Welcome

I live in a small village in Cornwall with my husband Tony. My two children have flown the nest. Connie the eldest has recently married Neal, and works in theatre. Benedict, the youngest, lives in London with his girlfriend, Jessy, and works in film production.

I have recently retired from working in the arts and arts education in Cornwall for over 30 years. It has been a joy and privilege but it is also time to hand over the baton to my co-creators. Am particularly proud of our achievements with The Writers’ Block, the Writing Centre for Cornwall, and The Story Republic. Please check them out on www.thewritersblock.org.uk.

One of the key reasons for retiring is to grasp the chance and the time to follow my own pursuits and passions. Two of my great loves are writing and travelling by train despite its unpredictability of late: strikes, floods, signal updates etc. These two pursuits can also fold in other loves: connecting with friends and family, reading, culture, walking, exploring and speaking foreign languages.

Redruth Train Station is a great little station and the gateway to a great small town. Two platforms – one to Penzance and the far west of Britain and one upcountry and beyond. It has a ticket office with helpful staff – though they can be called away to do guard duties as well, a welcoming café with a plaque saying ‘Jenny Agutter sat here’, over 20 varieties of instant coffee and second hand books for sale. Until recently there was a cat, Hector, with his own facebook page and 6000 followers. Now there is a flowerbed dedicated to the cat … A magnificent viaduct carries the train to Camborne and outside is the bus network hub for mid Cornwall.

So why have I chosen Redruth station as the subject for my blog? Firstly, it is the closest to my home and is very welcoming and accessible. Redruth town is also committed to championing sustainable living and upcycling; a great message to share and promote. Secondly, I do want to travel, both near and far, but mindful of the climate crisis, I don’t want to fly. Recently, I had a conversation with a man who said that he had shipped goods from Shanghai to Cornwall by train. So it occurred to me that you could go anywhere by train departing from Redruth with a bit of planning and armed with a senior railcard.

So these are the aims of my blog: to give focus to this train station, promote the joys of slow travel and to share some memorable journeys and their destinations.

As a starting point here are ten things to do in Redruth.