Padstow, a popular Cornwall holiday destination, is a fishing port on the Camel Estuary in North Cornwall. The harbour is mostly used by fishing boats and leisure craft and is flanked by gift shops, pubs, cafes and restaurants, the most well-known of which is, of Course, Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant. Other Stein establishments in the town include a bistro, fish and chip shop and bakery.

Padstow has a good mix of shops, including the larger chains as well as independent retailers. There's an excellent cinema - the Cinedrome, recently renamed and refurbished with a bigger screen. Padstow also has two art galleries, the Blue Wing Gallery and Padstow Contemporary Art Galleries.

Padstow lies at the northern end of the Camel Trail, a cycle path which follows the route of a disused railway from the pretty village of Blisland on the Western edge of Bodmin Moor, via Wadebridge to Padstow. The trail passes through the spectacular countryside of the Camel Valley and estuary. If you're not up for the full 18-mile route you can start at Wadebridge, where there are plenty of cycle hire shops, and go in either direction - 8 miles to Padstow, or a little further in the opposite direction to Blisland.

The high point in the Padstow calendar is May 1, the date of the Obby Oss festival. The town is festooned with greenery, and flags and a maypole is dressed with flowers. The highlight of the day involves a procession with two dancers dressed as stylized horses - the Old Oss, 'stabled' at the Golden Lion Hotel and the Blue Ribbon oss at the Harbour Inn. Each Oss wears a mask and a large black cape under which they try to catch young maidens. Later in the day the two osses meet at the maypole and perform a mock battle.