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Padstow itineraries

Padstow Itineraries

Half a day or a full weekend. Here are the best ways to spend your time in Padstow, planned step by step.

Whether you have a few hours or a full weekend to explore, these itineraries give you a local’s route through Padstow. Each one links directly to the restaurants and activities along the way.

Half a day in Padstow·Half day, about 4 hoursA full day: the Camel Trail and the harbour·Full day, about 9 hours

Half a day in Padstow

Half day, about 4 hoursYear-round

The town on foot: the quays, the lobster hatchery and the ferry across the estuary, with a pub lunch in between. It works on any weekday and most of it works at the weekend; the museum in Station House is a weekday stop.

First time visitorsRainy day flexibility (the hatchery and museum are indoors)FamiliesVisitors arriving by the 57 bus
  1. 1
    10.00·45 minutes

    The harbour and the quays

    Start at the harbour, where the fishing boats and the yachts share the water behind the floodgate. Check the tide, and the ferry board, before you decide the rest of the morning.

    View Padstow Harbour and the Quays
  2. 2
    10.45·1 hour

    National Lobster Hatchery

    Walk round the head of the harbour to the South Quay. The hatchery opens at 10am every day and is next to the start of the Camel Trail.

    View National Lobster Hatchery
  3. 3
    11.45·30 minutes

    The museum in Station House

    On a weekday, a short walk from the hatchery: the town museum is free, in the old railway station, and is where the 'Obby 'Oss and the railway are explained. It shuts at 4pm.

    View Padstow Museum
  4. 4
    12.30·1 hour

    Lunch at the Harbour Inn

    Go back up towards the quays for lunch on Strand Street, at a family-run pub that is open seven days a week.

    View The Harbour Inn
  5. 5
    13.45·1 hour 15 minutes

    The ferry to Rock and back

    Take the harbour commissioners' ferry across the estuary, three pounds each way by card, and come back before the last boat. Buy the return ticket on the Rock side.

    View The Padstow to Rock Ferry

A full day: the Camel Trail and the harbour

Full day, about 9 hoursYear-round

A bike ride to Wadebridge and back, a look at the house above the town, and dinner. It assumes a weekday between April and October so that Prideaux Place is open; on other days swap that stop for the hatchery.

Active visitorsCyclists and families with older childrenSummer weekdaysSecond day visitors
  1. 1
    09.30·2 hours 30 minutes including coffee in Wadebridge

    Hire bikes at the start of the trail

    Book a bike with either hire shop at the head of the Camel Trail and ride the estuary shore to Wadebridge, about an hour each way by the hire firm's estimate.

    View The Camel Trail
  2. 2
    12.30·1 hour

    Lunch on Mill Square

    Back in town, eat at Caffè Rojano, which runs its kitchen from noon to 9.30pm every day.

    View Caffè Rojano
  3. 3
    14.00·1 hour 30 minutes

    Prideaux Place

    On a weekday between Easter and early October, walk up to the Elizabethan house and grounds. The last house tour is at 3pm, and the grounds shut at 4.30pm.

    View Prideaux Place
  4. 4
    16.00·1 hour 30 minutes

    A boat trip or a harbour walk

    If the tide and the weather suit, go on the Jubilee Queen or a sealife safari; otherwise walk the quays. Check the operators' own booking pages first.

    View Jubilee Queen Boat Trips
  5. 5
    18.30·1 hour 30 minutes

    Dinner at the Golden Lion

    Book through the pub's online page; dinner runs from 6pm, Monday to Saturday. The pub is the stable of the Old 'Oss.

    View The Golden Lion

Ready to plan your visit?

Check the weather forecast before you head out.

Planning Tips & Packing GuideGetting to Padstow