Rail Tourism in Devon & Cornwall 

When your main rail link is served by pacers the novelty soon wears off.

Watching in 2022, still can't get my head around Geoff and Vicki no longer being together. Would love to venture down to cornwall

I go to Devon every summer and the joy of the line never wears off

I catch the Paignton train everyday!

When you've waited ages because you know the video is coming, and then *have* to watch it straight away! Vicky's feet are now both a standard unit measurement for platforms in the UK, and act as a sea-water thermometer.

As an American who was grown up watching Fawlty Towers, this video has changed my perception of Torquay.

Here is an idea - use the 1920s and 1930s train promotion posters and go to the places and see how they have changed. What do you think?

Serious couple goals right here. You guys are awesome and great faces for promoting our rail network!

I love the south coast! 🌄⛵🚣‍♂️🌅🚤 I went to Cornwall and Devon as a child in the 80s, before going abroad for holidays! ✈

As luck would have it, I'm watching this video during Pride Week in my own town! :)

Thanks, Vicki and Geoff. Loved it. I took my family home to UK this summer and we had a week in Devon before going to Huntly. We went on the train from Torquay to Paignton and back on the first day of the airshow (1st June). Gorgeous day and GWR were AWESOME, especially with their organisation at the end of the day in getting massive crowds away on the trains quickly and safely!

Man, you should have went to Paignton to see the steam railway. That line is so beautiful, it is definitely worth a ride.

It's nice to see you in Devon. My mother was born in Paignton and grew up in Devon and her side of the family are all Devonshire born and bred, so it has a special significance for me. A beautiful neck of the woods!

Vicky is the only person in britain that likes the sight of a pacer ? XD

Bring back vicky. You make a great train duo

"this will sell on eBay for a lot of money" - Vicki's face was priceless. 😅

6.50 in, Vicki's face. Cute. Devon and Cornwall are so nice. Not been for years!

Awesome video as always you two :D Always showing me how little of Britain I've seen. Cornwall & Devon look amazing

I live in Torquay and work in the Grand Hotel just outside Torquay station. Nearly spat my coffee out when I saw that 😂😂

"Trainbow" needs to be in the next edition of the Oxford English Dictionary. Make it happen folks.

I’m Finnish, and just travelled on an HST, and it was great.

Did Cornwall day rover in May, £13 for a full day of gorgeous scenery, weather and pasties

You've gotta come back down and do the Steam Railway from Paignton to Kingswear. The most beautiful ride in the UK, I'll bet!

Welcome to our little slice of paradise out here in Devon and Cornwall. I live in Exeter and often travel down to Plymouth and beyond into Cornwall. The route the train follows is always so beautiful. I love it here!! 😊

We went by train to Newquay on holiday from home in Leeds when I was about 7 in the mid 70s. We had to go via Parr and I still remember this over 40 years on, although I can't remember much about the holiday itself. We were big road travellers but Dad's health wasn't great at the time and the drive was too exhausting for him. He's about to turn 92.

That line through dawlish is amazing - we stayed at a house that overlooked the railway line and coast - what a place!

Thank you for this video it is brilliant . Also I think you two are a wonderful couple

We went to Paignton a lot (often on the train) from either Hastings, London, or Lymington when I was young, because my great aunt Hilda lived there, at the top of a steep hill. It's a long time since I've been there, I'm not sure I've been back for 40+ years.

i live in south west Montana U.S. we lost our passenger rail service in the very early 1980s when the southern line of the empire builder was eliminated in favor of the northern route. i so enjoy rail travel and seek it out whenever its possible...fun video... and yes you can have a bathhouse lol.

Llandudno is a great place to visit too! I'm sure you'd love the Great Orme Tramway. it's worth a visit and a video.

