Worth Venturing Out For
the best of padstow, rock and the camel valley, all from our front door
Think of this as the list we'd scribble on the back of a napkin if you asked us over a cuppa - the places we eat, drink and buy from. Nobody will judge you for pottering between the garden and the beach all week, but when the itch sets in to stretch your legs, pull on your boots, and grab the car keys... we've got just the place to send you!
If you've only got a day or two...
"We've got a couple of days here, what should we do?" It's the question we get asked most. And these are the ten things we always recommend - from a sauna on the bay to a glass of wine up the valley - a little something for everyone, chosen because we know, love and do them ourselves.
Quite a few of these handpicks are very good friends of ours, rather than places we've just heard good things about. Click through for the details - and keep an eye on your emails after booking, because we often have a little something extra up our sleeves just for our guests.
1. Saunas by the Sea Just a short stroll from us, down by the bay
Our good friend Steve French founded Saunas by the Sea in 2022, planting wood-fired, mobile saunas in some of the most stunning, natural locations in North Cornwall - including right on our doorstep at Harlyn Bay beach.
The sauna is nestled in the sand with a large window looking out to the wild waves and is open all year round. As a PIG guest, you get an extra treaty discount when booking a session - simply speak to our reception team to find out more. For more information, saunasbythesea.co.uk
2. Mother Ivey's Bay 1.1 miles - walkable from our front door or just 7 minutes by car
One of our team's firm favourites, Mother Ivey is very sheltered and much quieter than the big-name bays along this coast. Legend has it there was once a powerful 'white witch' named Mother Ivey who cursed a wealthy pilchard-merchant family living in the area (in what is now THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay) - and locals still link to stormy nights when the sea turns violent between the bays.
Our 7.5 mile Four Bay loop takes you right past Mother Ivey's Bay with views out across the water at Merope Rocks and Padstow Lifeboat Station.
3. Harlyn Surf School Just half a mile away, door-to-door
Harlyn Bay is one of the most reliable beginner beaches for a surf in Cornwall - and it happens to be the one on our doorstep, so there's no faff getting to the water (or getting home afterwards). Our friends over at Harlyn Surf School offer safe and expertly delivered surf lessons, as well as stand-up paddleboarding, coasteering and kayaking experiences. Don't just take our word for it - there's a reason they're award-winning, and the longest running surf school in Cornwall. Find out more: harlynsurfschool.co.uk
4. National Lobster Hatchery Right on Padstow harbour, 10 minutes by car
A Cornish conservation project that is incredibly close to our hearts, the National Lobster Hatchery is a small but mighty marine and education charity who work to protect native lobster populations. Every time you eat with us at our outdoor eatery, The Lobster Shed, you help to support the charity - and if you pay the hatchery a visit during your stay, you can enjoy 20% off entry as a PIG guest.
Visit nationallobsterhatchery.co.uk
5. The Camel Trail by bike (a perfect pairing with #6) We recommend bike hire from Padstow, about 3 miles away or 10 minutes by car.
Pedal out on this completely flat, traffic-free trail that will take you through natural woodlands, wild marshlands and along the river Camel as the path winds away from the sea.
The total length of the Camel Trail is just over 18 miles - we recommend going just beyond Wadebridge and then taking a short detour to reach number six on our list. You can read more about every stretch of the trail here: cameltrail.co.uk
6. Camel Valley Vineyard 14 miles away, about 28 minutes by car, or better still - by bike off the Camel Trail
Cornwall's leading vineyard, and one of our favourite pours of English Fizz behind our bars. There's no better reward for a morning in the saddle than this pitstop with a tour and a tasting, or sitting back on the sun terrace with a glass or two . Check out the vineyard opening times before you set off: camelvalley.com
7. A morning with the Padstow day boats on the harbour, about 3 miles away - 10 minutes by car
Get down early and watch the boats that come in with the morning's catch (including the fresh fish and lobster that makes its way onto our menu from our go-to lobster guy Johnny Murt). For the more adventurous, you can walk to Padstow from Harlyn Bay in just over 2 hours.
8. Wave Hunters Boat trips from Padstow and Rock, 3.2 miles by car
Head out along the coast for a sea safari on a local RIB and keep your eyes peeled for seals, seabirds, dolphins and, if luck is on your side, the odd whale.
