Padstow

Padstow was originally named Petroc-stow - Petrock’s Place. The legendary tales surrounding St Petroc are exceptionally vivid and imaginative (taming wolves was his specialty) and his spirit lives on in Padstow and its festivals. Moves are afoot to rename Padstow as Rickstow after the excellent restaurants and cooking school run by Rick Stein in Padstow.

Padstow Harbour

Traditionally a fishing port it is mainly a yachting haven on this dramatic coastline which has few easily navigable harbours. An old sailor's maxim runs, "From Padstow Point to Lundy Light is a watery grave, by day or night" This reputation is in part due to the rocky coastline but also to the alleged tradition of "wreckers" – wreckers being locals (Cruel Coppinger the Wrecker) who would use lanterns to lure ships into coming too close to the shore and wrecking themselves on the rocks, before stealing their cargo. Padstow itself is a safe harbour, but the approach is notorious for shipwrecks due to the dangerous sandbar called "Doom Bar" in the river Camel estuary. At Stepper Point there is a Holy Well -St John's Well which originally had a beacon chapel but all that now remains is a spring under a rock by the cliff.

Padstow 'Obby 'Oss festival

This festival most likely stems from an ancient fertility rite, perhaps the Celtic festival of Beltane. This is dedicated to the Celtic Sun God Bel, who causes the days to lengthen and the crops to grow.

The festival starts at midnight on May Eve when townspeople sing the "Morning Song". In the morning, the town is dressed with greenery and flowers are placed around a maypole. The climax arrives when male dancers cavort through the town dressed as one of two 'Obby 'Osses, the "Old" and the "Blue Ribbon" 'Obby 'Osses; as the name suggests, they are stylised kinds of horses. Prodded on by acolytes known as "Teasers", each wears a gruesome mask and black frame-hung cape under which they try to catch young maidens as they pass through the town. Finally, at midnight on May Day, the crowd sings of the 'Obby 'Oss death, until its resurrection the following May Eve.

Padstow Darkie Day or Mummer’s Day

Is this day associated with freedoms given to the occupants of passing slave ships or is associated with the widespread British custom of blacking up for mumming and morris dancing? Padstonians ignore the insinuations and continue to don blackface and parade through the town singing 'minstrel' songs on Boxing Day and New Year's Day.