From St Erth, the 4¼-mile single-track branch line to St Ives hugs the west bank of the Hayle Estuary, passing through Lelant Saltings station where a park-and-ride scheme operates. Lelant station follows shortly after, where passengers are treated to stunning vistas across St Ives Bay to Hayle Sands. Opened in 1877, this branch line once carried thousands of holidaymakers from far-flung corners of Britain and even had its own through coach from Paddington on the GWR’s ‘Cornish Riviera Express’. Although listed for closure in the ‘Beeching Report’ of 1963, this scenic railway was reprieved and in recent years has seen buoyant growth in passenger numbers.
Following the coastline above Carbis Bay, the railway skirts Porthminster Beach before ending at the minimal, modern station of St Ives. From here it is but a short walk to the beaches, harbour, quaint streets and world-famous art galleries including the Leach Pottery, Tate St Ives and Barbara Hepworth Museum.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
14th-century Sloop Inn; harbour; beaches; shark fishing; Leach Pottery; Tate St Ives; Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden; St Ives Museum; St Ives September Festival; South West Coast Path
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
1-2 per hour
10 MILES
40 MINUTES
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 1
(St Erth)
Sandwiched between a golf course and sand dunes, a train for St Ives heads away from Lelant station.
TRURO TO FALMOUTH
Marketed today as the Maritime Line, this single-track branch was opened as a broad-gauge line by the Cornwall Railway in 1863. Engineered by Brunel, it was originally built to serve the international shippers that operated out of Falmouth but by the time the railway arrived the business had gone elsewhere. The branch was converted to standard gauge by the GWR in 1892. Our journey starts at Truro station which is well-served by trains on the Cornish main line between Plymouth and Penzance, with Falmouth trains plunging through Higher Town Tunnel before branching off at Penwithers Junction and heading off in a southwesterly direction. En route it passes through Sparnick Tunnel before crossing Restronguet Creek on the imposing 11-arch Carnon Viaduct. This is one of eight viaducts on the line, all originally built of timber on stone piers but later replaced by new stone structures. Carnon was rebuilt in 1933 and stands at nearly 100 ft high.
Perranwell station is soon reached before the railway dives into Perran Tunnel and crosses the 5-arch Perran Viaduct followed by the 9-arch Ponsanooth Viaduct – at 139 ft high this is the tallest on the line – then 6-arch Pascoe Viaduct and 5-arch Penryn Viaduct. From here there are panoramic views across the historic town of Penryn, which is set at the head of the Penryn Estuary and was once a thriving port with trade in fish, copper and tin. A recently installed passing loop at Penryn station has allowed a more frequent service of trains on the branch which in turn has led to a massive increase in passenger numbers.
Leaving Penryn, the railway crosses the imposing 14-arch Collegewood Viaduct before pausing at the renovated Penmere station. Next stop is Falmouth Town station, which is convenient for visitors to the National Maritime Museum. Our journey ends at Falmouth Docks station, set on a hillside overlooking the docks, Pendennis Castle and Gyllyngvase Beach.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
harbour; 3 beaches; Pendennis Castle; National Maritime Museum Cornwall; Falmouth Art Gallery; South West Coast Path; passenger ferry to St Mawes (for walks on Roseland Peninsula)
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
2 per hour (Mon-Sat)
1 per hour (Sun)
11¾ MILES
24 MINUTES
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 0
A sunny day on Swanpool Beach, close to the Swanpool Lake Nature Reserve in Falmouth.
ST AUSTELL TO NEWQUAY
The first 4½ miles of this railway trip to the surfing capital of Britain follow the Cornish main line from the town of St Austell to the china clay harbour town of Par. Soon after leaving St Austell the railway heads towards Carlyon Bay, where there are views across St Austell Bay to Gribbin Head. Passengers change trains at Par station before resuming their journey on what is now marketed as the ‘Atlantic Coast Line’ to Newquay.
Trains for Newquay take a 180-degree turn from Par station before joining the route of the former Cornwall Minerals Railway near St Blazey. The railway was opened in 1874 and followed the route of earlier horse-drawn tramways built alongside the Par Canal to carry china clay down to Par Harbour for onward shipment. Modern china clay trains still use this route from Goonbarrow Junction.
North of St Blazey, the railway threads through the heavily wooded Luxulyan Valley, now designated a World Heritage Site for its early 19th-century industrial remains, before passing under Treffry Viaduct. Built in 1844 this historic structure carried an aqueduct and a horsedrawn tramway serving local mines. West of tiny Luxulyan station – now a request stop, as are all the other intermediate stations on the line –Goonbarrow Junction is the limit of the china clay service and also the site of the only passing loop (still controlled by semaphore signals) on this single-track branch line. After Bugle and Roche stations the railway crosses a nature reserve on Goss Moor before reaching St Columb Road station. The view to the south along this stretch is dominated by huge china clay workings, which have the surreal appearance of a lunar landscape. A freight-only branch from Burngullow (west of St Austell) to Parkandillack still serves the china clay industry. Quintrell Downs is the penultimate station, followed by our journey’s end at Newquay station. The current single-platform affair here is in marked contrast to the original 3-platform structure that was also served by trains from Chacewater and Perranporth until the line’s closure in 1963. The world-famous surfing beaches of Newquay are but a short walk from the station.
DESTINATION HIGHLIGHTS
harbour; Discovery Trail; 9 beaches; surfing from Fistral Beach; Trenance Gardens; South West Coast Path
FREQUENCY OF TRAINS
6 per day (Mon-Sat)
5 per day (Sun, summer)
3 per day (Sun, winter)
25¼ MILES
1 HOUR 20 MINUTES
NUMBER OF CHANGES: 1
(Par)
Fistral Beach in Newquay is one of the premier surfing locations in Britain.