Home base in West Country

Exeter would be a good choice although its on the eastern side of Devon
It has rail lines radiating out in all directions including the newly reopened line to Okehampton on the edge of Dartmoor and the line to the coastal resort of Exmouth

What Cornish coastal towns could 1 access? Is there much to see in Exeter?thanks.

Using a good guide book (I recommend the Rough Guide ones) make a list of all of the villages / towns that sound interesting. Then use the URL I have provided below to see which ones are accessible by train. Have fun planning and considering all of the lovely possibilities - it's part of the fun of travelling.

https://dcrp.org.uk/travel-advice/map-of-the-network/

Exeter is a lovely town, though I could be a bit biased ;)
We have a cathedral and a Roman wall, as well as good access to seaside towns.
The Ship Inn is a pub where Sir Francis Drake once wrote about, and is a nice place to sit for a pint or bite to eat.
Totnes is worth a look. It's a lovely little town with a small castle and views of the countryside.
From Exeter, I enjoy Teignmouth for a day at the beach. Exmouth is beautiful as well.
If you're up for it, you can walk from Exeter to Exmouth in about half a day through villages on the river Exe.

These are all suggestions for Devon.
If you find you'd like to stay in Cornwall, Truro is my recommendation for the town itself and its proximity to places like St. Ives, which may be of interest. If you're based in Cornwall, then Newquay is also well worth your time.
Do some additional research into things that interest you, but these are my general recommendations.

Hi from Wisconsin,
Of course it all depends on what you want to experience and see. Consider Penzance. A person could easily spend 4-5 days in the area. A train takes you straight to Penzance. It seems a train leaves Paddington Station every hour on the :04. Five hour trip plus a couple minutes. You will have to change trains in Plymouth. The 9:04 has you get on the Penzance train from platform 6. But the 10:04 goes straight through shaving a few of those minutes I mentioned. Easy-peasy. You could do worse than stay at the Swordfish Inn.

Penzance (Newlyn) has maybe the largest real fishing port in England. Penzance is large enough to have things to see and places to eat. Buses can take you to St. Ives to see what too much tourism looks like. Or to St. Just to see what a place without tourists, well much fewer, looks like. And there is Land's End, people actually go out there. Near St. just is a great walking path long the coast that passes what looks like castles but are actually the surface structures of old mines. How old? Did you watch Poldark? He isn't there just in case women were wondering. But the scenery is there.

wayne iNWI

Hi Lisa -

Not Cornwall, but Devon (again) - I have an enormous soft spot for Dartmouth on the south Devon coast. Our friends used have an apartment nearby - they’ve sold it now as they’ve very sensibly decided to move to t’north! That said, Dartmouth and environs remains magnificent, the only place I would avoid is Paignton which frankly, to be a bit British about it, I’d describe as an armpit or just bloody awful.

Dartmouth you can access by rail to Totnes and then either by private railway to Kingswear and subsequent short ferry ride across the harbour to Dartmouth, or by ferry down the River Dart direct from Totnes, or bus, also from Totnes.

Nearby are Coleton Fishacre (NT - weekend retreat of the D’Oyly-Cartes), Berry Pomerroy (ruined stately home) Totnes itself, eccentric but interesting, with castle ruin) Stoke Fleming and just beyond Blackpool Sands ( full English breakfast from the cafe and a lazy day on the beach), Slapton Sands, where the allies practiced for the D-Day landings. The Pilgrim Fathers anchored at Dartmouth before sailing to America. Lots to see and do round there!

Lovely part of the world!

Ian