Padstow

"Can those boats be only rooftops, as they stream along the skyline,
In a race for port and Padstow, with the gale ?" Sir John Betjeman,
Harrow-on-the-hill

Padstow, with its fleet of trawlers, netters and crabbers, and colourful harbour surrounded by pastel-washed medieval houses, is an example of what Cornwall does best - it's a working port which wears a holiday hat.

Narrow streets run down to a bustling waterfront where fishing boats rub gunnels with yachts and cabin cruisers, where you can get down to the serious business of watching the ebb and flow of harbour life. If you find this too hectic, spend the afternoon relaxing at peaceful Harbour Cove, a short walk from the quay. And when the sun finally sinks below the yard-arm, it's time to tuck in to some fresh fish from one of the quayside cafes or dine in style at one of Padstow's renowned seafood restaurants.

 

If Padstow had a visitors' book, it would make for interesting reading. You'd find entries from the prehistoric Beaker folk, from Romans, Celtic Saints and even Viking marauders. Later inhabitants include Sir Walter Raleigh, whose Court House stands on Riverside, and the Prideaux family, still in residence at Elizabethan Prideaux Place.

Rick    Stein's   famous    seafood   restaurant.  A
wonderful    Mediterranean    atmosphere,   terrific
food  but  you  will  need  the  credit  card!

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