Getting to Cornwall
 
Rowan waits to board the 09:22
We set off bright and early to cycle the eight miles to our local station, Bangor, arriving in time to note that the 09:03 to Birmingham had been cancelled. Consequently our train, the 09:22 Virgin service was severely overcrowded from Rhyl onwards, exacerbated by the short formation of 8 coaches, 3 of which were first class.

The latter was almost empty, a silly waste of space and if Virgin reduced their upgrade fee they may increase revenue as well as reducing complaints of overcrowding. We were OK as we had bike and seat reservations and the SuperAdvance ticket price was very reasonable. Don't be discouraged from taking your bike by train by all the adverse publicity - provided you have bike reservations and make sure your connections aren't too tight you should be OK and enjoy a relaxing and environmentally sound start to your holiday.

While changing trains at Crewe we saw a railtour from London heading back the way we'd come, pulled by a shiny new Class 66 freight engine - various comedians have made it unfashionable to express an interest in railways but who cares, so here's a photo of it.

It transpired that the 09:03 cancellation was due to a lightning strike, which caused some disruption, luckily our onward connection wasn't affected. There's not a lot you can do to control the weather, but that didn't stop delayed passengers  besieging the Virgin office and moaning about public transport, as if roads were immune from weather-related problems.

 
At Wolverhampton our daughter Sarah's Brownie leader boarded with a party en route to an international guide camp in Siberia, with a three-day train journey awaiting them when they landed at Moscow. It's uncanny how often we encounter people we know on trains or stations - it all helps  to make travelling by train such a pleasure.

We had to change again at Birmingham, after which we settled down to enjoy the scenery, highlights being the crossing of the Tamar via Brunel's wonderful Saltash bridge and the spectacular coast around Dawlish. It was sad to see the dereliction at Newton Abbot, once an important railway junction with a large locomotive depot.

Bang on time we arrived at Bodmin Parkway, just after 17:30. The signal box on the platform is now used as a buffet and the attractive GWR footbridge is in need of maintenance but otherwise there's a nice Great Western ambience. Sustrans recommend taking the preserved Bodmin and Wenford Railway, which shares this station, to the Camel trail, but the last train leaves mid-afternoon so we aimed  for the recommended route which avoided the main road, promptly getting lost! The Sustrans maps are excellent but the extra detail of OS maps is required when negotiating your way round a network of country lanes off the main route.

Eventually we reached Bodmin then along the Camel Trail along the single trackbed of the railway which once connected Padstow to the national network.


Christine pedals past the remains of Nantstallon Halt		 We'd failed to find accommodation in Padstow, even the Youth Hostel being booked up. We settled on Wadebridge, which meant we'd have to cycle to Padstow before we started.

On arrival we went straight to our B&B, a lovely old house beautifully decorated and very comfortable, which cost £57.50 for the three of us in two rooms. This was the most expensive place we stayed and the only one without covered bike storage, but we were able to lock them together in the garden.
Mrs J Allen
Spring Gardens
Bradfords Quay
WADEBRIDGE
Cornwall
PL27 6DB
Phone 01208  813771

Day 1 - Wadebridge-Padstow-Camelford (34 miles)