Most scenic Cornish branch line

[whole diary]

[GWR 158]

Hi, this is just a poll for fun to gather your opinions on what's the most scenic cornish branch line. Thank you for your vote. 

[Lee]

Sorry, but I am afraid that I cant just plump for one.

The fact is that I would have to split between Gunnislake, Looe and St Ives, purely because my 3 favourite places in Cornwall are Calstock, Looe and St Ives, and the views arriving into all three are absolutely stunning.

[GWR 158]

Fair enough Lee, it is a hard choice!

[Andy]

The most scenic for a visitor would probably be St Erth-St Ives as it's chocolate box cover pretty from end to end but all the branch lines contain something of Cornwall's DNA and all have stretches which are very scenic, in my opinion. You might also add the Fowey branch to the list of choices, even though, sadly, it's no longer open to passengers.

[grahame]

Personal view - asking someone to choose their favourite amongst a group of beautiful lines really isn't positive.  Bit of fun maybe, but it reminds me of those scenarios of a burning house where the man has to decide whether to carry out to safety his wife or his child, knowing the other may perish.

Fortunately, I think all remaining Cornish branch lines are safe for the foreseeable future ... which should to stop us telling people about them and how great they are both as journeys and as ways to destinations.

[rower40]

Agreed that they all shout "Cornwall" to me.  But for me, nothing beats the memory of being behind a pair of Class 50's at full power over Goss Moor, next to a gridlocked A30 on a Summer Saturday in the early 1980's.  (So long before the dual carriageway was built from the end of the Bodmin Bypass to the Mitchell wind turbines.)

The luxury of Summer Saturday (or Friday night) HSTs^▸ (High Speed Train) from Derby to Newquay.  Unusually for a branch line, the western end doesn't follow a river valley, so the views over the middle of the duchy are superb.  Compare and contrast with road journeys in the vicinity, where the roads are usually between high hedges.

(What to take out of a burning building? The fire...) (Thanks to Terry Pratchett, "Maskerade")

[Witham Bobby]

The spectacular scenery of Cornwall could be viewed much better from a trian if the vegetation was a bit more dealt with can cut back.  I'm not a regular traveller on the Cornish branches, or main line, but the unchecked growth of lineside vegetation does limit the views, spoiling what could be a scenic tour

[Jamsdad]

True in places, but not universally. The St Ives branch views of the sea are largely unencumbered by vegetation, similarly the spectacular bit of the Looe branch from Sandplace down to the sea. I'm not sure I would say there is  much to see by comparison on the Falmouth or Newquay branches, vegetated or not - inland Cornwall is nice but not knock-out in my humble Cornish opinion.

[Kernow Otter]

Lostwithiel to Fowey

[grahame]

Bumping this thread. It closed a couple of days ago; gentle suggestion to the poll setter to summarise (see tips at http://www.passenger.chat/24811 ) and let us know what he has learned. Is he surprised by the results, or is it what he expected, for example.