company’s homes as “absolute s**t”.

And in true Fury fashion, the story behind their first home together is every bit as dramatic as the wedding itself.

The young couple snapped up the two-bedroom caravan, named Manor House, exactly as it stood on the forecourt of East Yorkshire firm Carabuild – with no bespoke upgrades, luxury add-ons or personalised touches.

At 42ft long and 14ft wide, the caravan spans 588 square feet – roughly the same size as a large London studio flat.

That means Venezuela, who has spent her entire life surrounded by unimaginable luxury, is swapping Tyson and Paris Fury’s jaw-dropping £8million mansion for a static home that is 21 TIMES smaller.

Tyson’s sprawling estate stretches across 12,286 square feet, sits on historic land over 200 years old and boasts all the lavish trappings you’d expect from one of Britain’s richest sporting dynasties.

Yet now his eldest daughter is embracing traditional traveller life with husband Noah – and it seems the pair are doing it the old-fashioned way.

A source previously told The Sun: “Venezuela wants to start her married life in the traditional style of a traveller, just like her parents did.

“She has lived in luxury since she was born, but is willing to swap her home comforts to go and live in a static caravan.”

The source added: “She thinks it did her parents no harm and is looking forward to taking care of all the domestics while Noah goes out to work. Her parents approve.”

And it seems Venezuela took that traditional vision very seriously.

Because the caravan itself had been sitting unsold for months before Venezuela and Noah bought it.

Carabuild, which describes itself as a “bespoke manufacturer of luxury static caravans and lodges”, first advertised the home back in January with an asking price of £46,995.

By February, it still hadn’t shifted.

The firm posted another sales video online showing off the caravan’s “oak exterior” and “cream and gold” interior while urging potential buyers to get in touch.

Then in March came what insiders described as an increasingly desperate push to finally get rid of it.

In a social media plea, the company wrote: “Springtime offer. Be in this home for Easter. Available right now from stock. No waiting, no travelling, no stress.”

But while the videos attempted to paint a picture of luxury traveller living, furious online reviews underneath told a different story.

One furious customer blasted: “Stay well clear of this man Zane from Carabuild.

“Once he has your deposit, you never see him again.

“The homes are absolutely sh*t flat packs.”

The disgruntled reviewer continued: “Cheap made kitchen, cheapest of the cheapest, trust me, I am not joking.

“Please stay away from this company.”

Others accused the firm of poor insulation, broken radiators and “paper-thin walls”.

One scathing Google review read: “If I could give lower than one star, I would.”

Another raged: “Don’t give them a pound.”

Despite the controversy surrounding the company, Venezuela and Noah still chose the static home as the place they would begin married life together.

Carabuild proudly revealed the newlyweds had bought the home.

Sharing a video of the caravan to their Facebook page, the company wrote: “Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Price.

“We had the pleasure of designing and building Venezuela Fury and Noah Price’s very first marital home.”

It marks the latest chapter in what has become one of the most talked-about celebrity weddings of the year.

Venezuela – the eldest daughter of boxing superstar Tyson Fury and wife Paris – married Noah in a lavish traveller wedding on the Isle of Man earlier this month.

The wedding itself was pure Fury extravagance.

There were 20,000 flowers, a towering 12ft wedding cake, 18 bridesmaids, vintage cream wedding cars and a surprise performance from Peter Andre.

Venezuela wore a dramatic fishtail gown imported from Italy, complete with a staggering 50ft train – paired, brilliantly, with white Crocs.

Netflix cameras filmed the entire thing for the family’s hit reality series At Home With The Furys.

Tyson, emotional throughout the day, called himself a “big softie” as he walked his daughter down the aisle before later joking in his speech: “I told you – you shouldn’t have done it!”

And despite the glitz, glamour and eye-watering spending, the newlyweds appear determined to keep one foot firmly planted in traditional traveller culture.

The young couple will settle in East Yorkshire once they return from their lavish £30,000 honeymoon in Marbella – another gift paid for by Tyson and Paris.

