Today I have booked myself a quick trip to Bude, Cornwall for next February (this is really a working trip, not strictly a vacation).
Out of interest I looked on the forum as to any previous mentions of it, and much of the previous scanty advice is not at all correct.
One post mentions trains to Bude (when the station has been closed since 1966), most others suggest the bus from Exeter.
Until November 2021 the closest railway station was actually Barnstaple (a branch with a good service from Exeter)-33 miles away- with bus connections from the station via Clovelly and Hartland.
Since November 2021 the re-opened Okehampton (30 miles away) is the closest station (hourly trains from Exeter)- buses run from there on 2 different routes from the railway station.
Although there is a bus from Exeter via Okehampton the far more frequent bus route from a main line railway station is from Plymouth.
There is also a bus (via Tintagel) from Bodmin Parkway station change at Wadebridge.