Food
Malcolm Barnecutts, The Strand
The former Chough Bakery shop on The Strand, now a Malcolm Barnecutts bakery since 10 February 2026.
Known for: Cornish pasties
Hours: Seven days a week, 8.30am to 4pm (the company's post of 24 March 2026)
Plan Your Visit
Everything you need to know before you head out: weather, what to pack, the best seasons, and useful links.
Looking for a day plan?
Half-day highlights, full-day explorer, rainy day plan, and weekend escape: all mapped out step by step.
Weather & What to Bring
Weather
Padstow sits in a narrow valley on the sheltered west bank of the Camel estuary; the tourist office says the town is sheltered from the prevailing winds and the air is generally soft. The open coast begins about a mile and a half downriver at the mouth of the estuary, so the walk out to Stepper Point is a different climate from the harbour.
Packing Checklist
- ✓Waterproof jacket (essential year-round)
- ✓Layers: temperature can change quickly
- ✓Comfortable walking shoes
- ✓Camera: the views are worth it
- ✓Sunscreen: yes, even in United Kingdom
Bring Something Home
Local producers, markets, and makers worth a stop before you leave Padstow.
Food
Padstow Farm Shop
A farm shop and deli at Trethillick Farm, run by the Tregirls farming family whose barley goes into Padstow Gin.
Known for: Free-range meat from Tregirls Farm
Hours: Summer opening: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm, Sunday closed; winter hours are not published on the shop's own site.
Drink
Padstow Brewing Company
A craft brewery's two bars, on Duke Street and Broad Street, with Thursday guided tastings.
Known for: Padstow craft beer, tasting flights
Drink
Padstow Distilling Co
A Duke Street bar and bottle shop for a distillery that turns Tregirls Farm barley into gin and vodka.
Known for: Padstow Gin 'St George's Well' Original
Hours: Bar at 17 Duke Street: Sunday to Thursday 4pm to 9.30pm, Friday and Saturday 12 noon to 9.30pm.
Best Time to Visit
Spring
March - May
Prideaux Place reopened on Easter Monday 6 April in 2026, the 'Obby 'Oss takes the town on 1 May, and the sealife boats look for puffins from mid-April.
Spring here builds towards one day. Prideaux Place opens for the season at Easter and stays open Monday to Friday until early October. Padstow Museum, in Station House, reopens on 10 February. The sealife boats say puffins can be seen from mid-April to mid-July at the island they visit on the two-hour trip and the one-hour Puffin Safari. Then it is 1 May: the roads in the old town close, the maypole in Broad Street is dressed, and the two 'Osses set off at 10am and 11am. In 2027 that is a Saturday. From 1 April to 1 June the last ferry from Padstow leaves at 6pm.
Summer
June - August
The parish roughly doubles, from about 2,500 to about 5,500. From 21 July to 31 August the last ferry from Padstow leaves at 7.45pm, and the bike hire shops open into the evening.
The town council's own figure is about 2,500 residents rising to about 5,500 in summer, and the harbour is where you feel it. From 21 July to 31 August the last ferry to Rock leaves Padstow at 7.45pm, and after that the water taxi takes over until late. Padstow Cycle Hire says it opens until 8pm Monday to Thursday and 6pm Friday to Sunday from 15 July to 31 August, which makes an evening ride possible. Paul Ainsworth at No6 serves lunch from Wednesday to Saturday only in a seasonal window, which in 2026 ran from 20 May to 30 September, so check the dates before planning around it.
Autumn
September - November
Prideaux Place shuts on 9 October in 2026, the National Lobster Hatchery runs its Halloween trail over half term, and the Lobster Lollop takes the Camel Trail on 14 November.
The car parks empty out first. Prideaux Place closes for the season in early October, and from mid-September the last ferry from Padstow is at 6pm. The National Lobster Hatchery stays open every day from 10am to 4pm and runs Skeletons of the Sea, a Halloween trail through the aquarium, from 17 October to 1 November. On Saturday 14 November the Lobster Lollop runs out and back along the Camel Trail, organised by Purple Gecko Events with the hatchery: the 10 mile and 10km distances start in the morning and the 2.5km and 5km in the afternoon, and a finisher's medal gets you into the hatchery free for the weekend. At low tide the sand on the Padstow side of the estuary runs almost out to the Doom Bar, according to the South West Coast Path's route description.
Winter
December - February
The Padstow Christmas Fayre runs 3 to 6 December 2026, the museum is open Monday to Friday until 12 December, and from the end of British Summer Time the last ferry leaves at 5pm.
Winter is when the harbour belongs to the fishing boats again. The museum in Station House is open Monday to Friday, 10.30am to 4pm, until 12 December, subject to volunteer availability. From the end of British Summer Time to 31 March the ferry's last crossing from Padstow is at 5pm and it stops for lunch between 1.30pm and 2pm. The Padstow Christmas Fayre, a free four-day food event that replaced the old Christmas Festival, runs from Thursday 3 to Sunday 6 December in 2026, with a lantern parade, carols and fireworks. The Seafood Restaurant serves every day from noon to 9.30pm, and the Golden Lion keeps its Sunday roast going from noon to 4pm.