Even without the flashy food courtesy of Rick Stein’s award-winning Padstow eatery (as well as his deli, a bistro, a café, a hotel, a posh fish-and-chip shop down by the quayside and the popular Padstow Seafood School) Padstow is a charming place. At its heart is the busy harbour, buzzing with activity year-round as the fishermen bring in the catch. A short walk over the headland from the port, you’ll find an amazing expanse of sandy beach, which opens up at low tide to provide plenty of room for everyone, even on the busiest summer days. This isn’t a coastal beach but the Camel Estuary – you can see across to the town of Rock on the other side.
Padstow is also the western starting point of the Camel Trail, an easy walking and cycling route that follows the Camel Estuary inland to Wadebridge, then continues alongside the River Camel to Poley’s Bridge. For most of its 17 miles it’s incredibly scenic (the Camel Estuary is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty) and completely car-free, making it a very popular route in summer when hundreds of bikes and cyclists descend on Padstow.
At the start of the Camel Trail, just south of the fishing port, is Dennis Cove campsite. It’s a small, well-cared-for family site close to the town and handy for all the attractions. The philosophy here is ‘simple camping’; there are just five electric hook-ups provided for visitors and a well-maintained shower block. Aside from that, the campsite is essentially two fields of green grass, albeit in a great location and with some commanding views across the Camel Estuary.
The lower field is open all season with trees and hedges providing shelter. It can get a bit squashed down here in the busy months, so a better bet is to make for the upper overflow field, a vast expanse of grass without designated pitch markings. It’s further from the amenities and more exposed, being on the higher ground, but the views across the estuary are simply knock-out.
With a BBQ, a bag of fresh Padstow fish and a view like this, who needs posh restaurants?