Day Trippers
This new group aims to arrange day trips using only public transport. For that reason it is useful to have a Senior Rail Card and a Bus Pass.
We would envisage trips happening once month.
Group contact: Pat Stearn
Telephone: 01208 872138
Update 19th May 2024
It was a very select band of just 3 that met yesterday for the trip to Looe. It was pleasant when we left Lostwithiel but by the time we arrived in Looe it was fleeces off and we were in teashirts as the sun was well and truly out. As is usual on our trips, on arrival we headed for a coffee. Over the bridge we went to West Looe and the Heritage Centre, the former Sardine Factory. We were able to sit outside overlooking the quayside soaking up the sunshine and the views.
Afterwards we went into the heritage centre for a look round. There was a very interesting contour map of Looe on display. It is made out of wood and shows the rivers and surrounding areas such as Hannafore, Plaidy and the Barbican.
Meandering our way back to East Looe we ended up at a Greek restaurant called Yamas situated on the quayside. A very good meal was then consumed accompanied by a very palatable Greek white wine. All three would recommend the restaurant.
Eventually the rain did turn up but it was on the way home. Infact there was a short sharp thunderstorm while we were waiting for the connecting train at Liskeard but shelter was at hand.
Lets hope a few more day trippers are able to go on the June outing to Fowey/Mevagissey. You certainly missed a great day out in Looe.
Update 29th April 2024
On Saturday 27th April seven members caught an early train to Camborne for Trevithick Day. There were a variety of steam powered machines on display. Despite a forecast of rain all day it was mostly in the dry but when it rained it rained. As can be seen from Pat's smile spirits were not however dampened and everyone said that they had enjoyed the day.
Update 11th April 2024
Programme until the end of the year.
27th April Trevithick Day in Camborne. Please note change of date and venue. ( Still too inclement for open top bus from Newquay to Padstow)
18th May Looe with possible trip to Looe Island.
15th June Fowey & Mevagissey.
20th July Penzance & hopefully open top bus.
17th August Saltash
21st September Penryn
October Falmouth Oyster Festival. Date to be confirmed but likely to be 12th October. (Festival only on from 10th to 13th)
23rd November Exeter Christmas Market. (Note change of date due to market times.)
7th December Wadebridge for lunch. (Again chamge of day due to busy Christmas season.)
Update 28th September 2023
Programme for next few months
14th October 2023 Buckfast Abbey. Please note change of date from that originally listed
25th November 2023 Exeter for Christmas market. Note 4th Saturday in the month so market is in full swing when we go this year.
Having a break in December
20th January 2024 Falmouth
February 2024 Post Christmas/New Year meal. Date/ venue to be confirmed.
16th March 2024 St Ives
20th April 2024 Newquay/Padstow -open top bus (Hopefully weather will be kinder than our previous postponed attempt.)
18th May 2024 Looe & Polperro (2nd attempt at doing this trip.)
15th June 2024 Fowey to Mevagissey ferry trip
Next planning meeting 11th April 2024 10.30am at The Royal Oak
Tuesday 26th September 2023
On Saturday 16th September five of us managed to get up early to catch the train to Exeter, where we changed trains for the newly opened Okehampton line.
It's a long walk downhill into the town but it was interesting to see the large Edwardian houses and imagine what they were like back in the day.
We wandered through a small arcade and were tempted to dally in the quirky shops but lunch was calling. Three of us headed to the Victorian Tea Room, a tiny delightful place. The others decided to visit the Museum of Dartmoor Life and then have lunch.
The Museum is quite small but contains an eclectic collection. The mining and farming sections were particularly interesting.
Two of our members had decided to walk up to the castle but unfortunately it was closed. Three went for a walk in the park, along the river. Even thought it was now raining it was delightful to meander.
It's an even longer walk uphill to the station, so tea in the cafe was welcome on arrival.
Sunday 25th June 2023 Update on programme for rest of the year
15th July - Newquay/Padstow. Open top bus (If weather ok)
19th August - Plymouth for the fireworks display
16th September - Okehampton
21st October - Buckfast Abbey
25th November - Exeter Christmas market
16th December - Christmas meal. Venue to be arranged.
