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| The 2007 Trip to Redruth, Cornwall, UK |
I lasted visited England in 1983, and it was strictly a
vacation. From early morning to late in the evening; I
saw London from top to bottom in nine days. I
walked an average 4 to 6 miles each day, but I was
younger and in far better shape. I did look into
making a side trip to Redruth, but there was no air
service to Cornwall at that time and if you took a
train or bus it would take a whole day to get there.
Round trip I would have lost at least 2 days from the
9 days I expected to be there.
With hindsight I should have made time for a side
trip as the England and Cornwall of today is not the
same as in the 80's. English culture today has a
more international flavor, which has diminished the
traditional ways and manners.
This trip was planned for research and discovery. I
wanted to see Redruth with my own eyes, walk the
streets that Peter walked, find the family store, or
it's location. Search the parish records for births,
marriages, and deaths. Check property records and
wills. Add more to my information pool on my
fathers family.
In 1983 I planned my trip from travel literature from
the British Travel Board and a guide book from
American Express. I flew on blind faith, I had no idea
what the small B & B in London looked like before I
got there. This visit my itinerary, lodging, and
appointments were all done on the Internet. I had
everything set up months before I ever left the US.
Here's a tip, when surfing for the best air fare,
search and book during regular office hours,
weekdays. I found that the great air fare to England
quoted during lunch at work, had increased by 30%
when I went to book it later that night from home.
I waited till the next day and purchased tickets
online for slightly less then the previous day's lunch
time quote. I saved over $200 bucks.
vacation. From early morning to late in the evening; I
saw London from top to bottom in nine days. I
walked an average 4 to 6 miles each day, but I was
younger and in far better shape. I did look into
making a side trip to Redruth, but there was no air
service to Cornwall at that time and if you took a
train or bus it would take a whole day to get there.
Round trip I would have lost at least 2 days from the
9 days I expected to be there.
With hindsight I should have made time for a side
trip as the England and Cornwall of today is not the
same as in the 80's. English culture today has a
more international flavor, which has diminished the
traditional ways and manners.
This trip was planned for research and discovery. I
wanted to see Redruth with my own eyes, walk the
streets that Peter walked, find the family store, or
it's location. Search the parish records for births,
marriages, and deaths. Check property records and
wills. Add more to my information pool on my
fathers family.
In 1983 I planned my trip from travel literature from
the British Travel Board and a guide book from
American Express. I flew on blind faith, I had no idea
what the small B & B in London looked like before I
got there. This visit my itinerary, lodging, and
appointments were all done on the Internet. I had
everything set up months before I ever left the US.
Here's a tip, when surfing for the best air fare,
search and book during regular office hours,
weekdays. I found that the great air fare to England
quoted during lunch at work, had increased by 30%
when I went to book it later that night from home.
I waited till the next day and purchased tickets
online for slightly less then the previous day's lunch
time quote. I saved over $200 bucks.
| Click the plane to go to Delta's website |
| Hancock International Airport Syracuse, NY |
| Click the map to go to Hancock's web site |
| Click To Visit |
| BBA Gatwick, London, UK Official Airport Website |
| Airport Website |
| Official Website |
I picked Delta because the coach seat on the flight to Gatwick was one inch wider then any other carrier.
It turned out to be an excellent decision, I was really surprised with not only the plane, but the quality of
service. On the flight over the Atlantic, the seats were comfortable with reasonable leg room, without
the closed in feeling I experienced on the 1983 flight. On my seat when I boarded I found a throw
blanket, pillow, ear plugs, audio headset, and eye shades; and it's a discount coach seat. They also kept
us well fed with plenty of liquids, we even had a choice of wine or beer with dinner, gratis. Granted it's
not 5 star dining, not even 2 star, but for less then $570 I flew round trip from Syracuse, NY to England
and back. I would fly Delta again, it was a positive experience.
The last time I flew anywhere was in 1991, so I didn't know what to expect from the new post 9/11 airport
security. You hear all the horror stories, and I tried to anticipate possible problems, and delays. I had to
buy new luggage as there are more limits as to the number and size of hand carried and checked bags
then 20 years ago. I made sure that my laptop, scanner, digital camera, and other the items in my walk
on baggage were packed in such a way that they could be removed and examined with ease. I had no
problems getting them through the check points here or in England. The metal in my suspenders caused
more of a problem with security, I had pat downs twice because of them, both times in the US; security
check points in the UK didn't pay them much attention.
I didn't need to get to Hancock Airport in Syracuse, NY, 3 hours before my flight to NYC to connect with
the plane to England. I was not flying during a holiday season, the airport was not very crowded, so one
hour to 1-1/2 hour to check in and go through security would have been plenty of time. But we sat on the
runway in Syracuse for close to two hours because of congestion at the JFK airport. Lots of free
peanuts and soft drinks while we waited, but the delay prevented me from connecting with my booked
flight to England. Luckily there was another flight going to Gatwick that evening so I didn't miss my
connection to Cornwall the next morning.
