Great Western Coffee Shop

Have an exam on Monday - as is becoming my habit, the best way for me to revise is to take myself on a train, leaving my mobile dongle at home - with no distractions or otherwise - and see parts of the country I've never been to................

I have worked out I can just about do Ludlow-Penzance and back in a day.
 ::)

I have a choice.

1. Go Saturday and use weekend first upgrades on FGW/Cross Country.  But this only give me about 40 minutes in Penzance before having to come home.  Depart 06:15 and return 22:35

2. Go on Friday which will be more costly for the relevant first upgrades (even with my dubious discount) but I can get at least 4 hours in Penzance to get some lunch at a nice pub/restaurant etc.  Depart 06:14 and return 02:12.  Not overly bothered by the early morning return.

3. Go on Saturday and find a nice small B&B to stay in and them come back on Sunday.

If anyone knows of a decent eatery/inexpensive B&B 2 or 3 are more appealing than a sack lunch on saturday.

I'd be inclined to get off at St Erth and go down the St Ives Branch - several nice places to eat there and a nice trip. Never been agreat fan of Penzance. I've stayed at Jamies Guest House at Carbis Bay which was nice and ^60 a night.

How hilly is it down there?  Tempted to make a weekend of it and take my bike and maybe cycle down the coast/get the train back on sunday

I too would recommend the St Ives branch. In St Ives you can go to the Tate (if you're feeling cultural), or you can go to the Portminster Beach Cafe (same bay as the station is in, about 20m vertically below the station). Sounds kiss-me-quick, but is actually the best place to eat in St Ives. Restaurant upstairs, beach cafe downstairs. And the wine is chilled in proper bucket-and-spade buckets.

Totally would agree re Portminster Beach Cafe

I think the plan is going to be:

Saturday 06:45 ATW ludlow to newport 08:01 - 08:14 FGW Newport to BTM 08:52 - 09:15 FGW Newport to St Erth 13:04 - 13:11 - FGW St Erth to St Ives

Stay here for two nights (unless I can find anywhere else at this late stage for the same price that is recomended and I can book on line)

http://www.laterooms.com/en/hotel-reservations/145571_atlantic-hotel-st-ives.aspx

Do this walk on Sunday

http://www.walkingbritain.co.uk/walks/walks/walk_a/1081/

Get as much revision as I can do around this.  Then travel back on

13:55 FGW St Ives to St Erth 14:09 - 14:11 FGW St Erth to Plymouth 15:57 - 16:25 XC Plymouth to Newport 18:14 - 19:48 ATW Newport to Ludlow 21:03

Intend to take in 1/2 eateries in the St Ives area on saturday and Sunday.

Take exam on Tuesday (not Monday as I thought - getting back fro the states has screwed my calendar completely - only realised it was bank holiday weekend about two hours ago)

Any thoughts from those in the know?

My planned revision session on Saturday, also on the train as I too find it less distracting, was not so successful. Then again the need to arrange a BBQ outweiged my desire to revise! Yawn

Now then. If you enjoy a beer at the same as revision, I understand the Star in Crowlas is superb, a micro-brewery on site, and accommodation. Good bus link to Penzance.

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/27/27655/Star_Inn/Crowlas

st ives will be mad this weekend being bank holiday weekend and start of half term especially if the good weather carries on, i'd imagine you could get cheaper places to stay than atlantic hotel,

Weather looking naf for Bank Holiday at present.

Great another very quiet weekend, thats all the region needs.  ::)

Now -Since this is now planned and booked - can anyone enlighten me as to what sort of accomodation I will get from St Erth to St Ives

Its short journey so not that bothered to be honest but I'd rather not have a pacer (never been on one but heard enough about em!)

Actually - such a short journey at least I could say I've been on one

I believe its normally 150s or 153s.

It won't be a pacer. 142's and 143's rarely venture west of Newton Abbot!

Its booked as two x 150.s presently.

You can enjoy the wonders of the Pacer (including the great noise of their brakes) in this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8jmgowXlyw

Well slight change of plan - actually staying in penzance for the hotel (everywhere was fully booked in St Ives - Laterooms lied to me about the availability) but I still intend to make the northern coast part the focus and do that walk on the Sunday - maybe spend monday in penzance

Now all I need to do is get to my local station where they will do me seat reservations

:-)

Watermill inn, near Lelant station, has a good reputation for ale and food.

http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/38/38106/Watermill_Inn/Lelant

Expect a 4 car rake, probably 2x150/2  Sit on the right side of train.  Deps at XX11 and XX41.  Fare ^4 for a Day Rover ^3 for a single.  There is a cafe at St Erth station and also a couple of pub style bench/tables outside.

definitely sit on the right side of the train, get an amazing scenic views all along the line from that side

Well as my weekend draws to a close I have to say it was enjoyable. Train journey here went well and as on holiday decides to have a tipple or two on the way down. Except I misjudged a 6 hour journey over a 2.5 hourbone. Ended up asleep by Penzance!  Will have to pay attention to scenery on way home!

So got to hotel and fell back asleep woke up after dinner was finished (why does everything shut at 930pm for Peres sake).  So off to get carry out expecting to be able to eat it in the hotel bar (note- dinner had been over hours ago so not like it was instead of hotel food and most city hotels will let you eat carry out on the bar after hours). Queue very angry Cornish hotelier muttering about not in his hotel. Quick retreat to room where I fell asleep and woke up this morning with abpleasant feel for the money I had not spent in his bar which ibwould have done if allowed to eat!

So this morning had brekkie - went to st Ives. Didnindeed have lunch at portminster after a trip to the seals. Then the heavens opened. Hasty retreat back to hotel and a revision session followed by dinner at the chapel street brasserie (was opposite hotel and it was still pouring) which was very nice and accompanied by live jaZz. 

Then everything shut again apart from a nightclub full of screaming kiddies .  Breakfast at weatherspoons me thinks then the trek home.

I shall return (especially when I will soon be living closer by)

leave plenty of time for your wetherspoons breakfst, pz wetherspoons is never very fast at serving any kind of food from personal experience, i was there on thursday night for curry night which was served painfully slow, i've emailed there management and even there head office to raise concern about the slow service and even once they decided to tell me 45 mins after ordering that they didnt have what i ordered when they told me that the food would be 20-30 mins ready, i have never received a reply from the company which i find quite appalling for such a large national company, even an automated reply/ mail merged standard reply would of done just so i was ackknowledged for my concerns of there running but oh well

Penzance spoons is bloody awaful for service, a few sundays ago I saw about 7 or 8 families walk out after demanding money back for non-existant food! Think i'll stick to Exeter!

Well I have to say my brekkie was delivered on time - but it was 8am!   I went in, asked where the powere points where, set up then ordered the brekkie - took condiments back to seat went upstairs to loo, came back and there was brekkie - nice and hot

there was only me and a coffee drinker in tho!

You ought to try the Paignton ones, we have two! God knows why

If you had come down this weekend you could have made use of the CAMRA beer festival in St.Ives

If you are going to move nearer to the WEST don't foget teh Minehead Beer Festival usually mid September held on the platform at Minehead station.

Celebrated by XX birthday on a railtour from Slough First class with breakfast dinner, real ale and a bit of steam what more could you want!