Nice to see Torquay station spruced up and looking very welcoming, even Newquay station was looking the part too - just remember there's WAY more to Devon & Cornwall than Torbay & Newquay!! Even by train you could get to explore both coasts, which are very different, as well as in land from Totnes (castle!) , to Exeter (Castle & cathedral), Truro to Falmouth (Pendennis Castle!!) and Penzance (avoiding the caravans on the M5 & Devon Xpressway!!) . Nice one guys 😎👍🌊🏰🏝⚓🚂 From Paignton, you could have taken the steam train to Dartmouth, which is a lovely day out - then up the river to Totnes and back on the train 🎬😎

This is the first of your videos I have seen so far. I and some friends have been talking about travelling to the west country by train and after watching this it's a must do.

Another place on my bucket list...

I agree with the travel by train principle, although I unfortunately do most of my travel by car mainly due to the lack of trains links with Lincolnshire. What I think would be interesting is if you did a travel cost comparison between the car and train. Love watching your videos!

Lovely part of the world! My wife Lynn & I holidayed in Paignton in September. We drove there but left the car parked up for the fortnight, getting around by bus and train! One day, we used a Devon Dayranger ticket to head to Plymouth (change at Newton Abbott) to ride the Gunnislake branch (just dipping into Cornwall) before heading back to Plymouth, then riding a HST (sitting on the right hand side to enjoy the view from the Dawlish seawall) to Exeter, where we spent the afternoon, stopping off at Dawlish on the way back. I also managed to ride from Barnstaple-Exmouth on a Pacer!

I can't believe you went from Newquay Station to Towan Beach without tracing the route of the old train track that continued from the station to the harbour. It went down the west side of what is now Aldi/Travelodge near the station and comes out at the bottom of Marcus Hill, follows Manor Road to its end and entered a tunnel where the Sainsbury now is. You can still walk from Travelodge to Sainsbury and follow the old track route. Also, on Towan beach, a certain someone might be interested to know that the small rock south of the famous island used to be exposed enough to be known as Jago's Island.

I loved the bilingual English/Cornish sign near the end. Brilliant!

Devon is amazing I grew up there. I have many fond memories of going down both lines either side of the river exe

New video!! I am been working through 'All The Stations' videos and enjoying them.

My favourite branch line in Devon is Tarka Line, taking you through great sceneric views to Barnstaple.

At some point you must come to Dartmouth. There is something called the Train of Lights on the Paignton-Kingswear line happening throughout December where for the first time in the UK, the route will be completely illuminated

This video makes me VERY happy because I'm from Paignton and to see my hometown on one of your videos is really amazing :D

Amazing video guys - would love to see you doing more of these across the country!

i love using the train i travel to places like bournemouth poole portsmouth and even go on holiday by train just love it more relaxing than being in a car

The last holiday in England we went from Holland to London by Eurostar and we stayed in London and visit Oxford, Cambridge and Brighton by train and we loved it. Brighton was very nice. I love the pier. Next holyday we do the same. One week in a city and traveling to other places. Travelling by train is really relaxing.

I agree about taking the train to Newquay, I did it myself in March this year to see a friend, and it was fantastic. It was also nice to travel on a HST for nearly all the jouney, especially as they are being replaced. I honestly cannot reccomend rail tourism enough, I have done it in Devon for years before now, and its very relaxing (plus you can have a drink or 2 as you are not driving!).

We did a grand tour by rail! Sleeper to Penzance. Mainline back to Lostwithiel. Train to Newquay. Back on the Pullman for dinner. And yes... we are 《shock!》 under 60....!!!

We were quite surprised to see Geoff and Vicky on the train from Torquay to Newton Abbot. Been waiting for this video ever since!

Absolutely mega! Lovely video you two are freekin awesome and you've convinced me to move to Devon/Cornwall... "Ok Google show me train driver jobs in Devon and Cornwall"

sailed all around this area in 1973 in a Westerly Centaur on my way from Ravenglass to Barcelona Spain through the French canal system. Truly a wild and beautiful area. Coming from California I knew nothing about the wonder of British trains. Would love to come back and do all the stations

Neither the 802 or the 43 looked rammed which is helpful to see. I went to Newquay in late Feb. The station looked almost derelict. Apparently it suddenly changes in May. They need a passing loop halfway and the second platform reopened.

fantastic commentary from you guys

Bob Penfold? Oh 'eck! Wonderful!

