Driving in Cornwall/Devon in late March/early April

The roads won’t be busy at that time of year. The challenge in Cornwall can be the very narrow roads that you sometimes find. These are fine if you just take your time and pull in if you see something coming, but it will probably be very different driving conditions to what you’re used to. Maybe have a look at street view to get an idea.

Parking in Cornwall is also a bit of a pain with myriad different payment systems and free parking rare. It’s often worth getting a National Trust membership for the parking (they manage many beaches and other open spaces) as well as access to the properties.

Tourism is down in Cornwall about 15% year on year for the last 2 years. It’s become quite expensive for accommodation and food compared to other parts of the country. You’ll get some decent prices for accommodation in March as it’s low season and there a a lot of supply.

Schools are breaking up for Easter holidays on 4th April so it may get a bit busier after that but not to problematic levels.

This is the Cornwall system winter bus timetable- https://www.transportforcornwall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/TFC-September-Web.pdf

Very few routes are reduced or non operable in the winter. The Lands End Coaster doesn't run between Lands End and St Ives but other year round routes fill most of the gap.
Newquay to Padstow loses the open top extras, but still has a very good year round service.
Any visitor site, including all the gardens and all the prehistoric sites can be reached year round (or has no service anyway).

You can still easily walk the coast path all year round with bus connections.

Mousehole still has 3 'mice' buses an hour. Only the 'cat' double decker (the 4th bus an hour) doesn't run and that can't physically access the village anyway- it turns round short at the Old Coastguard station. It is a deliberate pun by the bus company- the cat chasing the mice.

I was in Cornwall and Devon in late March/early April of this year (2024) and drove a rental car. It was difficult. There are some very narrow roads, and I was very worried about hitting my car against one of the stone walls that are under the hedges that border the roads. The biggest problem for me, though, was the rain. Hopefully the weather will be better this year, but I ran into a lot of flooded roads and had to turn around and go back on several occasions. I will say that Devon was easier to drive in than Cornwall, although there were a few harrowing moments there as well. :-)

Having said that, I escaped unscathed (well, my car did get a scrape but that was in a National Trust car park) and would probably drive there again if I were to go back.

I would suggest basing yourself in more than one place and try to limit your driving as much as possible. Cornwall is bigger than it seems, and some of the drives seemed to take forever.

That’s true Mardee. I don’t like to drive more than 30/40 minutes or so from where I’m staying. An hour drive on those roads is hard work. You won’t get that far in an hour either.

I recommend having a play around in Google maps to see some driving times. The whole coast is great so you don’t need to worry about not seeing everything. That’s impossible. Just pick an area and go with it.

I don’t find driving there difficult as such, it just requires patience and concentration.

Look for Train Travel books for Britain. There are several online. I took a train from London to this area and saw several of the sites by just getting off at the right stations and walking. You can take a taxi to some of the coastal villages if the buses aren't running. I would take Mardee's warning about the weather to heart. We drove in England in "Spring" and had to take higher inland roads until we reached an "M" road. We did, however, enjoy ourselves in spite of this. We really enjoyed visiting the Castles in Wales. Just wear clothes that won't blow off! Bon Voyages!

Yes you are both right about the weather. I was in Cornwall last April and we had 2 storms blow through over the course of the week. It rained a lot and was very windy. That also means it gets very muddy if you want to do any hiking. We were relatively lucky in that most of the rainfall was in the evenings and overnight so we were able to get out and about during the day but it was cold and windy so you need to wrap up.

I don’t like to drive more than 30/40 minutes or so from where I’m staying. An hour drive on those roads is hard work. You won’t get that far in an hour either.

You don't of course have that problem if you use the very adequate bus services- of which there is an awful lot of misinformation.

Last January I did Bude to Mousehole on the bus in a day- with 4 significant layovers (that weren't needed timetable wise). That was a late change of plan as I walked the two minutes from hotel to bus stop in Bude- I was meant to go from Bude to Plymouth for train to Falmouth then Penzance but changed due to weather and various other complex reasons (one of which was checking route details for Mardee's drive 3 months later, regarding major roadworks). I also took my time and a long winded route which could have been around 3 hours faster if I had gone direct.

That isn't a day trip but showed what is possible for what was then £7.50 (now a bit more).
When I went back for Bude to Plymouth in October I did that as Barnstaple (Devon) to Paignton (Devon) via two deliberately lengthy stops in Cornwall in the Launceston area.

