I’ve already written about where and how we camped during our trip to Padstow. I thought I’d write a final post about what we got up to whilst we were there. As you can see from the photo on the right, we didn’t have a very good idea of what we would do, so we just chucked a ton of stuff into the van and set off. I always like doing this as you can just decide what to do as you go and are prepared for anything.
The main thing Sam wanted to do was run the Camel Trail so we decided we would do that in the prevening as it would be nice and cool and we could spend the sunny part of the day enjoying the campsite and town.
Padstow is great, it’s one of those towns like St Ives or Fowey that I’m always stunned at how busy it is, but at the same time look around and find it easy to understand why. It’s got fantastic views over the water, excellent history and heritage, lovely little buildings and is packed with very nice little shops, cafes and restaurants (and only about half are owned by Rick Stein).
We wandered the shops and enjoyed a drink before buying tasty paninis and eating them sat on the harbour wall. As we walked the town we were keeping our eyes peeled for somewhere nice to have dinner late that night.
Sam wanted to run from Padstow to Wadebridge and back again as part of her half-marathon training. So a nice meal afterwards in the evening was going to be the perfect post-run treat. The run went fantastically, I cycled along beside her as she achieved a brilliant time. The Camel Trail was beautifully lit at that time of day and we saw loads of wildlife along the banks of the Camel Estuary: little egrets, squirrels and oyster catchers.
Just in case you didn’t know, the Camel Trail is a 18 mile, largely traffic free, smooth-surfaced and virtually level cycle way between Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow. It’s formed on a disused railway line which provides views of the beautiful Cornish countryside. It’s well worth a visit if you come to Cornwall and is a great active family day out.
After the successful run we 
returned to the campsite. We then started getting ready for our evening out in Padstow and our meal. You’ve got to dress up for a nice meal out even if you are camping. There is something brilliantly peculiar about putting on nice duds in a tent but I love it.
I had brought along a shirt and some chinos but to add a proper dose of style I’d also packed these Joe Brown’s classic brown leather brogues. (Have a look at that first photo of all the gear chucked into my van and see if you can spot them!)
They’re a really classy looking, sophisticated shoe but versatile enough to be worn with a great variety of outfits. This pair are full brogues which are also refered to with the cooler name – wingtips. This is because toe cap is pointed and has these sort of wings that run along both sides of the toe and end near the ball of the foot. When you look at this from above it looks a bit like a W shape or a bird flying (this gives them the name). The other defining feature of brogues is that they have more holes than a porcupines underpants! I really love the perforated pattern on the leather which is so unique. This pair in particular also had a really nice lining, which I know can’t be seen when you’re wearing them, but is still pretty cool.
All dressed up we went off to the restaurant we had picked earlier in the day. Unfortunately I can’t remember the name but it was an Italian restaurant on the first floor of one of the buildings that was closest to the water’s edge. We both opted for pizza, Sam a pepperoni and myself (as we were in the land of seafood) one covered in prawns, mussels and squid. I’m aware this probably isn’t great ‘training food’ but you’ve still got to enjoy yourself right?
After noshing down the scrumptious pizza we had a drink before heading back to campsite suitably tired and full!
