St Petroc's Church

The church dominates Padstow's high street - you can't miss the squat tower rising above the town's Georgian shopfronts. St Petroc's is a proper medieval parish church, mainly 15th century, with that solid Cornish granite look that weathers the Atlantic gales. Inside, there's a lovely wagon roof, some decent carved bench ends if you're into that sort of thing, and the usual collection of memorial tablets from the town's merchant past.

It's worth a quick look if you're wandering through Padstow anyway, which you will be - the town's only a few minutes' walk from Dennis Cove Campsite or Padstow Holiday Village. Families won't find much to keep them entertained for long; kids tend to get restless in churches after about ten minutes. But if you're interested in how medieval Cornwall worked, or you just want to escape the chaos of the harbourside for a bit of peace, it does the job. The churchyard's pleasant enough for a sit-down if the weather's decent.

Admission appears to be free, which is standard for working parish churches. There's no specific opening hours listed - just rock up during daylight. Realistically, allow fifteen minutes unless you're a real architecture enthusiast. Pair it with a wander through Padstow itself - the quirky back alleys, the restaurants, the harbour - and it fits naturally into a morning before heading to Porthilly Beach or exploring the other parks in the area.