The Plymouth to Looe and Fowey drive detailed above is one I have done by bus- a day transfer from Plymouth to Newquay with significant stops in Looe, Polperro, Fowey and St Austell, using the Polruan to Fowey ferry- travelling with luggage. All except Polperro to Polruan straight forward with frequent connections.

My husband and I spent 5 nights in Cornwall last September. It is a wonderful region well worth visiting, and we are returning this September. I suggest that you rent an automatic and get the smallest car possible. We rented our car in Truro and our hearts sank when Europcar kindly upgraded us to a Mercedes. The main roads are not difficult to navigate, but the ancillary routes to many destinations can be a bit harrowing at first. Many of these roads are extremely narrow, twisting and lined with tall hedgerows. And within those hedgerows are stone walls. A couple of times, we were on roads so narrow that the foliage from the hedgerows was touching the car on both sides at the same time! But these one lane roads almost always have a "lay-by" every so often. If you see oncoming traffic, you can pull into the lay-by until they pass. But it is often necessary for one driver to back up to allow another to get by. It's a situational call as to who must do the backing. Locals accustomed to the roads drive much faster, so using a lay-by to pull off to let someone go by was something we did frequently. Overall, it took some getting used to, but once you get the hang of things, it's not so bad. I do feel that my husband should have come away from the experience with a t-shirt proclaiming "I survived driving in Cornwall!"

Parking can be difficult as it's pay everywhere. I downloaded several parking apps before our visit, which was useful. But we found many lots take credit cards and using an app is not necessary. In fact, a few took only credit cards so that paying with coins was not an option. Older lots only took coins. So it's best to be prepared for all possibilities. And as someone mentioned, you can join the National Trust and get free parking at their locations. When we arrived at a pay lot in Tintagel, the machine would not take my credit card, or my husband's. We stepped aside to let a man waiting to get his ticket, and his card worked just fine. We tried again, with him standing by to help. When our card was rejected once again, he stuck his in and bought our parking for us. And he would not let us pay him. He just walked away with a wave. It was such a wonderful act of kindness. I don't know if he was from Cornwall or greater England (definitely one or the other) but his graciousness was heartwarming.

When our card was rejected once again, he stuck his in and bought our parking for us.

I've had so many experiences like that in the UK. The people there go well out of their way to help you—from giving you their parking disc, to helping you find a way back to your car when you are obviously lost, or assisting you with the purchase of a pint in a local pub (he convinced me his choice was better and he was right). ☺

Over and over again, the generosity and warm-hearted spirit of the British people never fails to amaze me.

Mardee, I could not agree more. It's why we keep going back!

Thank you all for your input—guidebooks seem to assume you’re going in summer, so it’s really helpful to have more information. I think we’ll rent a car but use buses where possible or appropriate, to reduce the stress. We’re planning to train to Truro, then pick up a car and drive the Land’s End peninsula, based in Penzance, then the Lizard, based in Falmouth, then gardens and old houses galore, then coast and then Bodmin Moor (recommendations on accommodations welcome), north coast for three nights, Dartmoor and Cotehele, then Jurassic coast. Fingers crossed for better weather than some of you had! I know it’s a risk going in March.

get the smallest car possible.

I have to disagree. Size really is irrelevant, it’s what you do with it.

The millimetres saved by getting a smaller car do nothing for you. It’s just as easy to crash a small car into a Cornish hedge as a large one.

Just make sure to take a hat for the windy weather and good waterproofs. You’ll be set for anything then and there are plenty of warm pubs to shelter in. I love stopping for a drink in some of the grand old Victorian cliff top hotels that you find in Cornwall. Amazing views and you’re warm! The Mullion Cove hotel and the Polurrian are 2 I’d recommend. The Headland Hotel at Newquay is fantastic as well. Really old school in a good way.

I would also not be keen on getting a really small car. They tend to be very underpowered and that makes them a bit of a challenge to drive on hills or faster roads. These type of cars are city cars.

We’re planning to train to Truro, then pick up a car and drive the Land’s End peninsula, based in Penzance, then the Lizard, based in Falmouth, then gardens and old houses galore, then coast and then Bodmin Moor.

