Today was a slow travel day. I took the morning bus to Wadebridge, an inland market town on the Camel Estuary and also the transportation hub for the area. I had a 2 hour wait for my next bus so I strolled the High Street, chatted with some walkers from the Netherlands, and sat riverside for a while enjoying the bright sunshine.

Padstow was my ultimate destination, the town on the culinary map due to the abundance of Rick Stein restaurants. First was finding my hotel within the maze of tiny streets behind the harbor, all filled with cute shops and cafes; bakeries and sweet shops and hundreds of people, all clutching either an ice cream cone, a cornish pasty or a dog leash in their hands.

Instead of eating my lunch on the streets, I booked a late meal at St. Petroc’s Bistro, one of Stein’s restaurants. I enjoyed the 3-course special immensely but a couple of tables around me were not pleased with their service. I guess success doesn’t necessarily guarantee excellence every time. Another meander thru the shops, then tea time with the telly and that’s my day.