About Beaches

Polzeath Polzeath is a haven for surfers and those who love the beach. Swimmers, bodyboarders, malibu boarders and kneeboarders are all catered for with a swell coming in straight off the Atlantic. Many local shops provide everything you will require for your stay. General stores, Post Office, surf gear to hire or buy, clothing, fast foods, off-licence, pubs, restaurants, holiday parks - all within walking distance.

The coastal path passes through Polzeath on its way in one direction to Daymer Bay and on to Rock. In the other direction it will take you through New Polzeath, to Pentire Point and on round the coast towards the rumps providing several miles of stunning coastline.

Families can enjoy the many beaches, from the Polzeath beach within easy walking distance of the house to Rock where Prince William and Prince Harry can often be spotted enjoying the surf. Rock pools are plentiful and boat trips can be taken throughout the area. Fabulous seaside walks and cycle routes of varying difficulty are easily accessible, together with the gastronomic delights along the way who could ask for more? Why not try out Rick Stein's famous seafood restaurant The Sea Food Restaurant, or for those with younger children who can't eat out try ordering a meal from Finn's - fresh fish delivered to your door fully prepared to be enjoyed on the garden patio with it's wonderful views.


For golfers there are dozens of courses within driving distance for all levels. From the famous cliff-hanging 17th hole at the Hollywell golf course in Newquay to the beautiful natural topography of St Enodoc.


There is a wonderful ice-cream shop and many surfing equipment and beach shops.

Rock Rock is renowned for its watersports including sailing, waterskiing, windsurfing, canoeing and rowing. Rock Sailing club, which can be seen in the foreground of the above photo, holds organised racing all through the summer. More details can be found within this site. The Camel School of Seamanship gives tuition, including certificated courses, in sailing, powerboating and windsurfing. Camel Ski School provides tender services, facilities, and tuition for all levels of waterskiing competence. Local fishermen offer trips from a couple of hours mackereling to all day wreck and reef fishing. St Enodoc Golf Course, considered to be one of the best in the west of England, has two 18-hole courses. The pro shop is well equipped and the resident professional is available for tuition. Other golf courses are also available within short travelling times.
There is a public path across the golf course for walkers who wish to visit St. Enodoc Church, the resting place of Sir John Betjeman.
A large number of local shops, restaurants, pubs, services and activities are also available, details of which can be found within this site.

Daymer Bay

Daymer Bay has recently been voted one of the top ten beaches in the world and is the main launch area for windsurfers. It is midway between Rock and Polzeath when walking the coastal path and provides a haven for all visitors. There is parking overlooking the beach and a beach shop/cafe providing clothing, windsurfing equipment, food and drinks.
St. Enodoc Church, the resting place of Sir John Betjeman, is within a few minutes walk from Daymer Bay across St. Enodoc Golf Course.

About Golfing

Daily Surf Report

A very popular and safe beach break for all ages and ability. Works well at low tide and on the push in. At low tide the right hand side gets very crowded due to the sand bank that produces a great inside section. There are several peaks across the bay to look for that avoid the crowds.

Between mid and high tide, beneath the lifeguard hut, the rocks on the left hand side work particularly well for body boarders and knee boarders, or the more experienced surfer. It offers a steep and shallow elevator drop that often makes it to an inside section. Confident lefthanders should apply !

At high tide, go home - waves get channelled by the cliffs and turn very sloppy.

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Greenaway

Breaks at mid tide on medium to large swell, 3ft upwards. Arguably the most intense reef break in Cornwall, difficult to surf (dry) and difficult to get to. A local only break, so come live here if you want to surf it !

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Baby Bay

Not much to say about this bay, which is to the right of Polzeath beach, best reached from New Polzeath. It can only be surfed at low to mid tide, but at low tide, you may as well be surfing Polzeath.

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Lundy

The best break in the area when Polzeath is big and blown out. It will generally break 2ft smaller than Polzeath and because it is sheltered by the cliffs it will stay clean in most conditions.

It can only really be surfed on the lowest of tides and gets considerably messier as the tide reaches the rocks. However, the rocks on the right-hand side of the bay (looking out) offer a steep elevator drop as the tide reaches them.
The bay is quite difficult to reach and can be accessed from the Polzeath to Port Isaac cliff path. The one and a half mile walk from the road tends to keep all but the most experienced surfers away. Again, another locals only break.

