Cornwall


<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-why-nbsp">WHY?&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Another Cornish town with some lovely period properties that is on the up. Wadebridge sits either side of the River Camel on the north coast, with the 15th century bridge, now a designated monument, marking the point where the river becomes the estuary and as it heads out to the sea, with Rock and Polzeath one side, Padstow the other.</p>



<p>In the town itself, properties form several distinct areas, charting the history of the town; to the north is Egloshayle, then there are the riverfront properties, and to the south the town itself including the areas which grew up around the railway in the 19th century. Housing styles are varied with heritage homes built in the 18th and 19th century, as well as more modern riverside living (and some of the usual suburban sprawl) mostly with views of the surrounding countryside. It is a place that allows you to enjoy the benefits of being close to the coast without some of the touristy downsides.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-eat-nbsp">EAT&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXfkmu9Q2vcWHSQ7NN-1Q-PdvyJMc4XDD1PT4j0FQZ94gtJH77wCmwCALoq6mAJQZrXKwL4S3UAlT1qGwirFND1xkr36mzK1aaqKFng8pUVIHNulAmLtSdoAvD4NqsfZFy5ttU_sPWAEsBGIgCQw0_Aq5uck?key=y_HlOQoWRhSDCLoT_gEBfg" alt="Butchers Bakeshouse exterior wadebridge" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Butchers Bakehouse</figcaption></figure>



<p>Although some might say that Wadebridge sits in the foodie shadow of nearby Padstow, there are plenty of lovely options in the town. <a href="https://www.thetinythai.co.uk/">The Tiny Thai</a> serves authentic modern Thai street food. Over towards the entrance to the Camel Trail, you’ll find the <a href="http://www.saltboxwadebridge.com/">Salt Box</a> street food complex where options include pizza, burritos and burgers/tacos and pho, as well as the Muddy Awards 2022 best bar finalist, SaltBar at Saltbox. Stepping Stone on Polmorla Road is well rated by the locals as is the chippie, <a href="https://www.seasmithsfishandchips.com/">Seasmiths</a>, the second branch of an award-winning fish and chip shop founded in Porthtowan.</p>



<p>In the centre itself, Delicia is a local favourite on Orchard Walk. The excellent wood-fired gourmet <a href="https://www.wildbake.co.uk/locations/">Wild Bake</a> pizza trailer pops up in the town centre on Monday nights. Muddy Awards finalist <a href="https://www.fatpepper.co.uk/">Fat Pepper Co</a> is a sandwich shop on Trevanson Street in the centre of town from Josh Oram, serving awesome subs and occasional Ramen Bowls. He can also be found doing pop-up nights at Bluntrock Brewery in nearby Rock. The Butchers Bakehouse (pictured) is an artisan bakery &#8211; check out their biscoff pan au chocolate &#8211; also good for sourdough and salads.</p>



<p>Just up the A39 towards Newquay the award-winning <a href="http://www.strongadolfos.com/">Strong Adolfos</a> is a Scandi café crossed with roadside diner. The aforementioned Padstow, with its plethora of more gourmet options including <a href="https://prawnonthelawn.com/">Prawn on the Lawn</a>, <a href="https://www.rickstein.com/eat-with-us/the-seafood-restaurant/">Stein’s Seafood</a> and Paul Ainsworth’s <a href="https://www.paul-ainsworth.co.uk/number6/">No.6</a>, is just a few miles up the road.</p>



<p>Wadebridge has its share of more traditional pubs, including <a href="https://moleswortharms.co.uk/">The Molesworth Arms</a> (great Sunday roast), The Ship Inn, The Bridge on the Wool and The Swan, and the new-ish re-opened The Earl of St Vincent in Egloshayle. For elevated gastropub food, seek out <a href="http://www.sttudyinn.com/">The St Tudy Inn</a>, <a href="https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/eat-out/mariners-rock-near-wadebridge/">The Mariner’s at Rock</a> and the <a href="https://www.stkewinn.co.uk/">St Kew Inn</a>. For cocktails, those in the know are seeking out <a href="https://www.instagram.com/plonkd.wadebridge/">Plonk’d</a> (Muddy award winning bar) and new opening the Loom Room, from the chaps behind The Pityme Inn in Rock.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-shop">SHOP</h2>



