London and Padstow, Friday, May 30, 2025
We met the crew at Paddington and were soon aboard our train bound for Cornwall.
Six of us were in a clump around two tables, with conversation flowing back and forth…until we all took a snooze. We were at our destination, Bodmin Parkway, in less than four hours. The bus service to Padstow didn’t coordinate particularly well with the train, so we hired a van that packed all eight of us in. This would become a principle mode of transport for us: we found eight-person vans up and down the coast.
Our lodging for the night was at The Old Custom House, an inn right on the harbor. During our walks in Cornwall, we’ve stayed at a number of inns owned by the St Austell Brewery, and they’re reliably attractive and comfortable.
We have a lovely, light filled corner room with views out onto Padstow Harbor and Padstow’s massive estuary.
Window One:
Window Two:
After getting settled a bit we gathered in the really atmospheric pub for a half pint before setting off on a preliminary reconnaissance of our route tomorrow. I believe it was here that Gary first ordered a Cornish cider…and his choice took hold!
The views out over the estuary are lovely. There is very considerable tidal variance, making it tricky for walkers on the Coast Path coming from the north. There is a ferry at low and at high tide, but the former isn’t reliable, and some walkers add several miles to their day by walking right around.
For a small town, Padstow was very lively today; it was a school holiday in England, and the town was pretty full. We poked our noses into a few shops and the little bookseller who didn’t, to our astonishment, have copies of Bad Nature. They did have signed copies of The Salt Path, though. Surprise, surprise.
Diner was at the Jetty, the restaurant of the Harbour Hotel, a rather grand edifice that sits on a bluff above the town.
Dinner was excellent; most of us had stone bass; Sue and I shared a duck and squid chili salad to start and sticky toffee pudding to end. There’s always a slight nervousness before we actually start walking, and tonight was no exception!