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Daymer

Very popular beach, especially with windsurfers. In general this is the last place to look, however on the biggest storm swells this is probably the only place you will be able to surf. When Polzeath is excessively big and blown out, and the swell is even too big for Lundy to hold then it is worth giving Daymer a go.

Works best at low-tide with the swell wrapping around Trebetherick producing some good clean lines. This is however a VERY rare spectacle.
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Cowrie

Bit of a mythical wave this one. There has to be a reasonable swell for it to work, 3ft and upwards and it will only break on the lowest of tides. It breaks very shallow on a reef about half way between Baby Bay and Pentire Head.

Basically it looks great, but the likelihood of seeing anyone surfing on it is rare. It is much more likely that the line-up will be 100 yards further towards the shore.

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Broadergog

Another great low-tide spot between Polzeath and Daymer, again only surfable on the lowest of tides, otherwise the beach is quickly replaced by a sheer cliff face.

Broady will break at a similar size to Polzeath, but it is a very different wave. The shape of the beach produces a much faster and steeper wave, without the famous Polzeath shoulder. This often causes it to close out pretty quick though, don't expect any hugely long rides.
You can reach it from the cliff if you want to, but it is a nasty path that has dinged many boards. Don't do it......get fit and paddle around from Polzeath. It will take you about 20 minutes but its worth it. If you're feeling really brave (stupid) you can try Death Bay on your way there, but I don't recommend it !

About Sailing

Daily Surf Report

A very popular and safe beach break for all ages and ability. Works well at low tide and on the push in. At low tide the right hand side gets very crowded due to the sand bank that produces a great inside section. There are several peaks across the bay to look for that avoid the crowds.

Between mid and high tide, beneath the lifeguard hut, the rocks on the left hand side work particularly well for body boarders and knee boarders, or the more experienced surfer. It offers a steep and shallow elevator drop that often makes it to an inside section. Confident lefthanders should apply !

At high tide, go home - waves get channelled by the cliffs and turn very sloppy.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Greenaway

Breaks at mid tide on medium to large swell, 3ft upwards. Arguably the most intense reef break in Cornwall, difficult to surf (dry) and difficult to get to. A local only break, so come live here if you want to surf it !

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Baby Bay

Not much to say about this bay, which is to the right of Polzeath beach, best reached from New Polzeath. It can only be surfed at low to mid tide, but at low tide, you may as well be surfing Polzeath.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lundy

The best break in the area when Polzeath is big and blown out. It will generally break 2ft smaller than Polzeath and because it is sheltered by the cliffs it will stay clean in most conditions.

It can only really be surfed on the lowest of tides and gets considerably messier as the tide reaches the rocks. However, the rocks on the right-hand side of the bay (looking out) offer a steep elevator drop as the tide reaches them.
The bay is quite difficult to reach and can be accessed from the Polzeath to Port Isaac cliff path. The one and a half mile walk from the road tends to keep all but the most experienced surfers away. Again, another locals only break.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daymer

Very popular beach, especially with windsurfers. In general this is the last place to look, however on the biggest storm swells this is probably the only place you will be able to surf. When Polzeath is excessively big and blown out, and the swell is even too big for Lundy to hold then it is worth giving Daymer a go.

Works best at low-tide with the swell wrapping around Trebetherick producing some good clean lines. This is however a VERY rare spectacle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cowrie

Bit of a mythical wave this one. There has to be a reasonable swell for it to work, 3ft and upwards and it will only break on the lowest of tides. It breaks very shallow on a reef about half way between Baby Bay and Pentire Head.

Basically it looks great, but the likelihood of seeing anyone surfing on it is rare. It is much more likely that the line-up will be 100 yards further towards the shore.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Broadergog

Another great low-tide spot between Polzeath and Daymer, again only surfable on the lowest of tides, otherwise the beach is quickly replaced by a sheer cliff face.

