Bodmin
Bod-meneghyCornwall's historical centre
One of Cornwall’s oldest towns, Bodmin’s central position makes it a great base to explore Cornwall. The town itself is full of attractions from the spooky Bodmin Jail to the steam railway.
Cornwall's Cycle Hub
With routes going out in all directions, cyclists will love Bodmin as a base. Cycle to the coast at Padstow along The Camel Trail via Wadebridge, or take the inland route north towards the edge of Bodmin Moor.
At Cardinham Woods, on the eastern side, you will find marked cycle trails to choose from, families will enjoy the gentle rides through the woods whilst the rugged downhill routes are suitable only for the toughest mountain bikers!
There are more off-road trails to explore at Lanhydrock, the National Trust’s property just outside Bodmin. Here you can also pick up the Cornish Way, part of the National Cycle Network, which runs from Land's End all the way to Bude on the Cornwall/Devon border and beyond.
All weather fun
Despite what the guidebooks might tell you, Cornwall isn’t always sunshine and beaches. Sometimes you need attractions to visit when the weather is inclement. Thankfully Bodmin has plenty that fit the bill…
You can get steamed up at the Bodmin and Wenford Railway, Cornwall’s only full-size working steam railway, which takes you on a nostalgic journey through the rolling countryside down to the River Fowey. Or explore Bodmin Keep, home of the evocative Cornwall’s Army Museum, and discover the illustrious history of the Light Infantry from 1702 to 2007.
Step back in time to the ghoulish days of crime and punishment at Bodmin Jail, once Cornwall's high security prison where the last execution took place in 1909. It’s now a state-of-the-art visitor attraction with a deluxe hotel created from the prison cells. For a different view of life in the past, visit Lanhydrock House, the National Trust's grand Victorian house set in stunning grounds just outside the town.
And for something completely different, prepare to be baffled and amazed at Discovering 42, Bodmin’s very own science centre, where there are flashing lights, strong magnets, adults hogging exhibits & loud sounds.
A walk around Bodmin reveals a bustling place full of imposing granite buildings reflecting the town’s importance during the mining boom in the 19th century and its position as the former administrative centre of Cornwall. The Shire Hall which was the old county courtroom, sending villains down to the imposing county jail whilst the 15th Century church of St Petroc, is the largest parish church in Cornwall.
Plan your trip
Everything you need to know to plan your perfect trip to Bodmin
Coming by car, from the end of the M5 at Exeter follow the A30 to Cornwall. Bodmin is well signposted a few miles after leaving Bodmin Moor.
The main car park is Priory Park to the left of the Shire Hall in the centre of town.
National Express coaches stop in Bodmin.
It's also a main hub for bus services across east and mid Cornwall.
The only trains that run into Bodmin town are steam powered, but there is a mainline station a few miles out of town at Bodmin Parkway. From here busses meet the trains to take people up into the town.
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Travel to Cornwall by train
GWR operate high speed train services frequently from London Paddington station including the Night Riviera Sleeper Service to Penzance. There are also direct trains daily from Bristol and beyond. More info from: nationalrail.co.uk
Once in Cornwall, there's a great rail network for getting around the county, ideal for when the roads are busy in the summer. Give the driver a rest and grab a cheap day return to St Ives or Looe. Sit back and enjoy the scenery on the Tamar Valley Line or head to the beach at Newquay or Falmouth. For more info, go to Great Scenic Railways
For National Rail enquiries telephone 08457 484950
The First Group co-ordinate bus services from many Cornish stations.
Park-and-ride schemes run in season at Liskeard (for Looe) and St Erth (for St. Ives).
Travel to Cornwall by road
It takes less than five hours to get from London to the heart of Cornwall by either train or car. Drive along the M4 motorway from London, or M6 from Manchester, and then the M5 to Exeter and finally either the A30, that is mostly dual carriageway, or the A38 passing Plymouth and Saltash into South East Cornwall. Alternatively if you enter Cornwall from North Devon, there is the scenic A39 Atlantic Highway running through Bude, which you can join from Junction 27 on the M5. Due to the high volume of traffic on Cornwall's roads during the summer months the main routes can become congested especially at weekends. Travelling overnight or outside peak rush hours is recommended to avoid long delays.
- To plan your journey use the AA Route Planner for a tailor made travel plan with timings and mileage
- For information on possible delays or roadwork's throughout the UK or in Cornwall visit Traffic Watch
- Travelling to Cornwall with a caravan? Check out our Caravan Towing guide
PLEASE BE AWARE. Sat-Navs can lead you to some wonderful places in Cornwall, many of them down narrow country lanes with high hedges and few reversing points. If you are not sure...don't go on. Better to turn around and find another route than end up lost in the middle of nowhere.
Travel to Cornwall by coach and bus
National Express operate a full service into Cornwall as far as Penzance, Megabuss also go to a few towns including Newquay and Falmouth.
Coach travel times from London or Birmingham to the city of Truro are around 7-8 hours
Many tour operators offer coach holidays to Cornwall, contact your local travel agent for details.
For information on public transport, including local bus timetables, once you are in Cornwall, Click here.
To plan your journey in advance, journey planning websites such as Traveline South West can be useful.
If you are bringing a coach to Cornwall, did you know Cornwall Council now offers a weekly coach rover ticket. This is available for all car parks where coaches are permitted and costs £15 for 24 hours or £50 for 7 days and £35 for 4 days. These can be obtained by creating an account to use the ZatPermit system.
Travel to Cornwall by air
Flying to Cornwall can offer an attractive alternative to the long and sometimes frustrating journey by train or car.
Newquay Airport is served by a variety of routes from across the UK and beyond. For more information, please visit the Cornwall Airport Newquay Website or call +44 (0)1637 860600 or e-mail Info@newquaycornwallairport.com
The Airport offers year-round onward connectivity to the Isles of Scilly with Skybus.
Exeter Airport is also withing easy reach of Cornwall via the A30 and A38.
Travel to Cornwall by ferry Travelling across the Channel from France to the UK can take as little time as 35 minutes on the Eurotunnel from Calais to Folkestone and just 1 hour and 20 minutes on one of the ferry services between France and Dover.
Plymouth is the closest ferry port to Cornwall, being just across the River Tamar. Brittany Ferries offer services from Roscoff in France and Santander in Northern Spain into Plymouth as well as further services from France and Spain into Portsmouth and Poole.
Bodmin is a town, and for many years was the County town of Cornwall. It was here that the courts and jail were and the Church of St Petroc was the largest religious building in Cornwall until Truro Cathedral was built at the end of the 19th century.
Bodmin is in the middle of Cornwall, so easily placed to get to beaches on both the south and north coast. The beaches around the Camel estuary at Padstow and Polzeath are probably closest, being about a 20 minute drive. On the south coast the family friendly resort of Looe is about half an hour away and there are also nice beaches around St Austell.
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