Dodge the crowds, ditch the car and have the most relaxing time in Cornwall you’ll ever know. This simple itinerary, taking in both of the county’s coasts and most of its length, is based on travelling outside the busy summer months, when beaches are emptier, trails less trodden and, crucially, self-catering places allow shorter stays. Although we nominally start from London, you could pick it up from Bristol if you’re coming down from the north or simply turn any section of it into a mini adventure of its own. So, stuff a few clothes into a bag and travel light and lazy on a week, or even two, trundling around England’s southern reaches.
London to Penzance
(5 hrs direct train from Paddington to Penzance Rail Station)
We start this itinerary with the biggest single trip, rattling all the way down from London to Penzance so that we can break up the journey back with a couple of lovely stops. It’s just over five hours on the train but no changes, so leave early, take a good book and fall asleep under it as you zip down through Cornwall to the little town almost at the tip of England’s toe. Spend the evening dropping down to street level for dinner or soaking up the views from the arched windows of your lovely flat just below the bell tower (now defunct, you won’t be woken by the ringing) of the old school on lively Chapel Street. Over the next few days, explore pleasant Penzance, shorn of its summer crowds yet still full of jolly coastal bustle. Swim in the Abbey Basin pool, hike the coastal path round the cliffs you can see from your lounge, browse the small town’s profusion of galleries and artisanal shops.
Penzance to St Ives
(41-minutes train with 1 change from Penzance Rail Station to St Ives station)
After some lovely lounging in Penzance, it’s an epic coast-to-coast voyage, taking all of 45 minutes on the train which slides gently back east before traversing the county and arriving in St Ives via a scenic stretch along the banks of the River Hayle and the coast of St Ives Bay. With a few days at the aptly named Cornish Cottage, you could have a lazy one – browsing the classics on the shelves and stretching out in front of the wood burner – followed by a long hike out (and the bus back) to the Gurnard’s Head down the coast for a spectacular meal. The cottage is incredibly quiet given its central location, with an off-season visit adding to the peace and making St Ives, which can be a little frantic in summer, more of a calming coastal break.
St Ives to St Austell
(1 hr 11-minutes train with 1 changes from St Ives station to St Austell Railway station)
Starting back towards London, we cling to the eastern edge of Cornwall for a last day or two of seaside splendour, at Pier House Hotel in St Austell, or actually Charlestown. It’s a 40-minute walk (or a short taxi) down from the station to the harbourside, where the beautiful hotel, which looks more like a cosy village pub in places, sits with a sweeping terrace looking out over the water. The Charlestown port grew rapidly in the 18th century and is still a working harbour, with many tall ships rattling their rigging as they bob in the water. You can take boat trips, of course, and browse quiet cafes for a souvenir and a last taste of Cornish flavour, be it ice cream, pasties, scones or an indulgent cycle through all of the above.
St Austell to London
(4 hrs 19-minutes direct train from St Austell Railway station to London Paddington)
If you’ve not come from London and fancy a night in the capital before you head home, or you just want one more course of beauty added to your holiday feast, put in a stop at Artist Residence London. The hotel is exactly what it sounds like – a place that feels like a gallery, a studio and a funky loft crash pad all bundled into one. The bar and restaurant are open to locals, so there’s none of that slightly sterile feel a city hotel can sometimes have. There’s a laid-back liveliness to the communal spaces and a luxurious quirk to the bedrooms. You can walk to Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace and a host of other iconic spots, or simply idle around trendy Pimlico – a far cry from seaside Cornwall, but fun in its own special way.
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Christopher Wilson-Elmes
Sawday's Expert
Chris is our in-house copywriter, with a flair for turning rough notes and travel tales into enticing articles. Raised in a tiny Wiltshire village, he was desperate to travel and has backpacked all over the world. Closer to home, he finds himself happiest in the most remote and rural places he can find, preferably with a host of animals to speak to, some waves to be smashed about in and the promise of a good pint somewhere in his future.
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