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National Lobster Hatchery

805 Reviews

#9 of 19 things to do in Padstow

Features Animals

Nature & Parks, Nature & Wildlife Areas

Closed Now: 10:00 AM - 7:00 PM

South Quay, Padstow PL28 8BL, England

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

Review Highlights

“A really interesting place!”

Okay, so it's only lobsters and not your usual Sealife Centre, but the story of the life, trials... read more

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

Andy H

“Fascinting”

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

Reviewed 5 weeks ago

randbn

Devon, United Kingdom

via mobile

Read all 805 reviews

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Certificate of Excellence

Traveller Overview

4.0 805 reviews

Excellent48%
Very good36%
Average12%
Poor2%
Terrible2%

Travellers talk about

“lobster”(546 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

Closed Now

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 802 reviews

Clare C

Staines, United Kingdom

1720

Reviewed 3 days ago

A surprising gem!

We nipped in here to warm up one chilly August day, but 8 months later the kids still talk about it! It’s tiny, but the staff are so knowledgable and friendly, the kids learnt so much and loved every minute. They couldn’t decide what plastic...More

Date of experience: August 2018

Thank Clare C

Helen M

Bournemouth, United Kingdom

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Such a delight, highly recommended, just go and visit.

You just have to visit, the staff are so friendly, great information, I thought we would be 5 minutes, we stayed, watched, read, and studied for over half an hour. Great for adults with or without kids, Such a fabulous enterprise, so happy to support.

Date of experience: December 2018

Thank Helen M

Andy H

122

Reviewed 3 weeks ago

A really interesting place!

Okay, so it's only lobsters and not your usual Sealife Centre, but the story of the life, trials and tribulations of the little local lobsters is fascinating! A great place to visit, right on the harbour at Padstow. Not expensive and all for a good...More

Date of experience: September 2018

Thank Andy H

dalmart

Auckland, New Zealand

3821

Reviewed 4 weeks 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 5 weeks 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

244

Reviewed 4 December 2018 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

11740

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

9624

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

28472

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

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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.