Cornwall Travel

Exploring Cornwall

By Bus

Local bus services in Cornwall are provided by First Group, Truronian and Western Greyhound. Truronian operates a 'branch line' service to the Eden Project from from St Austell Railway station and Newquay (via the airport). Truronian also operates a summer only service to the Eden Project from Falmouth, via Truro and St Austell.

By Train

Regular mainline services run from Penzance to Plymouth, en route stations include St Erth, Hayle, Cambourne, Redruth, Truro, St Austell, Par, Lostwithiel, Bodmin Parkway and Liskeard. Branch line services run by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership offer some of the most scenic rail journeys in the UK, traversing stunning coastal routes, river crossings and wooded valleys and visiting picturesque towns and villages including St Ives and Carbis Bay, Penryn and Falmouth.

By Bike

As well as an abundance of quiet country roads, Cornwall provides a number of traffic-free cycle routes. National Route 3, known as the Cornish Way, connects Bude in the North East of the county to Lands End in the South West, via either St Austell or Newquay on Route 32. Route options include the Clay Trails - a series of traffic-free routes around the Eden Project in the heart of Cornwall's china clay country. Route 32 includes the Camel Trail, which runs from Bodmin, through Wadebridge to Padstow along the Scenic River Camel estuary. The Mineral Tramways route connects the North and South Coast from Devoran to Portreath, following the route of an historic mining tramway that is now part of the Cornish mining World Heritage site. For more information about cycle routes in Cornwall visit the Sustrans website

On Foot

The South West Coast Path runs from Minehead to Poole Harbour encompassing 630 miles of coastal walking. As well as linear routes, there are numerous circular walks incorporating a section of the path. Distance and terrain varies from level walks of less than a mile to 8 mile walks with steep climbs. What they all have in common is stunning coastal scenery,abundant wildlife and historical and cultural heritage dating from the iron age through the industrial revolution to the present day. The Official Guide to the South West Coast Path has details of all of them, information about temporary path closures and other news and GPS tracks for download.

By Boat

Several ferry crossings operate on Cornwall's rivers and as well as providng a shorter more convenient route to your destination, they offer a rich travel experience in themselves. The King Harry Ferry, which crosses the River Fal bewtween Trelissick and Philleigh on the Roseland peninsula, was voted one of the world's ten top ferry crossings. Other scenic ferry crossings include the Fowey to Mevagissey ferry, The Black Tor passenger ferry from Rock to Padstow, the Fowey to Polruan passenger ferry and the Fowey to Bodinnick car ferry. For details of other ferry services, boat trips and river-based services and events see the Fal River Links website

By Car

Whilst the car can be the most convenient way to travel in Cornwall, during the summer season traffic volumes can make it a frustrating experience. Congestion on major routes, parking cost and availability and restricted access are all problems you should expect to encounter when travelling around Cornwall by car in the Summer months. If you really must take the car you can avoid some of the worst problems by making use of one of the increasing number of park and ride schemes available. Park and ride schemes operate, among other places, in Truro, Falmouth, Plymouth, St Ives, Padstow and Looe.