Travelling to Cornwall
All good holidays begin with a smooth journey and while we can’t solve everything (traffic, bust tyres), Original Cottages is committed to helping you get to your destination in the most efficient way possible. All of our cottages come with detailed information on how to access them, including specific directions on how and where to park and keep your car. However, we know that there’s no such thing as too much information when it comes to directions, so we’ve curated this guide on the best ways to get to Cornwall via car, public transport and plane and we’ve also included some fun ways to get around the region.
By Car
The M5 and M4 are the two main motorways that take you into Cornwall from the rest of the UK, with the M5 leading towards Exeter and the M4 to Bristol, from which you can travel south. There are a number of A roads across Cornwall, but the following take you to some of the county’s most popular holiday spots:
- A38 towards Bodmin.
- A30 towards Newquay and West Cornwall.
- A39 towards Wadenbridge, Port Isaac and Padstow.
- A394 towards Helston and South Cornwall.
We highly recommend that you use a SatNav or map on your car journey, as these are just rough guides and you may be required to go a slightly different way, especially if you’re staying in or visiting somewhere remote.
Public Transport
Cornwall has a number of train stations that can be reached from across the country, but do expect long journey times and multiple changes! The best way to plan a journey from your location is to use the journey planner tools on the Trainline and National Rail websites, or through the train operator’s website directly.
Once in Cornwall, it is fairly easy to travel between locations via train and bus. These are some of the most popular routes summarised:
- St Ives Bay Line travels between Penzance and St Ives.
- The Maritime Line goes from Newquay to Par.
- Bodmin and Wenford Railway has a bus service to Padstow.
- There is also a bus from Looe train station to Polperro.
- Alight at St Austell station for bus services to the Eden Project.
For a fully comprehensive overview of these train and bus routes, visit the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership website.
By Plane
Cornwall’s airport in Newquay has daily arrivals from destinations within the UK, as it is a much faster and sometimes cost efficient route, particularly if you’re travelling from the North of England or Scotland. There are services to Newquay from Edinburgh, Leeds Bradford Airport, Manchester, the Isles and Scilly and more.
Unusual Ways to Get Around Cornwall
We asked our local team to recommend some interesting ways to get around Cornwall, for those days when you don’t fancy driving, or you want to try something new! Here are some of their suggestions:
“Instead of driving into St Ives, why not park at St Erth (you’ll save a small fortune on parking charges too!) and get the train in. The St Ives Bay line is renowned as offering some of the most spectacular views as you pass the golden sands of Hayle Towans and Carbis Bay"
"If you’re visiting Fowey, why not get the passenger ferry across to Polruan and enjoy the short boat trip across the estuary or the same in Padstow with the foot ferry across to Rock"
"There’s many fabulous ferry crossings throughout Cornwall to help you get around the coastal estuaries and rivers – all whilst enjoying the view!"
