Corners of Cornwall (Self-Launched)
8 days · Cornwall & South West England
Back-Roads Touring charges £2,900
No-markup version: ~£1,180 per person
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
An independent, self-launched version of the 8-day "Corners of Cornwall" tour — doing the same loop (London → Wells → Dartmoor → Port Isaac → Padstow → Falmouth → St Michael's Mount → St Ives → Tregothnan → St Austell Bay → Lyme Regis → Salisbury → London) using public trains, buses and self-booked guesthouses and hostels instead of a guided minicoach and 4-star hotels. Costs are rough per-person estimates in GBP for a budget-to-midrange solo traveller; book trains early (advance single fares) to hit the lower end.
Day-by-day
London arrival & East London street art
London
Arrive in London and settle into a hostel or budget hotel handy to Paddington or Waterloo (best for onward trains west). Spend the afternoon as a self-launched wanderer: walk the East London street-art circuit around Brick Lane and Shoreditch, dip into the Whitechapel Gallery, and browse Spitalfields Market. In the evening try a proper London pub or a market food hall — no welcome dinner required, but Brick Lane's curry houses are the classic group-friendly starter. Book your train west tonight for an early departure tomorrow.
🚌Arrival by tube/DLR from the airport (Oyster/contactless, £3-6). Local travel by bus/tube, £5-8
🛏Hostel dorm or budget hotel near Paddington/Waterloo, £25-45
- →Brick Lane & Shoreditch street-art walk
- →Spitalfields & Whitechapel galleries
- →Borough or Camden market food crawl
London to Wells, then into Dartmoor
Wells & Dartmoor
Take a Great Western Railway train from London Paddington to Castle Cary, then a local bus or short taxi to Wells (~1hr). Explore Wells Cathedral (entrance donation ~£8 for the recommended visitor route), the medieval Vicars' Close and the Bishop's Palace gardens. Late afternoon, continue by train via Castle Cary/Exeter to Okehampton or Newton Abbot for Dartmoor. Stay in a Dartmoor village guesthouse — Chagford, Widecombe or Okehampton all work. This is the longest travel day, so book advance singles.
🚌GWR advance single London-Castle Cary ~£20-35; local bus to Wells ~£3; onward train to Okehampton/Newton Abbot ~£10-15
🛏Dartmoor village guesthouse or bunkhouse, £30-50
- →Wells Cathedral & Vicars' Close
- →Bishop's Palace gardens
- →Evening moorland walk from the village
Dartmoor to Port Isaac, Padstow & Falmouth
Dartmoor, Port Isaac, Padstow, Falmouth
A long but rewarding hop. Cross the moor early, then catch a train or bus up to the north coast. Base yourself around Wadebridge/Camelford or use the 96/55 buses to reach Port Isaac (Doc Martin's village) for the harbour and cliff walk, then Padstow for a proper Cornish cream tea and a wander round the independent shops by the Camel estuary. Consider the open-top Atlantic Coaster bus for clifftop coastal views. End the day on the train to Falmouth (change at Truro), where you'll sleep three nights.
🚌Bus/train Dartmoor-Port Isaac/Padstow ~£12-18; Padstow-Falmouth via Truro ~£12-16
🛏Falmouth hostel or seaside guesthouse, £28-48
- →Port Isaac harbour and Doc Martin walk
- →Padstow cream tea and harbour
- →Atlantic Coaster scenic bus ride
St Michael's Mount & St Ives
Marazion & St Ives
From Falmouth take the train to Penzance, then the short local train or bus to Marazion for St Michael's Mount. Walk the causeway at low tide (free) or take the ferry (~£5 return) at high tide; the castle and garden entry is around £18-25. Afternoon, head to St Ives on the branch-line train — one of the loveliest little railway journeys in England. Explore the Tate St Ives (£12) and the Barbara Hepworth studio, then grab a pint at the 14th-century Sloop Inn and a Cornish pasty by the harbour.
🚌Falmouth-Penzance train ~£8-12; Marazion local hop ~£3; Penzance-St Ives branch line ~£6-9
🛏Falmouth hostel or seaside guesthouse, £28-48
- →St Michael's Mount causeway and castle
- →Tate St Ives & Barbara Hepworth Museum
- →Sloop Inn pint and harbour pasty
Tregothnan Estate & St Austell Bay
Tregothnan & St Austell Bay
Head back up to Truro, and pre-book a Tregothnan Estate tour (seasonal, check dates; ~£35-45 including cream tea) — Britain's only commercial tea plantation, near Tresillian. Tours run on selected days and sell out, so book direct online well ahead. After the tea, travel by train to St Austell and on to your St Austell Bay base for two nights. Evening: seafood and a sunset over the bay.
