Cornwall, Borders, Scotland by Train

Husband & I are planning a 20-day trip in spring; aim to visit Cornwall, Welsh border/Hereford, perhaps Scotland. Traveling mainly by train, which looks do-able by National Rail map. We are middle-aged, good walkers; enjoy nature, historical sites, used bookstores. I'm keen to see textiles/quilts; husband loves industrial revolution & machine shops. Is the Two Together rail card good value for short-term travelers? Any suggestions or tips for traveling by rail in the west? Affordable small hotels in Plymouth, Hereford? Traditional cideries/tasting rooms? Other ideas?

Plymouth isn't Cornwall, it's Devon.... do you mean Devon or Cornwall?

You can get to Truro or Penzance on the mainline train from London. Penzance is on the coast but Truro is not. In your situation I'd opt for Penzance as there is probably more to see and do around there, than Truro, by public transport. Cornwall isn't the easiest of counties to get around by public transport (I don't so not that familiar with it) but there are plenty of buses and local taxis. The problem is that the best (IMHO) places are not the easiest necessarily by bus.... BUT, from Penzance you do have places like Marazion and St Michaels Mount nearby, wonderful walks and St Ives, which is Cornwall's iconic seaside village. It's stunning, full of art history, beautiful beaches and fabulous restaurants with walks close by.

There are lots of old tin mines to explore, which is good part of our history here and you can see evidence of the old chimneys from the engine houses dotting the landscape - some are open to the public, like Geevor.

Howe old are you? (No need to answer here). I ask because if you're over 60 you can buy Seniors' Rail Passes, which cut 30 per cent off train fares. If you're doing a lot of train travelling you should be able to make savings.

Another great way of saving money on train fares is to visit http://uk.megabus.com/megatrain.aspx?accept=perm and check out their prices. You can get some regular train journeys for as little as £1 (plus 50p booking fee) riding alongside people who have paid full price for their tickets!

doable on the train but if you are into walking it is so much easier and most times better with your own transport. Likewise with historic buildings lots of them are difficult to get to on public transport. Basically if you are going to be in towns / cities then the train will be fine, if you intend to spend lots of time in the countryside then think about hiring a car.
For the walking i would recomend getting some Jarrold walking books for the areas you want to go to, you can get decent second hands ones very cheaply on the internet just make sure they are not really old copies. And maybe think about National Trust associate membership through the usa based..... royal oak foundation, it might be worthwhile but only if you are to hire a car. $90 is a lot for three weeks but N.T. properties can be expensive.

For suggestions on where you would both be happy how about Alnwick, Northumberland....huge second hand book store and a very expensive (not N.T.) but beautiful castle.

as I understand it all the railcards cost £30 and knock 30% off the fare. But it will be cheaper to buy one two-together card than two senior cards.

No one has mentioned the Man in Seat 61 yet... The indispensable website for planning rail journeys.

Thanks Bellart1: I actually meant Cornwall/Falmouth, but I would ALSO love to visit Devon and Dartmoor. I have been in Penzance; it was the highlight of a previous trip -- wonderful walking and the bus system was friendly. Haven't yet made it to St. Michael's Mount.

thanks for tip; this resource is new to me.

I'm not sure how you want to split your time between Cornwall, Welsh Borders etc but you can see a lot of Cornwall by rail. There are times where you can't use your 2 together eg before 9.00 (travelling from Par) , before 9.30 (travelling from Truro) etc. You can also add a Plus Bus (http://www.plusbus.info/ )which allows unlimited bus travel in a certain area around a station eg from Penzance you can bus it to Marazion, Madron, Newlyn etc.

Cornwall also has a number of branch lines eg St Erth to St Ives where you could combine a walk with a day out eg get off at St Erth and walk to St Ives. This will give you some ideas http://www.plusbus.info/

Buses aren't great and they are VERY expensive however some companies offer unlimited travel for a specific period. http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/devon_cornwall/tickets/ride_cornwall/ - this can be used for First buses and rail. If you do travel this way you need to check before hand which bus company serves which area.

It's a fantastic train journey from Paddington to Cornwall since you'll go right along estuary / sea scapes when you hit Cornwall. It's lovely. If you wanted to do something a bit different you could even get the night train from Paddington, an overnighter and you wake up in Cornwall with all its lovely views !

http://www.seat61.com/Cornwall-sleeper.htm#.ViPtdBNVhBc

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