I love Brixham Torquay and painton thanks for making the video

I like how I recieve the notification for this video while on the way to Dawlish myself.

Damm. I want fish and chips now!!!

8:55 At the time of this video being recorded/uploaded (2018), there were 8 branch lines in Devon & Cornwall (not 9): 1) St Ives Bay Line (St Erth - St Ives) 2) Maritime Line (Truro - Falmouth Docks) 3) Atlantic Coast Line (Par - Newquay) 4) Looe Valley Line (Liskeard - Looe) 5) Tamar Valley Line (Plymouth - Gunnislake) 6) Riviera Line (Newton Abbot - Paignton) 7) Avocet Line (Exeter - Exmouth) 8) Tarka Line (Exeter - Barnstaple) I'd like to point out that there's no such line as the "East Devon Line", although I believe the line which is being referred to here is what's officially called the "West of England Line" (also known as the West of England Main Line). This is a major through-route from Exeter to Basingstoke via Yeovil and Salisbury (and therefore is not a branch line). The West of England Line is the secondary route providing direct SWR services from London to Exeter (the primary being the GWR Berks & Hants route via Newbury, Westbury and Taunton). In November 2021, another branch line in Devon joined the National Rail network: The Dartmoor Line (Exeter - Okehampton). As of 2021, there are in fact 9 branch lines in Devon & Cornwall (but this would've been just 8 in 2018).

Pretty sure that was an 802. Hitachi built special units with more powerful motors and bigger fuel tanks to handle the long distances off the overhead and the steep grades of Devon and Cornwall. Even though the 802 wasn't part of the IEP, to me the 800/801/802 are all going to be IEPs or IETs even though some will be called Azuma and some will be called Nova.

If S8 Stock trains only had doors on one side could they have a longer bench that Scarborough or Newquay?

I'm watching a video by my two favourite youtubers about a trip to various placers including Torquay. Coincidentally, I have a six day old niece whose name is Sibyl. Does anyone have a similarly youthful son or nephew called Basil?

Watching this whilst on holiday in Cornwall!

You should go back to newton abbot and there was a building near the station that was on fire you can see the roof collapsed

The Lostwithiel to Fowey line , now just a china clay line ( post Beeching 1964) is a lovely route. Open it for tourists.

1:40 British Rail speakers still in use, with Anne-anouncements playing through them?!?!

I live in Paignton. It's nice to see you guys exploring down here!

How many Pacers are left in the country? Maybe Vikki should go ride them all, before they are gone. Also, London and the South East got a lot of new trains. How come the old ones were not used to replace Pacers? There must be enough second-hand rail stock being pulled out of commission to replace Pacers (which I got told were supposed to be temporary) with something longer and more comfortable.

The guy on the boat Vicki was chatting to neglected to mention the longest rail route in Britain from Aberdeen, and the one from Glasgow Central is pretty good too!

Surely the split on branch lines is 4.5 as the gunnislake line crosses the border between Devon and Cornwall?

What is the reason for you not doing Isle Of Man yet please?

The Lynton and Barnstaple railway is well worth a visit. Great fish and chips at Scoffs in Barnstaple too.

Lovely video, thanks! Re the Branch Line Bingo and Total Number of Branch Lines in Devon and Cornwall Quizmaster didn't specifically say "passenger lines", but fair enough, it was implied. From west to east, the branch lines still open and carrying passengers: 1. St.Erth to St.Ives 2. Truro to Falmouth 3. Par to Newquay 4. Bodmin Parkway to Boscarne Junction (Bodmin and Wenford Heritage Railway) 5. Liskard to Looe (over the Tamar Bridge) 6. Plymouth to Gunnislake 7. Totnes to Buckfastleigh (South Devon Steam Railway) 8. Newton Abbot to Paignton (and then onto Kingswear on the Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway) 9. Exeter to Exmouth 10. Exeter to Barnstaple (Tarka line) 11. (Bit of a sneaky one) Okehampton (a branch of a branch, from Yeoford, limited service) But what about Axminster? Not #12? No, because Axminster's not on a branch line, it's on a mainline all the way to London Waterloo How about a new series called "All The Heritage Stations"? For all the heritage branch lines still open and carrying passengers.

