A Day in Padstow

Visiting Padstow

Padstow is a vibrant, colourful and charming harbour town in Cornwall only 10 miles from Newquay which is very convenient for the airport. The closest car park is Padstow Harbour Commissioners Park where you can park for 24 hours for only £8.

This posts gives you ideas of how to spend a day in Padstow.

Padstow Accommodation

Accommodation in the centre of Padstow is expensive, even for an average hotel. We booked Drang House on Booking.com for just £85 which was ideally located right in the centre. The room includes a double bed, fridge, hot drink facilities and an en suite. It wasn’t anything special (not that I expected it for that price) but it was good value for money and the host, Tracy, was very friendly. In the same apartment they have a larger deluxe bedroom which looks more modern and spacious and is around £150.

Morning in Padstow

If you are looking for a casual but tasty breakfast, visit Ben’s Crib Box Cafe for a takeaway bacon, sausage or egg butty for just £2.50. The smoothies and coffee are also great.

A popular local sit down option is Rick Stein’s Cafe but you must book in advance. We sadly left it too late but the Fresh Waffles with streaky bacon and maple sound amazing.

After breakfast, head around the harbour out towards St George’s Cove which is around a 15 minute walk. The cove is a sandy inlet facing out into the Camel Estuary. With glistening turquoise waters and views of Rock and Daymer Bay, it’s a great stretch of water to walk along the sand. You can continue your walk up on the grass across the hills. There are no lifeguards so be careful if you go swimming.

On the walk back, stop off at Greens of Padstow for a beverage which has beautiful views of the harbour outside.

Afternoon in Padstow

After lunch, wander around the cobbled streets of Padstow. If you fancy a sweet treat there are many fudge stores with so many different varieties to choose from. If you are a gin lover, make sure you check out Tarquin’s Gin Store where you can purchase batches only sold in Padstow.

Evening in Padstow

A day in Padstow isn’t complete without a trip to one of their pubs. We visited two traditional pubs, The Shipwrights and The Old Custom House. We wanted to visit Ruby’s Cocktail Bar but it was closed at the time due to Covid-19. However, their website says they are back open now!

There are so many amazing dinner options in Padstow. The two most popular higher end restaurants are Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant and Paul Ainsworth at No 6. However, you need to book both options 2-3 months in advance and sadly I was a little late (still 4 weeks notice mind you!).

We booked Caffe Rojano, another Paul Ainsworth restaurant which focuses on seasonal small plates, sourdough pizzas and fresh pasta dishes. The Roast Pumpkin: hand rolled tortellini pasta, green pesto, amaretti, sage brown bitter, aged parmesan was incredible.