It turned out to be an excellent decision, I was really surprised with not only the plane, but the quality of
service. On the flight over the Atlantic, the seats were comfortable with reasonable leg room, without
the closed in feeling I experienced on the 1983 flight. On my seat when I boarded I found a throw
blanket, pillow, ear plugs, audio headset, and eye shades; and it's a discount coach seat. They also kept
us well fed with plenty of liquids, we even had a choice of wine or beer with dinner, gratis. Granted it's
not 5 star dining, not even 2 star, but for less then $570 I flew round trip from Syracuse, NY to England
and back. I would fly Delta again, it was a positive experience.
The last time I flew anywhere was in 1991, so I didn't know what to expect from the new post 9/11 airport
security. You hear all the horror stories, and I tried to anticipate possible problems, and delays. I had to
buy new luggage as there are more limits as to the number and size of hand carried and checked bags
then 20 years ago. I made sure that my laptop, scanner, digital camera, and other the items in my walk
on baggage were packed in such a way that they could be removed and examined with ease. I had no
problems getting them through the check points here or in England. The metal in my suspenders caused
more of a problem with security, I had pat downs twice because of them, both times in the US; security
check points in the UK didn't pay them much attention.
I didn't need to get to Hancock Airport in Syracuse, NY, 3 hours before my flight to NYC to connect with
the plane to England. I was not flying during a holiday season, the airport was not very crowded, so one
hour to 1-1/2 hour to check in and go through security would have been plenty of time. But we sat on the
runway in Syracuse for close to two hours because of congestion at the JFK airport. Lots of free
peanuts and soft drinks while we waited, but the delay prevented me from connecting with my booked
flight to England. Luckily there was another flight going to Gatwick that evening so I didn't miss my
connection to Cornwall the next morning.
In 1983 I never thought of being able to take
a local flight to Cornwall from London, the
information was not readily available in the
US. The Internet changed all that I was able
to check time tables and fares for the three
major types of public transportation, air,
bus, and rail; all from home. Air won hands
down, half the price, and I was at my
lodgings in Turo by 3PM instead of 9PM and
spending the whole day on a bus or train.
a local flight to Cornwall from London, the
information was not readily available in the
US. The Internet changed all that I was able
to check time tables and fares for the three
major types of public transportation, air,
bus, and rail; all from home. Air won hands
down, half the price, and I was at my
lodgings in Turo by 3PM instead of 9PM and
spending the whole day on a bus or train.
I wanted to get a rental car while I was in Cornwall, but the rates for Americans were so unattractive,
I decided to use local buses and cabs instead. Considering how twisting and narrow the roads are,
and the odd double one way streets (some parts of a street become so narrow that a vehicle going in
one direction may have to stop and wait until a vehicle coming from the opposite direction clears that
super narrow section of road) that are so common; I feel I made the right decision. On the Internet I
was able to have a cab waiting for me at the Newquay airport, that took me to the door of my B&B for
half the normal rate.
I decided to use local buses and cabs instead. Considering how twisting and narrow the roads are,
and the odd double one way streets (some parts of a street become so narrow that a vehicle going in
one direction may have to stop and wait until a vehicle coming from the opposite direction clears that
super narrow section of road) that are so common; I feel I made the right decision. On the Internet I
was able to have a cab waiting for me at the Newquay airport, that took me to the door of my B&B for
half the normal rate.
At first I was going to stay in Redruth, but Turo had a better selection
of guest houses, cafés, bars, and two major genealogical research
sites; the Cornwall County Record Office , and the Cornwall Family
History Society.
I picked the Donnington to stay at as it was really close to the
Cornwall Record Office, about a five minute walk. The railroad station,
and bus stops were also nearby. A round trip day fare for the train
from Turo to Redruth was only $5 bucks, and the ride was under 15
minutes. The bus to Redruth, was a 45 minutes ride and the fare was
only 50 cents cheaper. The Donnington was very reasonable, I paid
$60/night, for a single room with a full English breakfast.
And I have to say their breakfasts were grand, better then any other
B&B I've ever stayed at, and far nicer then the breakfast bar/buffet
provided at many stateside hotels/motels. Made to order, hot, filling,
delicious, worth at least $10 dollars; one day they even made me
kippers. And with my breakfast I usually had stimulating
conversations with some of the other travelers staying there.
It's quiet, clean, warm, with decent service from the staff, but the
rooms are quite plain, and small, this is not a fancy place. I had a full
bed with a firm mattress, crisp white sheets, plenty of pillows, and a
comfy comforter. The room came with an electric kettle, packets of
tea, coffee, and snacks, even real glass coffee cups with SS spoons.
