Read my Ripon travel logue here

The thirtieth city on my list is the South-Western city of Truro which you will find in the county of Cornwall – the most South-Westernly city and country in England. It has an uncertain etymology. Some people say Truro means three rivers. Others say it means wild water.

I’ve been excited about visiting Truro ever since I decided to embark on this crazy mission that has taken me all across the country. Although I wasn’t sure what to expect really. I recently met a Cornishman at a wedding who said that Truro is the Milton Keynes of Cornwall. Now I really enjoyed Milton Keynes (I said what I said. Don’t @ me) so maybe I would enjoy Truro too.

Anyway, a bit about Cornwall. Some people say that being in Cornwall is like being in a different country separate from England. For a long time, it practically was its own country with its own culture, food and language – Cornish, a Celtic language that is all but extinct. What isn’t extinct, however, is Cornwall’s natural beauty. It’s known as one of the most scenic parts of England – an absolutely perfect place to visit during the summertime.

You might be asking “James, why are you visiting during December?” It’s a valid question. The simple answer is cost. Truro is 254 miles and 5 hours south-west of London. By the time I got there, I would have to go home again. Instead, I turned this into an overnight trip. Originally, I was going to stay in Truro itself but there was no suitable accommodation. Then I was going to stay in Newquay but there were no suitable trains. In the end, I booked a night in the YHA hostel in Penzance – a town twenty-four miles west of Truro right on the coast. Due to my going in December, I got 20% off the booking price. Woohoo. My evil plan was working.

Anyway, my trip to Penzance began by taking the 14:03 Great Western Train from London Paddington. It left late and we had an unscheduled stop at Newbury. Otherwise it was a smooth if LONG trip. I did say it was five hours away after all. Alas, we arrived in Penzance twenty minutes late at 19:25.

While annoying, at least this meant I would get some compensation. My hostel was a mile away from the station. Usually, I would be fine with walking this, but the hostel was a thirty-minute uphill walk away. I did not fancy doing this in the dark, so I booked a taxi.

My initial impression of Penzance was positive. All the Christmas lights were out, so it looked so pretty (alas I was in a taxi so I couldn’t get any pictures) my taxi driver didn’t share my sentiments though. He described Penzance as a dump. Lol. But he also recommended I visit Truro cathedral and have breakfast at the Harbourside Café. He said it cooked the best breakfast in the world. He also advised me on a shortcut I could take back to Penzance station the next morning.

Ten minutes later, I arrived at my hostel.

I’ve definitely stayed in worse hostels – that award goes to my hostel I stayed in when I was travelling in Auckland, Museum. The indoor plumbing went through my room, the safety railing on my bed was faulty and there were multiple signs up warning about not stealing. One of my friends said it looked like I was in prison. Another advised me to keep my valuables very close to me. What else did I expect for £9 a night?

Anyway, I think this hostel must have been a stately home at some point. It definitely had that look.

Due it being December, it was very quiet, so I had dinner and chilled out for the rest of the night.

I left early the next morning at eight and wandered down to the Penzance seafront taking the shortcut the taxi driver told me about. The walk was lovely. I saw so many waterfalls. It was so cool. The crashing water. You’d never get something like that in London.

I also saw this honesty shop selling plants. A great idea but I didn’t fancy carrying around a plant all day – insert picture – so onto the seafront. Today the sea was rough. It reminded me a bit of when I visited Portsmouth last year. There was no beach to speak of. Just fierce waves crashing against the walls. – insert pictures The power of nature is impressive. Although there was rather a lot of roadworks a la Gloucester or Stoke.

I wandered along the seafront going past St Mary’s church which was sadly closed this morning

before heading into the Penzance town centre. It looked as lovely in the daylight as it did at night. I loved all the little streets.

I also did a little shopping in the town’s CEX and charity shop where I bought the films: Deliverance, Frost/Nixon, the Station agent, Scarface and Little Miss Sunshine – the latter two are Christmas presents for my girlfriend to help her complete her top ten film collection.

From here, I continued walking along the seafront seeing palmtrees (palmtrees in England??? And some crazy people swimming in a bay

until I reached the Harbourside café. This was a quite cute little café. I was expecting a generic greasy spoon but this had nice personality.

I wasn’t that hungry, so I just ordered scrambled eggs on toast – insert picture. But if I came at lunchtime, I could have had a whole assortment of fish dishes like fish and chips with probably the freshest fish possible or even mackerel eggs benedict. It was a friendly place too with the staff chatting to the locals. My scrambled eggs on toast were scrambled eggs on toast lol. A hard scramble with golden egg nuggets. But it was £5.50 so a decent price.

At 10.20, it was time to get the train to Truro. I thoroughly enjoyed my brief time in Penzance, but this was merely the warm-up act for Truro. This is why I bought my train ticket after all.