🚌Falmouth-Truro train ~£5; local transport to Tregothnan ~£8-12; Truro-St Austell train ~£8-12
🛏St Austell Bay budget hotel or guesthouse, £30-50
- →Tregothnan Estate tea plantation tour with cream tea
- →Cornish tea tasting
- →St Austell Bay evening walk
Charlestown, the Eden Project & Poldark country
St Austell Bay
A self-launched free day. Walk or bus to Charlestown harbour — a UNESCO World Heritage port and the most-used Poldark and period-drama filming location, with a small shipwreck museum and excellent dairy ice cream. In the afternoon take the bus to the Eden Project (£30-38 entry, book online for a discount) and spend hours inside the biomes. Or keep it cheap: coastal path walks, a hangout by the shore, and a lunch of fish and chips.
🚌Local buses St Austell-Charlestown-Eden ~£8-12
🛏St Austell Bay budget hotel or guesthouse, £30-50
- →Charlestown harbour and Poldark filming spots
- →Eden Project biomes
- →Coastal path walk
Devon & Dorset: Buckfast, Lyme Regis, Salisbury
Buckfastleigh, Lyme Regis, Salisbury
Travel east with changes at Newton Abbot/Exeter. Optional stop at Buckfast Abbey (free entry) if the schedule lines up. Push on to Lyme Regis on the Jurassic Coast — fossil-hunt on the beach, walk the Cobb harbour wall, and browse the town's lanes. Then continue by train to Salisbury for the night (change at Exeter, or bus to Axminster for the train).
🚌St Austell-Exeter-Lyme Regis (Riviera Line + local) ~£20-30; Lyme Regis-Salisbury via Axminster ~£12-18
🛏Salisbury hostel or guesthouse, £30-50
- →Buckfast Abbey
- →Fossil-hunting on Lyme Regis beach
- →The Cobb harbour wall walk
- →Jurassic Coast views
Salisbury Cathedral & back to London
Salisbury & London
Morning at Salisbury Cathedral (entrance ~£11-13, or free to attend a service) — see the best-preserved copy of Magna Carta and, if you're up early, the tower tour (~£15, book ahead). Wander the close and the charter market, then take a direct South Western Railway train back to London Waterloo in about 90 minutes. Trip ends on arrival.
🚌Salisbury-London Waterloo train ~£15-35 (direct, ~1h30)
🛏Not included — onward booking or return home
- →Salisbury Cathedral and Magna Carta
- →Cathedral Close and charter market
- →Tower tour (optional)
Self-launched vs. Back-Roads Touring
| This itinerary (self-launched) | Back-Roads Touring | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ~£1,180 | £2,900 |
| Duration | 8 days | 8 days |
| Who books it | You and your group, direct | Tour operator, guided group |
| Savings | £1,720 per person (59%) | |
Estimate only, not a guaranteed price. Always verify costs independently before booking.
Want to see more Back-Roads Touring-style trips? Check them out here.~£1,180
estimated per person
You never pay Travel Crew for this — you pay hostels, transport, and activity providers directly, the same as if you'd booked it all yourself.
This publishes your dates so other travellers can find and join you — no tour operator needed.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does Corners of Cornwall (Self-Launched) cost?+
Doing it yourself with this self-launched itinerary costs an estimated £1,180 per person for 8 days in Cornwall & South West England. This is an AI-generated estimate based on typical budget-traveller prices — actual costs will vary by season and how you book.
Is this cheaper than booking with Back-Roads Touring?+
Yes — Back-Roads Touring charges around £2,900 per person for a similar tour. Doing the same route independently, using the same standard of accommodation and activities, costs an estimated £1,180 — a saving of roughly £1,720 (59%) per person.
How long is the Cornwall & South West England trip?+
This itinerary runs 8 days, covering 8 day-by-day stops through Cornwall & South West England.
How do I join this trip?+
You can join an existing open departure using this itinerary if one is scheduled, or launch your own departure with your own dates and invite other travellers to join you — no tour operator required.
Isn't it easier to just use a tour operator?+
Well, yes, a tour operator will book all the individual parts of your travel for you and provide a guide. That's obvious, but doing this has the potential to save the group thousands, which can in turn improve your itinerary substantially or save you huge amounts of money. Also, when you launch a departure, Travel Crew has tools in place to help you book the individual sections of the trip or make it easier for you to do this as a group. Really, you do not need a middle man. If you are more comfortable paying more and using a middle man, then you should certainly do this.
Is it safer to book through a tour operator?+
Arguably, there isn't much difference. A self-launched trip runs on the same principle as a group travel crew: collective responsibility, everyone looking out for each other, the same way it would if a group of friends organised the trip themselves — because that's exactly what's happening. You should always take out travel insurance before you go, self-launched or not; that doesn't change either way. Every open departure is published publicly with real dates and a real trip organiser, so it's never an anonymous arrangement, and our support team is reachable any time you need help, including in an emergency while you're away. Longer-term, we're building direct relationships with ground DMCs in popular destinations, offered as an optional paid add-on for extra on-the-ground support. Ultimately, though, the group is responsible for its own conduct and safety on a self-launched trip, same as on any trip you plan yourself.
What kind of trip is this?+
This is a culture, slow-travel, budget trip through Cornwall & South West England, self-launched rather than run by a tour operator — you organise it with a group you find or bring yourself.
Would you like to name the operator, name the trip, or have any suggestions about how to improve this itinerary?
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