And the honeymoon wasn’t the only present the pair received.

Tyson also gifted the newlyweds a traditional gypsy wagon as a sentimental nod to their roots.

Meanwhile, some family members were said to be stunned after Tyson and Paris reportedly handed the young couple £5million to help kickstart their married life.

“Some family members thought it was a lot of money for a young couple,” one insider told The Sun.

“But it’s up to Tyson and Paris.”

For now, though, despite the millions, the honeymoon and the reality TV cameras, Venezuela and Noah are preparing to start married life in the very caravan that buyers warned people to avoid.

OFF the coast of Northumberland is a remote, tidal island that you’ll have to time right to visit – as it is cut off from the mainland twice a day.

Called Lindisfarne, or by its other name, Holy Island, it might be familiar to fans of horror movies.

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The island off the coast of Northumberland was used to film post-apocalyptic film, 28 Years Later, which came out just last year.

The 2025 movie was about a group of survivors of the rage virus living on a small island starring actors like Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes.

Filming spots included the tidal causeway and Lindisfarne Castle which attracts thousands of visitors every year.

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The National Trust took over the property in 1944 and it has been open to the public ever since.

Inside the castle, visitors can explore the different rooms, including a dining room, a kitchen, and bedrooms, as well as the upper battery, which has panoramic sea views.

In addition to exploring the interior of the castle, there are plenty of other things to see.

Entry to the castle is £14.30 for adults and £7.20 for children (between 5-17).

The island is also referred to as Holy Island, and it got its nickname after becoming the centre of Anglo-Saxon Christianity in the 7th century.

It was home to saints and it’s considered a very religious place.

But for those who want to move away from its history, there’s plenty to do on the island, like visit its coffee roastery, Pilgrims Coffee.

The business first set up in a yurt, but now even has a cosy cafe on the island too serving up caffeine hits and homemade cakes.

The family that runs Pilgrims Coffee moved from the mainland to Holy Island in 2022.

Another spot to visit is St Aidan’s Winery, where Lindisfarne Mead is made, and visitors to the island can pop in for tastings and browse the shop that sells its wine and beer.

The island has around 160 permanent residents, but it does have places for visitors to stay from hotels to holiday lets.

One of the top spots on Tripadvisor for Holy Island is Belvue Guesthouse which sleeps two guests.

One guest on Tripadvisor wrote: “We had such a lovely stay in Belvue, I think it was one of the best guesthouses we have ever been to!”

There are also cosy B&Bs as well as rooms in the local Ship Inn Pub.

The pub dates back to the 18th century with a dedicated dining room and a beer garden to the back.

It has also made an appearance on TV and was featured as the fictional ‘Seahorse Pub’ in ITV’s Vera.

Visitors can walk the historic Pilgrim’s Way or visit the Gertrude Jekyll Garden.

For seal spotting, head to the harbour or the sand flats around Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve where there are thousands of grey seals especially between February and October.

To get to Lindisfarne, you have to cross the causeway from the mainland which is only accessible at low tide from the town of Beal.

While the tides can be predicted, holidaymakers will need to check the crossings on the day on the Northumberland County Council website.

Jesy Nelson has celebrated her twins turning one with a lavish double birthday bash.

The singer posed with daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe surrounded by balloons and pastel party decorations at the sweet celebration.

But the former Little Mix star has also been reflecting on her emotional first year as a mum, sharing a touching video montage of her journey with daughters Ocean Jade and Story Monroe.

Ocean Jade and Story Monroe Nelson were diagnosed with SMA1, a rare genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and movement difficulties.

Narrated by Jesy herself and set to soft piano music, the clip featured a poem about parenting children with disabilities and the difference between the motherhood she expected and the reality she has experienced.

The poem compares raising a child with additional needs to planning a dream trip to Italy, only to unexpectedly land in Holland instead.

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Widely shared by parents of disabled children, the emotional piece explains that while life may not turn out how you first imagined, it can still be filled with beauty, love and joy.

It has become a well-known piece of writing within disability and parenting communities for its message about embracing a different path.

