The St Ives Bay Line - Is this the Best GWR Branch Line in Cornwall?

[@SiVlog1989]

I'll never forget the first time I remember using this line, a very wet August day in 1997. It was my first time on a Class 150 Sprinter, my local station back in London is third rail electrified, and I was struck by how loudly the diesel engine of the 150 is under acceleration. That particular train didn't terminate at St Erth, instead, it continued to where me and my family were heading to that day, Penzance. In spite of the grim weather, it was still a fabulous line for views of the sea. Side note, the journey back to St Ives we took did involve changing at St Erth and it was the first time I travelled on an Intercity 125, a 2+8 HST set top and tailed by a Class 43. Being the naive 8 year old I was at the time, I was struck by the speed the HST was going, the fact that the rain water, rather than going from top to bottom on the windows, was flowing sideways

[@paulparry1197]

I've watched this one half a dozen times. I was down there last Spring. Lovely train journey.

[@Spacewish21]

Amazing and charming St Ives. Thank you so much for opportunity to see this marvellous gem! Perfect weather in mesmerising place.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

It was a lovely trip on a beautiful branch line. Definitely recommend it 😊👍

[@richardnei]

Excellent Trip Report! Always really enjoyable to watch and I especially enjoy the variety!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thanks, I’m never quite sure about the variety thing but it’s just the way my trips are tbh so there are probably more trains than anything else atm though the coach journeys tend to do surprisingly well! Swings and roundabouts I guess 😊

[@allewel1]

Thank you for the lovely film of the journey.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thanks for the comment Alan, glad you enjoyed it 😊👍

[@DVWNatSecResearcher]

I loved this very scenic video and your very thorough commentary.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thanks Debra. I do think this was probably the best one I did scenery-wise. If I’d had the time, I’d have been on one of those beaches tbh!

[@rachelehrenberg9231]

Mark, mate...as Del Boy would say, Lovely Jubbly! I like your sense of humour and adventure. That turnaround bit is something I would absolutely do.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Haha, cheers Rachel. Gotta have a sense of humour for some of my trips!

[@simonwhitlock9189]

I did this journey with my family and spent the afternoon enjoying a wonderful lunch while overlooking Carbis Bay, lovely memories thank you so much for posting this and I am looking forward to the next video. Stay safe and take care, Cheers.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Simon, thanks very much for the kind words! I didn’t stop off at Carbis Bay this time but yes it did look nice from the train. Not overly busy either I didn’t think considering the weather!

[@NonstopEurotrip]

What a beautiful trip Mark! I really must do some Cornish sightseeing by train... I take it you missed that first train back as you didn't 'make your intentions clear' 😂

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

I think I was wandering around on the beach ‘lost in the moment’! Either that or a touch of sunstroke 😂

[@andrewhowe555]

Really good video, amazing scenery and weather. I hope to ride the St Ives branch next Summer, as well as the Dawlish sea wall, taking pictures. Look forward to the next one, cheers 🚂📷🚂😊

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Andrew, cheers mate. Yes the St Ives one for me was the best scenery-wise though next Fridays line is really quirky and possibly unique so hopefully that’ll be another one to tempt you! You may have seen it btw, but I have a video with the Dawlish section on it. It’s the Exeter to Penzance one. Give it a look if you haven’t and you should get an idea of what it’s like from the train 👍

[@dirkupnmoor]

Very good trip report, Mark! Beautiful scenery changing with the tide.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Dirk, yes tbh, it was better than I imagined. Obviously the weather did help quite a bit! Not always guaranteed is it in this part of the world!

[@nilelg5]

Great vid and what a beautiful day it was! There is certainly something nostalgia invoking about a sunny day in Cornwall

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thanks! Yes I had a lovely couple of days in Cornwall doing these branch lines. I would definitely recommend them but take plenty of water and a fan if it’s hot! Not much a/c on these trains 😂

[@bengray6219]

What a beautiful part of the country would love to visit one day

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Ben, thanks for the comment. It was my first time down there on the train and I’d definitely recommend that as a way of travel. The many branch lines make the smaller places quite accessible I think.

