Padstow is a premier holiday resort and ancient fishing port on the North Coast of Cornwall approximately 486 kilometres (300 miles) south west of London. It lies 14 kilometres (9 miles) north east of Newquay and 10 kilometres (6 miles) west of Wadebridge linked by the A389 to Wadebridge and B3276 coastal road to Newquay.

Padstow can also be reached via the Camel Trail, which is a corridor of disused railway track that is popular for off-road walkers, cyclists and in some places bridleways. The Camel Trail extends for 17 ‘car free’ miles from Bodmin to Padstow passing through the town of Wadebridge. Approximately 300,000 cyclists a year travel this scenic route.

The population of the parish is approximately 2,500, which includes nearby Trevone village. In the summer months this figure rises to around 5,500 and day visitors are in the region of 500,000 a year. Being the only harbour of a reasonable size on the North Cornish Coast Padstow has prospered from fishing, boat building and boat repairs. Today the main industry is tourism but Padstow has always been home to a sizeable fishing fleet and fishing is still a major part of the economy.