Practical Padstow: Useful Information for Your Stay

Most visitors arrive in Padstow by car, and the approach from the A30 is straightforward enough. Leave the A30 at the Bodmin junction and follow the A389 through Bodmin and Wadebridge. The final stretch into Padstow along the A389 is a winding country road – pleasant, but take extra care.

Insider tip: Don’t attempt to drive into Padstow town centre in peak season unless you are arriving at your holiday home with a designated parking space. The streets are narrow, and the car parks fill up early. Stop at the Link Road carpark – just off the main approach road – from where it’s about a ten-minute walk into town. In peak season, aim to arrive before 10am or after 4pm to avoid queuing.

Some of our Padstow holiday cottages have parking. Alternatively, base yourself at one of our cottages on the outskirts of Padstow, from where you can ditch the car and cycle or take the bus into town– no parking stress required.

Padstow lost its railway in 1967, and the nearest mainline station is Bodmin Parkway on the London Paddington to Penzance line. From here you can hop in a taxi or hop on the 57 (and 57S) bus, which runs from Bodmin Parkway to Padstow, via Bodmin Community Hospital and Wadebridge. The journey takes around 1 hour 10 minutes.

It’s easy to stay in Padstow without your own transport, but for a week away, hiring a car gives much more flexibility for exploring more of North Cornwall at your own pace.

For guests arriving by train to Bodmin Parkway or staying in properties along the Camel Estuary, cycling into Padstow via the Camel Trail is arguably the most beautiful commute in Cornwall.

The trail runs from Wenford Bridge near Bodmin to Padstow Harbour, following the river all the way. Flat, traffic-free, and spectacular, it’s genuinely worth planning a day around even if you don’t use it to get here.

Bike hire is available in both Padstow and Wadebridge, with e-bikes making the return journey effortless.

Parking in Padstow in peak season is genuinely competitive. The town is small, the roads are narrow. It’s easy to get stuck.

The most accessible and convenient place to park is the Link Road carpark. But even with over 300 spaces, it fills quickly on busy days. Arrive before 10am or after 4pm in peak season. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the harbour, with a steep climb back to factor into your day.

Even better to avoid the crowds and traffic is Padstow Main Road Car Park, which is a 20-minute walk from Padstow harbour – or you can hop on buses 11 and 56 into the town centre.

For details on all of the Padstow car parks, distances from town and charges, check out our detailed Parking in Padstow guide.

The busiest periods are Saturday changeover days (10am–2pm), Bank Holiday weekends, and the week of the Obby Oss May Day festival. At these times, queues for the Link Road carpark can extend back onto the A389.

The simplest solution? Stay in one of our village cottages and drive in outside peak hours, or better still, leave the car entirely. The Camel Trail into Padstow by bike is far more enjoyable than sitting in traffic.

Parking tips:

• Arrive before 9:30am on busy days.
• Arrive after 4:00pm for afternoon and evening visits.
• Never park on the narrow approach roads into town – wardens are active and fines are issued quickly.

At a glance: Padstow really is the sort of place you can ditch the car and explore by boat, bike and bus.

The Black Tor ferry runs between Padstow and Rock all year-round, making it a cinch to hop across to the beaches and villages on the opposite side of the estuary in any season. Dogs, pushchairs and bikes are welcome, and you simply pay when you hop on board (£3 per adult single and £1.50 per child). You can find all the timings and details here.

By bike is genuinely the best way to explore the Padstow area. The Camel Trail connects Padstow to Wadebridge (5.5 miles, flat, traffic-free) and on to Bodmin and Wenford Bridge.

For the beaches, quiet lanes run from every village to the coast, and in summer, there is no faster or more enjoyable way to trundle out to Harlyn, Constantine, or Trevone.

Hire is available from Padstow and Wadebridge, with e-bikes, child seats and trailers available.

If you’re travelling to any of the coastal villages between Newquay and Padstow, the No 56 bus runs along the Atlantic coast between the two, and is a useful hop-on hop-off service to local beaches and attractions.

