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, buy from and send people we like. Nobody will judge you for pottering between the garden and the beach all week. But when the itch sets in, grab a brolly and the car keys... here's where we'd 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, and chosen because we do them ourselves.
We've left the rest for another visit!
1. Saunas by the Sea Just a short stroll from us, down by the bay
A wood-fired sauna looking out over the bay, with the sea as your cold plunge, open all year round.
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, sheltered, and so much quieter than the 'big name' bays along our coast, and looking out to Merope Rocks and Padstow Lifeboat Station. Check out our 6 mile circular loop which takes you right past this bay.
3. Harlyn Surf School Another one just a short stroll along our bay
Lessons on one of the most reliable beginner beaches in Cornwall, which handily is the one on our doorstep, so there's no faff getting to the water! Our friends over at Harlyn Surf School.... [finish this]
4. National Lobster Hatchery Right on Padstow harbour, about 3 miles away - or 10 minutes by car
A local charity rearing young lobsters and returning them to the sea, and one we're proud to support from our own menu.
5. The Camel Trail by bike perfectly paired with.... We recommend bike hire from Padstow, about 3 miles away or 10 minutes by car.
Pedal out on the traffic-free trail along the estuary, and if you keep going beyond Wadebridge, our number six recommendation is also waiting for you at the top of the valley.
... 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 the wine we pour at supper, and there's no better reward for a morning in the saddle.
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 land the fish on our menu come in with the morning's catch. And for the more adventurous, you can walk to Padstow from Harlyn Bay [add link to walk]
8. Wave Hunters Boat trips from Padstow and Rock, 3.2 miles by car.
Head out along the coast and keep your eyes peeled for seals, seabirds, dolphins and, if luck's on your side, the odd whale.
9. Camel Ski School, Rock Best accessed by foot ferry from Padstow.
Waterskiing, wakeboarding, paddleboarding and doughnuts out on the estuary, the most fun we know of for anyone who doesn't mind getting soaked.
10. Rock and Daymer Bay by ferry A short foot ferry from Padstow, about 3 miles from us
Hop across the Camel to the dunes and beaches at Rock and on to Daymer Bay, which feels like a holiday inside your holiday.
A day in Padstow
About ten minutes away, with enough recommendations to need its own section.
It's a working harbour, where the fish on our menu comes ashore, with a town wrapped round it 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 in along the coast path, making a proper day of the round trip. Walk the coast path to Padstow.
National Lobster Hatchery
Down on the harbour, this is where young lobsters are reared and returned to the sea. We add a discretionary £1 on every Cornish Lobster we sell in support of The National Lobster Hatchery - a local marine conservation, research and education charity based in Padstow, helping our local lobster population thrive.
Quay Art
An independent, family-run gallery of contemporary work, right on the harbourside [TBC: the kind of work or artists shown]. It's a lovely place to duck into between lunch and the walk back to the car, and if something catches your eye, it'll come home with you as a far better souvenir than a fridge magnet.
Prideaux Place
Grade I listed Elizabethan house on the hill above the town, and home to the Prideaux family for over 400 years [TBC: what visitors can see, and when it's open]. Well worth a wander round if old houses are your thing, and there are few better views back over Padstow and the estuary.
Rock and the estuary
Just across the water from Padstow there's enough going on to fill a whole day, we've gathered it here. The best way over is the little foot ferry across the Camel from Padstow, which turns the crossing into the best bit of the morning!
You can also drive round, but it's 16.5 miles (about 45 minutes). We suggest to give it a whole day if you can, nobody comes back from Rock in a hurry:
The foot ferry to Rock and Daymer Bay - dunes, beaches and the crossing itself
Camel Ski School - waterskiing, wakeboarding and paddleboarding
Wave Hunters - boat trips, seals and the odd dolphin
St Enodoc - links golf, a short walk from the ferry
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 in Padstow [TBC: hire partner and where to collect] and 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 [TBC: tastings or tours, and whether to book].
Have a glass on the slopes above the river, then head back. hand the bikes back in Padstow, and come home to us for supper, where there's plenty more of that wine.
