I'm thinking of renting a car in Bath and driving to Padstow, then biking the Camel trail. Next day on to Brighton. Two questions:
1. Does anyone know if the Camel trail is worth doing (I ask because if not I'll spend an extra day in Bath or somewhere else, mabey a closer Cornwall town).
2. Traveling from Padstow to Brighton seems far, can anyone recommend a place to stop over on the way?
Thanks for any advice,
Chris
Posted by
Tunbridge Wells
6113 posts
The Camel Trail is worth cycling, however, personally, I wouldn’t drive 4+ hours to get there from Bath to then spend 6-7 the next day driving to Brighton.
Posted by
2599 posts
People might go to Brighton for a day out from London as it is the nearest place on the south coast. However, I have been to both Brighton & Cornwall and in my opinion Cornwall is FAR better. Now, it is quite a run down to Cornwall - even from Bath - it is about 3 hours driving time - and there is no quick route out of Bath onto the M5 (Interstate in American) that heads down the south-west peninsula. If you are going all the way down to Cornwall - my advice would be not to just cycle the Camel Trail but to see all the other places of interest in the area: > such as - St.Ives, St.Michael’s Mount (which you can view from the mainland), The Minack Theatre (cut into the cliffs SW of Penzance), Fowey, Looe, Polperro, Eden Project, etc.
It is a hell of a journey from Cornwall to Brighton. I think you would be better off either taking a northerly route back east via the Exmoor National Park (A39) - which has some very steep hills OR using a southerly route through SE Devon and into Dorset. Both of these routes will be slow but scenic for the most part. If you want speed - use A30 & M5 or the more southerly A303 - although that can be slow going as well. If using the A303, consider a detour to see Montacute House. The A303 also passes near to Stonehenge.https://www.visitcornwall.com
You might also like to consider taking a train from Bath maybe as far as Exeter (or even Plymouth) and then renting a car.
www.nationalrail.co.uk