Problem with Newquay is the lack of trains as it only has a handful of trains a day with some at not very useful times. Definitely agree that the section through Dawlish is one of the scenic in the country even if it does have issues during bad weather.

In terms of rail tourism, the route to Bridlington is nice, but I love the journey from Shrewbury to Barmouth,

Woo, I'm from Devon! Taken a pacer so many times now, you get used to it..!

This episode made me so happy 😁

My home !!!! So glad to see this 💕

Love watching your videos. Wish i would of known when you where going to Shrewsbury, would of been nice to say hello.

We love the west country. We love to live there.

Urgh! Just makes me miss Newquay! Great video guys!

Great video, I honestly haven't rode on the Newquay Branch Line yet, it's one of those lines that I need to clear but the last time I was in Torbay was in March and there was snow!

Unfortunately the historic train sheds at Newton Abbot were subjected to an arson attack a couple of days ago, a were destroyed. A 'budget' supermarket had permission to demolish them anyway, but that caused a lot of local protest, but now, I guess that protest will diminish. Five young teenagers have been arrested in connection with the fire.

Another great video, thanks.

New arrangements of the theme! Will they appear on iTunes? I can't think of Torquay without imagining Basil Fawlty and Agatha Christie. Sorry ... American!

I’m going to add to the list you made when you were by Newquay’s pride bench. “Get the Summer Sunday branch line service between Exeter and Okehampton” Okehampton is a lot nicer than some people think. You feel like you’re right out in the countryside when you’re there.

WHOO! I live in Newton Abbot, but one of the old railway sheds caught fire a couple of days ago, suspected arson

@13:25 there's a chip shop along that street that Geoff's heading towards called Flounders - stayed in Newquay just up the road from there in July and it was easily the best fish and chips I've had!

THIS line should be a candidate for VivaRail's ex D-Stock trains. I've the Bletchley versions and they look ACE!

I agree with people should travel by train but I was suppose to go to Bristol few weeks ago and it was cheaper for me to go home Bristol- Las Palmas de Gran Canaria-Manchester on a Boeing 737-800WL and 767-300WL TUI that it was to get the train to Stockport.

how many Vicki feet long is that bench?

The new record for the closest ever Pacer journey to London has already been set at the East Kent Railway on a training run this February! It is hoped that the record for the nearest ever passenger service will be broken in the near future when a unit runs from Shepherdswell to Eythorne and back! This now will probably happen next year! The East Kent has acquired 2 class 142 units! The already delivered 142017 and 142036 which is awaiting delivery!

Talking about fish 'n chips, some of the best fish 'n chips I've had was in Mallaig which I visited by train. Maybe this could be a new thing. Best fish 'n chips by train?

Pacers used to get to Gloucester and Cheltenham on the services from Maesteg

Great video as ever, thanks !

Your logo is so close to being a proper Pride rainbow!

I guess a Pacer is similar in function to a Sprinter in the Netherlands, only the Pacers look a bit older than the Dutch rolling stock.

Thanks for highlighting a pride event . Did you know there is a group of human pups doing an all the stations photos in pup gear on Twitter. You should do a hook up 🌈❤️🐶🐾

Oh! Another excellent video, by the way.

I’d argue that there were 11 properly connected branches in Devon and Cornwall; if you include the South Devon Railway from Totnes to Buckfastleigh and the Dartmouth line from Paignton to Kingswear. Network Rail isn’t the only player on the block :-) that said; I don’t see how the West of England line to Axminster is a ‘branch’. Great vid though.

Two trains a week here in N Alberta..one east/one west.

I feel very fortunate to live in Exeter ❤️️