[@anianoenrique2115]

Great video. Cornwall looks stunningly beautiful.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

It is! Especially with the weather. I’d kind of like to go in the winter but I bet it’s a totally different world then.

[@johncarr712]

St Ives is simply beautiful! The journey is fab. I have done this numerous times. Blessed to have so much coastline in the UK. Keep up the great work. Smashing video. Hope you enjoyed your ice cream!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi John, many thanks for the comment 😊 I think I picked the right weekend weather-wise for my first visit down on these branch lines. I must admit, the St Ives Bay line was my favourite. The beaches were just beautiful, some cracking coastline down there. Tbh, I wish I’d had more time to hop on and off really and enjoy the scenery more. What I did see though was fantastic and yes, I did enjoy the (much needed) ice cream 😊👍. All the best, Mark

[@TravelSignal]

Another beautiful trip! Very jealous ;)

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Yes, I definitely had the weather for it (which helps). Lelant on a February morning could be a little bleak I reckon!

[@markstramtrainbuscapades1729]

Lovely line! In 2021, my wife and I stayed at Dawlish Warren and booked some advanced tickets to St Ives, which came to £41 with our Two Together Railcard. This involved getting the stopper to Newton Abott, then a Padington-Penzance train to St Erth, then the branch. Coming back we were booked on a train that called at every station on the Cornish main line, taking three hours, but at least it stopped at Dawlish Waren, meaning only a three minute walk to the flat!

[@catb7059]

Lovely and interesting video

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thanks CB, glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@lucieni]

The St Erth - St Ives line is probably the most beautiful I’ve ever taken and I thoroughly recommend you travel the Gunnislake to Plymouth line as it’s really not expensive but it’s really pretty! Tenterden to Bodiam and Hythe to Dungeness in Kent I can thoroughly recommend too if ever you travel to Kent (I’m biased I live in Kent and it’s a beautiful place to live!)

[@adamfisher9751]

Wow love this Mark. Can't wait to go on it in march.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Adam. A fantastic line this scenery-wise. I hope you get some good weather for it.

[@adamfisher9751]

Me too, Thank you. Keep up the good work mate.@@LetsMakeaTrip

[@iankemp1131]

Not just the prettiest branch line in Cornwall, but one of the prettiest in Britain, packed into a trip of less than 15 minutes. Though the Looe and Gunnislake branches run it very close and are also well worth a trip. Great that the St Ives line was saved and provides both the nicest and the least disruptive way of getting to the town.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Ian, yes I did the Looe branch whilst I was down there - very quirky! Haven’t tried Gunnislake yet but I heard it was good. Cheers for the comment 😊👍

[@iankemp1131]

@@LetsMakeaTrip Gunnislake is well worth it, especially if you like water and bridges. Another quirky line. Both it and the Looe branch started off as independent mineral lines and only got joined on to the main network later, hence sharp curves and weird geography in places.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Ian 👍

[@the1abhishek]

Yes, it surely feels like stepping into someone's backyard. Those countryside views are really beautiful. Train just stopped with a wave of hand. Cool

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Yes, it must be amazing living in that house - trains and views. Not much privacy though I guess 😊

[@the1abhishek]

@@LetsMakeaTrip That's a price I am willing to pay to stay in that house 😊 complete bliss.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Yes, bet it's quite expensive though!

[@the1abhishek]

@@LetsMakeaTrip Yes, totally! I should start saving for it 😬

[@paulmoran217]

Yes.

[@thomasjones8648]

Fantastic video ! The scenery on this route is absolutely breathtaking. What does that blue and white sign mean at 8:51?

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Thomas, thanks for the kind words. Well, the sign, I had to look it up tbh! It’s something to do with the AWS on the train, I think it may be a section of line that doesn’t need it(?) I’m sure someone else with a better idea than me could expand on that. Cheers

[@thehonestflyer]

Great video, Mark. I reckon I could sit at Lelant all day in weather like that, it seems so peaceful.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

It’s a lovely spot. Not sure it’s so nice in the winter mind!

