There are some things I love about Christmas, and some I don’t. It’s certainly a season that comes with its fair share of fanfare, and like many festivals has been engulfed by commerce. One thing I do love is the decorations. Each year the box of memories comes out. There’s a little leather camel that […]
Festive Fun in Devon and Cornwall during November and December 2025
Christmas is fast approaching, read on to see what seasonal delights Devon and Cornwall have to offer at this festive time of year. Please check out the links for the most up-to-date information. Railway themed fun: The South Devon Railway – 28th November to 23rd December THE POLAR EXPRESS™ TRAIN RIDE AT SOUTH DEVON RAILWAY “This is more than […]
Why we should be giving away our billions
Or at least spending it locally… Inequality is a massive issue when it comes to climate change and social unrest. The wealthy, through their powerful media channels, are great at scapegoating the lower echelons of society. The truth is that the wealthiest are most likely to have the highest carbon footprint, through greater energy costs, […]
Our Railholiday Blog…
We’ve been having a very frustrating week here at Railholiday. We’d been setting up a WordPress website for our band Wurlitza on a two week trial, and found the system didn’t suit us. When we cancelled the trial on Monday our website host closed down our Railholiday blog site, rather than the band site. Our […]
How to explore Rame Head, Cawsand, Kingsand and Penlee Point
The area around Rame is stunning and perfect to explore by foot. The coastal footpath joins Mount Edgecumbe at Cremyll to Kingsand, then continues onwards to Rame and Whitsand Bay. This is complimented by a double decker bus (the number 70) that follows the coast road, before heading onwards to Torpoint, making it easy to […]
How to be a community player
We are so lucky in our area of Cornwall to have such vibrant communities. For me, being a part of the community is one of the greatest joys of living in a village. Being part of a community can lead to wonderful experiences, from playing at being a shop-keeper in the community shop, or pasty […]
How to build an empire. The story of Railholiday Part 2 – Unforeseen Challenges
The station was finally ours on the 4th of May 1992. Because we were getting married on the 18th of July and intended to move in on our wedding night, there was no time to lose in preparations. The day we completed the purchase we slept in sleeping bags on the floor of what would […]
How to build a railway empire. The story of Railholiday part 1 – All Enquiries for St Germans Station
Although the story of Railholiday officially began on the 20th June, 1998, when we welcomed our first guests into The Old Luggage Van, the true beginnings came much earlier than. Perhaps the story starts in April 1996 when Dave, on a train trip to Truro, spied a derelict carriage in a builder’s yard in Liskeard. Perhaps it starts […]
Love local and keep our town centres alive
Several years ago I decided to give up supermarkets for lent, then found it was so convenient I’ve stuck to it ever since. I have never regretted it, although I do allow myself some flexibility on special occasions if there’s something I simply cannot source anywhere else. This rarely happens. The majority of our food […]
Top tips for seeing snowdrops in the Tamar Valley
February is a wonderful time to visit The Tamar Valley. Not only is Cornwall famed for its early camellias, many of which will be in full bloom, but there’s the added attraction of snowdrops. Here are a few suggestions for some of the best places to see them. Formal Gardens Cotehele National Trust property Cotehele has marvellous […]
New Year’s resolutions. Who needs them?
Icouldn’t write a new year’s column without making some reference to resolutions. We all tend to make and break them. I resolved not to do new year resolutions a few years ago. However I do still give time for reflection, and think about the person I would like to be. I want to do my […]
Solidarity with those risking liberty to save the world
Do you have anything you feel really strongly about? Are there things that worry you about your future, or the future of your children and grandchildren? If so, how far would you go to try and save the situation? Would you risk your liberty? And if so, what would you risk your liberty for? We […]
How do we know what to believe?
Remember when the only place to get news was newspapers, the TV or radio? Now we’re bombarded with news, some true, some half-true and much blatantly un-true. Behind many of these truths and un-truths are an ulterior motive. We have our credibility stretched in order to win votes, or to buy things we don’t need. […]
How to feed early pollinators and grow beautiful flowers
Here at Railholiday we believe strongly in home-grown wherever possible. We’re business members of The Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and try and make our gardens as nature friendly as we can. As part of our welcome pack we always like to decorate our carriages with vases of flowers. If all four are occupied, that’s twelve vases. So […]