I liked Truro. The cathedral was really nice, and had a lot of history there. If you like shopping locally, they had some very nice shops nearby. The Hotel Chocolat shop had the most amazing chocolates for sale, and don't miss the Guild of Ten, a craft collective, with its beautiful handmade artisan items. I bought several one-of-a-kind things here and highly recommend it.

Penzance was nice but scout it out first on Google maps, so you can find parking. It didn't do that and it took me awhile to find a place, even in late March, but once I was there, I enjoyed the town a lot.

I also really enjoyed Falmouth. In fact, I used it as a base for the Cornwall portion of my trip. I stayed at the Royal Duchy Hotel, which I highly recommend. I left a review of the hotel here: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england-reviews/review-of-royal-duchy-hotel-in-falmouth-cornwall I especially loved the location as it sat right along the coast and you could walk to Pendennis Castle from there. The hotel had a lot of free parking that was easy to utilize. It was also easy to walk down to the docks and the National Maritime Museum. And it was quite reasonably priced. Your trip timing should help you get a decent rate wherever you stay, since it's before Easter.

Also, don't miss Mousehole if you can help it. I absolutely loved that charming little town, and it was in such a gorgeous setting. It was not crowded at all in late March and I found parking pretty easily. Again, as before, scout out parking using Google maps before you go anyplace there. It really will make things easier for you.

This is a great 'fly through' of Truro Cathedral by drone- commissioned by the Cathedral for Christmas- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5_RjH3bJ0w

I've been thinking about this one quite a bit over several days. Bodmin Moor and the North Coast is something of a conundrum for someone who is driving and being limited to 30 or 40 minutes drive time. That ties my hands too much.
I've personally covered the area from bases in Bude, Wadebridge and even Newquay (all by bus)- all of which are too far for drive time- even if they are on good reasonably fast roads, not teeny weeny ones.
I did think about St Ive (singular) in the deep south of the Moor- once a big centre for copper mining, also the home of Emily Hobhouse- who campaigned against British Concentration Camps in the second Boer War. But too far south. That was for the name (something I've done before, like the Roslyn at Paignton, for my amusement, thinking of Roslyn, WA).
I also thought about the Borough Arms at Dunmere (a lovely country pub a few miles outside Bodmin) but they don't do rooms.
So with drive time in my mind I would suggest looking in the Camelford area- or just look at Google Maps and choose one of the little villages in the area like St Teath. There are even Tipis at St Teath- for somewhere a bit different to stay.

Outside the Moor the town of Launceston would also make a good base for you.

Also just a bit further on from the Borough Arms is the Trehellas Country House Hotel- it looks very nice from the outside and is next to the Pencarrow House and Gardens. I don't know what the rates of Trehellas are, but another idea.

Cotehele is 33 minutes from Launceston, 53 from Camelford- quite a lot of which is on good roads. Princetown (Dartmoor) is 43 from Launceston. 63 from Camelford- the majority on pretty good roads. It is beyond Tavistock where the roads get a bit more interesting.
I suppose you could do Dartmoor on transfer day to the Jurassic Coast picking up the A38 maybe at Buckfast Abbey.

On the day you go to the Lizard do also make a stop at the lovely village of Helford. You have to park at the top of the village and walk in because the road gets impossibly narrow. Getting there from St Keverne will test both your navigation skills and your driving skills, but a lovely picturesque part of the area. If you were walking the South West Coast path you could take the turn up and go foot ferry (which doubles as a yacht tender service) across to the village of Helford Passage.

On your way to the Jurassic Coast take the road through Camelford, Launceston and Okehampton down to Exeter. I would then be torn between hugging the coast or taking the main road through Honiton (as in Honiton Lace) and Axminster (as in Axminster Carpets)

Thank you very much for your detailed and thoughtful responses. We were thinking about Wadebridge as a base for the North coast and Bodmin, since on paper at least it looked doable. There is always a trade-off between hopscotching one night at a time (with less intermediary driving) and staying in one place and driving more, isn’t there? I’ll research your recommendations, thank you, and be sure to post a trip report.

There is always a trade-off between hopscotching one night at a time
(with less intermediary driving) and staying in one place and driving
more, isn’t there?

This is especially true for Cornwall! Ultimately, we listed all of the sights/areas we wanted to visit and then decided on a base. In our case, we opted for one, but I think two makes a lot of sense.