Broady will break at a similar size to Polzeath, but it is a very different wave. The shape of the beach produces a much faster and steeper wave, without the famous Polzeath shoulder. This often causes it to close out pretty quick though, don't expect any hugely long rides.
You can reach it from the cliff if you want to, but it is a nasty path that has dinged many boards. Don't do it......get fit and paddle around from Polzeath. It will take you about 20 minutes but its worth it. If you're feeling really brave (stupid) you can try Death Bay on your way there, but I don't recommend it !

About Children Activities

Horse Riding
Lakefield Equestrian Centre is a BHS (British Horse Society) and RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) approved centre offering full equestrian facilities and catering for all abilities, from complete beginner to the more advanced rider.



Facilites include indoor school, weather permitting outdoor school, showjumping paddock and crosscountry course.

Lakefield Equestrian Centre
Lower Pendavey Farm, Camelford, Cornwall, PL32 9TX
Telephone: 01840 213279
E-mail: enquiries@lakefieldequestriancentre.co.uk
CYCLING IN NORTH CORNWALL. The variety of coastal, moorland and valley trails in North Cornwall is ideal for two-wheeled touring. The most famous route is the Camel Trail, running 17 car-free miles from Bodmin through Wadebridge to Padstow along the beautiful Camel Valley.

A handy pack of Six Cycle Routes in the Bude and Holsworthy Area , makes the perfect saddle companion. Averaging 20 miles in length, the routes take you through North Cornwall and North Devon way-marked by Celtic crosses, quiet hamlets, medieval churches and country pubs.

Hiring bikes couldn't be easier: the cycling centres listed below will fix you up with anything from trailer bikes to tandems.

For those who like it rough, Cardinham Woods offers miles of off-road tracks and trails, while if you're a cyclist who wants to go one cog further, the West Country Way will give you something to get your teeth into.

Developed by Sustrans, the route takes you from Bristol or Bath, through North Devon, across the cliffs at Millook, through Blisland and down the Camel Trail to Padstow.

6 Cycle Routes in the Bude and Holsworthy Area £1.50

The pack contains six cycle routes, each averaging 20 miles in length on quiet country lanes. On each card there is a route map with illustrations, and on the other side descriptive text detailing the route and its features.

Available from Tourist Information Centres.
For mail order please ring 01840 250101.

Cycling
Bridge Bike Hire, Wadebridge (Camel Trail) (01208)813050
Brinhams Cycle and Tool Hire, Padstow (Camel Trail) (01841)532594
Giffords Cycles, Holoworthy (01409)254020
GIynn Valley Cycle Hire, Cardinham Woods (0 208)742
North Coast Cycles, Bude (01288)352974
Padstow Cycle Hire (Camel Trail) (01841)533533
Rent-a-Bike, Tintagel (01840)770060
Sustrans (0117) 929 0888

About Family Activities

Horse Riding
Lakefield Equestrian Centre is a BHS (British Horse Society) and RDA (Riding for the Disabled Association) approved centre offering full equestrian facilities and catering for all abilities, from complete beginner to the more advanced rider.



Facilites include indoor school, weather permitting outdoor school, showjumping paddock and crosscountry course.

Lakefield Equestrian Centre
Lower Pendavey Farm, Camelford, Cornwall, PL32 9TX
Telephone: 01840 213279
E-mail: enquiries@lakefieldequestriancentre.co.uk
CYCLING IN NORTH CORNWALL. The variety of coastal, moorland and valley trails in North Cornwall is ideal for two-wheeled touring. The most famous route is the Camel Trail, running 17 car-free miles from Bodmin through Wadebridge to Padstow along the beautiful Camel Valley.

A handy pack of Six Cycle Routes in the Bude and Holsworthy Area , makes the perfect saddle companion. Averaging 20 miles in length, the routes take you through North Cornwall and North Devon way-marked by Celtic crosses, quiet hamlets, medieval churches and country pubs.

Hiring bikes couldn't be easier: the cycling centres listed below will fix you up with anything from trailer bikes to tandems.

For those who like it rough, Cardinham Woods offers miles of off-road tracks and trails, while if you're a cyclist who wants to go one cog further, the West Country Way will give you something to get your teeth into.

Developed by Sustrans, the route takes you from Bristol or Bath, through North Devon, across the cliffs at Millook, through Blisland and down the Camel Trail to Padstow.

