Alex fixes it for The Chough Bakery
Delicious Cornish pasties from The Chough bakery
Our favourite Padstow pasty shop The Chough Bakery got the TV treatment when it called on the services of BBC Two’s The Fixer Alex Polizzi.
Alex has turned her no-nonsense approach to struggling family businesses and wanted boss Elaine, daughter Luisa and the rest of The Chough team to put bickering and rivalry aside to concentrate on making their bakery successful all year round.
After delivering some slightly painful home truths, Alex helped the family pull together and the programme ended on a high – with Rick Stein and Port Isaac singers Fisherman’s Friends joining in the celebrations.
It made for riveting viewing and more importantly has given The Chough a shop window nationwide. If watching made you feel hungry, you’ll be pleased to know that the award-winning Cornish pasties can be ordered online for home delivery. You can also get a delicious Cornish cream tea delivered to your door.
Well done to the Chough for being brave enough to let Alex and the cameras in and wishing you every success in 2012.
Celebrity Cornwall, Food and Drink, Our favourites
February 13, 2012 at 1:44 pm | No comment
Great Days Out – Port Isacc
Port Isaac
These days, many people associate the pretty Cornish village of Port Isaac with TV hit Doc Martin. And we’re as guilty as everyone else by wondering up the hill to gawp at the cottage which doubles as the grumpy doctor’s surgery.
But Port Isaac has plenty of other delights to offer for a good day out – pubs, bakeries, gift shops and narrow quirky alleyways to name but a few.
Braver souls than us drive down to the harbour in high season as, for some reason, it’s not a one-way street and vehicles struggle to squeeze past each other and avoid the pedestrians on the narrow, hilly and winding lanes. And be careful to keep an eye on the tides if you park on the beach or your car could be washed into the Atlantic!
Port Isaac is about 40 minutes from our self-catering holiday cottages in Padstow and well worth a day trip. You might even see a few famous faces!
Celebrity Cornwall, Our Cottages, Our favourites, People and places
January 27, 2012 at 2:04 pm | No comment
Eden does Halloweden
Why not celebrate Halloween in Padstow this October half-term with a visit to the Eden Project? There are some great spooky activities and even a wintry ice rink to add to the fun.
Enjoy a day trip to Eden during Halloween
From 22-30 October, you can explore the wishcraft tent where you’ll find lots of magical things to make and do, including pumpkin carving demonstrations, wand making and potion mixing.
I can recommend the ice rink, which has a new design for 2011, as a high spot in the day, and then you can warm up afterwards by a visit to the rainforest biome!
And if you fancy Eden after dark, put on your scary costumes for the Little Monsters’ Ball Halloween Disco on Friday 28 and Saturday 29 October. Organisers promise an evening of fang-tastic fun…
Tickets can be purchased online and via Eden’s box office and some activities are included in the general admission price.
Our cottages are just 20 minutes from Eden – get in touch if you fancy spending half term in Padstow!
News and FAQ, Our Cottages, Our favourites, People and places
October 13, 2011 at 10:30 am | No comment
Coffee break with a difference
Down at Constantine Bay, there’s a coffee shop with a difference – the wonderful Coastal Coffee. This fantastic little van will brew you up a delicious latte, cappucino or hot chocolate to warm you after a bracing walk or dip in the sea. In my opinion, it’s almost worth the trip on its own – just sit, enjoy your coffee and take in the sweeping views of this fabulous beach!
If it's your lucky day, you'll find Coastal Coffee at Constantine Bay
Food and Drink, Hidden Gems, Our favourites
October 10, 2011 at 12:21 pm | No comment
Great Days Out – the Camel Trail
No holiday in Padstow is complete without a journey along the Camel Trail. Whether you want to cycle, run, walk or even go on horseback, this is something not to be missed.
This disused railway bridge forms part of the Camel Trail between Padstow and Wadebridge
The path runs for over 17 miles from Padstow to Wenford Bridge, via Wadebridge and Bodmin, but its most popular section is the 5 miles between Padstow and Wadebridge. The path skirts along the edge of the Camel Estuary, offering fantastic views across the water, back to Padstow, down the creek to Little Petherick and out to sea.
Built as a railway line in the mid 19th Century, the Camel Trail was originally used to transport fertiliser, slate, china clay and fish between Cornwall and the rest of the UK and abroad. It closed to passengers in 1967 and the freight service stopped in 1983.
