Wadebridge

Located just inland on the Camel River estuary and once famous as a centre for wool production, Wadebridge is now a lively hub of the north coast.

Our old ‘second home’ as my parent’s holiday cottage was next to Wadebridge, and we know it so well. The town has got steadily more vibrant over the years, its fortune having changed dramatically in 1991 when the bypass was constructed.

Here you’ll find all you need for a picnic or tonight’s dinner, with Lidl, Aldi, Tesco and Coop. The streets are full of independent shops, boutiques, cafes and bars.

It’s the starting point for the most popular stretch of the Camel Cycle Trail.

The Wadebridge and Bodmin Railway Line was opened in 1834 and was one of the first built in the world, it carried the first steam trains in Cornwall and was the first in West Britain to carry passengers. In 1967 the line closed for all passenger services and the route was rebuilt as the Camel Trail, winding its way along the Estuary between Padstow and Wadebridge, then up into the hills of Bodmin Moor to Blisland.

There is bike hire available in Padstow and Wabebridge. The route between the two towns is mostly level, with some gentle slopes. With plenty of little coves and places to stop and admire the view or have a picnic along the way, the Camel Trail is an ideal way to spend the day with the family.

The Royal Cornwall Showground at Wadebridge holds many events across the year – here we catch BBC TV’s Bargain Hunt being filmed at the huge antiques fair (April 2019).

Dad’s memorial tree can be found in Egloshayle Park close to Aneka’s bridge entrance by the bowling green. Seen here in April 2019, its leaves just opening.