Padstow (Cornish: Lannwedhenek is a town, civil parish and fishing port on the north coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town is situated on the west bank of the River Camel estuary.
Possibly from as early as 2,500 BC Padstow has been used as a natural harbour linking Brittany to Ireland along the ‘Saints Way’ from Fowey. Legend has it that St Petroc possibly one of the most important of the Cornish Saints arrived from Ireland around 520 AD and built a monastery on the hill above the harbour. The harbour developed in the Middle Ages as a trading port for copper, tin and lead ores, slate, pilchards and agricultural produce. Welsh coal was imported by sea along with timber and fish salt.
Fishing in Cornwall, especially Padstow has traditionally been one of the main elements of the economy of the county.
But today Padstow is a thriving tourist destination. The harbour is no longer a significant fishing port, although there are still fishing boats working from padstow, the industry is not what it used to be.
- Padstow harbour taken with the drone at 400 ft
for a live feed look at Padstow harbour, take a look through the Padstow harbour web cam at