Pleasurable Padstow has it all


Padstow is one of those fishing ports which makes you know you must be in Cornwall.


It’s just as perfect as that.


If you walk round the little streets, or pause a while to gaze out across the harbour, you will begin to feel some of the timelessness of this place, which has been a community for several thousand years and always associated with the sea and seagoing.


Today, it is a favourite spot for tourists who want to experience the real Cornwall, and to enjoy the many sights and sensations along this part of the coast.


The town of Padstow is in a narrow gulley on the west side of the River Camel estuary, giving shelter from


the prevailing winds and keeping the temperature up.


Like most ports, building began on the quayside and moved upwards and outwards, so you will find the older buildings close to the harbour.


As the population grew, more cottages were provided, along with premises connected with the fishing industry.


The result is a charming huddle of many shaped and coloured buildings, many of which have been adapted from their original purpose and are now holiday homes or local accommodation.


Padstow abounds with good restaurants, including Rick Stein’s which has helped to put Cornish food on the map, and there are plenty of pubs, cafes and takeaways to keep every visitor happy.


Rick himself has also opened a popular fish and chip shop, as well as his restaurant, cookery school and deli.


View of Padstow.


If you want to find out more about Padstow there is a small museum covering the town’s history.


Lizard Peninsula - unique and stunningly beautiful


To describe the Lizard Peninsula – the most southerly tip of Cornwall and mainland Britain – as unspoiled would be an understatement.


The Lizard Peninsula is unique. This remote corner of Cornwall is stunningly beautiful at any time of the year, and there is nowhere quite like it in any other part of Britain.


It is for this reason that it has been a continuing source of inspiration for artists and writers over the years.


DH Lawrence was drawn here because, he said: ‘It is not England. It is bare, and elemental.’


Even today, it is still remote, removed from the rest of the country, its people self-sufficient, and proud of their Celtic heritage.


Myths, superstitions and customs


survive, which have long been lost to the rest of England.


It is an ancient and mysterious place. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, the peninsula stands alone in a very real sense.


In a line from London to Land’s End, the backbone of Cornwall is not a route to somewhere.


The Lizard Peninsula is not a cross-roads, a junction, or a place to drive through, but a destination – a journey’s end.


Standing proud in the sea, the peninsula presents a rugged face to the elements and, yet, paradoxically, the climate is the warmest in Britain.


The air is crisp, clear, and unpolluted by industry. The rocks and cliffs of the coastline offer shelter to tiny fishing villages huddled into their coves, looking much the same today, as they did centuries ago. Small cottages, thatched and whitewashed, cluster around tiny harbours.


Colourful fishing boats, pulled up high on the beach, bear testimony to the fact that these small communities still depend largely on the sea for their livelihood.


The Lizard Peninsula boasts a wealth of breathtaking scenery.


www.cornish-visitor.co.uk


Fishing and farming have always been the mainstay of the local economy, and life has always been a struggle.


Winter is a quiet time here. The fishermen’s choirs gather in their local


Helford Passage,Lizard Peninsula Cornish Visitor Guide - spring / summer 2013 37


Daymer Bay,near Padstow Picture courtesy of www.visitcornwall.com


pubs to sing, and between December and January even the smallest harbours are decorated with lights and lanterns, often in amusing and quirky tableaux of local significance.


Inside, huge log fires keep out the chill from the sea, when the evenings draw in, and enormous waves can pound into the coves.


Even in winter, there is always colour in abundance. If Ireland has 100 shades of green, Cornwall is not far behind in blue tones.


It is this, and the outstanding quality of light, which draws so many artists to the Lizard. Many have made the area their permanent home, and their work can be viewed all-year round.


February is spring, on the Lizard Peninsula, and these early portents are soon overtaken by a myriad of other wild flowers, the abundance of which is seldom seen elsewhere.


Along the densely wooded shores of the Helford River, gardens and natural landscape merge to create a horticultural dream.


Mullion,Lizard Peninsula.


Views across the Helford River on the Lizard Peninsula.


Much of the area is owned and managed by the National Trust, which ensures that it remains unspoiled.


The South West coastal footpath winds its way around the peninsula, but there are also many circular walks to be found inland, which are less demanding.


Harlyn Bay,near Padstow Picture courtesy of Visit Cornwall.com


Padstow Harbour. Photo courtesy of Ingrid King / Visit Cornwall.com


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