Jesy accompanied the video with a heartfelt caption which ended: “Happy Birthday my Ocean and Story you are my whole heart and soul I love you more than you will ever know.”

The 34-year-old described her girls as “tiny little super humans” and “he strongest, most resilient little fighters I’ve ever known” in a heartfelt caption.

The twins’ dad is rapper and singer Zion Foster, who began dating Jesy in 2022 and got engaged to the former Little Mix star last year.

However, the couple later split following the devastating diagnosis of their daughters’ SMA1 condition, though they have remained close and are continuing to co-parent together

ASHLEY Roberts has stripped down to a tiny leather corset and red bra as she shook her bum while recreating iconic Pussycat Dolls moves.

The Heart Radio host, 44, turned up the heat as she tried on one of her racy outfits that she performed in back in the day.

Her waist cinched into the zipped up black corset which she paired with a sparkly red bra and the tiniest short shorts.

She turned around to reveal a bow and a piece of material on the back as she shook her bum in the air like she just didn’t care.

Shocked by the outfits they used to wear, she expressed: “No tights?,” before scrunching up her face and saying: “I don’t know about this one.”

Ashley then tried on a black top with straps which was paired with a high-waist ruffled grey skirt.

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Clearly getting into the groove, she began dancing and singing to the group’s hit song ‘Don’t Cha’.

The I’m A Celebrity star showed off yet another look, as she posed in a long-sleeved red Adidas top which cut off at her midriff and went with some matching red shorts.

She captioned the post: “Dolls, you asked for it, had a lil @pussycatdolls archive to try on.”

Her fans rushed to the comments section as one gushed: “The Doll Domination tartan looks were THE moment.”

Another follower enthused: “The second outfit is everything!”

Somebody else said: “You are so beautiful woman,” and a fourth added: “So iconic Ash.”

In March, she announced the Pussycat Dolls were returning as a trio with Nicole Scherzinger and Kimberley Wyatt.

They revealed their comeback with their new single, Club Song and will also be embarking on a world tour this year.

They were due to begin the tour with 33 dates across US and Canada, starting in Palm Beach, California on June 5 but this will no longer be happening.

They struggled to sell tickets despite slashing prices to $30, and several dates still had as much as 80 percent of the seats available.

Rehearsals were due to start last month but were delayed and had not formally started before the plug was pulled.

However, they will go ahead with the European leg of the PCD Forever tour, which is due to begin in Copenhagen on September 9.

It will see the group perform arena concerts in Birmingham, Nottingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Dublin, Glasgow, Newcastle, Manchester and London.

Insiders insisted their ticket sales have been far better in Europe than in North America, with shows in Warsaw and Paris already sold out.

The same tiny tungsten cubes that spray out of Israeli bombs, causing devastating internal injuries to people in Gaza are being found in wounded civilians in Lebanon, war surgeon Dr Tahir Mohammed says. He draws parallels between what Israel is doing in both places and describes the weapons as “indiscriminate”.

It was once owned by William the Conqueror and is one of the few privately owned villages left in the UK.

The honourable John Rous has a proud smile on his face as he tells me: “The village is built on a 400ft cliff overlooking a gorgeous bay with a living community, there’s nothing else like it.”

Mr Rous inherited the privately owned village of Clovelly on the North Devon coast from his mother, Countess Mary Rous, in 1983 and has since continued to develop and preserve what is one of the UK’s most unique destinations. Clovelly was recorded in the Domesday Book in the 11th century as the property of William the Conqueror. The estate was later inherited by his wife, Matilda of Flanders, England’s first crowned queen, before being purchased in 1738 by the Hamlyn family for £9,438.

Today, Clovelly remains one of the few privately owned villages in the UK and is now owned by the Hamlyns’ descendants, the Rous family. It continues to function as a thriving community, with around 250 residents living in 80 cottages throughout the car-free village, while also being a popular tourist destination that welcomes around 150,000 visitors each year.

