If you fancy a rail holiday with a difference, then book your seat for a Cornish adventure you’ll never forget by contacting Lizzy and Dave Stroud, self-proclaimed rail enthusiasts who live in a converted railway station in St Germans, Cornwall.
The Strouds have acquired nine railways carriages over the years and converted three, with more to follow, into self-catering holiday lets – and what a delight they are, too. As well as a 1950s carriage in Hayle, west Cornwall, they have renovated two others – the Travelling Post Office and Old Luggage Van – and placed them alongside their station home in south-east Cornwall.
(c) Richard Webber
Each coach took about a year to renovate and the Strouds have tried retaining their original feel. If interior fittings have been removed, they’ve tried their hardest to emulate them, including making kitchen shelves in the Travelling Post Office look like letter pigeonholes.
As you would expect, space is always at a premium in railway carriages, but the Travelling Post Office – which I stayed in with my wife and two children, aged five and eleven – seems surprisingly spacious. Sleeping six, it has everything you could want for a holiday, including comfy beds, TV and DVD for any rainy moments and full cooking facilities. Other benefits include free on-site parking, an enclosed garden area with seating, BBQ facilities and use of a children’s play area.
(c) Richard Webber
(c) Richard Webber
To add to the atmosphere, the Travelling Post Office or TPO No. 841, to use its official name, sits on a siding adjoining the station platform at St Germans, a live station on the Plymouth-Penzance line. So while you’re enjoying your tea, look out for one of the 20 or so stopping trains which pull up at the station each day.
TPO No. 841 was built for the Great Western Railway and went into service during the 1880s. After being withdrawn in 1934, its many years in retirement have included being used to form part of a house in Wales. Now, it’s been painstakingly restored by the Strouds.By the way, it would be difficult finding hosts any friendlier or more helpful than Lizzy and Dave Stroud.
Staying in the Travelling Post Office was a real novelty for all of us, not just the children; you don’t need to be railway buffs to appreciate living inside this former working carriage. We visited during the winter months and, boy, didn’t we feel snug and comfortable, thanks in part to the efficient heating, lovely beds and cosy living space.
(c) Richard Webber
(c) Richard Webber
Ideally suited for exploring east Cornwall, we visited the picturesque town of Looe before driving a few miles down the coast to Polperro. Another day, we crossed the county border and strolled around Plymouth while our last day was spent donning walking boots and hiking along the coast path – oh, and what views!
In this day and age, it’s nice trying to spend your holidays doing something more unusual and staying in a different form of accommodation – an alternative to hotels, B&Bs, apartments or caravans. That’s where the aforementioned railway carriages come in. A real holiday with a difference.
More information:
Haparands Station
St Germans
Saltash
Cornwall PL12 5LU
Tel: 01503 230783