THE PIG at Harlyn Bay

A short walk from Harlyn Bay, this 15th-century Cornish house looks across one of the wildest stretches of the north coast. Medieval, Jacobean and Georgian details survive inside, while beyond its ancient slate walls, the Kitchen Garden meets a landscape of fishing boats, Atlantic coves and some of Cornwall’s richest produce.

Story

Harlyn House has roots stretching back more than 600 years, beginning as a medieval hall associated with the Tregewe family. In the 17th century, the Peters family transformed it into a Jacobean manor and remained here for more than two centuries.

Later came the Hellyar family, remembered locally for helping rescue shipwrecked sailors from Harlyn Bay. After a period of decline, the Millar family restored the house, preserving its patchwork of medieval foundations, Jacobean plasterwork and later additions. THE PIG opened here in 2020, allowing that accumulated history to remain deliberately visible.

Why we selected THE PIG at Harlyn Bay

Six centuries remain in the walls

Rather than belonging to a single architectural period, Harlyn House contains layers of Medieval, Jacobean and Georgian Cornwall, from old stone and flagged floors to fireplaces, plasterwork and heavy timber doors.

A Kitchen Garden made for Cornwall

Its garden is protected by old Cornish slate walls, three dating to 1831 and another older still. Alongside vegetables and herbs grow coastal plants including sea kale, sea beet and rock samphire.

The Cornish coast feeds the table

Day boats landing fish around Padstow join small-scale farms, cheesemakers, brewers and winemakers within the hotel's 25-mile food network.

The Lobster Shed belongs only to Harlyn

Unique among the PIGs, the informal Lobster Shed celebrates the property's coastal location with locally caught seafood cooked over fire and charcoal.

Local life & traditions

This part of north Cornwall has always lived closely with the Atlantic. Fishing harbours, small farms and villages sit between exposed headlands and sheltered coves, while Padstow remains closely associated with day-boat fishing and seafood.

Harlyn brings that culture inside: freshly landed fish and shellfish, Cornish meat and cheeses, local cider and beer, and vegetables grown behind walls designed to shelter crops from the Atlantic weather.

Authentic experiences in the area

Follow the fishermen's catch

Eat according to what Cornwall’s day boats have landed, from fresh fish in the main restaurant to lobster and crab cooked simply at the Lobster Shed.

Step inside the slate-walled garden

Join a Kitchen Garden tour to discover how old Cornish walls protect crops from Atlantic winds and why coastal plants such as sea kale and rock samphire thrive here.

Walk the north Cornish coast

Set out towards Harlyn Bay, Trevose Head and Constantine Bay, following coastal paths through coves, beaches and exposed headlands.

Experience Padstow's harbour life

Spend a morning around Padstow’s working harbour, fish shops and streets before taking the passenger ferry across the Camel Estuary to Rock.

Protecting culture & land

Restoration has preserved Harlyn House as a patchwork of its different eras, rather than returning it to a single moment in history. Medieval fabric, Jacobean plasterwork, stone walls and later additions remain part of the building's character.

The historic Kitchen Garden has also been returned to productive use, with its original slate walls retained. In the kitchen, the 25 Mile Menu creates a direct relationship with Cornwall's fishermen, farmers, growers and independent producers.

Location & surroundings

THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay sits on the north Cornwall coast near Padstow, with Harlyn Beach within walking distance.

Constantine Bay, Trevose Head and Trevone lie along the surrounding coastline, while Padstow is around ten minutes away by car.

Key details

Address

THE PIG-at Harlyn Bay
Harlyn, Padstow
Cornwall
PL28 8SQ

Getting here

By train: Bodmin Parkway is the most useful mainline station, with onward travel by taxi to Harlyn Bay.

By plane: Cornwall Airport Newquay is the closest airport, approximately half an hour away by car.

By car: Harlyn Bay is just outside Padstow on Cornwall's north coast.

Facilities

30 individually designed bedrooms

The Lobster Shed

Potting Shed treatment rooms

Kitchen Garden tours

Access to Harlyn Bay

More

Historic Cornish slate walls, including three dating to 1831

15th century / more than 600 years

Words from the owners

“This is amongst the very best coastal settings anywhere in Cornwall.”

— Robin Hutson OBE, Founder, THE PIG

Every stay booked direct keeps value with the people of this place, so they can reinvest in culture, community and land

We believe travel should give back more than it takes; that it can protect cultures, not erode them.

That is why we connect you directly with each hotel’s own website. By booking direct, value remains in the hands of those who shape these places, enabling reinvestment into local culture, community, and land.