| Padstow sits happily on the west side of the | | | | However, when May Day falls on a weekday the |
| Camel estuary, on the north coast of Cornwall; | | | | town is (just a little!) quieter and it is possible to |
| staying in a bed and breakfast here, one is ideally | | | | find a room, even if a quiet pint is still out of the |
| placed to explore the whole county. Nowhere is | | | | question. If you secure a room on the quayside, |
| very far away; even Lands End and St Ives are | | | | you can be assured of hours of fun watching the |
| only just over an hour's drive - perhaps a little | | | | world go by, including the sailing races out in the |
| more during the summer months when the traffic | | | | bay, the waterskiers and the crews of the fishing |
| can be quite heavy. Falmouth and Truro, both well | | | | boats unloading their catch. |
| worth visiting, are within easy reach, as is Port | | | | The Camel estuary lies inside a fearsome sand |
| Isaac, where the TV series Doc Marten is filmed. | | | | bank called, rather aptly, the Doom Bar. This has |
| The Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan | | | | claimed the lives of many sailors and their ships, |
| are quite close and are extremely popular. | | | | and is littered with wrecks. There are many tales |
| Padstow has something to offer everyone, | | | | of "wrecking" in the West Country, where |
| whether you are young or old, or can't decide, | | | | wreckers would lure ships onto the rocks with |
| whether your interests are sailing, water-ski-ing or | | | | lanterns, and then pillage the cargo. |
| windsurfing, or maybe golf and walking, or fishing, | | | | These are now held to be largely apocryphal, |
| or perhaps just sitting on the quayside | | | | although anything washed ashore is considered to |
| people-watching. May 1st is the day when | | | | be a gift from God, especially in times of hardship, |
| Padstow comes into its own: the locals dress head | | | | and many impoverished Cornishmen built or |
| to toe in white and dance through the town | | | | restored their cottages with wrecked timber. Few |
| celebrating the coming of summer. Padstow is | | | | bed and breakfast establishments on the |
| decorated throughout with green foliage, and the | | | | harbourside have private parking, but there is a |
| "Obby Oss" gallops through the narrow streets | | | | large car park on the South Quay, and another |
| with its entourage. | | | | one adjoining it, which used to be the Station Car |
| Many of the Padstow bed and breakfast rooms | | | | Park. A Park and Ride is in place in the summer |
| are booked up from year to year, especially | | | | and this starts from a large field near the |
| when May Day coincides with the Bank Holiday. | | | | supermarket on the outskirts of the town. |