Trains from London
High-speed GWR services depart from London Paddington every hour and reach Cornwall via Reading, Taunton, Exeter and Plymouth, arriving in St Austell in 4 hours 20 minutes, Truro in 4 hours 40m, and Penzance and Newquay in 5 hours, so you can hop on an early morning train from the capital and arrive in Cornwall in time for lunch. Dog owners can take up to two dogs on trains, as long as they are on leads or in pet carriers. Many of our cottages are within easy reach of Cornwall’s train stations and are a quick taxi or bus ride away.
Hop on the coach
If you’re considering travelling down by coach, National Express operates direct services to locations across Cornwall, including all the major destinations such as Truro, Newquay, Helston, Falmouth and Penzance, amongst many others. It’s an convenient and economic option, with single trips costing as little as £15, and there are various coachcards which give regular travellers some great discounts. And with free WiFi onboard the coaches, the hours will whizz by in no time. Megabus operates a regular service to Plymouth; from here you can catch connecting bus and train services into the rest of the county.
The sleeper train
Arriving in Cornwall after a good night’s sleep instead of a hectic day on the roads is a far more civilised way of doing things! Choose to make the journey part of the holiday and catch the Night Riviera, Great Western Railway’s sleeper service from London to Cornwall, which departs London at 10.30pm Monday-Friday (23.50 on Sunday, it doesn’t run on Saturday) and pulls into St Austell at 6.54, Truro at 7.12, and Penzance at 8am — just in time for breakfast. You can choose from comfortable reclining seats or private cabins for up to four people.