Penryn to Melksham - summary and some pictures from 25.4.2025

[whole diary]

[grahame]

8 hours, 11 pieces of public transport. All GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) trains unless otherwise stated.  Not rushing but grabbing loads of photos and experiences

Penryn - joined train at 09:55
Truro
Bodmin Parkway
Totnes (to XC^▸ (Cross Country Trains (franchise)))
Newton Abbott
Starcross (to ferry)
Exmouth (walk ferry to railway station)
Exeter St Davids (to XC)
Taunton
Westbury
Bradford-on-Avon (to bus)
Melksham - left bus at 17:50

Lots of buses call at the station in Penryn, including those that will bring you up from the harbour and centre


Sign on door says "sleeper passengers only" and yet a different sheet gives all day hours. I was reading and puzzled and a staff member appeared and explained it's also available to other first class passenger.  Not being first class, not for me.


Attempting to take a picture of Lostwithiel signal box, but photobombed by this old girl,


Bodmin Parkway (and Totnes) have lovely signal box cafes.  Disappointed at the very thin service indeed from Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin General - no (heritage) demand, not enough volunteers, or a potential not yet exploited?


Look around and there's a surprising amount of old stuff - this at Totnes


The old pumping house at Starcross is worth a look - probably - but doesn't seem open to the public unless you come on a Tuesday evening and sign in as a guest at the sailing club.  There may be other opportunities but closed, shuttered, unwelcoming yesterday. Pity.


As seems routine in the peninsular, buses call near the station and either buses or trains (or both) are frequent enough to make multimode journeys practical.


The ferry from Starcross to Exmouth ... a lovely run; daytime, hourly, in summer.


Exmouth - about a mile from the harbour jetty to the station through the Town Centre.


A connection that shouldn't - a quick hop over the bridge and as I trotted down the steps, the Edinburgh train was pulling in


Good to see platform 5 back in use at Taunton


Westbury - Warminster train waiting at Platform 2, Portsmouth train just arrived at Platform 1, and behind me the Weymouth to Gloucester train was coming in to platform 3.  Stuffed station.


Bradford-on-Avon.  In Wiltshire now, and the connecting bus does not call at the station - so I walked down to the Town Bridge. Fortunately I don't use a wheelchair or mobility scooter


Real Time bus information - could have done with this to be working in Newquay - and with the "direct" or "via the coves and villages" flag on Truro services the other day


Buses arrived in Melksham, around 17:50. That's over an hour earlier that the advice given by train staff when I asked about the quickest way back to Melksham from Westbury by public transport.  Joined up and correct transport network information would be useful from those who should be ambassadors for public transport as a whole.


And so those final few hundred yards home - 30 mph limit but people go along there much faster.  There is a SID (Speed Indicator Device) hidden in the greenery but I don't think it's working.   Reported to the Town Council who assured me that it IS - just that it only comes on when people are speeding.  I don't believe that answer, and now that a party-affiliated councillor has reported a similar problem on another SID, they are looking into it.  In any case - stupid place for the device just coming off a mini roundabout. I am so glad I'm no longer concerned - except that I am as speeding along here creates accidents waiting to happen - as they have in the past.


Edit - a few spelling corrections and removal of one musing I should not have made in public

[Trowres]

Disappointed at the very thin service indeed from Bodmin Parkway to Bodmin General - no (heritage) demand, not enough volunteers, or a potential not yet exploited?

I wonder if our Devon and Cornwall CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) representative has a view or experience on liaising with the heritage railway operator?

A couple of years ago, I found there was an extremely good value through ticket offering between Cornish stations (+ Plymouth) and the B&WRly. In addition to visiting the railway, I was able to walk up the road from Bodmin General to see the Bodmin Keep army museum. I also noted how the railway's own car park was full, to the point of being chaotic. You might think they'd like to encourage more visitors by rail...

I also learned that the through fare was such excellent value (less than the B&R's own local fare) because the big railway hadn't updated their fares for some time. Between the lines (and a subsequent follow-up) I received the impression that the B&W Rly didn't think it was worth bothering with through fares. (minority of journeys and all that).

The subject of journeys between National Rail and heritage railways was covered fairly recently on another (rail but not specifically heritage) forum. I must say I found the thread depressing, particularly for comments, from people with a rail interest, with a flavour of Who'd want to take their kids by National Rail? They'd be bored even before they got [to the heritage railway] and it costs £££.

[bradshaw]

Found myself in Penryn earlier this month, accompanying grandson for his University interview. It was his first long train journey.

The day went well with grandson being given a good offer a couple of days afterwards.
We suffered from poor regulation leaving Exeter. We were a few minutes down and due to pass the all stations to Paignton at Dawlish Warren. For some reason that was not held and we followed it under yellows all the way to Newton Abbott, at a cost of 10 minutes and subsequently losing our path over the Tamar Bridge, which cost an other three minutes. We still managed to connect with our planned train at Truro.
Interesting to see the passing loop system at the station.(photo)

The campus was a pleasant walk up the hill through the grounds, with plenty of time before Jack’s interview. Tremough House was originally owned by the Foxe family and has extensive landscaped gardens. The pedestrian and cyclist entry takes you through these.

The return journey  went well and we decided to take time at Exeter to walk to the Mill on the Exe for refreshment. One advantage of Jack now being 18, however I still paid!

[bradshaw]

The Starcross pumping house was once a museum to show the Atmospheric Railway system, opened in 1982. You could access the roof for a panoramic view of the estuary, good for photographing the Cl 31 which passed while I was there.

[grahame]

The Starcross pumping house was once a museum to show the Atmospheric Railway system, opened in 1982. You could access the roof for a panoramic view of the estuary, good for photographing the Cl 31 which passed while I was there.

I had heard of that and was disappointed that it's no longer the case. After the event, a web search hasten me to https://starcross-fcc.co.uk which does at least invite / state a tolerance of guests to use their restaurant provided you do't get in the way of members.   There is also a lot more about the pumping station at https://www.nationaltransporttrust.org.uk/heritage-sites/heritage-detail/starcross-atmospheric-pumping-station?lr=1

About Starcross Atmospheric Pumping Station

When the Bristol and Taunton railway reached Exeter St Davids in May 1844, plans were were already in hand by the Plymouth, Devonport & Exeter Railway Company to continue the line down to Plymouth and beyond. I K Brunel was appointed as engineer in 1843 when the name was changed to the South Devon Railway. In July 1844, an Act of Parliament was obtained for its construction and work commenced.

The first consideration for Brunel  .... [snip - long article worth a read!