Padstow and Camel Estuary Walk

The Padstow and Camel Estuary Walk is a pretty easy adventure, although there are some sections of uphill walking, as well as a few stone stiles that will need to be traversed, making travel difficult for less-mobile walkers. Be sure to wear good walking boots for the best footing along the trail and to combat any muddy stretches that you might encounter.

Featuring charming village streets, open swathes of coastal farmland, the beautifully scenic Camel Estuary, and an historic country house, this trail has everything you need for a fun day of exploring the trails along the Cornwall coast. Even with the aforementioned sections of uphill walking, this is an amazing route that can and should be experienced by all.

Setting out from the trailhead in the northeast corner of the car park, you will enter into the cover of the forest, turning left at the first junction in order to make your way through the tree cover and past St Petroc’s Church. From here, you will explore the village streets of Padstow and make your way to the east, passing by shops, pubs, and historical buildings before eventually reaching the water’s edge along N Quay Parade.

After 400ft, you will pick up a footpath on the left and keep right along the shoreline, enjoying the views of the Camel Estuary as you make your way north past the War Memorial and the Second World War fortification of Gun Point at St George’s Cove. From here, you will keep left along the path for the next 0.8mi as it bends to the west alongside the open farmland and takes you over two stone stiles.

Eventually, you will arrive at a T-junction, at which point, you will turn left and climb uphill to the south. Continuing along the track, you will pass by several stone cottages and make a right to cross over the last stone stile of the route. Make a left here and follow the track as it continues to head uphill, eventually passing by the extravagant country house known as Prideaux Place on your right.

From here, you will begin to make your way downhill and turn left along the road, where you will quickly be greeted by the sight of St Petroc’s Church that you had passed by previously. At this point, uyou can simply head past the church and back through the forest on the return leg to the car park where you began the Padstow and Camel Estuary Walk.

Trail Highlights

Prideaux Place

Built in 1592 by Nicholas Prideaux, Prideaux Place is an elaborate Elizabethan country house that has served as the home of the Prideaux family for more than 400 years, spanning 14 generations. The house has been expanded and renovated several times throughout its existence, particularly during the 18th Century when Edmund Prideaux visited the European continent and was inspired to add a garden and modernize certain aspects of the building.