Pubs by Bus

   People are often surprised to learn that Cornwall, at least west of Bodmin, is (still) blessed with a fairly comprehensive rural bus network, which provides services in many cases until late evening. This opens up many possibilities for exploring the best of the county's pubs by bus, enabling drivers to shun the car for a while and not have to worry about drinking and driving.
   Cornwall CAMRA seized the opportunity back in 2001 to produce a joint promotion called 'Pubs by Bus', using the then Truronian T1 service connecting the north and south coasts from Perranporth to The Lizard via Truro. Researched by CAMRA and jointly funded by Cornwall County Council and  the Truronian bus company, the resulting brochure listed 20 real ale pubs along the route together with indications of the beers on offer, as well as pointing out  times of the last buses home.
   While this was a pilot scheme, and Truronian is no more, many other suitable routes spring to mind, such as First's no. 17/17A service between St. Ives, Penzance and St. Just or the 24 bus from St. Austell to Fowey, or Western Greyhound's services up to the foothills of Bodmin Moor at Pensilva or down to the coast at Polperro.

     Especially good value are Day Explorer-type  tickets available on First or Western Greyhound buses, currently around £7-£8 for the freedom to travel as you will on their respective buses (note - separate tickets for each company).  There is also a very good value 'Ride Cornwall' ticket for £10 which brings in the trains and allows you to go to Plymouth and even the Gunnislake branch line.  It is still valid on First and Western Greyhound buses (except for journeys wholly within Plymouth).

     To help you think about bus opportunities for exploring the Cornish real ale scene, we have included a bus symbol in the local guide, 'Real Ale in Cornwall' (see also the pub website version), and where appropriate with each pub entry that has a usable bus service somewhere nearby.  By 'usable' we mean that, during weekdays there is a bus service that will give you at least time for a pint or two before moving on.  Buses that run only on Thursdays during school term or when there is a full moon are excluded, for obvious reasons! Where a pub is especially delightful and there is a very limited bus service which nevertheless gives a chance to sample the delights, we have pointed this out in the description.  Sunday services are very patchy throughout the county with one or two honourable exceptions, so these should not be taken for granted and in any case they nearly all pack up at teatime. It is advisable to arm yourself with timetable information before setting out, and of course allow enough time to get to the bus stop in order to get home again!

Some services are designed to connect with rail services, and combined through train/bus tickets are available at bargain prices - ask at the local railway station. First's 34 service from Redruth to Helston, and Western Greyhound's 555 between Bodmin Parkway and Bodmin, Wadebridge and Padstow are good examples, both of which run until mid- to late evening (although the latter runs at hourly intervals now and doesn't tie up necessarily with the trains).

Now try a pub crawl using a regular bus service, the number 17 route which runs round the north west of the Penwith peninsula between Penzance and St. Just.  You can use other services along the route too, such as the open-top 300 (summer) or Western Greyhound's 504.  Good drinking!

Page Updated: 10 August 2011