Devil's Hole
This week works have begun on the refurbishment of Devil’s Hole with the assistance of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers. The site was gifted to the Trust by the Clarke family at the launch of the Coastline Campaign in 2006 and it has always been the Trust’s aspiration since that time to help restore this much loved local beauty spot.
At the current time the extremely steep slope makes access rather difficult and with over 7 different types of hand rails leading to the viewing point, the natural beauty of the area is unnecessarily compromised. The plan is to replace the tarmac slope with a narrower footpath integrating timber sleepers, as commonly seen throughout the north coast. In addition a simple handrail will be installed to replace all the block work and garden fencing currently in situ. Interpretation will be provided about the history and geology of Le Creux du Vis, and it is also hoped to re-instate a statue of the Devil along the lines of the original C19 ship’s figurehead.
Mike Stentiford, President of the National Trust and Chairman of the Coastline Campaign commented:
“One of the key objectives of our ongoing campaign is to restore and manage our precious coastline and I can think of no better place to start than this much visited and well known site. Despite having fallen on hard times and becoming rather shabby in appearance, Devil’s Hole still provides stunning views across the dramatic cliffs and the other Channel Islands. With the generous and much appreciated assistance of the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers we have a fantastic opportunity to improve the overall access and interpretation. We also hope that the Tourism Development Fund will recognize the importance of investing in such infrastructure and support us in our endeavors to care for Jersey’s coastal attractions including such idiosyncratic delights as Devil’ Hole.”
