Sports and Leisure Activities
Ilfracombe Rugby Union Club was founded in 1877 and welcomes players from 16 to 61.
Ilfracombe Golf Club (located just beyond Hele Bay) was founded in 1892.
The cricket club, formed in 1923 who play at Killacleave Playing Fields.
Ilfracombe Town Football Club, who play at Marlborough Park near Ilfracombe Arts College, compete in the Premier Division of the Western League, having gained promotion in the 2006-07 season. The club has 3 men's teams, a ladies team and 5 youth teams.
There is a high street indoor gym, and an outdoor work out facility on Oxford Park however, the rural and hilly nature of the local terrain provide plenty of opportunities to exercise.
A tennis club is based at Bicclescombe Park which contains several tennis courts, bookable for a small fee by both tourists and locals.
The local swimming pool supports many activities - leisure swimming, competitive swimming, and life saving classes for all age groups. It is the centre for large swimming club and a separate still water life saving clubs annually both enter national competitions.
The flat green bowling enthusiasts have a centre at the Ilfracombe bowling club on Highfield Rd.
In Fore Street, a table tennis centre with teams ranging in age from junior to veteran.
Naturally there are maritime activities - based in a popular yacht club, a rapidly growing Gig boat club ( 3 x gig boats) which now competes in the world championships, and a kayak and canoeing club.
There is a large and thriving sub-aqua club.
Other sports teams in the town include Hash Harriers Running Club and many skittles and darts teams operated by the numerous licensed premises in the town. There are during the winter a local Euchre league, and quiz leagues both vigorously contested.
In 2008, the town council owned building at Slade aka the Slade Community Centre, operated by an independent community group, was renamed the "Vision", it is home to the Akido club, the kick boxing club and many activities for younger children. A boxing club is held twice weekly in the local fire station. There are active modern and traditional (morris teams) dance clubs.
There is a large sea fishing fraternity, both off shore using owned or hired boats, and shore casting from various beaches and "hot" spots.
Jonathan Edwards the World and Olympic Champion triple jump athlete lived in the town whilst his father was the vicar of St Philip & St James Church. His achievement is celebrated by a mosaic on the seafront near the Landmark Theatre, which demonstrates the length of his record-breaking jump.
Jason Twist, twice World Champion at 8-ball pool still lives in the town.
There are thriving groups of volunteer led gardening and horticultural enthusiasts working together,for insurance and legal purposes,under the "Greener Ilfracombe" banner. Ilfracombe in Bloom group has successfully led the town in this national and regional competition for decades; since 2000 there have been developed 3 community gardens on underused or derelict land - Cow Green, a recreational garden, and Calf Green and Laston Green(small starter allotments); Trans-send, Devon Community Resource Cic (which operates the community apple orchard at Hele) are also affiliated. A new group to support English Heritage investigation into the historic importance of Hillsborough Iron Age settlement is formed.
Despite the hilly terrain, Ilfracombe is at the northern end of National Cycle Network route 27, known as the Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route, which starts from the pier (clock-in station at the Pier Tavern) and ends in Plymouth. There is another coastal trail suitable for cycling which starts at the pier which heads eastwards towards Minehead (defined as 'arduous'). A new event in 2010, organised by North Devon Wheelers is a giro cycle race round the town held as a prologue to the annual carnival. In September 2011 the first Ilfracombe triathlon was held on "the mother of all short courses" 400m sea swim, 22 km cycle, 5 km run - described as "lumpy".
The South West Coast Path connecting Minehead in Somerset to Dorset, via Land's End, passes through the town from Hele Bay to Lee Bay via Ilfracombe Harbour.
Swim Ilfracombe to Swansea The first person to swim the 30.5 nautical miles (56.5 km; 35.1 mi) from Ilfracombe to Swansea was Gethin Jones, who achieved the record on 13 September 2009, taking nearly 22 hours.
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Famous quotes containing the words sports and, sports, leisure and/or activities:
“Sports and gallantries, the stage, the arts, the antics of dancers,
The exuberant voices of music,
Have charm for children but lack nobility; it is bitter earnestness
That makes beauty; the mind
Knows, grown adult.”
—Robinson Jeffers (1887–1962)
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—Gayle Gardner, U.S. sports reporter. As quoted in Sports Illustrated, p. 85 (June 17, 1991)
“The superficiality of the American is the result of his hustling. It needs leisure to think things out; it needs leisure to mature. People in a hurry cannot think, cannot grow, nor can they decay. They are preserved in a state of perpetual puerility.”
—Eric Hoffer (1902–1983)
“...I have never known a “movement” in the theater that did not work direct and serious harm. Indeed, I have sometimes felt that the very people associated with various “uplifting” activities in the theater are people who are astoundingly lacking in idealism.”
—Minnie Maddern Fiske (1865–1932)