A small number of local taxi firms operate in and around Padstow. Booking ahead is strongly advised in peak season — don’t expect to hail a cab on the harbourside on a Saturday evening in August.

Good news for dog owners: Padstow and North Cornwall is one of the most dog-friendly corners of Britain. Wide beaches, miles of coast path, welcoming pubs, and a generally relaxed attitude to four-legged guests make it an excellent destination for dogs and their people alike.

Here’s a brief introduction to dog-friendly Padstow, but for more in-depth information, see our full guide on visiting Padstow with dogs >

Many of Padstow’s beaches are dog-friendly year-round, while some operate seasonal restrictions from 1 May to 30 September.

For details on which beaches you can take your four-legged friend and when and where restrictions are in place, check out our article on dog-friendly beaches near Padstow.

Insider tip: Constantine Bay is our favourite spot for a full beach day with a dog in summer – no restrictions, plenty of space, and surrounded by stunning clifftop walks. Booby’s Bay next door is quieter still – but is only sandy at low tide.

Most of the pubs and many of the cafés and restaurants around Padstow actively welcome well-behaved dogs. The sort of places where water bowls, treats and belly rubs are all part of the service.

A few highlights include:

• The Cornish Arms, St Merryn – dogs welcome, water bowls provided.
• Ring O’ Bells, St Issey – classic country pub, dogs welcome in the bar area.
• The Old Custom House, Padstow – harbourside pub, dogs welcome in the bar.
• Rojano’s in the Square — dogs welcome in the outdoor area.
• Porthcothan Bay Stores – outdoor seating, dog-friendly, right by the beach.

Check out our Dog Friendly Pubs in Padstow and Dog Friendly Restaurants in Padstow guides for the lowdown on all our favourite foodie pitstops with paws.

What really makes Padstow stand out as one of best places for a pooch-friendly getaway is the abundance of walkies across nearby coast and countryside. Step out onto white-sand beaches, stand on dramatic headlands, or ramble along woodland and moorland trails with your hound in tow.

The Camel Estuary path, the coast path from Stepper Point to Trevose Head, and the inland lanes around the villages are all excellent dog-walking terrain. Keep dogs on leads beside the harbour and near livestock – this is genuine farming country, and the grazing fields belong to working farms.

The stretch of coast path from Padstow to Gunver Head offers particularly rewarding walking – big views over the estuary, firm underfoot, and rarely busy outside of the school holidays.

Whatever the season, grab your lead, lace up your boots and follow one of our top dog walks near Padstow.

Padstow is a historic working harbour town built on steep ground – and we’ll be straight with you: not all of it is easy going for wheelchair users or those with limited mobility. But more of it is accessible than you might expect, and with a little planning, a visit to Padstow is genuinely enjoyable for guests with a wide range of needs.

The harbourside itself – the quay, the majority of restaurants and shops on the waterfront – is largely flat and paved. This is the core of Padstow’s visitor experience and it is broadly accessible. The streets behind the harbour (Middle Street, Church Street, and the lanes leading up to the church) are steep, cobbled in places, and more challenging.

The Link Road car park has designated accessible parking bays. The harbour slip for the Rock ferry is accessible with assistance.

Beach wheelchairs are available for hire at nearby Mawgan Porth and Polzeath beaches, and both have beachside parking.

Harlyn Bay offers flat access to the beach via the main car park.

Trevone Bay also offers parking close to the beach.

The Camel Trail is largely accessible for manual and powered wheelchairs on the flat sections between Padstow and Wadebridge. The surface is well-maintained gravel and compacted stone.

We have a number of Padstow holiday cottages that are specifically suited to guests with mobility needs – ground-floor bedrooms, wet rooms, wider doorways, and step-free access.

These properties are listed with detailed accessibility information so you can judge whether they meet your requirements.

If you have specific requirements and want to discuss a property in detail before booking, please call us directly on 01841 533402. Our team knows every property in our portfolio and will be honest about what works and what doesn’t for your needs.

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