Toucan2

I will be visiting Cornwall at the end of September 2016 for one week. I will be traveling with my sister. Plenty of time to plan!

I figure I will have additional questions from time to time, and will try to keep them all on this same post.

My question for now is whether to drive from London or take the train. I have not yet looked at differences in cost. However, although I first assumed we would travel by train, I started thinking perhaps we should drive.

If we take the train we will need to get to the train station from Haddenham (should not be too difficult), and then get a car rental when we arrive in Truro, and of course do the reverse when returning although likely then leaving the train station to Heathrow at that time.

If we drive, we would have the car already and can go straight to our destination. We still would have to figure out logistics of picking up the car and returning it. Possibly just picking up and returning it at Heathrow.

I should mention that we will already be in England prior to going down to Cornwall, so this is not leaving directly from the airport upon arrival. Both of us are from the US and both of us are experienced driving on the left side of the road.

So, I though I would get input/ideas from some experts here. What are your thoughts?

janisj

just a quick comment -- You'd probably want to take the train to Plymouth (to have a wider choice of car rentals)

You could catch the train at Aylesbury and it would take about 5 hours total - including transferring from Marylebone to Paddington by tube - all the way to Plymouth. If you could get to Oxford or Reading it would cut the rail journey significantly. Reading to Plymouth by train takes only about 3 hours

Driving Haddenham to Truro would take maybe 6 hours but it is more than 250 hard miles.

janisj

Meant to add that maybe annhig has a better idea re your transport options.

Toucan2

I think annhig suggested Truro as being closest to our destination but I will check my email

Oxford is a bit of a bus ride from Haddenham and the train in Haddenham is a five minute walk. Goes right into marylebone.

Thanks for the input on the drive. That is what I want to weigh.

Toucan2

Hmm. I see what you mean though. If we took the bus to Oxford and caught a train there. Hmm.

janisj

Truro is closest -- but I'm just not sure which rental agencies are located there. If some of the national chains are in Truro that would be great. I suggested Plymouth because it is larger and has more car hires.

But I'm sure annhig will know better.

Dukey1

Hertz, Avis, Enterprise and others in Truro according to Google but perhaps Annhig knows better.

RM67

If you are taking the train to save on driving then to me it makes far more sense to go as far as you can before picking up the hire car - otherwise you might as well drive the whole way and save a fair bit on the rail fares. So Truro is a decent option (I am assuming you are not heading much further west, in which case Penzance will work too as it has Europcar, Alamo and Enterprise.

First Great Western is a decent rail service provider (from the point of view of someone who uses them long distance a few times a year down to Cornwall and Devon, rather than a commuter on a shorter stretch). It will be nice and relaxing - a book and a coffee and some intermittantly lovely views and bob's your uncle.

annhig

Truro is closest -- but I'm just not sure which rental agencies are located there. If some of the national chains are in Truro that would be great. I suggested Plymouth because it is larger and has more car hires.

But I'm sure annhig will know better.>>

haha!!

no-one in their right mind [sorry, JJ] would want to hire a car at Plymouth station - it's right in the middle of the city and the traffic is diabolical, and Exeter is too far away to be any use. Dukey has it right when he says that Hertz, Avis and Enterprise are in Truro, but only Hertz is at the station. If you're ok with Hertz, toucan, that's the way to go. there's still a bit of traffic getting out of Truro but nothing like you'd in plymouth, and it's closer to where i think you'll be staying than PZ.

and RM67 is right about the train journey, whatever your uncle happens to be called, especially the stretch between Exeter and Plymouth and then the Tamar bridge just beyond there. I cross it once a week on average and it rarely disappoints.

remind me - where are you going after Cornwall?

RM67

I love the bit where it feels as though you are actually on rails in the sea, Ann - Dawlish maybe?

janisj

Well that helps a lot -- if there are Hertz etc in Truro then its a no brainer.

Toucan2

Okay, so the consensus seems to be do not drive, take the train.

Annhig, we will have to head back to the London area.A couple of plans are up in the air yet, but we will be both in Haddenham, Aylesbury and in London, just not sure which will be our begin and end points.

Sis will be in Haddenham for the two weeks before Cornwall. I will fly over and join her, but will probably squeeze in some work on either end of the trip, and that will be in London. I'll fly in and out of Heathrow.

When I checked out Seat 61 and followed the links, it looks like I can't make train reservations until I think (help me memory!) until 90 days out. So I will calendar that in and by then I will know where I'm coming and going.

annhig

I love the bit where it feels as though you are actually on rails in the sea, Ann - Dawlish maybe?>>

that's it exactly, RM. it's the part of the line that got washed away in the storms in the winter of 2013-14; here's some pretty [and not so pretty] pics:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=tr...w=1365&bih=615

Toucan2

I had a brief moment of panic when I couldn't get into Fodors but as you can see, all is well now.

Thanks for the links to the photos. I remember when that happened. Those are some crazy pictures.

Thanks all for the transportation input. Got my boss' approval for the week off (good thing too since I was far along on booking accommodation!) I love planning a trip.

Toucan2

I am looking into a day tour on the first or second day we are there. Has anyone heard of or used

www.westcornwalltours.co.uk or Tour Cornwall - Tim Uff?

Both get really good reviews on TripAdvisor.

Toucan2

Well here is a problem I didn't anticipate. Apparently the Hertz at the Truro Railway station is closed on Sundays. The days we intended to arrive and depart. And they are only open until 1 on Saturday.

Hmm.

annhig

Toucan - there is an easy way round that - I'll pick you up from the station - get the train through to Redruth.

simples.

We'll sort out the car hire for the next day.

BBgt

Hi Toucan2 - I've actually got a private tour booked with West Cornwall Tours in May for myself and mother. Can't tell you yet, but they do receive excellent reviews and I'm anticipating a nice day out. I'll report back after our trip.

Toucan2

Are you sure annhig? That would be great it you can but I don't want to overly put you out.

I made the suggestion to S that perhaps we take the sleeper down on Sunday night then take the day train back on Saturday, but, we do lose some time in Cornwall if we do that. So if you can pick us up that would solve that!

BBgt, I'd love to hear how it goes! Thank you.

I emailed both of them and have already heard back from Tim Uff at Tour Cornwall. I haven't booked yet as it's both a little early and have to figure out which day we will arrive.

annhig

toucan - if you arrive on the Sunday [which is the day I think your let begins anyway as we usually do Sunday to Sunday] then I can easily pick you up, and we can sort out the car for the Monday morning.

it's less than 5 minutes drive to the station so it wouldn't be putting me out at all!