Your intrepid reporter decided to try travelling from here to St Austell in Cornwall, solely by public transport, to check the feasibility of this, and the cost, and to report back to you here.

Firstly, we do not have daily public transport in the main part of Charlton, so this journey started with a brisk 10 minute walk pulling a small wheeled suitcase of the flight carry-on type, from Lower Road to the bus stop on the main road near the former Stag Inn. The weather was fine, so this part was without problem.

Next, the X3 service bus. This arrived 2 mins after time, which was better than I expected. It cost £3 for a single directly to Salisbury Rail Station. Payment is by card or cash. The journey took 20 mins and was trouble free. The bus dropped me at the recently revamped train station, directly outside the door. 

I had pre-booked the train, which cost £69.70 with a railcard. Booking several months earlier would probably have secured a lower price. I used an e-ticket on my phone. The train arrived on time and was clean and air conditioned. There was, however, no luggage space in the carriage I chose, meaning I had to keep my case next to me. Not ideal. A larger, stronger person could have used the overhead luggage rack.

The train terminated at Exeter. I had 25 mins until the next train departed. This was a useful amount of time, particularly as changing platforms at Exeter involves the stairs or a lift and the overhead bridge. Oddly, the stairs were restricted to staff only, so there was a considerable queue for the lift. However, I got on the next train in sufficient time. Again, there was no dedicated luggage space so I kept my bag with me. The train arrived in St Austell on time and in the sunshine. All good.

The return journey was the same, but in reverse. The first train had luggage space and air conditioning, plenty of seats and ran to time. The change at Exeter was easier this time, with just a very short walk to the neighbouring platform. The train was on time, but inexplicably seemed to have the heating on. Not so good. I was delighted to get off at Salisbury station. I had a 20 min wait outside the station for the X3 bus. If it had been raining, this would have been less good, but I could have waiting inside the train station ticket hall. The bus was on time, air conditioned and with plenty of seats. Again the cost was £3 for a single.

The walk from the main road to home was hot and tiring and not particularly enjoyable, dragging my case behind me.

So, would I do it again? Yes, I would. Next time I would take less stuff to make my case lighter and leave a bit longer for the walk to the main road, but apart from that it was a good experience. The new X3 route extension directly to the Rail Station is a game changer for me, along with the set fare of £3.

Fancy giving it a try?

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