While I can understand the benefits of disappearing over the horizon for some winter sun to the south of Spain or the Canaries the winter sun here today is fantastic.  One of our guests had gone out for an early morning walk and he was really amazed at how stunning Padstow and the estuary looked, bathed in the early morning sunlight.  While it may not be quite as warm as the costas you don’t have the aggravation and waiting around at airports to get here!

Amy did have to scrape her windscreen before coming in for her early reception shift and I was a bit cold on my bike 1st thing but you don’t have to get up that early!  Just pull back the curtains and let the sunlight flood in and enjoy it from inside.  After breakfast the chill will have gone, our forecast today is for 10 degrees C so wrap up warm and go for a good walk up the coast path or hire a bike from Chris and peddle off to Wadebridge for a pasty.

Being more of a hotelier I don’t usually look out this guide but one of our regular guests who owns his own pub / restaurant in Usk (The Nags Head - do call in if you’re there) has just told me we’re in it.  I’ve just looked it up online and it is a good little review - I think it helps us having the famous Sharps Doom Bar in there.

We’ve had a beautiful late summer here in Padstow but Autumn has definitely arrived.  While riding home last night I was thinking I would be able to carry on cycling in my shorts for another couple of weeks, despite having put on long sleeves for that morning.  I must admit I had a big re-think this morning - the house felt quite chilly when I got up so out came another jumper and my long trousers, I had another think and left them in the wardrobe.  Just before I left I had a quick glance at the outside thermometer and saw only 8 degrees - straight back upstairs for the leggings and a pair of gloves just in case.

The ride in was lovely because it was so sunny and more enjoyable as I was wrapped up well.  Adam and I were laughing at Jackie in reception the other day (cruel I know but..) because she was telling a guest it is as nice here in the winter as it is in the summer.  We found it funny because it sounded so incongruous but really Jackie is right - it is a great place to be with the crisp, very fresh air and the walks and rides are very refreshing and the other people you meet on the Camel Trail or South West Coast Path always have time for at least a quick hello. 

October is a great time to have a look at out of season Cornwall if you’ve only come in the summer before, there’s loads to do as most of the attractions stay open till after half term and if your interest is more wildlife the estuary is teeming with migrating birds having a stopover on their way south - we are quite famous for our Whooper swans amongst many others.

This is a common call from rugby referees when the ball is stuck in a mall and nothing is happening but it is equally appropriate for Padstow’s Cinema.  This is a magical old building, created as a music hall in 1919 and converted to a cinema a few years later.  Unfortunately it has limited opening hours and I have heard a rumour which I’ve yet to follow up that it is for sale.

It would be a real shame for Padstow to lose its cinema, The Cinedrome as it is called was fully refurbished in 1997 so it should have a lot of life left in it, we just need to encourage some more people to use it.

Have a look at the site and call in if you have a chance: http://www.wtwcinemas.co.uk/ 

I managed to escape for a little walk yesterday afternoon - I have to make myself go and have a look around the town every now and then - and bumped into Adrian from Margot’s Bistro who was quietly laying up his last few tables from lunch.  As ever in the course of a busy summer season it is difficult to keep in touch with what is happening around the town and what friends are up to. 

I was surprised to hear of Adrain’s plans for his restaurant: it is not just Mr Stein who is expanding his buildings as Adrian is in the process of taking over the shop next door to double the size of his place.  The project sounds really exciting with a bar area as well as a few more tables.  This will please all the regular summer visitors who know how hard it is to get a table - the book is full to the end of September already!  He will be closed during November and December to do all this work.

It may seem odd that I am writing about a competitor restaurant but the business rivarly in the town is very friendly, it gives us a competitive edge to make Padstow the best place to come to.  Letting my cynical side side show for a moment it might help me sell a few more bedrooms if prospective guests know there are more good places to eat around the town.

What I did notice while on my walk around was that while Padstow is still busy, especially with the sunshine, it has eased off a little and there is room to walk around now.

We had the de-brief from the swim last Monday evening, just to make a few notes on what we did right and what we need to do better for next year.  Most of it we got right, with just a new checking in arrangement to finalise so we can get all the swimmers down the slip and in to the water quickly.

The after swim party was a great success with the Fisherman’s Friends singers entertaining the spectators.  The bar and BBQ were a great step forwards and we took over £800 on this, most going to Macmillan once the costs were covered.

