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Anyone familar with Penzance?

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sn1975

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Hi,

I'm planning a trip to Penzance this summer - does anyone have any recommendations for a place to stay and for places to eat and visit whilst I am there?

Many thanks.
 
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rmt4ever

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Not in the town itself but a short distance away in Marizon (beautiful place) there is this fantastic hotel http://www.mounthaven.co.uk/

Lovely rooms, great views, amazing food in the restaurant ! Very friendly staff.

Also if arriving on the sleeper, let them know. They will try to have your room ready early for you.
 

richw

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What kind of food are you looking for? Penzance meadery offer old fashioned good food, directly opposite the station. Very reasonably priced and massive portions. Also it is a must to try their Cornish mead if you visit.

There's a KFC/ Mcds/ Tesco/ Morrison's situated about 1/2 mile from station on the way into marazion if that's your kind of thing.

There are 100s of seafood restaurants due to the proximity to newlyn.

There's a wetherspoons at the top of the high street.

I can't think of any conventional restaurants though.
Not able to suggest accomodation as I live about 10 miles away so have never had the need. If you venture to hayle there is an Italian restaurant called Italian Kitchen which is superb
 

bb21

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What are your price ranges?

Last time I stayed overnight at Penzance, we stayed at Penrose guest house. Lovely owners and only 5 minutes walk from the station. Nice and clean and very well run. A little bit on the pricey side though as a family room cost us £80 a night.
 

yorksrob

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I found the Turks Head just up the hill in the town excellent for food and ale. Also, there are a good chippie and curry house along the seafront before you get to Newlyn.

And if you can manage a trip a bit further afield, the pub around the coast in Mousholes is pretty good too. .
 

Drsatan

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If you don't mind a 25 minute walk from the station, there's a YMCA Youth Hostel in Penzance. For upwards of £10 a night you get a bed and a light breakfast.
 

Requeststop

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Depends on how far you want to go out of Penzance. In the town, if it's a decent day, take your pasty to Morrab Gardens. Take the back road journey on the bus to St. Ives, passing via Gulval, Nancledra, with some great views of both the north and south coast and the Penwith moors.

Trencrom, above my home village of Lelant gives you great views of St.Ives Bay, The Atlantic, and Mounts Bay.

Sink your teeth into an extra large slice of Saffron Cake with lashings of Cornish butter spread over the slice. Fish, fish, fish and fish with some seafood on the side, especially local scallops, mussels, crab and if you can afford it some local lobster. Thunder and Lightening; I was given this as a treat by my mother if I'd been a good lad helping out in the kitchen with the bread and clotted cream. Thunder and Lightening? A thick slice of freshly baked bread, smothered with clotted cream, again freshly made, and a drizzle of treacle over the cream. Better than any bar of chocolate, believe me.

As to hotels, I still have friends in Penzance to stay with so I cannot help with experience, but, the Cliff Hotel overlooks Penzance station and I suppose with the right room, you can watch the rail traffic pass in and out the station. It was owned by a Mrs. Rodda aka the Dragon, but I have not heard of her for years now.

I also recommend a trip over to the Scillies, though the chopper service is sadly no more so if you decide to go make sure you take your sea legs with you.
 
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Greenback

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We always have a 'proper' Cornish pasty from a bakery on the main street in Penzance, but we have never stayed there overnight, so I can't offer any suggestions for accommodation.

But I urge anyone to try a pasty there, even if you take it with you on the train for the journey home. Mrs Greenback described it as bit like a Sunday dinner covered in pastry!
 

richw

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Greenback, as long as you aren't referring to warrens, by far an embarrassment to us Cornish, nearly as bad as ginsters. Phelps are by far the best, a branch in marazion and 2 in hayle (either side of the rail station
 

Greenback

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Greenback, as long as you aren't referring to warrens, by far an embarrassment to us Cornish, nearly as bad as ginsters. Phelps are by far the best, a branch in marazion and 2 in hayle (either side of the rail station

Can't remember what the bakery was called - there were a few bakeries that we saw but this one only had a couple of pasty's left, so we took that as a good sign of their popularity!
 

Requeststop

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Can't remember what the bakery was called - there were a few bakeries that we saw but this one only had a couple of pasty's left, so we took that as a good sign of their popularity!

Good rule of thumb! A proper Cornish pasty is made with beef. Chuck or Skirt. Non of this Pork and Apple, Crab, Chillie Chicken, Vegetarian rubbish, which are the equivalent of a Pacer to my point of view.

