Jo Downs Handmade Glass - Padstow

Jo Downs' glass studio sits just off Padstow's main drag, and it's one of those places where you actually watch someone work rather than just shuffle past finished pieces behind velvet ropes. The artist hand-makes everything on site - vases, bowls, ornaments, the lot - using traditional glassblowing techniques that look deceptively simple until you realise the heat involved and the precision required.

It's proper absorbing stuff. You can see the glass being shaped, watch it glow orange in the kiln, observe how a blob of molten material becomes something functional and beautiful in minutes. If you're staying at Dennis Cove Campsite or Padstow Holiday Village nearby, this is a worthwhile 10-minute stroll, though I'd ring ahead first as opening hours aren't widely advertised online.

Who'll get the most from it? Definitely anyone with even a passing interest in craft and making. Kids often find the process mesmerising, though very young ones might fidget if they're not into observing. Adults hunting for one-off souvenirs will find pieces here you won't spot in the tourist tat shops along the seafront.

The work isn't cheap - handmade glass rarely is - but you're paying for genuine skill and materials, not mass production. If you're combining this with a park holiday in the area, it fills an hour nicely on a drizzly afternoon. Padstow itself has enough restaurants and galleries to occupy a full day, so this slots in as a genuine highlight rather than a rushed tick-box.