<p>Wadebridge high street is packed with independents, including the excellent health food shop <a href="https://www.elixirhealth.co.uk/">Elixir</a>, Wadebridge Bookshop, the butchers and greengrocers as well as some lovely indie clothes and gift shops (including Muddy-award winning <a href="http://winifredandmabel.co.uk/">Winifred &amp; Mabel</a>), Mish for underwear, and cookbook shop, Stir. The Really Groovy Shop and Pippa’s have all your vintage clothing needs looked after, and there’s enough barbers and hairdressers to keep the hair of each and every ‘Bridger in good shape. <a href="https://www.joandcohome.com/">Jo &amp; Co</a> home and interiors is just up the road at <a href="https://hawksfieldcornwall.com/">Hawksfield</a>, alongside <a href="https://finisterre.com/">Finisterre</a> and posh deli <a href="https://www.thearcfoodstore.co.uk/">The Arc</a>. Wadebridge also has several large supermarkets and the holy grail of Cornish petrol stations with a small M&amp;S on site.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-health-amp-wellbeing">HEALTH &amp; WELLBEING</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://lh7-rt.googleusercontent.com/docsz/AD_4nXe9yrFP71nQKGm0l3z3CRIT1pYqyEVeSROVRAbqAeMRYP358DM0uPZrUIT-luGXj-fNGi79ND6LV4WAKupBDN5gAE3GdiGvCgVzAL9eA01kkAGAoOQWSkNstkQNXrrEtvRRpQLm2ToUWm7Sk_9JnQIRfYE?key=y_HlOQoWRhSDCLoT_gEBfg" alt="gorse and primroses on the camel trail wadebridge with the camel estuary beyond" /></figure>



<p>Wadebridge is on the <a href="https://www.cornwall.gov.uk/cameltrail">Camel Trail</a> (18 miles of converted old railway lines) so you can easily walk, run or cycle &#8211; or even ride your horse &#8211; to Padstow (or indeed Bodmin). It also has a tennis club and courts, and several sports clubs including cricket and rugby, as well as the buzzing <a href="https://www.fowlc.co.uk/">Wadebridge Sports and Leisure Centre</a>, under community management after being saved from closure (fun fact: Olympic swimming champion Calum Jarvis learnt to swim in Wadebridge and has been part of the team helping keep the centre open). Local dance school and Muddy Awards finalist Mind Body Dance Yoga offers classes from pre-school right the way up to students in the 90s and puts on an annual dance show.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-community">COMMUNITY</h2>



<p>The old station buildings are now the Betjeman Centre which is a community hub for the over 50s although in reality everyone is welcome. There’s a café and all sorts of classes. Next door is The Goods Shed, home to the team behind the annual Creation Fest at the Royal Cornwall Showground, and various groups rehearse in the evenings.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Wadebridge Carnival is held annually in July and the whole town turns out for the parade and celebrations &#8211; and the annual raft race was revived this summer. A big screen is put up for community film screenings in the riverside park, where there is also a play area and outside gym. </p>



<p>Charlie Charles is the local feline celebrity &#8211; sleek and black, he can often be found wandering around the town centre and around the bridge over the river known as ‘Anneka’s Bridge’ (as it was completed on Challenge Anneka). In the summer of 2024 he was a finalist in the Cats Protection’s National Cat Awards 2024, competing for best Connected Cat &#8211; for cats at the centre of their communities.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nearby-attractions-nbsp">NEARBY ATTRACTIONS&nbsp;</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1500" height="1000" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/06/rock-porthilly-cornwall-rb-image.jpg" alt="rock porthilly cornwall sup kayak" class="wp-image-30830" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/06/rock-porthilly-cornwall-rb-image.jpg 1500w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/06/rock-porthilly-cornwall-rb-image-800x533.jpg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/06/rock-porthilly-cornwall-rb-image-1000x667.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/06/rock-porthilly-cornwall-rb-image-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2023/06/rock-porthilly-cornwall-rb-image-788x525.jpg 788w" sizes="(max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Rock</figcaption></figure>



<p>The beaches on both sides of the Camel Estuary are just stunning – choose Polzeath for surfing, Rock for sailing and water-skiing (Camel Ski School and Camel Sailing and Powerboat Centre offer courses, private lessons and equipment hire). Padstow is a short drive away, and beyond Padstow are the Seven Bays – a line of spectacular coastline with seven sandy beaches and sheltered coves.</p>



<p>Bodmin Moor is nearby and it’s also easy to get up the coast to Boscastle and Tintagel and down to Newquay. Kids love the rides and character days at <a href="https://www.camelcreek.co.uk/">Camel Creek Adventure Park</a>. <a href="https://www.pencarrow.co.uk/">Pencarrow House and Gardens</a>, home to the Molesworth Family that gave rise to so many place names in the town, can be found just outside Wadebridge, open to the public between March and September, with impressive snowdrops and bluebell woods.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-culture">CULTURE</h2>