However, because it is so level and has no sharp bends, it is an ideal cycle track, being mostly traffic-free. There’s a good choice of bike hire companies if you don’t have your own, with tandems, tag-along bikes for children or buggies for infants too. Just a few rules – walkers, pushchairs and wheelchairs have right of way.
If you don’t fancy going all the way to Bodmin, you can have a great day out just cycling to Wadebridge, having an ice cream or coffee and cycling back. The 10 mile round trip will burn off a few calories and might even justify indulging in a Cornish pasty at Padstow before heading home to your holiday cottage!
Our favourites, People and places
October 7, 2011 at 11:54 am | No comment
Padstow Farm Shop keeps it local
Padstow Farm Shop offers an exciting range of local produce
Whenever we’re on holiday in Padstow we always go to the Padstow Farm Shop. It’s become a bit of a tradition, and is only a short journey from our cottages in Padstow and Little Petherick, especially if you combine it with a trip to Hawker’s Cove.
The shop opened in May 2006 selling homegrown vegetables from the farm at Tregirls or in the old Prideaux Place Victorian kitchen garden, and traditionally reared beef and lamb. In 2008, outdoor pigs were added.
The emphasis is on fresh, seasonal, local and high quality produce, and owners the Watson Smyth family source all non-home produced items as locally as possible and mainly from within Cornwall. The shop has grown to become a supplier to top restaurants such as Rick Stein’s, Fifteen Cornwall, The Eden Project, No 6 and Margot’s.
But it’s also great for guests at self-catering holiday accommodation like us, whether you fancy a lunch of bread, local cheeses and chutney, cooking a lavish meal or just sampling the local cider.
Padstow Farm Shop, situated at Trethillick, Padstow, is open on Monday – Saturday from 10am-5pm and on Sunday from 10am-4pm.
Hidden Gems, Our favourites, People and places
July 25, 2011 at 9:02 am | No comment
Ferry across the Estuary
Padstow is a working harbour and busy waterway offering many activities from fishing trips to speedboat rides up the Camel Estuary. It’s also home to the Black Tor Ferry which takes residents and visitors quickly and easily between Padstow and Rock, so avoiding a long detour by road.
The ferry operates continuously throughout the day at approximately 20 minute intervals, shuttling between the two popular Cornish holiday destinations. Between mid July and the end of August, the ferry is in service from 8am, with the last boat leaving from Rock at 7.30pm and from Padstow at 7.50pm. Out of season times vary.
Adults are £3 return, with children travelling for £2 return. The ferry also accommodates dogs and bicycles.
It’s a great way to have a day out in Rock, whether picnicking in the dunes, walking to Daymer Bay or St Endonoc’s Church – the burial place of poet John Betjeman – shopping, dining or trying out watersports.
If you’re travelling at night, try the Rock water taxi instead.
Our favourites, People and places
July 8, 2011 at 7:21 pm | No comment
Cornish beaches top UK resorts chart
Hawker's Cove, where the Camel Estuary meets the Atlantic Ocean
Hidden Gems, Our favourites, People and places
June 17, 2011 at 3:00 pm | No comment
Top Ten Days Out
Waves crashing at Madrips Rock, Trevone Bay, Padstow
Here are our Top Ten things we like to do - in future posts I’ll go into some of them in more detail:
1. Take the ferry across the water to Rock for a picnic among the dunes
2. Cycle to Wadebridge along the scenic Camel Trail (5 miles each way along the edge of the estuary)
3. Have a rugged walk at Hawker’s Cove and buy a yummy lunch at Padstow Farm Shop on the way back
4. Go surfing at Constantine – fantastic and sometimes scary waves
5. Walk around the shops in Padstow then buy Cornish pasties to eat by the harbour
6. Go rock pooling in Trevone followed by a coffee from Madrips cafe (named after the rock in the photo above)
7. Take a day trip to St Michael’s Mount – well worth the journey
8. Sample Rick Stein’s fare at The Cornish Arms – best value of his eateries
9. Experience the legend of King Arthur at Tintagel
10. Visit Port Isaac – pretty fishing village and filming location for Doc Martin
Why not suggest other places for people (and us) to try! Just add a comment below.
Hidden Gems, Our favourites, People and places
June 14, 2011 at 2:06 pm | No comment