I arrived into Truro at 10.57 where I quickly learned that like with Lichfield,

– the station is not in the city centre but on the edges of town. Fifteen minutes later, I had arrived at Truro Cathedral. Similarly, to Gloucester, it was set up so you would be Catholic guilted into donating. But do not fear, dear reader, I sneaked in through a side exit. Now the cathedral wasn’t quite as majestic as Canterbury – can anything ever compare to Canterbury – but it still had that peaceful atmosphere I love so much about churches.

I stayed here until midday where it was time to find lunch. Instead I found a whole host of charity shops plus Truro’s CEX where I bought Saving Mr Banks. I also found a Christmas market with cuisines from around the world being represented. You had souvlaki, churros, jerk chicken and pad Thai. Usually, I would have eaten lunch here, but as I was in Cornwall, I wanted the Cornish delicacy – the Cornish pasty.

Nearby the Christmas market, there was another market where I bought a medium Cornish pasty and a Belgian bun from Martin’s bakery for £6.75. Cornish pasties are effectively lightly-spiced, beef steak, potatoes and vegetables all baked together in pastry. They became popular among miners when Cornwall had a bustling tin industry. In fact, they’re so representative of Cornwall, that despite being found all over the country, they can’t be called Cornish pasties unless they’re specifically made in Cornwall.

Anyway, how was an authentic Cornish pasty? Meh. Definitely better than something you would have in your average Greggs (a bakery chain) – in Greggs they used beef mince rather than chunks of beef, but not amazing.

I also bought this pretty necklace for my girlfriend as another Christmas present, as well as eyed some terrariums as a Christmas present for Dad. Ultimately, I decided not to, as I was terrified they would smash on my way back to London.

I also went a bit rogue and bought a wooden spatula to replace the decaying plastic one I have. It was only a pound.

By now it was one and it seemed like I was running out of things to do. However, on my way into town, I noticed a sign for the Victoria Gardens. This was to be my next stop. If it was summer, I’m sure the gardens would have been lovely. They didn’t quite have the same effect in Winter, although they were very nice.

I also stumbled upon a graveyard attached to a church that seemed to be converted into flats just like I had seen in Winchester or Worcester.

They also overlooked the River Allen, which I followed back into town. Now it was two and again I was at a loss about what to do next. Alas the nearby museum was closed on Mondays – which might have been for the best. It had a £10 entry fee and unlike what I did in Salisbury, there wasn’t a way to sneak in through the back. But on the map I saw the Rosedale Park and Daubuz Moors, so this was where I headed next.

Just like the Victoria Gardens, I’m sure it would have been just glorious visiting the moor in the summer. However, in the winter, it was wet and muddy.

At three PM, I trekked down this muddy slope

I crossed paths with this teenage lad who struck up conversation with me.  He was a friendly chap who shared the taxi driver’s sentiments about Penzance being a shithole. His words. Not mine. I liked Penzance. But the man – Dimitry was his name – said that the best places to visit in Cornwall were Falmouth and Newquay. Newquay does have a party town reputation. I would have to visit there next time. Dimitry also said that the moor was a loop which I could follow around back to town.

I thought this meant a nice, if muddy, fifteen-minute walk back into town. Little did I realise I would be going on a veritable cross-country hike, circumnavigating farmland, going up and down hills, skipping over flooded road, dodging patches of mud as well as the odd passing car. An hour later, I had finally arrived back in Truro city-centre.

It was four PM now and time to pick up my TGTG bag I had bought for dinner. I had bought this from another bakery – Rowe’s. What did they give me? Three more Cornish pasties! That was my dinner and lunch for tomorrow all sorted.

It was almost time to head home, but one problem. Due to my earlier trek across half of Cornwall, I was seriously ponging, so I went to a charity shop and bought a new top for £3. To those who have read my other travel logues like when I famously went to Southampton, was too cheap to pay for the attractions and then complained there was nothing to do, you might notice I have been very liberal with my money in Cornwall. I can’t think of too many other cities where I’ve spent so much money. However, it cost me an arm and leg to get here. I might as well enjoy myself while I was here. All in all, I think it was money well-spent. I caught my train home at 16.55 and it was time for my long journey home.

All in all, I really enjoyed my time in Cornwall. Maybe I didn’t visit the best places in Cornwall – or I just met the Cornish who hate Truro and Penzance, but both places were super friendly with some stunning natural scenery. It probably would have been more stunning in summer to be honest. Anyway, that is my last city trip of 2025. Next year, I will be visiting my final five cities: Salford, Sunderland, Preston, Lancaster and Plymouth. It’s kind of crazy to think this mental mission is almost over. Where am I going next? To the North-west with Salford. And that concludes my trip to Cornwall – a trip of waves, waterfalls and the Milton Keynes of Cornwall.