What’s the best way to get to Cornwall? Our guide reveals all

One of the UK’s top holiday destinations, Cornwall welcomed a record 5 million visitors in 2022. The number dropped by 10-15 per cent in 2023 due to the cost of living crisis and rising cost of fuel. This year is a mixed picture, with poor weather an additional factor.

Nonetheless, summer is the peak period. When schools close, hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers will take to the roads from all other corners of the country to visit or revisit one of the UK’s most reliable regions for summer warmth.

Cornwall is far from almost everywhere else – one of the reasons for its allure. But there are no shortcuts and transport needs to be planned if it’s not to become your main preoccupation. 

Here’s some advice on getting to your Cornish retreat without too many Poldark-level dramas.

By road

What’s the best day and time to leave? 

On the weekend schools break up, around 12.6m getaway trips by car are made, data from the RAC suggests. Even delaying till Monday or Tuesday could be a wily move.

The RAC cites transport consultant INRIX, which advises drivers to avoid using major roads between late morning and early evening between Thursday and Sunday. The best times to travel on these days is generally being before 8am in the morning or after 7pm. Leave very early, or arrive very late, and you’ll have a decent chance of avoiding traffic. 

What’s the best route to take? 

The A303, past Stonehenge, remains a popular choice for those coming from the South East. It’s no slower than the M4/M5 and has a few basic services.

Where the M5 dies near Exminster is the Great Divide. The A38 continues south-southwest towards Plymouth and Liskeard. The A30 turns sharply west for Okehampton and Bodmin Moor.

If you’re going beyond Bodmin, either route is viable. The A30 is usually around 10 minutes faster. Check road traffic information before departing to avoid any temporary works. Cornwall Council has a dedicated live-update page.

Where are the best pit stops? 

For snacks and WCs, it depends on the route you take. On the M5, Gloucester Services presents itself as a “Farm Shop”.

 It’s not really, but it has some nice outside areas and is less plastic-looking than Moto, Welcome Break and other franchises.

To break your journey, we recommend: Wells and Bath – which came second and first in our survey of Britain’s best and worst cities – for architecture and all-round niceness; the Mendips and Quantocks for picnics and short hikes; Totnes for green spaces (including the Dartington Estate) and independent shops; Camborne and Redruth for history and your first pasty.

What are the stress points?

Watch out for cameras on Cornwall’s trunk roads. There are many of them and they are often on inclines where cars speed up easily.

The new dual-carriageway between Chiverton Cross and Carland Cross roundabouts on the A30 in Cornwall recently reopened following a four-year upgrade. National Highways says work is outstanding on some local roads.

The M5 is busy but has fewer pinch points than other motorways; it doesn’t pass major cities after Bristol and skirts few densely populated conurbations. No single section is as horrendous as the M6 near Birmingham. See our guide to Britain’s motorways for more tips.

Are there scenic alternatives?

If you fancy a slow, scenic entry into Cornwall, the A39 via Minehead and Barnstaple is an option. The SW660 coast road, launched in 2022, hasn’t quite taken off in the way Scotland’s NC500 has, but is worth considering if you’re not in a hurry.

Crossing Dartmoor isn’t speedy but it’s easy, with good access on the eastern side at Ashburton and Moretonhampstead. You can summit a tor to stretch your legs.

By rail

How well connected is Cornwall to the rest of the country by rail?

Penzance and Truro have direct trains from London, Bristol, Manchester, Edinburgh and from as far away as Aberdeen – the longest rail service in the UK. Penzance is the second busiest station in Cornwall. Truro is the busiest, with around twice the number of passengers compared with Penzance.

Cross Country runs lines to the North and Midlands. GWR operates on the Great Western lines through Bristol and Castle Cary to London Paddington. South Western’s Waterloo-Exeter line is an alternative way into the region for those travelling from the capital.

Four all or mainly single-track branches connect to the mainline. The 4.25-mile St Ives Line links St Erth to St Ives every 30 minutes. The Newquay Line aka Atlantic Coast Line is a 21-mile link between Par and Newquay; it’s a scenic ride but trains run only every 2-3 hours (6-7 services per day). The nine-mile Looe Valley Line runs between Liskeard and Looe every hour. The 12-mile Maritime Line runs from Truro to Falmouth Docks every 30 minutes.  

Buses link resorts to the stations. Download a complete summer bus timetable here. If you prefer digital live data, see gocornwallbus.co.uk/services.

When is the best time and day to travel by rail?

Avoid the morning rush hour to keep costs down. Also early inter-city trains can get busy with commuting passengers to Bristol, Exeter and Plymouth. 

