Going Carless to Cornwall

1st July 2024

This July is my celebration for making it through three quarters of a century….very soon. I thought being an adult asthmatic I wasn’t expecting to get too far past my 60th birthday. But very close to 15 years later I am still here and thanks to Judith’s encouragement to stay fit I am hoping to have lots of new adventures.

July 2023 we spent a month back home. We hoped to do it with public transport but luckily my sister loaned us a car, This July we are having a week exploring Cornwall on public transport….and I am confident it will be very successful.

So today Monday 1st July we caught 4 trains and a bus. Starting with the 9:10 West Midlands train from Longbridge to Birmingham New Street….just our normal local service. We switched to a Cross Country train at New Street station which was huge…two trains joined at their noses with 11 carriages. This train took us to Plymouth on the south coast. This train was on time, not over booked, and ran on time.

Today is Stage 3 for the Tour de France, so along with hand spinners around the world I am spinning fibre from Hilltop Cloud ( @hilltopkatie) Katie Weston for every day the cyclists ride . Spinning on a train allows many stares and conversations. One lady across the aisle shared her embroidery which she was taking to friends in Devon.

At Plymouth we changed to Great Western Railway train to Truro. This was a quieter train but very comfortable and clean.

Our last train to Falmouth was only two carriages and a much older train. We got off at Penmer station, one before Falmouth as it was closer to our accommodation- Buzzard’s Rest.

Buzzard’s Rest is at the top of a hill…not a gentle hill, rather more like a cliff. But the flatlet is lovely. It is attached to our host’s house with an ensuite bedroom on the t floor, and a living room with kitchenette above. There is a little balcony as there are stairs up to the front door. It’s dark now so photos will have to wait until the morning.