Padstow
The Town
Any property buyer interested in conducting a property search in North Cornwall may find their property search company suggests the pretty fishing port of Padstow. Around 10 miles north west of Bodmin, 5 miles northwest of Wadebridge, and 10 miles northeast of Newquay, your Recoco buying agent can confirm the population is around 3,000. Your property buying agent will be able to show you typical merchants’ houses and old fishermen’s cottages in the narrow, picturesque lanes running down to the quayside.
Transport
The nearest railway station is Bodmin Parkway, or your Recoco buying agent can help you locate the nearest road into town – the A389 connects to the A39 at Wadebridge. The Black Tor pedestrian ferry runs across the estuary between Rock and Padstow daily, with a journey time of under ten minutes, as your property search company can confirm. The Plymouth Bus company runs the local buses.
History
Your Recoco property finder will happily help you uncover the area’s history as part of your property search. Padstow derives from Petroc-stow, or Petrock’s Place, named for a sixth-century Welsh missionary. Ask your dedicated real estate buyers agent about the town’s pretty church, dedicated to the saint, which dates from the 13th and 14th centuries, with later additions. From the time of the Domesday Book to the Middle Ages, it was often known as Aldestowe, meaning Old Place.
Education
Ask your property buying agent about local schools, which include Padstow, for pupils from 4-11; Wadebridge School, for 11 to 18-year-olds; independent schools Truro High School and Polwhele House School in Truro, and St Joseph’s School in Launceston and St Piran’s School in Hayle.
Leisure and Events
Padstow lies inside an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and if you’re keen on walking, your property search company can help you identify some of the most scenic routes. Your Recoco buying agent can help you identify the most suitable options, from the full South West Coast Path or the Saints’ Way footpath to the gentle 4-mile Sir John Betjeman walk.
Your real estate buyers agent can also confirm the harbour is a pleasant way to pass the time, with artists often at work amidst the cafes, inns, and gift stores. Other local activities to keep a property buyer entertained include horse riding and water sports, or ask your Recoco property finder to tell you about the exclusive boutiques in the town.
Buyers agents can also advise on trips, including Lobster Hatchery visits, or boat trips to see basking sharks, dolphins, grey seals, porpoises, and sunfish. Or your Recoco property finder may suggest exploring Elizabethan manor house Prideaux Place, with views as far as Bodmin Moor.
The town also has regular events, from Christmas festivities to the May celebrations involving the ‘Obby ‘Oss.
Celebrity Connections
Creatives love Cornwall: famous residents and ex-residents include writers Donald Rawe and Enys Tregarthen, chefs Paul Ainsworth and Rick Stein, and actor Edward Woodward.
Foodies’ Corner
Any real estate buyers agent familiar with the locality can confirm Cornwall is known for its fresh, delicious produce, particularly seafood. Ask your property buying agent about the town’s nickname of “Padstein”, due to the numerous food businesses owned by celebrity chef Rick Stein, including the flagship Seafood Restaurant. The chef’s other businesses include a Bistro, Café, a deli, and a patisserie. Should you feel like learning a few trade secrets, there’s even a cookery school.
Feel like starting the day with a hearty full English? Give Cherry Trees Coffee House a try. Or there are plenty of traditional pubs serving Cornish ale alongside the hearty fare, like The Old Custom House, The Old Ship Hotel, or the Shipwrights. For the property buyer seeking a thoroughly contemporary, cutting-edge meal, Burgers and Fish may fit the bill. And if you’re looking for a Michelin starred restaurant to help whet your appetite for your property search, then head over to Paul Ainsworth at Number 6.
No West Country food menu would be complete without a cream tea or two, as buyers agents will tell you, whether you opt for household name Rodda, or small-batch clotted cream from local farms. And Cornwall wouldn’t be Cornwall without an authentic pasty shop or two – pop into the Chough Bakery for some great examples. That’s before we even mention the fudge and local ice cream on offer at outlets like Roly’s and Roskilly’s respectively.
Fun Fact
The May ‘Obby ‘Oss event features not a horse, but a male dancer in costume – one of many charming and quirky local festivals.