1. Change Bank Using an ethical bank that doesn’t support fossil fuels is the single most powerful thing you can do to help the environment. Ethical banks include Triodos, Starling, The Cooperative Bank and Nationwide. The credentials of your bank can be checked at bank.green and there’s a blog here with a list of suggestions: https://wise.com/gb/blog/ethical-banks-uk […]
Your Railholiday Guide to the 5 Best Footplate and Driver Experiences while staying in St Germans
Driver Experiences: Bodmin Railway Nearest train station: Bodmin Parkway. Bodmin Railway stops at Bodmin Parkway station, but you’ll need to check times. They also run a cafe overlooking the line at Bodmin Parkway, so it’s easy to while away time here. Railholiday have a long history of friendship with Bodmin Railway, as our carriage Harvey […]
How to Explore the Barbican, Royal William Yard and Mount Edgcumbe by Train and Ferry
As we encourage our guests to come by train we are always looking for interesting ways to explore and enjoy our beautiful local area making the most of public transport. During the summer months Plymouth Boat Trips run a ferry service from Saltash Waterside to the historic Barbican, stopping at the Royal William Yard on the […]
Day trips by train – The Railholiday guide to Penzance
Penzance is a coastal town defined by its history, providing top quality attractions of ancient sites as well as a variety of nearby beaches to enjoy on sunny days. Take a stroll along the town’s seafront, or indulge yourself in a shopping frenzy in the many independent shops. The town is surrounded by an area […]
How to identify wild flowers in early summer
It’s that time of year when the hedges are abundant with beautiful flowers. You may be familiar with many of these flowers, but hopefully this short guide will help you name ones you don’t know. It is far from comprehensive; but there are many excellent field guides to extend your knowledge. We recommend Marjorie Blamey’s Wild […]
Full Steam Ahead! Top Tips for Seeing Charter Trains in Cornwall in 2026
Mainline steam and diesel specials Nothing quite beats the whoosh of a steam train through the station. Guests to our holiday carriages in St Germans and Hayle can always expect plenty of passenger service trains and a bit of freight, but when the specials thunder through it really is a very special experience. We’ll be seeing […]
The Best of St Germans and the Rame Peninsula
At the mouth of the Tamar, on one side scored with beautiful beaches and quaint fishing villages, on the other deep river valleys and the rolling countryside the Rame Peninsula is a gem in the Cornish crown. Slightly off the beaten track, it offers the discerning traveller exceptional natural beauty unsullied by crowds. Like the […]
Our journey to net zero – Decarbonising our energy use
Running any business requires energy, and we are not in a position to go for complete self generation, although we do have some solar panels. So we rely on external providers. Along with making sure we have green energy, we also have worked hard to reduce our usage. We are currently carbon neutral in electricity […]
Our Snowdrop Collection
When we first bought our woods in the 1993 we planted a small clump of snowdrops from our friends Bernie and Jeanie Skewes’s garden. (Bernie was a sign writer, poet, poacher and actor, who’s claim to fame was as the first UK Tarzan in the 1930s and the author of a Poacher’s Tale – a […]
The best dog friendly beaches in South East Cornwall
If you bring your dog on holiday to one of our Railholiday carriages, they’ll love a trip to the beach. Below are our recommendations. For easy access Seaton and Cawsand are the best. For wild open space and miles of yomping, then Whitsand Bay on a low tide is hard to beat. For public transport […]