Train from London to St Ives

Use National Rail.UK to find the rough and schedules. It is a journey of 5.5 hours, with a change at St. Erth for the 12- minute journey on the St. Ives Bay Line:

https://greatscenicrailways.co.uk/lines/st-ives-bay-line/

There is also a night train on this route, departing London Paddington close to midnight and arriving at St. Erth the following morning a little before 8, changing there to the local train to St. Ives.

https://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Great Western Railway will sell you a through ticket all the way from London Paddington to St Ives, though you will need to change train, most likely at St Erth. The timetable including the timings of the change should be laid out when you search on their website.

There are 12 mainline terminus train stations in London, each serving a different area of the country from London. The only one with trains to Cornwall is Paddington station. The only train company with trains doing that route is GWR(Great Western Railway).

The 12 stations form a ring around London and Paddington, if you are looking at a map and imagining the face of a clock, is at about 10 o'clock, west of the centre and north of the Thames. You can get to Paddington by the Heathrow Express, by tube (Underground) from all parts of London, especially easy if you are already on the Circle or Bakerloo or Hammersmith and City lines which are the ones calling at Paddington.

You can also get there by several buses, and by taxi.

You'll need to settle in for the ride to St Ives, it is quite a long journey - but the scenery is good.

Where in London are you staying, and will you visit London before setting off for the Southwest?

The train route has been covered above.

I hope that you have your Cornish accommodation booked for August. If not, book ASAP. It will be manic down there.

You should also make dinner reservations if you want to sit at an actual table in one of the coastal towns (as opposed to on a bench or harbor wall) as you eat. It's not just fancy places where you'll need a reservation. Check with your lodgings if you need recommendations. I'm not sure what the situation is like at lunchtime.

Thanks so much for all the helpful information. We booked months ago with a hiking company. We will be walking the north coast of Cornwall but are starting in St Ives. Thanks again

Which hiking company are you using? I would like to do a similar trip in 2023.

We have been using MacAdventures. We used them in Scotland, Switzerland and Italy and had great experiences.