Last month I had to attend a seminar in Paris for work. Most people in Scotland fly to Paris, it’s quicker and more convenient (apparently). I chose to go by train. My main reason was that I don’t like flying (who does?) and would spend most of my time away worrying about it and therefore not be able to do a good job. Of course the other reason was environmental, as a member of my office ‘green team’ I felt I should set a good example. Work were fine with this and so that’s what I did.

National Express, who currently run the Edinburgh to London East Coast rail line, offer through tickets from their destinations to Eurostar ones. I had already enquired earlier about the cost of this, having been thinking about going to Brussels for my fiance’s birthday. If you’re lucky, it can cost you just £79 return. Even though I booked the work trip nearer the time, it still only cost £120.

I should say that if you want to travel from Scotland to Paris by rail, you need time on your side. Not everyone’s company would be ok with them basically spending two days on the train, I’m very lucky. I set off from Edinburgh at 8am and got to Paris at 5.30pm. Coming back I set off at 10am and got back at 6pm. It would have been earlier but engineering works meant I had to get a coach between Darlington and Newcastle. I don’t mind long train journeys though, I’ve grown up doing them having lived in Orkney and visiting relatives in England during the holidays.

The National Express legs of the journey were perhaps the least comfortable, at least compared to the Eurostar seats and leg room (I hope one day you can get a through train). I was really glad to get off the train in London and stretch my legs with the short walk over the road to St Pancras International. Since last November this has been the new Eurostar hub, and it’s lovely, a vast improvement on the St Pancras of my student days in Sheffield, only a few years ago. Much more convenient for those coming from King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston, it also has much better facilities than Waterloo (well, before you go through check-in and passport control that is). Although the Eurostar departure lounge may not have as many overpriced souvenir shops as it’s counterpart at Gare du Nord, it is very comfortable and offers power points for those with laptops to use.

I arrived in Paris relaxed and calm, having had time to read through my presentation, do a bit of knitting and watch a beautiful sunset over the French countryside. For me, this is the only way to travel.

It is thought that over 80% of holiday makers to Cornwall arrive by car. So when the population of the county swells to five and a half million during the holiday season it is no surprise that the roads simply can’t cope. Going against the norm, I set out to discover if a holiday without the car in this beauty spot of Britain is both practical and, let’s face it, pleasurable.

The mainline railway between London and Penzance serves as the spine of Cornwall’s public transport system. Served both by Virgin Trains and First Great Western, the journey can be epic, long but surprisingly relaxing. Travel by day and enjoy the coastal views between Exeter and Plymouth; or by night on the Night Riviera Sleeper Service and arrive for sunrise in Penzance.

For daytrippers, the mainline trains stop at the principle south west towns and cities including Taunton, Exeter, Plymouth and Truro. From each of these railway towns you should, in theory, be able to reach further towns and villages in Cornwall and Devon. I wanted to put the theory to the test. Armed with a 70 page public transport guide, I left the train at Bodmin Parkway Station (remembering this time round that the station was a few miles from the town itself) and waited for the hourly Western Greyhound bus to Bodmin. Use www.transportdirect.info to help plan the journey to include all forms of public transport.

As it turned out, the Western Greyhound bus service is providing the essential link between otherwise difficult to reach towns across north Cornwall. The network extends from Lands End in the west to Clovelly, Exeter and Plymouth in the east. And it’s pretty affordable. As an example, a single fare from Boscastle to Truro, a total of 40 miles, costs just £4.50. And what could be better bumping around the winding Cornish roads knowing that you need only worry about the stunning views from the window rather than the approaching traffic.

Trouble is among the bus travellers, there was an entire demographic lacking: namely the mid-to-late twenties and thirty-somethings who I guessed preferred taking the car to public transport. Even more revealing was that despite the fact that each of the towns I passed through was buzzing with tourists, I only ever came across two holiday makers travelling on the bus.

One of the best ways to get around is by bicycle. Granted, certain parts of Cornwall are hilly and you’ll come back feeling fitter than before. But cycling through towns, villages and natural landscapes brings you closer to an authentic experience of Cornwall itself.

Luckily First Great Western and Virgin Trains have good cycle facilities which means travelling with the bike from wherever you are shouldn’t be a problem. The Cornish Way, part of National cycle route 3, connects Bude to Penzance and Land’s End via St Austell or Newquay. So you should be able to connect to a cycle route simply by alighting at certain stations. Take Bodmin Parkway station again. You can follow a stretch of the route 3 directly from the station and through to the town and out toward Padstow or Camelford, on the famous Camel Trail. This easy and flat route out of Bodmin follows the meanders of the Camel River and offers a secluded route through the trees.

The big question I came back with was how to encourage more people to leave the car behind when travelling to Cornwall. It’s not an easy one to tackle, as many holiday properties are in remote locations that aren’t served by buses. Certain green businesses will offer a discount for ‘slow’ arrivals, but many still expect their customers to arrive by car. The Financial Times recently pointed out the paradox around the feeling of independence derived from owning a car and our dependency on owning one to get around. Isn’t this the case for holidays? Driving to the West Country gives us the impression of independence but really we are continually reinforcing our complete lack of. Luckily there are alternatives such as car clubs which have diminished people’s dependence on the car. Car Share Cornwall is growing in popularity. However, the website is directed at residents and not travellers, so visitors to the county would have to find their nearest car pooling scheme. For shorter journeys, Explore South West runs a bio-diesel fuelled taxi service which can pick your small group up from the railway station.

With a bit of imagination and a sense of adventure, there are some fabulous journeys to be had across Cornwall by train, bus or bicycle.

Laura Burgess
www.ecoescape.org

Laura Burgess is the founder of ecoescape. ecoescape promotes responsible escapism in the UK and beyond, helping people find ways to get off-grid and enjoy low carbon lifestyles – holidays included. ecoescape is both a new printed travel guide series and an online community offering people inspiration for greener ways to travel and a place to share their stories. In 2007 with the help of Big Lottery Funding, Laura published the first guide to sustainable travel in the UK. You can order a copy of the guide on her website at www.ecoescape.org. The new series will be published in April 2008 by Green Guide and will include an updated UK edition along with the first Ireland ecoescape guide.