6 Cycle Routes in the Bude and Holsworthy Area £1.50

The pack contains six cycle routes, each averaging 20 miles in length on quiet country lanes. On each card there is a route map with illustrations, and on the other side descriptive text detailing the route and its features.

Available from Tourist Information Centres.
For mail order please ring 01840 250101.

Cycling
Bridge Bike Hire, Wadebridge (Camel Trail) (01208)813050
Brinhams Cycle and Tool Hire, Padstow (Camel Trail) (01841)532594
Giffords Cycles, Holoworthy (01409)254020
GIynn Valley Cycle Hire, Cardinham Woods (0 208)742
North Coast Cycles, Bude (01288)352974
Padstow Cycle Hire (Camel Trail) (01841)533533
Rent-a-Bike, Tintagel (01840)770060
Sustrans (0117) 929 0888

About Local Restaurants

Where to Eat
Finns Cafe


Breakfast

Polzeath serves breakfast from 9am to 11.30 am during the summer (not at all during the winter I'm afraid). There is plenty of time for a relaxing morning walk along Cornwall's beautiful coast line before breakfast at Finns Cafe.

Lunch

Lunch is served daily from 12pm until 5pm. The menu during the winter will be the same as the dinner. Any of the dishes can be ordered seperatly, including the starters. We also have a large selection of lunch specials which change daily according to what the fishermen land.

Evening

This is where our chefs really enjoy themselves and create some amazingly tempting flavours, combined with textures and colours which are a pleasure for both the palette and the eye. Again evening specials will change on a very regular basis depending on what the fishermen land!

For the non fish eaters there is still plenty of choice, for either meat or vegetarian palettes.

Finns to go
Finns2go. Choose your fresh Cornish fish, lobsters and crab meals prepared by our excellent team of chefs and delivered direct to your door the next day.
Keep up to date with the day-to-day comings and goings of a north Cornish working harbour on our daily diary and live web cam.
Finns2go also delivers freshly landed unprepared seafood to your door leaving you to develop your culinary skills. The filleting, pin boning and general preparation will be done for you. Once you have experienced the taste and texture of TRULY fresh seafood anything else can only be second best.

The Seafood Restaurant - Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant
Telephone: 01841 532700
Address: Riverside, Padstow, Cornwall
Rating: 17.5/20

Email Reservations

Open: All year apart from 1st May and Christmas.
7 days a week Meals: Lunches and Dinner.
Accommodation: 13 rooms.
Cards: Visa, Mastercard and Switch.

Guardian Review Click here for a MAP of Padstow and The Seafood Restaurant

Matthew Fort
Saturday July 13, 2002


What, you may well ask, is the point of reviewing a restaurant that is already one of the best known in the country, that is already booked up from here to eternity, and that needs no puffery from another critic? My only answer is to say that I had never before been to Rick Stein's Seafood Restaurant, and I thought that it was about time I did. After all, it's only been there for 25 years.

Twenty-five years! The only thing that seems to have changed about Stein over the years is his name. He was once known as Richard. Since then he went demotic, became Rick, a kind of latter-day Doc in Steinbeck's Cannery Row, cheery, impassioned, knowledgeable, self-deprecating, philosopher of tidal estuary and TV screen, saucerer and fish cook supreme. In spite of success and celebrity, I get the feeling that he's still the lovable old hippy he was in the 1960s.

In its way, the Seafood Restaurant is as revolutionary a restaurant in the regions as Kensington Place was in London, only rather earlier. Both made the deliberate appeal to democratic instincts; good eating was for everybody. And that really hasn't changed. OK, the dining room must have had a lick of paint in 25 years, but the feel of the place, the vibe, the tempo, the customers, are all rather jolly, relaxed, open and inviting. It is also immensely capable. This is not surprising. Some of the staff have been here since opening day.


The Seafood Restaurant manages to maintain this air of democracy even though the set lunch is £33.50 for three courses and the set dinner £39. This is pretty stiff pricing even by metropolitan standards, and can only be justified on three grounds - the quality of the ingredients, the generosity of the helpings and the skill of the kitchen. On each of these criteria, the Seafood Restaurant is triumphantly vindicated. I had hot shellfish with parsley, olive oil, garlic and lemon; fillet of hake with butter beans, tomato, parsley and chilli; and chilled black rice pudding with coconut cream and mango sorbet. Oh, all right, I also asked for an extra course to be thrown in for good measure: a warm salad of seared monkfish and Australian Endeavour prawns with fennel butter vinaigrette - I just couldn't resist the temptation.