[@thehonestflyer]

@@LetsMakeaTrip If I end up planning a trip down that way I'll definitely wait til the warmer months! 😂

[@solsticepilgrim]

I think St. Ives Station was truncated in the early 1970s from its original position nearer the town centre. The official reason was that the platform was on a curve, but I the real reason must have been the local council wanted the space for car parking which is still evident today.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

I was looking at the old picture on Wikipedia, there’s a prominent curve there and yes the platform was moved for a car park. Not much more info than that though. Maybe someone on here can help? I’ll have a look at some old maps too out of interest. Cheers 👍

[@SionsTrainVideos]

good video lovely sea views again, it looks like a good speed they run on that line where the station was. yeah 150202,207,216 are 3by2 seating the rest is like our welsh 150s. on wednesday i uploaded a video of shrewsbury lol

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Sion, cheers for the comment. Yes I saw you were in Shrews the other day - hope you had a good time I haven’t been there for a couple of weeks now which feels like some sort of record for me! Back on Wednesday though 👍

[@SionsTrainVideos]

@@LetsMakeaTrip how did you see me by instagram was it or youtube? yeah i had a good time i saw the 67/82 set a 66 and 2 56s. i went to chester aswell that was good. enjoy on wednesday

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

On KZbin, good watch. I'm off to Manchester Wednesday then Porto, Lisbon, Madrid & London. More trains!!

[@SionsTrainVideos]

@@LetsMakeaTrip oh ok and thank you. Wow enjoy your flight

[@tomhami]

Nice report, great line that I've done several times while staying in the hostel in St Ives. Is St Erth still on semaphore signals?

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Tom, thanks for the comment 😊 yes semaphore signals still control St Erth. Actually there’s some really impressive looking signal boxes at some of these stations. Lostwithiel for one which doesn’t feature in any of these videos as there is no branch line there but it’s a fantastic box and you can get right up close to it. Well worth a visit.

[@tomhami]

@@LetsMakeaTrip I've not done many of the cornish branches but have done many of the Devon branches on the day ranger ticket, my father lives in Bideford so the Barnstaple (Tarka) line is a regular. When I last used that line they were still using the Victorian single line token system as there's a passing place in the middle. Also had a hand activated level crossing where the driver had a compulsory stop and pulled a cord to activate the barriers, sadly I think it's now been resignalled. Some stunning lines in Devon!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

@@tomhami yes, another area I’ve not really covered but would like to. Might have to leave it a while just to avoid posting-up too many GWR videos 😂 they just cover so many terrific lines down there! Quite quirky some of them as well - I’ve got the Looe Valley line coming up and that’s a bit different for sure!

[@MrGeeyess]

A pity you didn't explore St Ives bus station. If you visit again have a look. It is breathtaking as long as you don't suffer with vertigo.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

I’ll remember that for next time, was too busy eating ice cream! cheers 😊👍

[@derisleybrittain]

Superb🥳🥳🥳🥳💖💖💖💖👊👊👊👊👍👍👍👍😀😀😀😄😄😄

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thanks mate 😊

[@SimonGlanvilleOrganist]

It's pronounced L'-lant (emphasis on the lant) not Laylant by the way. Just travelled back from St Ives on that line today and I agree, it is the most beautiful line in Cornwall.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thank you Simon, always happy to be corrected on place names 👍

[@grahamnancledra7036]

Lelant is my home village. I used to go to school in St Ives, when the village school school closed down, by train. The house is the old Station master house and ticket office. It's a shame you didn't walk up the hill to the Badger and then down Church Road, past my old home, plus the old school, and on to the church and onto Porthkidney sands. You might even have seen the nudists in the dunes. Then walk back down the hill along back to the station. Another small walk you could have done would be to the old Quay opposite Hayle called Dynamite Quay - so called as during WW1 - it was used for the transport of dynamite which was produced in the Hayle Towans for use during the conflict. Sadly there was an accident in the factory in which many of the workers, mostly women were killed. Nice video btw and a charming view of the Estuary at the best station in the UK and sadly a request stop. Aldo they should demolish the concrete monstrosity that is the Saltings station.

[@jackchapman5052]

Trains at Lelant Station stop only request heading towards penzance or st Ives

[@grendel_nz]

No need for muzak :) peace is nicer w views like that :)