Driving from St Agnes to Bath

To me the answer depends on what else you are doing while in St Agnes and also if you are keeping the car while in Bath. I know you are going down to Truro by train and renting the car there.

If you are keeping the car in Bath then you can easily explore Somerset from there. So my thought would be to hug the coast as much as possible going north, then get on the M5 possibly as late as Bridgewater.
But if you will have explored north as far as say Tintagel and Boscastle via Padstow and via Indian Queens you can cut a lot of that out. Stay on the fast road to Exeter then instead dawdle/meander through either East Devon or the Somerset A roads to Bath.
To do everywhere full justice this is a 2, maybe 3 day road trip so there are choices to make.
I know very well that the roads are fairly slow up the coast, but surely that is why you have come, to explore the area. I would take full advantage of having the car, as opposed to returning it at Truro and jumping on a train to Bath.

Thanks for the feedback, isn31c. I should have provided more information. Yes, we are picking up the car in Truro and will have it for 16 days, dropping off in Leeds after touring Yorkshire. St Agnes is our base in Cornwall and we'll be there for 5 nights. We plan to use one day exploring the north coast as far as Boscastle. Our main focus on this trip is Cornwall, Yorkshire (my surname is Hawes!) and London. I have been to Bath several times and would give it a miss, but my husband has never been so it's in the itinerary. From Bath we drive to Grassington, then Whitby and York. After dropping the car in Leeds (Europcar currently does not have a York location), we'll train to London for the last 5 nights.

As far as the St Agnes to Bath drive I really like the idea of a "dawdle/meander through either East Devon or the Somerset A roads to Bath." I had considered a stop in Lyme Regis (I was there many years ago, but don't know what it's like these days), but I don't think we could do it justice with just a stopover. Anyway, I will study the map!

If you have any insights regarding Bath to Grassington, I would love to hear them. Thanks again.

It’s a long drive. Just go the quick route. You don’t see a lot on a quick stop and by the time you’ve parked etc it always takes longer than you think. I’d get to Bath and have more time there rather then spending ages in the car.

I would suggest that you leave the M5 at junction 23 - just N of Bridgewater - and take A39 east to Glastonbury. Have a look around & maybe climb the Tor (hill) before driving the short distance to Wells. Check out the medieval cathedral. Then continue north eastward on A39 to Bath.

The quickest route from St.Agnes to Exeter will be the A30. Then M5 up to Bridgewater & my suggestion above.

Europcar currently does not have a York location),

There is a Europcar office right next to York Station.

Well any York Office is NOT on the list on their website. A number of other posters have also commented on having to go to Leeds to return the car.

From Bath to Grassington I personally think it would be worth taking the A433 and A429 through the Cotswolds skirting Stratford on Avon to junction 15 of the M40. Then M40/M42/M6 all the way north to almost Preston, then the M65 up through East Lancashire (where I have been today) to it's end, then the A56 and A59. The A59 skirts round the north side of Skipton (which you will doubtless visit while here).

This has been a pretty long day, especially if there were traffic problems crossing Birmingham, so you will probably just want to take the B6265 straight up the last 8 miles into Grassington.

But IF you still have the time or energy stay on the A59 to Bolton Abbey then the B6160 into Grassington, which I think is the prettier route in.

I am sure someone will just say to take the M4/M5 and get moving north. I'm looking at you having crossed an ocean to get here, and what I hope you would say to me if our positions were reversed and I was coming to the USA.

I am hoping that someone will give a current update on the A30 roadworks at the roundabout just outside St Agnes (which had been going on for 2 years or more and had been something of a problem) also the newer roadworks at Lanivet (south of Bodmin)- those were a real pain in the proverbial in January when I was down there.

Well I stand corrected on Europcar York it has clearly closed since 2023 when I hired a car there.

Excellent suggestion, James- thank you!

I always prefer to have less time driving and more time doing. You are always limited in what you can see and personally I don’t like to spend more time in the car than I need to. That’s why I suggest not taking time consuming detours. But different approaches appeal to different people and that’s absolutely fine. Good to have different opinions.

James’s suggestion is a good one to see a couple of different places without going out of your way.

Thanks again, isn31c- very useful information. Interestingly my Google Maps does not even suggest the M6 route towards Preston- only the M62, M60, M66, A56. Yet when I drag the route to M6, it's actually quicker by 26 minutes. Maybe it's the traffic around Manchester?

We will certainly leave open the possibility of Bolton Abbey. Abbey ruins are a favorite of mine. Last entry is 4:30, so we'll see.

Helen, I certainly agree. Hopefully, we'll find some middle ground. Thanks for the feedback!

I've been thinking about comfort/leg rest breaks on my itinerary- you need at least two of them. I think the first one wants to be in Moreton in the Marsh. A bit hackneyed I know, but seems to be the best place. You certainly need one before Birmingham as you can't predict traffic there. That will get you across Birmingham. Once you are through there you have 7 or 8 services before the M65. Probably try to get as far north as you can- likely Sandbach or Knutsford, ideally Charnock Richard but that is probably pushing it.

If you want another stop then at the very end of the M65 is the Boundary Mill Outlet Centre at Colne. That is quite a nice place for a really good stretch in the Pennine Air, and quite a good cafe. Also of course for some retail therapy at keen prices!

It makes a change from identikit motorway service stations

I thought hard about via Manchester, but really don't want to put you through the traffic that way. I'd love to have put you up through Rawtenstall and Burnley- a majestic route but towards the end of a long drive I don't think it's justified.

I worked on Thelwall Viaduct for a time so know the route across Manchester to our then office in Bolton well. Especially towards Thelwall there is a lot of lane weaving to get the optimal route. There were days when it was actually faster to go from Thelwall up to Preston then back down to Bolton than to cross Manchester, if the traffic was having a bad day.

To me Preston is the significantly better route. You're going to get to Manchester mid to late afternoon just as the afternoon commuter traffic builds.

I was also trying to get you through Haworth and up that way but there isn't a a sensible route that I can think of to do that.

Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and experience, isn31c- it's very much appreciated. I have the route and stops clear in my head as well as in my notes. I belatedly realized that you meant taking the B6160 near Bolton Abbey into Grassington, not a visit to the abbey itself. I like the idea and it only adds about 15 minutes, but it's also an option we can save for when we visit Skipton on another day.

It's a very long travel day, indeed, but well worth it, I believe, to arrive in "Darrowby" and begin our exploration of the Dales!