They had a spring water cooler out in the hall which really came in
handy. If you need to be within walking of the Record Office, it's the
place to stay. I took a few pictures of the rooms, you can see them
with comments by clicking on the button to the left.
of guest houses, cafés, bars, and two major genealogical research
sites; the Cornwall County Record Office , and the Cornwall Family
History Society.
I picked the Donnington to stay at as it was really close to the
Cornwall Record Office, about a five minute walk. The railroad station,
and bus stops were also nearby. A round trip day fare for the train
from Turo to Redruth was only $5 bucks, and the ride was under 15
minutes. The bus to Redruth, was a 45 minutes ride and the fare was
only 50 cents cheaper. The Donnington was very reasonable, I paid
$60/night, for a single room with a full English breakfast.
And I have to say their breakfasts were grand, better then any other
B&B I've ever stayed at, and far nicer then the breakfast bar/buffet
provided at many stateside hotels/motels. Made to order, hot, filling,
delicious, worth at least $10 dollars; one day they even made me
kippers. And with my breakfast I usually had stimulating
conversations with some of the other travelers staying there.
It's quiet, clean, warm, with decent service from the staff, but the
rooms are quite plain, and small, this is not a fancy place. I had a full
bed with a firm mattress, crisp white sheets, plenty of pillows, and a
comfy comforter. The room came with an electric kettle, packets of
tea, coffee, and snacks, even real glass coffee cups with SS spoons.
They had a spring water cooler out in the hall which really came in
handy. If you need to be within walking of the Record Office, it's the
place to stay. I took a few pictures of the rooms, you can see them
with comments by clicking on the button to the left.
It's 3 pm, I've been on the go for almost 24
hours with only a few cat naps, so I didn't even
unpack, I just hit the bed and caught up with
some well deserved sleep. Few hours later I
woke up and went looking for something to eat.
There is a sports club across from the
Donnington that has a pub that serves food
and drink, I checked it out but my feeling was
that it was more for heavy drinking then
dining, so I went looking elsewhere. A 5 minute
walk down the block is a huge Sainsbury
Super Market, that has everything you can find
in a upscale market here in the states, plus it
had a sit down restaurant with a decent menu
and reasonable prices. The restaurant had
just closed so I had to settle for a couple of
gourmet sandwiches, a salad, and a bottle of
ice cold lager that I brought back to my room.
hours with only a few cat naps, so I didn't even
unpack, I just hit the bed and caught up with
some well deserved sleep. Few hours later I
woke up and went looking for something to eat.
There is a sports club across from the
Donnington that has a pub that serves food
and drink, I checked it out but my feeling was
that it was more for heavy drinking then
dining, so I went looking elsewhere. A 5 minute
walk down the block is a huge Sainsbury
Super Market, that has everything you can find
in a upscale market here in the states, plus it
had a sit down restaurant with a decent menu
and reasonable prices. The restaurant had
just closed so I had to settle for a couple of
gourmet sandwiches, a salad, and a bottle of
ice cold lager that I brought back to my room.
| Click on the map above to go to Truro Maps |
When I finished dinner, I unpacked, watched a little
Brit TV, and went to bed. The major disadvantage of
the Donnington it that it is not close to the shopping
and dining sections of Truro. I took taxi's downtown,
and to the bus and rail stations. If you are not there
for family research, or have a car, you would be
better off getting a room closer to the center of town.
Speaking of taxi's, there are two types in Truro,
those with or without meters. I found that metered
taxi's were 10 to 30% CHEAPER then the unmetered
ones for the same ride based on time & distance,
before tip. You can arrange for a cab to pick you up,
or the folk at The Donnington will call one of the cab
companies for you; or you can pick one up at the rail
station or down by the Cathedral. All of the cabs that
I took had cards to hand out with contact info, so
that when you find one that you really like, you can
call them direct.
Brit TV, and went to bed. The major disadvantage of
the Donnington it that it is not close to the shopping
and dining sections of Truro. I took taxi's downtown,
and to the bus and rail stations. If you are not there
for family research, or have a car, you would be
better off getting a room closer to the center of town.
Speaking of taxi's, there are two types in Truro,
those with or without meters. I found that metered
taxi's were 10 to 30% CHEAPER then the unmetered
ones for the same ride based on time & distance,
before tip. You can arrange for a cab to pick you up,
or the folk at The Donnington will call one of the cab
companies for you; or you can pick one up at the rail
station or down by the Cathedral. All of the cabs that
I took had cards to hand out with contact info, so
that when you find one that you really like, you can
call them direct.
| This boat is a floating florist shop, that can't go forward or reverse. The bridge behind it is 100% concrete and too low for this boat to float under, and in front is a bulkhead to a shopping plaza parking lot. |
| For additional trip photo's and info, so please click one of the buttons below. |
| For additional trip photo's and info, please click one of the buttons below. |
| Copyright 2008, A. R. Dawe |