Next Planning Meeting
28th September at 10.30am in The Royal Oak
Bring along any idea you might have for future outings.
Saturday 17th June 2023 Update
A small group of us caught the train to Saltash, armed with timetables for our day out. We found Elliott's shop, a genuine vintage grocers was open, so we went in for some nostalgia. Then we headed for the bus stop. An attractive journey, lovely views from the front seats upstairs.
Launceston was busy as it was Heritage Weekend. A small market plus a stage with a series of musicians throughout the day but we were on a lunch hunt, finding a nice friendly cafe.
Next was exploring the castle and climbing to the top of the tower for fantastic views.
There was more entertainment, including a medieval battle.
A look at the church offered us photography with a chance of winning a picture.
Monday 30th January 2023 Update
Proposed outing to Honiton on 19th March
Due to engineering works there will be a bus service for part of the route. This will make the journey over 4 hours each way resulting in a very short time in Honiton. This trip has therefore been deferred and replaced by the following one.
19th March Penzance - Penlee Gallery
Tuesday 24th January 2023 Update
Future Programme for 2023
18th February Plymouth - The Box
18th March Honiton - The Lace Museum
15th April St.Ives -Barbara Hepworth Museum
20th May- Looe & Polperro
17th June- Newquay with bus trip to Padstow
Further information will be provided prior to each event.
Note Next programme planning meeting will be on 27th April 2023. Details in due course.
Report of the visit to Truro 21st January 2023
On a fine sunny morning five of us caught the train to Truro. On arrival we went straight to the Museum cafe for refreshments. A certain amount of cake was consumed with coffee, tea and hot chocolate.
Our tour was to start at 1 o’clock so we then crossed the road to a quirky cafe to book lunch. We were offered seating outside at 12 or inside at 2. Outside is lovely in the summer but a little too chilly in January. Having booked a table for 2 o’clock we then all went our separate ways for shopping.
Our tour of the museum was given by a volunteer who showed us his favourite items. They happened to be from the Romano British time, in other words, after the Roman Legions had left, but Roman culture and language still flourished. There are several items on display recovered from the ongoing digs at Tintagel. My favourite was a piece of slate with pictures of animals scratched on it. There are also a number of pottery fragments found in and around Lostwithiel, but pride of place goes to a complete bowl.
We were then free to explore the rest of the museum. These included an art exhibition from local artists and potters. Downstairs two of us discovered a room dedicated to wildlife. An excellent place to bring your grandchildren.
The entry fee to the museum gives you free admission for a year. I for one will be going back very soon.
Lunch at Bread and Butter was excellent with an array of soups and salads. Not expensive, delicious food and friendly service.
Tuesday 22nd October 2022 Update
Report of the visit to Exeter - 18th November 2022
Five of us boarded the 8.49 train to Exeter on a fine Friday morning.
Rather than stand and wait for a bus at Exeter St David’s to take us up the hill we hopped on a train to Exeter Central. We made straight for the Museum for coffee and a comfort stop.
Suitably refreshed we headed to the Christmas Market and browsed the stalls. We all thought it was not as vibrant as in previous years and there were not the usual European traders. There were however lots of interesting things that would make good Christmas presents. We fell in love with the drift wood donkey. As it was priced at £550 it sadly had to be left behind.
We then split up and two of the party went off to do their own thing. Three went to lunch and having looked at a few possible places we plumped for an Italian restaurant called Zizzi. We all agreed that we had an excellent lunch at a reasonable price.
Also on display were the charity Christmas trees. Each one was decorated with items appropriate to the charity they represented.
We then went our separate ways agreeing to meet up later for the train home.
Armed with overflowing bags of goodies we returned home tired but happy.
Monday 17th October 2022 Update
Note
Date for November outing to Exeter has been changed to Friday 18th November. This is due to engineering works on Saturday 19th Further information will be sent out in due course.
Report of the visit to Tavistock - 15th October 2022
Five of us had a very enjoyable trip to Tavistock. We quickly found the bus stop in Plymouth and managed to grab the front seats on the top deck. This took me right back to my childhood, always nagging my mother on shopping trips to London to “go upstairs”!