By the way, I have no idea as to how long you intend to stay in the Penzance area, but there is the Minnack Theatre at Porthcurno, always a great evening out but take a good cushion, a blanket, a flask of coffee (with some alcohol added) and a decent umbrella. A visit to Bottallack to see the Crowns. (Magical) and to Zennor for the Mermaids Church and lunch at the Tinners Arms, and the best Newlyn Crab sandwiches.
 

sn1975

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Many thanks for all the replies and apologies for my delayed reply.

I hope for my trip to be sometime during July, August or September (at the latest). Not sure yet on how long I am going to stay in Penzance - this depends on how much money I can raise and the cost of travel and accommodation.

My main reason for the trip is to travel on the Night Riviera sleeper and hopefully returning first class on an HST - neither on which I have ever travelled on.

I've been planning a trip on one of the sleepers for this summer and I have decided on the Night Riviera due to my love of Cornwall.

Originally, I thought about travelling down to Penzance on the sleeper and then returning the same day but this seems like a tremendous waste and I was wondering where I could leave any luggage whilst I explored Penzance, so therefore I have decided to stay for a least one night, possibly longer, before returning.

Unfortunately, my budget is a little bit restricted - I'm aware that Cornwall can be an expensive place to visit and I am hoping to get an idea of how much I need to save up. I usually pay around £35 per night B&B, but that's in Lincolnshire, which I appreciate is a bit different to Cornwall :)

The Mount Haven hotel looks really nice but sadly might be beyond my budget on this occasion but will be noted for a future visit. Sorry, I should have said that my budget is "fairly" limited :) I have very roughly estimated about £200-£300 for the train tickets.

Is there anywhere like Premier Inn, Travelodge, or Holiday Inn in Penzance? If not, I will probably choose a B&B, possibly with evening meal.

Food-wise - the Penzance Meadery is definitely being considered - thanks, richw - and pasties and clotted cream are very much on the agenda :)

Unfortunately, I am reliant on public transport - what are the regular rail / bus services like to/from Penzance? Had a bit of a shock the last time I stayed in Lincolnshire when I'm used to buses every few minutes! Tried to get from Market Rasen station to Louth to visit a relative when there is only one bus a day!

I have been fortunate to visit Cornwall twice before with my parents by car, but not by train yet. We visited Padstow, Newquay, Mevagissey and St. Austell and Fowey amongst other places - the furthest "south" I've been so far is Newquay.

Would love to visit the Scillies at some point too, but not sure if I can stretch to that on this occasion.

Considering that I will be walking or using local transport would Marazion, Newlyn, Hayle, Mousehoule, Porthcurno etc. be within walking distance or do they have usable transport? How do the above compare to Padstow, Mevagissey and Fowey?


Apologies for the long post and thanks again.
 

yorksrob

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Considering that I will be walking or using local transport would Marazion, Newlyn, Hayle, Mousehoule, Porthcurno etc. be within walking distance or do they have usable transport? How do the above compare to Padstow, Mevagissey and Fowey?


Apologies for the long post and thanks again.

Marazion is probably walkable, Newlyn definately is. Moushole, is quite a way but I'm sure there is a bus. Not sure about the other two.
 

Laryk

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Considering that I will be walking or using local transport would Marazion, Newlyn, Hayle, Mousehoule, Porthcurno etc. be within walking distance or do they have usable transport? How do the above compare to Padstow, Mevagissey and Fowey?

  • Marazion is ~2 miles from the Station on the coast path next to the railway. A very enjoyable walk.
  • Newlyn is ~1.5 miles from the Station.
  • Hayle has a good bus service (14/18/19 by First Devon & Cornwall).
  • Mousehole sees a 1/2 hourly service from the 5/6 by First D&C
  • Porthcurno (and Land's End) has the 300 (open top) the 1 (First D&C) and the 501 (Western Greyhound) all every 2 hours.

Note: A day ticket for First is currently £7.20.
 

Yew

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Pasties and clotted cream of course! :roll:

Only joking.;)
Or am I? :lol:

If its anything like newquay, the best place to go for a Cornish cream tea will be spoons, decent portion sizes for a decent price, instead of being ripped off on the seafront.
 

richw

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As you mention on a budget, unsure if appropriate for you but there is a youth hostel about 25 mins walk from the station. A friend stayed there last year and paid around £20 a night in peak August.

http://www.yha.org.uk/hostel/penzance

Its also rated 4 1/2 stars on trip advisor which sounds good for what it is.

b &b wise you will struggle to get anything less than £60 a night. Nearest travelodge and premier inn are at Hayle

Travelodge Hayle are giving price of £76 mid week in August,
Premier Inn Hayle £99 a night also mid week in August.
 

Requeststop

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my love of Cornwall. - and pasties and clotted cream are very much on the agenda :)

Unfortunately, I am reliant on public transport - what are the regular rail / bus services like to/from Penzance?

