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National Lobster Hatchery

803 Reviews

#9 of 19 things to do in Padstow

Features Animals

Nature & Parks, Nature & Wildlife Areas

Closes in 28 min: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

South Quay, Padstow PL28 8BL, England

Open today: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

Review Highlights

“Fascinting”

It was great to be able to revisit the hatchery after having first visited last year. It has become... read more

Reviewed 6 days ago

randbn

Devon, United Kingdom

via mobile

“Enjoyable experience for young children”

Visited with a three and one year old. Staff were very friendly. There were a few very large... read more

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Sab-Lilly

via mobile

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Certificate of Excellence

Traveller Overview

4.0 803 reviews

Excellent48%
Very good36%
Average12%
Poor2%
Terrible2%

Travellers talk about

“lobster”(545 reviews)

“life cycle”(31 reviews)

“gift aid”(17 reviews)

About

The National Lobster Hatchery is a conservation, education and research charity based in Padstow, Cornwall. We exist primarily to help conserve the vulnerable lobster populations and preserve the coastal marine bio-diversity of Cornwall and the...more

Closes in 28 min

Hours Today: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

See all hours

Suggested duration: < 1 hour

Contact

South Quay, Padstow PL28 8BL, England

Website

+44 1841 533877

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1 - 10 of 800 reviews

dalmart

Auckland, New Zealand

3819

Reviewed 3 days ago

Overpriced for the experience

The hatchery is interesting and informative but very overpriced for the short lived experience. We wandered why there was hardly anyone there-and now we know!

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank dalmart

randbn

Devon, United Kingdom

1611

Reviewed 6 days ago via mobile

Fascinting

It was great to be able to revisit the hatchery after having first visited last year. It has become part of every trip down to Cornwall and is great to see the work that is being done. Small, but very informative. Well worth it.

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank randbn

Sab-Lilly

245

Reviewed 2 weeks ago via mobile

Enjoyable experience for young children

Visited with a three and one year old. Staff were very friendly. There were a few very large lobsters plus lots of information boards which were really interesting. Also some interactive games for the children which kept them entertained. Doesn’t take very long to look...More

Date of experience: November 2018

Thank Sab-Lilly

Thank you so much for taking the time to review your visit. I am so glad you enjoyed your time with us. I will pass on your kind comments to the Visitor Centre team. Don't forget to use your annual pass if you are visiting...More

Unicorn72

Bristol, United Kingdom

11440

Reviewed 30 October 2018 via mobile

Disappointing and very overpriced.

We drove from East Cornwall to visit this as the website makes it look really good. Firstly it is extortionate to charge a single parent adult prices for 2 dependant children still in full time education. A child is someone under 18. My children are...More

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank Unicorn72

First of all thank you so much for coming to the hatchery. We do acknowledge that we are not a large attraction and try to reflect this in our admission prices: £4.50 for an Adult and £2.00 for Children between 5 and 15 years of...More

janetmD2313RO

Gold Coast, Australia

9524

Reviewed 29 October 2018

Great learning experience for all ages to learn about Lobsters life cycle

This is a little gem to save and help increase more Lobsters being born into the world and release into the sea without too many predators before they are able to hatch and grow into big lobsters. Great sponsorship program to improve the lobsters chances...More

Date of experience: January 2018

Thank janetmD2313RO

What a lovely review. Thank you so much. I will pass on your comments to the rest of "Team Lobster"

Ian M

Whitley Bay, United Kingdom

28272

Reviewed 21 October 2018

Very interesting

When entering we did not think that the hatchery would be interesting but we were proved wrong. Though it is only small there are plenty of information boards with fascinating facts about lobsters and lobsters at various stages of their lives. The staff are very...More

Date of experience: October 2018

1 Thank Ian M

HungryPanda27

Birmingham, United Kingdom

18084

Reviewed 20 October 2018

Dinky Way to do Good

As the other reviews say, this is a dinky place to visit but we didn't really mind as the entrance fee supports their work. The lobsters they have are very impressive and the little ones are so cute! Lots of information and great facts! There...More

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank HungryPanda27

As you say our Visitor Centre is not huge but we do try to pack a lot in. We do find that children absolutely love the hatchery and are often reluctant to leave. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with the online community...More

lynnie30

Manchester, United Kingdom

281116

Reviewed 19 October 2018 via mobile

Very small

Not really worth the visit, very small but it’s a charity so maybe it’s worth it. Kids might enjoy but not that much to see

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank lynnie30

RichardC954

Warrington, United Kingdom

297155

Reviewed 18 October 2018 via mobile

Don't bother

Really poor value for money. Mainly a list of printed cards on the wall telling you the Lobster Story. Not worth the entrance fee. Go and eat one at Barnebys instead.More

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank RichardC954

First of all thank you so much for coming to the hatchery. We do usually find that by the time our visitors have looked into the display tanks, watched some or all of our video, looked into the laboratory / hatchery, seen the maternity ward...More

ThreeCrazyCats83

2123

Reviewed 16 October 2018 via mobile

Interesting visit

We visited on 15/10/18 just before we left Padstow, (after having my ice cream swiped by a fat seagull!!!) We are big nature lovers and we were not disappointed with the hatchery. It took us a good hour or so to walk round and having...More

Date of experience: October 2018

Thank ThreeCrazyCats83

Sorry to hear that the "Fat Seagull" stole your ice cream but thank you so much for coming into the hatchery. Lobsters really are incredible animals and we are always delighted to be able to share our knowledge with our visitors. Thank you for such...More

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Questions & Answers

Ask a question

HeidiS1841

Can dogs come in

13 July 2018|

Answer

Yes....dogs allowed.

sandstring

our family of 4 will be visiting the area in October half term. Will you be open every day? And will we need to prebook? how much is a family ticket please? x

28 August 2017|

AnswerShow all 3 answers

Hi there, Great news that you are planning to visit us. We open every day at 10 am. You don't need to pre-book as you are able to purchase your entrance tickets as you come into our Visitor Centre.