Suggestions for short trip to SW England by train
July 10, 2009 4:29 PM Subscribe
The wife and I are going to be in England for a week and a half for a wedding, and she's never been to Devon or Cornwall. I'd really like to take her out that way, but we'll probably only end up with three or so free days, and no car.
We're going in late Aug to early Sep. Somewhere in there, we're hoping to sneak in a 3ish day long trip over to the South West. We have no firm plans at the moment. We'll be starting our trip from Portsmouth and need somewhere accessible by train - ideally somewhere where the journey doesn't eat half the trip.
We're big fans of the country side, would love a good hike, country pubs, coastal views and so on. We don't need much by way of museums or shopping etc.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
We're going in late Aug to early Sep. Somewhere in there, we're hoping to sneak in a 3ish day long trip over to the South West. We have no firm plans at the moment. We'll be starting our trip from Portsmouth and need somewhere accessible by train - ideally somewhere where the journey doesn't eat half the trip.
We're big fans of the country side, would love a good hike, country pubs, coastal views and so on. We don't need much by way of museums or shopping etc.
Any suggestions would be much appreciated!
on further inspection, you might have to change trains to get to Exeter. i'm not sure if there are direct trains to the west country from portsmouth.
posted by Frasermoo at 5:51 PM on July 10, 2009
posted by Frasermoo at 5:51 PM on July 10, 2009
I went to Penzance and Mount St Michael with no car (can't drive anyways) - you can get the train all the way to Penzance - and there are lots of nice things within walking distance. It did take about 5 hours from London to get there, I think. From Portsmouth it should be shorter.
posted by jb at 8:04 PM on July 10, 2009
posted by jb at 8:04 PM on July 10, 2009
Portsmouth to Exeter is about 3:40, changing at Salisbury (itself a beautiful town, worth a look).
TheTrainline.com is an easy way to lookup train times and routes.
posted by mahke at 11:33 PM on July 10, 2009
TheTrainline.com is an easy way to lookup train times and routes.
posted by mahke at 11:33 PM on July 10, 2009
It depends a lot on what you are used to, what sort of things will be novelties etc. The north and south coasts are different, with more family sandy beaches to the south and bigger waves, surfing beaches and rockier cliff paths to the North. The moors in between are interesting in their own bare way. The river valleys are beautiful.
Once you are in Devon and Cornwall distances are fairly trivial in comparison with Ohio. Do look at using buses as well as trains to reach more rural bits. Some routes are planned for the convenience of holidaymakers.
There is a long-distance coastal path all round the two counties, but following the coast involves a lot of climbing to cliff height and then losing the height again at the next cove. And the coves can harbour only tourist traps. It may be better to look to walking on the moors from a base in a small market town.
Totnes is on the railway main line, but is not typically sleepy -- it has been colonised by arty and green types, which may or may not amuse you. It does have bus access to both sea and moor, though.
North Devon may offer what you are looking for at a better price. Parts of the North Cornwall coast are magnets for young people who live a hedonistic summer -- the Padstow area and Newquay may be better avoided in the evenings unless you want the gourmet dining experience available at Padstow.
Be aware that there is a reason why the West Country is so beautiful and green -- it rains a lot! Local tourist attractions usually offer something to do on wet days, but going somewhere very small will give you fewer options (apart from just taking a bus day-rider ticket).
Devon County Council has a train map online, and bus maps are here. Cornwall County Council does it differently.
posted by Idcoytco at 8:59 AM on July 11, 2009
Once you are in Devon and Cornwall distances are fairly trivial in comparison with Ohio. Do look at using buses as well as trains to reach more rural bits. Some routes are planned for the convenience of holidaymakers.
There is a long-distance coastal path all round the two counties, but following the coast involves a lot of climbing to cliff height and then losing the height again at the next cove. And the coves can harbour only tourist traps. It may be better to look to walking on the moors from a base in a small market town.
Totnes is on the railway main line, but is not typically sleepy -- it has been colonised by arty and green types, which may or may not amuse you. It does have bus access to both sea and moor, though.
North Devon may offer what you are looking for at a better price. Parts of the North Cornwall coast are magnets for young people who live a hedonistic summer -- the Padstow area and Newquay may be better avoided in the evenings unless you want the gourmet dining experience available at Padstow.
Be aware that there is a reason why the West Country is so beautiful and green -- it rains a lot! Local tourist attractions usually offer something to do on wet days, but going somewhere very small will give you fewer options (apart from just taking a bus day-rider ticket).
Devon County Council has a train map online, and bus maps are here. Cornwall County Council does it differently.
posted by Idcoytco at 8:59 AM on July 11, 2009
mevagissey was very beautiful when I went.. (train to St Austell), then taxi to Mevagissey if I remember rightly.
posted by nunoidia at 10:43 AM on July 11, 2009
posted by nunoidia at 10:43 AM on July 11, 2009
The train journey on the Cornish side of Exeter is very beautiful but slow. It's single track in places and only travels at 40mph so it takes a couple of hours at least, from Exeter, to get into the western parts of Cornwall. I did this journey weekly prior to moving to Cornwall. (You will need to leave from Exeter for North Devon or Cornwall).
I'd echo avoiding the North Cornish hotspots, and the far east of Cornwall can be pretty sparse. St Austell sounds like a good compromise if you don't want to spend all your tme traveling. The southern coast is not as dramatic as the North but there is still plenty of good walking and scenery. The Eden Project is close by St Austell too, and it is definitely worth a visit.
posted by tallus at 1:04 PM on July 11, 2009
I'd echo avoiding the North Cornish hotspots, and the far east of Cornwall can be pretty sparse. St Austell sounds like a good compromise if you don't want to spend all your tme traveling. The southern coast is not as dramatic as the North but there is still plenty of good walking and scenery. The Eden Project is close by St Austell too, and it is definitely worth a visit.
posted by tallus at 1:04 PM on July 11, 2009
Topsham and Lympstone are picturesque villages accessible on a local train line from Exeter. I stayed in Lympstone for a week a few years ago and there are plenty of good walks, pubs and coastal views and it's only a few minutes from Exeter. It will take you about 3 and half to four hours to get there from Portsmouth.
You can get across to North Cornwall from Exeter on the X9 bus - there is a great B&B a few miles down the road and the owners will pick you up and drop you off at the bus stop in Bude. You can walk onto the coastal path from there and get a bus to Boscastle and to Tintagel.
posted by janecr at 9:30 AM on July 26, 2009
You can get across to North Cornwall from Exeter on the X9 bus - there is a great B&B a few miles down the road and the owners will pick you up and drop you off at the bus stop in Bude. You can walk onto the coastal path from there and get a bus to Boscastle and to Tintagel.
posted by janecr at 9:30 AM on July 26, 2009
« Older Help me satisfy a sweet tooth on a low sugar/low... | Tub Refinishing Cannot Be Worse Than Replacement.... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Frasermoo at 5:36 PM on July 10, 2009