Would love to visit the Scillies at some point too, but not sure if I can stretch to that on this occasion.

Considering that I will be walking or using local transport would Marazion, Newlyn, Hayle, Mousehoule, Porthcurno etc. be within walking distance or do they have usable transport? How do the above compare to Padstow, Mevagissey and Fowey?

You lovely fella!

OK Bus routes out of Penzance.

Route 1 and 1A go from Penzance to Lands End
Route 2 goes to Helston and Falmouth both worth a visit. Helston for a pint or few at the Blue Anchor. Falmouth for a visit to the National Maritime museum. (You may want to consider going to Falmouth by bus and returning on the river to Malpas/Truro and then to train it back to Penzance.
Route 16 is to St Ives via Gulval and Nancledra as I posted earlier.
Route 17 is to St Ives via St Erth, Lelant and Carbis Bay and is the same route as the train.
Route 300 is St.Ives to Lands End over the B3306 passing by Zennor, Morvah, Pendeen, St. Just on the way. If the double decker is on duty you get some fantastic views of my favorite part of the Cornish coast.

Don't forget that you can get a Cornish Rail pass for cheap(ish) journeys within Cornwall and even (spit's on the floor) to Plymouth.

How does Marazion, Newlyn, Hayle, Mousehoule, Porthcurno etc. compare to Padstow, Mevagissey and Fowey?

Quieter for one, though I do have a soft spot for Fowey and Polruan. Coming from Lelant I have often wished for Hayle to be totally eradicated from the planet, but to be honest it's the caravan sites I wish were not there. If you do walk to Mousehole, consider walking a but further around the coast to Lamorna.

Hope you have a great holiday and have fantastic weather too. :)
 

richw

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You lovely fella!
.
Route 300 is St.Ives to Lands End over the B3306 passing by Zennor, Morvah, Pendeen, St. Just on the way. If the double decker is on duty you get some fantastic views of my favorite part of the Cornish coast.

Its rota-ed to be an open top double decker on the summer timetable for the 300. Last summer it was packed everyday.
I also believe it to be one of the few commercially registered services First operate in Cornwall.
 

Greenback

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Its rota-ed to be an open top double decker on the summer timetable for the 300. Last summer it was packed everyday.
I also believe it to be one of the few commercially registered services First operate in Cornwall.

We wer eon it in 2010, and it wa san open top bus then. It was very busy, and I'm not surprised, one of the most scenic bus rides we've done!
 

richw

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The 2013 timetable suggests the service is not a through trip now

300: LANDS END - ST IVES ( First )
Via St Just - Zennor - with connection to Penaznce

http://www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/dev...vice=300&routeid=7479711&operator=6&source=sp

On a side note First seriously need to get there website proof read. Penaznce and Explorere stand out!

I understand there are 4 Alexander RV Volvo B10Ms OR D10ms Citybuses D***GHY, Volvo Olympian Northern Counties Palatine 2 34137 (which is the one that hit the bridge at Falmouth Town around 18 months ago and K626LAE Leyland Olympian Northern Counties Palatine 1 34626 currently in 300 livery
 
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jnjkerbin

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Goldfish62

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I travelled this route last summer and I believe the timetable showed it this way then but it was one bus throughout. It is well worth a ride though - go up top if you can!

It is a through route -it's an advertised split to meet drivers' hours rules.
 

causton

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Another one of these stupid EU rulings?
Probably explains why Falmouth to Newquay is now Falmouth to Truro to Newquay as well

Yep, lots of those round here, like the Uno 635 "with connection to Stansted Airport" on route 700 - which of course means that when the destination blinds don't work they just put a piece of card up with both route numbers on :P
 

richw

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Yep, lots of those round here, like the Uno 635 "with connection to Stansted Airport" on route 700 - which of course means that when the destination blinds don't work they just put a piece of card up with both route numbers on :P

Falmouth to truro to newquay is 88 Falmouth to truro and then becomes 88b truro to newquay!

Back to op is Penzance a must or other locations in Cornwall where sleeper can set him down and hst pick him up to return a possibility? Just thinking potential alternatives to Penzance.
 

sn1975

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is Penzance a must or other locations in Cornwall where sleeper can set him down and hst pick him up to return a possibility? Just thinking potential alternatives to Penzance.

Thanks for the suggestion but I think I've got my heart set on Penzance. Also, bearing in mind that my main reason for this trip is to travel on the Night Riviera, I'd prefer to do the whole journey.
 

richw

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Thanks for the suggestion but I think I've got my heart set on Penzance. Also, bearing in mind that my main reason for this trip is to travel on the Night Riviera, I'd prefer to do the whole journey.

I was thinking once you arrived at penzance jump on another train and get somewhere else to stay.
 
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