I am going to try and start a thread on the Macmillan message board about the swim because we want to have more fundraising swimmers next year:  over the last number of years we have attracted more competitive swimmers and triathletes who pay their entry fee and that’s it.  While we do have a lot of fun with the swim and the cameraderie is great we mustn’t forget that the purpose is to raise money.  We will be focusing much more next year on encouraging fun swimmers to the event and we will try and find more ways of encouraging people to take part and also to raise as much money as we can.  Last year we raised over £15,000 but we will be lucky to reach that this year.

While we are very grateful for the athletes who take part and who do contribute their entry fees we want more people like me and my friends from the hotels who do this for the challenge as well as raising the money.  Mike hadn’t really swum for about 8 years and Cath said the next day she felt like she’d been run over by a truck!  That, though is the fun and the sense of achievement is amazing.

If anybody reading this feels moved to make a contribution do please send cheques to Macmillan care of the hotel and I’ll pass them on for you.

We don’t have the date and time details for next years’s swim yet but this will come out very soon, I think on the Macmillan web site.  

Well, Saturday afternoon saw Team Richardson hopping around nervously on the side of the Camel estuary waiting for the start of this year’s swim to Rock.  We’d seen the buoys out across the water, seen the finish line on the other side then we all spotted the thick sea mist rolling in!

The elite swimmers set off first and then 5 minutes or so later the rest of us went, it was really useful to see the yellow hats in front of us to help show the way along side the bright orange buoys and the canoeists - I shouldn’t get lost this year was one of my main thoughts.

The waves did get up a bit, almost a swell!  We all got sloshed about with these and swallowed gallons so if the tide seemed like it was out further that evening that’s why.  We all settled into our own rhythms and swam away, Mel, Cath & Mike stayed together and kept out of trouble, Andrea and I pushed on.  I’m not sure if it was the tide or my goggles steaming up but again I drifted upriver, thankfully one of the canoeists spotted me and pointed me back on line so I didn’t go too far out of my way.  We had a sea shanty group, the “Fisherman’s Friends” singing on the Rock side and that was great to hear - not only because we knew we were nearly there but also which direction to go in!

Cramp struck me in the last few hundred metres, both calf muscles!  This meant that when I got out I really wobbled about a bit!  Got my legs right and wandered up the slip way to collect my drink of water - it’s amazing how thirsty you get swimming, must be all the salt water.  I picked up my t shirt too then wandered around a bit more & bumped into Andrea who was getting her kit from her boyfriend Keith, can’t say who finished first out of the 2 of us.  We went and got into the queue for the burgers which were very well received, while waiting we let my next door neighbour into the line just in front of us and then the rest of our team arrived.

we went straight from 1 queue to the next to get a beer.  I’m sure the sports physiologists would say this isn’t good practice but it does more for team spirit!  The pint of Sharps Doom Bar went down pretty quickly, quick chat, met some more friends and neighbours and then we had to get the ferry back over to Padstow.

Andrea had to rush back for the end night of Fowey Regatta week but the rest of us didn’t so we had another “rest” in the Old Customs House before going off, Mike back to work and Mel and Cath off to a party.  Mike was very concerned that he would be under-seasoning all the food for the next couple of days as he had swallowed so much water!

All now thinking about next year - how much training I must do and really that I must go in the sea more than once a year!

I didn’t get to hear any news until I got home last night so was unaware of all the trouble “up country” with the really bad weather: we’d had another lovely day with glorious sunshine, even had people up and around the pool again.

My purpose here is to share that Padstow really does have its own microclimate and is generally drier and sunnier than places further inland and further north.  I do have a meterological theory about that but won’t bore you with that here, buy me a pint of Doom Bar when you come down and I may let you know then.

 It’s a little dull just know but we did have a much brighter morning after an early shower, the 5 day forecast is a little mixed but nothing like what the rest of the country has had.  It really is worth making the effort to get down here, the M5 is fine from Taunton at least as my son Tom came back form his school trip to Germany last night and they stopped there so he could give us a ring to say he would be back at about 12.45 am.  Just be prepared for all weathers, there is plenty to do even if you don’t feel it is the right weather to go to the beach.  See you soon!

Attractions
Attractions, gardens, houses & castles within 15miles of Padstow. Including basic information about the attraction, location and contact details. For full details please contact the attraction directly. Visit the Directory & Links section for links to web sites of some of the attractions.