St Austell



St Austell is a town in South Cornwall. Its main attraction is the Eden Project, a huge outdoor and indoor collection of plants from around the world. The town is also a centre of the Cornish china-clay industry.

By train
St Austell station stands on the Great Western main line from London Paddington to Penzance. Direct trains from London Paddington run every couple of hours, taking 5 hours via Reading, Exeter and Plymouth; other connections are available via Exeter. Trains continue west to Penzance hourly, taking one hour. One Cross-Country train per day is a direct service from Penzance to Sheffield, York, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

An overnight sleeper train, The Night Riviera, runs between London Paddington and Penzance, stopping at St Austell. It runs Sunday to Friday from Paddington around 11:30PM, reaching St Austell before 7AM (on Sunday before 8AM Monday). The return train leaves Penzance Su-F around 9:30PM, picking up at St Austell an hour later, to reach Paddington at 5AM; you can stay aboard until 7AM. Book via Great Western, with airline seats, or single or double sleeper cabins available.

Other nearby destinations along the main line, served by hourly trains between Penzance and Plymouth, are St Erth (for St Ives), Truro, Par (for Newquay), and Bodmin. See National Rail for times and fares; advance booking is usually much cheaper. A Ride Cornwall Ranger is good value for local travel. It allows unlimited off-peak travel within Cornwall, and between Cornwall and Plymouth, by all trains and most buses. "Off-peak" means M-F after 9AM, and all day Sa Su & holidays. An adult day-ticket is £13, children and concessions around £10.

By coach
National Express coaches run from St Austell via Truro to Penzance (3 per day, two hours). NX404 runs overnight from London Victoria (8 hr) via Heathrow Airport, Bath, Bristol Airport, Exeter, Torquay and Plymouth. NX315 runs daily along the south coast from Eastbourne via Brighton, Portsmouth, Southampton, Eastbourne, Exeter and Plymouth.

For local buses to Penzance, change at Truro. The bus & coach station is right outside the railway station, postcode PL25 4LA.

By car
St Austell is a 5 hour drive from London via M4, M5, A30 and finally A391. It's a long way and at some point you'll need to refuel. Don't be paying motorway prices, there's supermarket petrol at (amongst others) M5 jcn 28 (Cullompton Tesco) and A30 Bodmin (Asda, Launceston Rd).

For Penzance, continue west on A390 through Truro. For Newquay, go west on A3058. For Liskeard and Plymouth, go east on A390 then A38.

Get around
The town itself is walkable, but all the main attractions are some miles out, too far to traipse with children. See Eden Project listing for buses there.

Eat
Eating places are mostly central, around the bus station, with Chinese, Indian and fish & chips. There's a few more down Charlestown Rd by the harbour.

Sleep
Lots of hotels and guest-houses in St Austell, mostly along A390 on the south side of town, with another cluster near the railway station, and a strip down Charlestown Rd by the harbour.



Go next

 * Explore the nearby coast at Charlestown, Mevagissey, Par and Fowey.
 * St Columb Major is a small town in the hills, and Bodmin has an interesting castle.
 * Plymouth is an unlovely place, but your nearest option for city amenities.
 * Escape to the Isles of Scilly, which can be seen on a day-trip from Penzance.