Short answer: Padstow has no park and ride. That service is Newquay's. What Padstow has is two town car parks above the harbour, plus two genuinely better options — the ferry from Rock and the Camel Trail from Wadebridge.
This one comes up a lot in searches, so it is worth answering plainly: Padstow does not run a park and ride. If you have seen one advertised for Cornwall, that is Newquay's, which operates from a site opposite Hendra holiday park during the summer season.
Two town council car parks, both above the harbour:
There is also a seasonal overflow car park that runs roughly April to October in decent weather. Charges and opening vary by car park and season, so read the board rather than assuming.
Rock is easier to park in than Padstow, and the passenger ferry crosses the Camel Estuary frequently in season. You arrive in the middle of town having skipped the car parks entirely. In practice this is the closest thing Padstow has to a park and ride.
Flat, traffic-free and about five miles, on a former railway line. Bike hire at both ends. Park in Wadebridge, cycle in, and the ride is genuinely part of the day rather than a chore.
Arrive before 9am in peak season. The car parks fill early on a sunny day and the streets are far too narrow to be worth attempting — satnavs routing people into them is a well-known local frustration.
It runs during the summer season from a signed site opposite Hendra holiday park at TR8 4NY, with free parking and frequent buses into Newquay town centre. Dates change each year, so check Transport for Cornwall before relying on it.
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