I did slightly regret the feebleness of my resolve by the time I got to the end of the hot shellfish mountain. This was an aquarium of clams, mussels, cockles, razor clams, a brace of scallops, a lobster claw, a crab and a langoustine or two, each with its own particular brand of marine sweetness, paddling in their liquor, sharpened by lemon juice, grassy with parsley, begging to be sopped up with bread.

Stein's cooking tastes have always been catholic. There are traditional classics - Dover sole meunière, roast turbot with hollandaise sauce, fish and chips fried in dripping with mushy peas, and skate with black butter and capers - but alongside these are shark vindaloo, stir-fried mussels with black beans, coriander and spring onions, John Dory with olives, capers and rosemary.

What marks out the dishes in each respect is the way in which every element is subjugated to the objective of enhancing the status of the principal ingredient - namely, the fish or the shellfish. These are defined by their freshness, and their freshness is definitive.

Herbs and spices, too, are used carefully, just to point up the characteristics of each. The hake dish was a case in point. Hake is a fish of great subtlety and delicacy, which can be spoiled by the slightest inattention to detail. Its melting softness contrasted with the thicker, heartier pastiness of the beans. There was the emollient, herbal richness of salsa verde and a discreet dash of chilli to bring light and shade.

In short, and in long, the reputation of the Seafood Restaurant seems to me entirely justified. There's no point in going there expecting the carefully choreographed rituals of Michelin stardom, or the hush and flutter of the senior experience. That isn't the point of the place. Fish is the point. It isn't cheap, but fish of this quality is never going to be. Nor should it be. Perhaps one day we will begin to appreciate the true value of our natural resources, begin to respect the inherent quality of great ingredients, and be prepared to pay and eat accordingly.

· Open All week, lunch 12 noon-2pm, dinner 7-10pm. Menus: Lunch, £33.50 for three courses; dinner, £39 for three courses. Wheelchair access (no WC).

St. Petroc's Hotel and Bistro
4 New Street, Padstow,
Cornwall PL28 8EA
Tel: 01841 532700
Email Reservations

Proprietors: Rick & Jill Stein

St Petroc's is an attractive, small hotel just up the hill from The Seafood Restaurant. St Petroc's is the fifth oldest building in Padstow and is charming. The rooms have lots of character with a relaxed, friendly atmosphere and views over the older parts of the town and estuary. There is a European feel to the Bistro menu which offers a selection of simple and rustic meat and seafood dishes.


Open: All year, apart from 1st May and Christmas. 7 days a week.
Meals: Lunches and Dinner.
Accommodation: 10 rooms.
Cards: Visa, Mastercard and Switch.
Rick Stein's Cafe.
3 comfortable rooms above the café at 8 Middle Street, tucked away in one of the atmospheric old back streets of Padstow.

Open: All year, apart from 1st May and Christmas. 7 days a week.
Meals: Lunches and Dinner.
Accommodation: 10 rooms.
Cards: Visa, Mastercard and Switch.





Click here for a MAP of Padstow and Hotel
A map will be opened in a separate browser window.
You can then shut it down at your convenience.

For all accommodation and restaurant reservations Telephone: 01841 532700

About Walking

Tourist Information Centre,
The Rotunda,
Eddystone Road,
Wadebridge,
Cornwall
PL27 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)1208 813725
Fax: +44 (0)1208 813781
Email: wadebridge.tic@virgin.net

About Tourist Board

Tourist Information Centre,
The Rotunda,
Eddystone Road,
Wadebridge,
Cornwall
PL27 7AL
Tel: +44 (0)1208 813725
Fax: +44 (0)1208 813781
Email: wadebridge.tic@virgin.net

About Shopping

There is a local spar shop, about 5 minutes walk from the beach which has a bakery. You can also rent videos/dvds from this shop, you just need to take a utility bill or driving licence with your home address.

There is a wonderful ice-cream shop and many surfing equipment and beach shops.