On The Buses
North Cornwall has a good bus system. We know some who spend many days of their holidays making connections across the West – enjoying going different places and enjoying the ride, often free on a Pension card. Rather them than me – but they are useful and can be fun!
The local buses are run by Western Greyhound. At their website is all kind of information as well as the timetables for the all their routes.
The buses are either small minibuses, or giant double deckers. They are green and often block the lanes in all directions! You may often curse them, but give them a go for a change of scene.
Why
Well why not? The idea of avoiding the car as much as possible can be quite attractive.
Here are some ideas:
- Go walking along the coast. Have a bite to eat and perhaps a pint. Catch the bus back to your house.
- Go to Padstow with the kids – they enjoy it, you get a chance to chat!
- Its raining – you might want to go to Newquay – perhaps even to go to the Blue Reef aquarium! You could pile into your cars, queue into Newquay, go round and round trying to park ending up in different car parks. You know the day. Make the journey part of the fun. All the families go together.
- Bodmin Parkway railway station – coming or going – give the bus a go.
- Newquay Airport – friends coming to join you, but the weather’s sunny and the surf is looking pretty nice! Suggest the bus!
Where they go
The main route of interest is the 556, which runs from Padstow to Newquay – past most of Raintree’s beaches and also the Airport.
It runs via Windmill (at the top of Trevone) and then down to Harlyn and then to St Merryn. After St Merryn, it either goes inland to the St Merryn Holiday Village or, every 2nd bus, to Constantine Bay, outside the Stores and Des’ surfshop. From here you could also walk to Treyarnon. Then on to Porthcothan, Bedruthan Steps, Mawgan Porth, Newquay Airport and Newquay.
The other main routes of interest are the Padstow to St Columb, the 557, and the Padstow to Wadebridge/Bodmin, the 555. This goes to the train station at Bodmin Parkway.
Timetables
556 – Padstow to Newquay, via Harlyn, St Merryn, Constantine and Porthcothan
557 – Padstow-St Columb timetable – from 23 May 2010