When you arrive in Clovelly, you must pass through a visitor centre, where admission costs £10.90 for adults and £6.25 for children aged seven to 16. After taking over the estate in 1983, Mr Rous explains how there was a backlog of repair work that needed to be done. In order to pay for the work and maintain the upkeep of the village, he decided to create a visitor centre where all of the money raised would be redistributed into the village.

“We put together a plan to create the visitor centre and the money created there helps the maintenance of the whole village which is great,” Mr Rous, 75, said. “Fortunately, it all worked out financially and we’re still here today.”

After passing through the visitor centre, visitors can stroll down The Hobby Drive before reaching the cobbled High Street which leads down to Clovelly’s harbour 120m below. Cassandra McFarlane moved to the village from South East London in 2021 and now lives at the top of the High Street in a cottage she describes as “the best in the village”.

“I’ve been here around five years now and absolutely love it,” she says. “It’s like time has stood still in Clovelly, it’s like going back to 1950s Britain. Everyone talks to you, everyone’s polite, you don’t get anti-social behaviour. It’s just a blissful place to live. It’s so peaceful.”

She adds: “It’s very, very safe here. There’s no cars or noise and you have these amazing views. It’s beautiful. You go to sleep at night and hear the owls hooting and you wake up to birdsong or the village woodpecker. It’s just an idyllic place to live and visit.”

While Mr Rous has focussed on developing a tight-knit living community, he also understands the importance of tourism to keep Clovelly intact. The village attracts up to 150,000 people every year, with the majority of them visiting for just a day.

Ms Mcfarlane says: “People sometimes ask me if I get fed up with the tourists and I say: ‘Don’t bite the hand that feeds you’. We’re very lucky they still want to come and see the village because all of the money they spend to get in here is reinvested in the cottages.

“But also, I meet such lovely people who visit. Most people come here for a day and arrive at 10am and are gone by 4pm. Then it’s back to just the 250 of us.”

Mr Rous adds: “We’re quite fortunate to have a number of day visitors. They arrive after 10am, enjoy the village, and then are mostly gone by 5pm. The village then returns to its sleepy self. We do have people staying in the hotels obviously but they always appreciate and respect the village.”

As well as boosting tourism numbers, the decision to charge an entrance fee to Clovelly, rather than a car park charge, has allowed for a renovation of the historic cottages. Some of the properties date back to the 15th century and require regular maintenance throughout the wetter and windier months.

The regular income has also allowed Clovelly to maintain its policy of having no second homes or absentee landlords. Mr Rous, who lives on the estate which also includes 700 acres of woodland, three large farms and a sawmill, acts as the landlord for every cottage in the village and maintains a close relationship with the tenants.

“I say to people that if you love a traffic-free area or have always wanted to live by the sea, but you can stand visitors, Clovelly will be perfect for you,” Mr Rous explains. “We advertise for the properties but do like to speak with more than one applicant to see who fits the village best.

“We have some families that have been here for generations but also have new ones coming in which is great. The older people give stability to the village while the youngsters give it vitality. It’s the best of both.”

Another feature that makes Clovelly a truly unique village is its use of sledges, which largely replaced donkeys by the 1970s, to transport groceries, laundry and furniture up and down the 400ft cobbled high street. While the sledges might seem like a gimmick to visitors, they perfectly represent how the community has adapted to modern times while preserving its 1,000-year-old past.

“Everyone has their own sledge and they go past every day. I’ve even seen someone take a grand piano down the hill! It’s truly unique,” Ms McFarlane explains.

As there are no chain supermarkets in the village, locals order their groceries to be delivered. When the delivery drivers see “Clovelly” on the address, they give the customers a 15-minute warning so they have time to head to the top of the High Street with their sledge.

Ian Roberts, the manager of The New Inn located half-way down the High Street, is one of 70 staff who are employed to work on the estate throughout the year.

“The New Inn is around 500 years old and remains steeped in history. We [the village] have been here since the days of William the Conqueror and try to keep some of that history,” the 62-year-old says. “There’s so much history in Clovelly, it’s a very unique place. Visiting here is a great opportunity for people to see real history.”

