Padstow & The Camel Estuary

Way down in the South West corner of England is the uniquely attractive county of Cornwall, with its rugged Atlantic coastline on the north side of the peninsula and the more gentle sandy swathes of its southern shores. The Camel Estuary sits on the north coast, and remains one of our favourite places in the world, no exaggeration. 

Padstow itself, a classic Cornish fishing village huddled around a quaint harbour, lies around a mile inside the estuary. One of the many attractions here is the huge difference between high and low tides. When the tide is in, the mile wide gulf between Padstow and Rock is a big expanse of swirling water; as the tide recedes, the acres of soft golden sand appear, along both shores, on sandbanks in the middle, and on popular beaches in the surrounding bays. It’s beautiful.

I (Phil) first came here in 1979, and as a regular visitor over those forty years have lost none of my love for this place. We have both now come to love it. 

Doom Bar is a name well known to pub goers throughout England, as a beer widely available across the whole country, but we wonder how many people know the origins of its name. The original Doom Bar is a treacherous sandbank at the point where the Camel Estuary meets the Atlantic, and has been the cause of hundreds of shipwrecks down the years. The beer itself, although now brewed by the big nationals, originates from the modest Sharps Brewery, in Rock village, hence the connection.

Over our weekend here we take two of our favourite coastal walks; first from Harlyn to Treyarnon, then on Day 2, from Rock to Polzeath and back, after taking the Black Tor ferry across the water. Polzeath’s large beach is a surfers’ paradise, though today they all seem to be waiting for the big one rather than riding the waves. 

The Atlantic here has many moods; today a strong wind blows in off the sea, so the rollers break into pure white, waves pound the majestic rocks of the coastline. Today’s mood is playful rather than menacing.

Padstow’s pubs are a delight, there are six clustered around the harbour. Catering here is of the “raised bar” variety. The town has of course hit fame through the impact of its most notorious son, the world renowned chef Rick Stein, whose influence, including the famous Seafood Restaurant, is everywhere. 

Our latest weekend here closes with some housekeeping duties; we are lucky enough to own a cottage here which we primarily use as a holiday let as well as our own refuge. You can view it HERE https://harbourholidays.co.uk/properties/oyster-cottage/