The journey was lovely and we enjoyed the views over Dartmoor. Several of the villages that we passed through had signs at the side of the road saying “Hedgehog crossing”.
On arrival in Tavistock we made a beeline for The Bedford hotel for coffee.
Suitably refreshed we headed for the Pannier Market, making a dash for the entrance.
Here we split up and browsed the many stalls. Then we viewed the pottery exhibition by the West Country potters group. Although there were some very lovely creations the prices were a little too high for any purchases to be made.
Lunch now called us and we found an excellent cafe serving homemade savoury crepes and pasta dishes.
Failing to find the museum we split up and went our separate ways. Some had planned a riverside walk but were confronted with a very noisy fun fair. One member of the group did however find a quite spot just before the fair where it was pleasant just listening to the gurgling of the river.
Others visited the church or returned to the Pannier Market for final shopping.
The return journey was as delightful as the outward and we arrived in Lostwithiel safely having enjoyed each other’s company and the sunny weather.
Friday 30th September 2022 Update
Here are the dates of our forthcoming trips
Tavistock - 15th October
Exeter (Christmas Market) - 19th November
Mousehole (Christmas lights) - 17th December
Note Thursday 1st December 10.30am Royal Oak
Get together over coffee open to all Day Trippers to plan next year's programme.
Tuesday 27th September 2022 Update
Report of the Inaugural Visit to Totnes - 24th September 2022
After a false start (due to a train strike) a small band of day trippers assembled at Lostwithiel Station for our first trip. This time the train arrived and before too long we reached our destination, Totnes. Coffee was called for so we all walked together to the China Blue Café. Unable to resist temptation cakes were also ordered with the coffees. Suitably refreshed we split up and made for various attractions, the castle, museum, church and shops. The museum was certainly worth a visit and those that went there were soon reminiscing about their past life, triggered off by objects they spotted. It was also amusing to see an advertising board for cocaine toothache drops. Cure the toothache perhaps but gain a cocaine habit would be the more likely outcome.
On the way into town we saw a big cat climbing a tree. Is the elusive Beast of Bodmin hiding out in Totnes? No, just a realistic life size model of a leopard. A local explain that it was one of a number of exotic creatures made several years ago for a charitable event and they sort of just stayed.
A turtle was seen on the way back, after some of us had again taken further refreshment at the café. One or two, who shall remain nameless, even had another cake.
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On arrival back in Lostwithiel we all agreed we had had an enjoyable day out and were looking forward to the next trip to Tavistock in October.
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1st August 2022 Update
We are delighted that 31 members of our u3a have joined our new group.
A big welcome to you all.
We are hoping to launch our programme with a day trip to Totnes on Saturday 17th September (subject to the trains running).
Details will follow in due course.
Introduction
Pat Stearn writes:
"The idea was born out of a conversation regarding people who live on their own and have family living far away. (For example my children and grandchildren live in Manchester and Belfast. Usually I get to see them about 4 times a year.) During the conversation we agreed that we both had lots of activities during the week but week-ends tended to be the ‘lonely’ days.
So we thought that trips out, in company, on a Saturday would be fun. After a bit of thought and research Day Trippers was born. Three of us put our thinking caps on and have come up with a provisional programme. Obviously ideas and suggestions from members are crucial to the running of such a programme. If travelling by bus we would have to limit the numbers to 14 in the group because we may not all be able to get on the bus and the remaining people would then be faced with an hour or two wait for the next bus. This would not apply to travelling by train.
River Dart at Totnes (CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
Our proposal is to commence our programme in September, with a trip to Totnes on 17th. Trips would be on the 3rd Saturday of the month thereafter.
We suggest the following:
October -Tavistock.
November- Exeter Christmas Market.
December – Mousehole lights.
For 2023 we think we could also go to Oakhampton (via Exeter) in the spring and the Plymouth fireworks in August."
If you would like to join us please contact Pat Stearn.
Phone number is at the top of this page.
Email: pat.stearn42 AT gmail.com (Replace AT with @ )