The New Inn has also benefitted from a sympathetic restoration in recent years, preserving its character and enduring charm. The hotel once hosted Charles Dickens who wrote of the cobbled streets and cliffs in “A Message to the Sea”.

Likewise, Charles Kingsley, the 19th-century novelist and poet, lived in the village as a child. After his wife visited Clovelly for the first time in 1854, he wrote: “Now that you have seen the dear old Paradise you know what was the inspiration of my life before I met you.”

“It really is unique here. Places like this are very difficult to find in the UK now,” Mr Roberts, who manages The New Inn with his wife Theresa, adds. “It’s well worth a visit and the views alone are stunning – it’s Instagramable!

“People come here to eat, sleep, rest, relax and enjoy themselves. They come here to get away from the real world and refresh themselves.”

According to the hotel manager, Clovelly can become flooded with visitors over the warmer summer months, including coach loads of day-trippers from across the UK. Two of those tourists are David, who has visited Clovelly once before, and Margaret Herbertson, who is visiting for the first time.

“We didn’t know much about Clovelly before we got here,” Margaret, 75, says. “We obviously Googled it, and did a bit of research, and it looked amazing so we thought we’d come for a visit.”

While standing at the top of the High Street, overlooking the historic 14th-century harbour, David, 78, adds: “Yes, we’ve read about the donkeys going up and down with sledges to transport items. I found that interesting. It’s just a beautiful and peaceful place. I’ve been here once before when I was younger and it doesn’t look like it’s changed much.

“Where we’re stood now overlooking the sea it’s amazing. I don’t think there are many places like it around.” Margaret adds: “It’s unique, isn’t it? What I love is how quiet it is. There’s no cars and no rush.”

While Clovelly is a tranquil fishing village with just 250 inhabitants, there is still plenty to do for visitors. As well as soaking up the sweeping coastal views out the Atlantic, visitors have access to the South West Coast Path, which includes a hike to Mouth Mill Beach.

Ms McFarlane adds: “There’s also loads to do here which people don’t always realise. You can take the ambience in, you can go for walks in the area, we’ve got a museum, we’ve got a few nice little shops, the beautiful harbour, blissful gardens.”

The Clovelly Court Gardens, located at the top of the village, are a perfect spot to relax while visitors can also learn about local history at the Fisherman’s Cottage and the Kingsley Museum and Shop. The village is also the proud host of a number of festivals every year, including the Seaweed Festival in May, the Maritime Festival in July, the Lobster and Crab Feast in August and the Herring Festival in November.

“Around 120 years ago, Clovelly was just a fishing village with a lot of fishing a little bit of tourism. Now, it’s a little bit of fishing, which I’m keen to preserve through a number of festivals like the Lobster and Crab Festival, and a lot of tourism,” Mr Rous adds.

“We’ve maintained a living community while avoiding becoming a seaside village full of holiday lets. It’s such a welcoming place and the people are so proud to be associated with the village.”

MODEL Candice Swanepoel is rocking her new line in swimwear.

The 37-year-old perched on a seaside boulder to show off a bikini from her Tropic of C label’s collaboration with Victoria’s Secret.

Her environmentally-friendly collection is called Elemental, which she said “blends Victoria’s Secret’s iconic femininity with Tropic of C’s elevated, sustainable sensibility”.

South African Candice added: “Sustainability is a key part of my lifestyle.”

Not only is Candice regularly lauded as one of the world’s sexiest women, her bank balance isn’t looking too bad either – in 2016 she was ranked by Forbes as the 8th highest-earning model on the planet.

She didn’t scale back her modelling following motherhood and has shifted more lingerie than any other model.

Candice is considered the world’s top lingerie model not just because she has the most followers but because her online posts have far more impact than her catwalk contemporaries.

She recently caught the eye wearing a red Baywatch-style swimsuit.

In 2022 she was linked with dating rapper Kanye West.

She was then claimed to have grown close to pop star Harry Styles.