Discover Padstow
Two hobby horses on May Day, a railway line you can now cycle, and a ferry across the Camel estuary
A harbour town that closes its streets for a hobby horse
Padstow sits in a narrow valley on the west bank of the Camel, and the buildings crowd down to the quays because there was nowhere else to put them. The town takes its name from St Petroc, the Welsh missionary who is said to have landed across the estuary at Trebetherick around AD 500; the Prideaux family, who leased the manor from the last prior of Bodmin before the dissolution of the monasteries, have lived at Prideaux Place since it was completed in 1592, and their house sits above the town on Tregirls Lane.
The May Day custom is the thing everyone here would tell you first. The earliest written mention of the 'Obby 'Oss at Padstow dates from 1803. There are two processions: the Old 'Oss, whose stable is the Golden Lion, and the Blue Ribbon 'Oss, which the museum describes as a Peace 'Oss that emerged after the First World War, on the model of an earlier blue-ribbon horse.
What's On
Upcoming events and things happening in Padstow
Lore of the Deep (Easter 2027)
An Easter 2027 exhibition of sea creatures and sea monsters at the National Lobster Hatchery.
Skeletons of the Sea (half term)
RecurringA Halloween half-term trail at the National Lobster Hatchery, 17 October to 1 November 2026.
The Lobster Lollop
RecurringA no-pressure Camel Trail run in aid of the National Lobster Hatchery, Saturday 14 November 2026.
Padstow Christmas Fayre
RecurringThe free four-day Cornish food event that replaced the old Christmas Festival: 3 to 6 December 2026.
Padstow Right Now
Padstow's harbour is tucked into a valley and shelters from the prevailing wind, but Stepper Point and Harbour Cove, a mile or two down the estuary, face the open Atlantic. If the forecast will not load, use the wind and swell, weather and tide links on the Padstow Harbour Commissioners' home page before you plan a coast walk or a boat trip, and remember the ferry runs to a tide-dependent landing.
Where To Eat
From fine dining to casual favourites
The Seafood Restaurant
The 1975 original from Rick and Jill Stein, on Riverside, with a Seafood Bar that keeps seats for walk-ins.
Prawn on the Lawn
A small Duke Street seafood restaurant with a daily-changing menu, closed Sunday and Monday.
The Harbour Inn
A family-run Strand Street pub with Cornish spirits, live acoustic music nights and dogs welcome.