The noon to 2pm slot is popular for holiday departures. The 3.03pm Paddington to Penzance is a wise move if you want a bit of space.

Generally speaking, trains are quieter on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. A lot of people try to get away on Friday afternoon and return Sunday, so if you can travel outside of those times, consider doing so.

Two busy periods are the August bank holiday weekend (Aug 24-26) and the week of the Boardmasters Festival (Aug 7-11).

What about the sleeper service?

The Night Riviera departs London Paddington at 11.45pm Mon to Fri. The first stop is Reading (pick-up only), after which it continues to Taunton, Exeter, Newton Abbot and all stations to Penzance (arriving at 7.50am). The stops are set-down only. On Sunday it leaves at 11.50pm, with no stop at Taunton.

You can board the train from 10.30pm. Travelling in a seat is included in the basic ticket price. There are single occupancy (“from £45” but see below for a real-life example) and twin (“from £34pp”) cabins. Each train has one accessible cabin (bookable at 0800 197 1329).

Return services depart Penzance at 9.45pm Mon-Fri and 9.15pm Sunday, arriving in London at just after 5am (cabin guests can stay on board until 6.45am). 

Is it ever cheaper than driving? How can you get the cheapest fares?

No. Two adults and two children travelling London Paddington to Newquay on August 15, returning August 28, costs £315.90 (a combination of Super Off-Peak Singles and Family Advance Std, whatever that is). Clearly, even a car with a thirsty six-litre engine would be cheaper. First class for the same journey is £607.50.

The return sleeper service for those dates is £570 for the family group plus £826 for two twin cabins in each direct. Total: £1,396.

For solo travellers, the train is obviously more competitive.

Book in advance to get the best deals. GWR allows booking up to 24 weeks before travel for weekday journeys and 12 weeks for weekends.

Are there extra services for summer?

In response to the high demand for GWR services towards Devon and Cornwall, especially at midday, two services depart at almost the same time. The 12.03 runs direct to Exeter St Davids and on to Plymouth, before heading to stations in Cornwall. The 12.05 Paddington departure serves intermediate stations (Reading, Taunton, Exeter, Newton Abbot). 

Any insider tips?

Don’t have a reservation? Don’t panic. Railway station monitors show which carriages are busy and which have space. Ask the guard to direct you to the part of the platform where you need to stand. It’s often quieter in the unbooked carriages for the whole journey.

When booking, always check the first-class price. It’s sometimes just £25 extra to travel one-way in the posher seats.

Take food. Onboard catering is patchy at best. 

By air

How many UK airports offer flights to Newquay?

There are regular flights to/from Aberdeen/Dyce, Belfast, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Guernsey, Humberside, London Gatwick, Manchester and the Isles of Scilly to Newquay.

A few European services are available, including to Dublin.

Which airlines? 

Eastern Airways operates routes between Newquay and Gatwick (1h 20, 2-3 times daily) and Humberside (1h 30, once a day, Mon and Fri).

EasyJet flies between Newquay and Glasgow (1h 20m, once a day, Tue and Sat).

Ryanair flies Stansted to Newquay (1h 10m, once a day, Tues, Thurs and Sun).

Loganair flies Newquay to Manchester (1h 25m, once a day, Tues-Sun) with some services continuing to Aberdeen/Dyce (3h 15, once a day, Sat, Sun, Mon, Wed). It also operates a non-stop service to Edinburgh (1h 55m, once a day, Sun, Mon, Thurs, Fri) and to Newcastle (1h 25, once a day, Wed, Sat). 

Emerald Airlines flies Newquay to Belfast City (1h25, once a day, Sat, Sun, Wed).

Aurigny flies Newquay to Guernsey (once a day, 45m, Tues).

When is the best time and day to travel by air in terms of price?

So-called dynamic pricing means this can feel like a free for all and these routes are mainly monopolies with infrequent departures. A mid-August return with Loganair for Newcastle-Newquay is around £250. Ryanair was under £45 for the same dates. But do you want to catch a train to Scotland to go to Cornwall? Skyscanner, Opodo and Momondo etc are worth a surf to look at the options – though they will offer random routings at times.

If you’re flexible, check various dates to secure the best price. Cheap tickets were sold out for some days on the Loganair Newquay-Aberdeen/Dyce route, making “with-30kg-luggage” tickets (an extra £60-£90pp) obligatory.

Is it ever cheaper than driving? 

Ryanair/Easyjet flights can be cheaper than driving. Other flights compare favourably with rail (and can slash hours off the train journey from somewhere like Newcastle) but are more expensive than driving.

Book well in advance to secure the best deals. More info at: cornwallairportnewquay.com