Join a group ride for 1 hour, 90 minutes or a full 2 hours - or book a private charter all to yourself for 90 minutes, 2 hours or even 3. Visit wavehunters.co.uk
9. Camel Ski School, Rock Best accessed by foot ferry from Padstow
Waterskiing, wakeboarding, paddleboarding and doughnuts out on the estuary. Warning: you will get wet. This is the most fun we know for anyone who doesn't mind getting soaked! View all the activities on offer here: camelskischool.com
10. Rock and Daymer Bay by ferry A short foot ferry from Padstow, about 3 miles from us
When in Padstow, you can hop across the water and take a trip across the estuary to explore the dunes at Rock. It's much quieter than Padstow, but has a beautiful long, sandy beach that stretches around to Daymer Bay and beyond - it feels like a holiday inside your holiday.
Make sure to check the ferry times as these change by the season: padstow-harbour.co.uk
A day well spent in Padstow
THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay is only a 10-minute drive from the picturesque port of Padstow, which has plenty of old Cornish charm and is practically overflowing with great spots to eat and drink - lots of them are even right on the harbour's edge.
Padstow is a working harbour (the fish on our menu comes ashore here) that's perfect for a morning's pottering, a long lunch and a brolly tucked in your bag just in case. Many of our guests love to walk along the coast path, making a proper day of the round trip.
National Lobster Hatchery
Down on the harbour, our friends at the National Lobster Hatchery have become world leaders in conserving native lobster populations. The charity raise baby lobsters through their most vulnerable life stages (from eggs to around 8 weeks old), before releasing them into the wild Cornish waters through boat, dive or shore releases - a process that increases lobster survival rate by 1000%.
Eat & Drink
Padstow has so many good tables - and plenty of famous names among them. But these are the three we find ourselves going back to.
Prawn on the Lawn - a small seafood restaurant
Sabzi Deli - dishing up beautiful, vibrant and creative food
Padstow Farm Shop - an award winning farm shop, butchery and deli.
Prideaux Place
A Grade I listed Elizabethan house on the hill above the town, built in 1592 and home to the Prideaux family ever since. It has a busy second life on screen, too - Poldark’s clifftop carriage scenes were filmed out on the family’s headland at Stepper Point, and the house itself has starred in a long run of German TV dramas based on Rosamunde Pilcher’s novels.
Guided tours run on weekdays from spring to early autumn, and the deer park, said to be one of the oldest in England, is worth the walk up on its own.
Rock and the estuary
Just across the water from Padstow there's enough going on in Rock to fill a whole day and so we've gathered it here. You can drive round, but it's about 45 minutes in the car, in our opinion the best way over is the little foot ferry across the Camel, the crossing might just become the best bit of your morning!
Land at Rock and the dunes and beaches stretch away towards Daymer Bay. Out on the estuary, Camel Ski School offers waterskiing, wakeboarding and paddleboarding, while Wave Hunters run boat trips along the coast where seals are regulars and the odd dolphin puts in an appearance.
St Enodoc sits a short walk from the ferry for anyone who's brought their clubs. And when you've earned your lunch, Four Boys and Mariners are two tables worth crossing for.
Nobody comes back from Rock in a hurry.
Follow the Camel
the trail and the vineyard
If you've only got one big day out in you, make it this one. Pick up bikes at Padstow Cycle Hire (bring your booking confirmation from your stay at THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay along with you, for a little treat as our guest). Follow the Camel Trail out of town, traffic-free all the way, with the estuary beside you.
Keep pedalling inland past Wadebridge, then turn off at Boscarne Junction, or near the Borough Arms by Nanstallon, and follow the local signs up the valley lane. It's a short cycle or walk that brings you out among the vines at Camel Valley Vineyard, Cornwall's leading vineyard and one of the wines we pour at supper.
Have a glass on the slopes above the river, then head back and come home to us for supper (where there's plenty more of that wine!).
On your way in, on your way out
Hours of road ahead of you and no idea where to pull in... we've all been there. These aren't days out, just the places we stop ourselves on the drive down to Harlyn Bay or the long one home, for a proper cuppa and something scrumptious for the journey.
13 miles, about 33 minutes
St Kew Farmshop & Cafe
On the St Kew Highway. An independent cafe with a nicely chosen farm shop attached, and our favourite stop on the way home, for one last cuppa and a boot full of Cornish bits to make the holiday last a little longer.