<p>Wadebridge has a lovely boutique cinema and there is a <a href="https://www.wadebridgemuseum.co.uk/">museum dedicated to the history of the town</a>. The Betjeman Centre has a small exhibit celebrating the former Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman – who wrote many poems dedicated to his love of north Cornwall. Buried at St Enodoc’s Church near Rock, Betjeman mentions the railway buildings in <em>Summoned by Bells</em>.</p>



<p>The <a href="https://www.avalonyouththeatre.co.uk/">Avalon Youth Theatre</a> puts on an annual musical performance in February half term and there’s Christmas panto too. <a href="https://www.facebook.com/WadebridgeBikeLights/">Bikelights</a>, is a quirky illuminated bicycle procession and just outside town is the Royal Cornwall Showground which hosts shows throughout the year, the highlight of which is the <a href="https://www.royalcornwallshow.org/">Royal Cornwall Show</a> in June annually.</p>



<p>The town is also home to four choirs including InTune and Wadebridge Choral Society, and nearby St Endellion punches well above its weight, hosting two music festivals as well as the lovely <a href="https://ncornbookfest.org/">North Cornwall Literary Festival</a> each year, as well as monthly music, comedy and other performances.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-average-house-prices">AVERAGE HOUSE PRICES</h2>



<p>The average is up £370,831 &nbsp;(and that doesn’t include the coastal villages on the way to Padstow and Rock). Detached houses in the town now cost an average £445,479. Terraced properties sold for an average of £416,045, with semis fetching £313,382.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hot-property">HOT PROPERTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/11/wadebridge-CRW-nov-2024-1000x750.jpeg" alt="This five-bed detached property is in Egloshayle in a superb village location easily walkable to the town centre, and is on the market for £875k." class="wp-image-35338" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/11/wadebridge-CRW-nov-2024-1000x750.jpeg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/11/wadebridge-CRW-nov-2024-800x600.jpeg 800w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/11/wadebridge-CRW-nov-2024-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/11/wadebridge-CRW-nov-2024-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/cornwall/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2024/11/wadebridge-CRW-nov-2024.jpeg 1600w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">This five-bed detached property is in Egloshayle in a superb village location easily walkable to the town centre, and is <a href="https://crw.co.uk/property/egloshayle-wadebridge-pl27/877033/">on the market for £875k</a>.</figcaption></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-nurseries">NURSERIES</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.hawksfieldnursery.co.uk/">Hawksfield Early Years Nursery</a> offers child care from 3mths-5yrs, conveniently just off the A39 making it handy for drop offs, and they also do holiday clubs. Wiggles Nursery is situated next to Wadebridge Primary.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-schools-nbsp">SCHOOLS&nbsp;</h2>



<p><a href="https://www.wadebridge.cornwall.sch.uk/">Wadebridge School</a> (secondary) and <a href="https://www.wadebridgeprimary.co.uk/">Wadebridge Primary Academy</a> (primary) were both rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted, as was <a href="https://www.stbreock.org.uk/web">St Breock Primary School</a>. A number of the surrounding villages also have ‘Good’ rated primary schools including <a href="https://www.stminver.org/web">St Minver School </a>near Rock. If you’re after independents, you’re going to have to travel – the nearest are in Truro or Launceston, with buses running to both locations from the town centre.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-best-kept-secret-nbsp">BEST KEPT SECRET&nbsp;</h2>



<p>Muddy Award winning wine and pintxos bar, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/plonkd.wadebridge/">Plonk’d</a>, launched in September 2023 on Foundry Street in the centre of Wadebridge – co-owner Jonny used to be at Prawn on the Lawn in Padstow &#8211; they have an excellent selection of cocktails and evening events.&nbsp;Locals are also looking forward to the opening of The Vault Arcade (where HSBC used to be) slated to have not only retro arcade games but also a karaoke room.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-commute">COMMUTE</h2>



<p>Wadebridge is surprisingly handy for flying as Newquay airport is just a 20 min drive. The nearest mainline station is a 30 min drive on the other side of Bodmin. The 90 min drive to Exeter is probably the quickest non-flying route to London, as you can pick up a fast train to Paddington that takes just over 2hrs (the train from Bodmin takes the coastal route up to Plymouth first, adding nearly 2 hrs hours to your journey).</p>



<p>If you plan to drive anywhere outside of Wadebridge (or doing the school run down to Truro), pick your side of the town carefully. Despite the bypass bridge, built in the early Nineties, doing sterling work diverting the A39, the old bridge in the town centre can be a bottleneck .</p>



<p><em>View the full <a href="https://muddystilettos.co.uk/best-places-to-live">Top 300 Best Places to Live</a></em>.</p>


Wadebridge

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