25 miles, about 40 minutes
Colwith Farm Distillery
It's a bit far for a day out from us, but plenty of guests pass Cornwall's farm-based distillery on the way in or out. Book a tour or a gin and vodka masterclass, and let whoever isn't driving do the tasting.
45 miles, about 1 hour
Philip Warren & Son
Just on the A30 at Launceston. Philip Warren have been butchering and farming here since 1880, and theirs is the beef we serve, hung a month and cut by hand. Worth stopping on the way home with a cool bag, because it's the one thing from your holiday that might still be in the freezer in November!
Visit our friends
A good deal of what arrives on your plate at Harlyn Bay has come from somewhere close by, and from someone we know by name. These are those people: the fishermen on Padstow harbour, the farmer who grows our veg, the brewery up the road and the roastery behind the coffee.
Every one is worth a visit in their own right.
Ross is a seventh-generation farmer and a former Rick Stein head chef, which goes a long way to explaining why the produce from Padstow Kitchen Garden tastes the way it does. He supplies our kitchen, and he runs dining events out among the crops, cookery courses and sells fresh produce, all just 11 minutes by car, it's well worth arriving hungry!
The fish on our menu lands on Padstow harbour, off small boats that head out and come home the same day with whatever the sea and the weather allowed.If you're on the quay early enough you'll see the morning's catch come ashore.
Bluntrock Brewery is 15 miles from us, and we're glad they are, because both their ‘Helles’ Lager and ‘Chub’ Pale Ale are on our bar at Harlyn Bay. It's the beer we'd put in front of you after a day on the coast path, cold and local.
We serve Origin's coffee across all THE PIGs. At 46 miles, a good hour in the car, it's not one to go out of your way for, but if you're already heading that way it's a lovely excuse for a proper cup and to see the roastery in action.
We won't tell anyone if you eat elsewhere...
In fact, we'd be a little worried if you didn't. These are the tables we'd book ourselves on a night off, and if you'd rather not go far at all, the Cornish Arms is a stroll from our front door.
Prawn on the Lawn, Padstow
About 10 minutes by car
A tiny fishmonger-turned-seafood-bar on Duke Street, where the day boats land fish practically at the door and the menu is rewritten as the catch comes in. Go for the small plates and order more than you meant to.
Sabzi Deli, Padstow
About 10 minutes by car
Kate Attlee's deli on Duke Street, where Middle Eastern cooking meets Cornish veg and the menu is different every day. Salads, dahl and something baked, eaten in at the communal table or boxed up for the beach.
Padstow Farm Shop
About 9 minutes by car
Come for the sausage rolls, which are cracking, and don't be surprised if one doesn't make it as far as the car. It's also the place to fill a basket if you're heading off for the day, or want something Cornish to take home at the end of the week.
Four Boys, Rock
Across the water, by ferry
Right by the ferry point, run by four brothers, with tables looking back across the estuary to Padstow. Handmade pasta and whatever the market sent that morning, chalked up on a board and served as plates to share, so order a few and pass them round. Worth booking a table in advance.
Mariners, Rock
Across the water, by ferry
A short walk up from the slipway where the ferry lands you, with a terrace looking back over the estuary. It's Paul and Emma Ainsworth's pub, and they buy their veg from Ross Geach at Padstow Kitchen Garden, same as we do.
The Cornish Arms
A short stroll up the road
The Cornish Arms is 1.6 miles from our front door, about half an hour across the fields to St Merryn. A pint always tastes better when you've walked for it, and this one serves good real ales from St Austell Brewery, so wander over in the late afternoon and stroll home in time for supper.
For the golfers
You can be standing on a tee seven minutes after leaving your room. Trevose is just down the road at Constantine Bay, and alongside the 18-hole championship course there are three shorter layouts (which is handy if the rest of your party has other ideas about the day!).
St Enodoc is the other one, across the estuary at Rock and best reached on the little foot ferry. Both are links, both are worth the trip.
And if you change your mind
Don’t fancy going far? The beach is at the end of our lane and the coast path runs right past the gate, so there’s a whole day of walking without starting the car, and if you’d rather not leave at all, the Kitchen Garden, the pigs and the Snug are all here waiting.
