Great Western Coffee Shop

When is Boardmasters Festival?
Boardmasters is taking place at Fistral Beach in Newquay from 10 to 14 August 2022.

What to expect at Boardmasters Festival
Boardmasters Festival is the UK’s biggest surf and music festival. Set across two stunning sites in the lively and picturesque coastal town of Newquay, Cornwall, the festival brings together like-minded souls with a love of music, surfing, wellbeing and the outdoors.

Over 200 artists play across 12 stages up at Watergate Bay. From international headliners through to breaking acts, the bill is an eclectic mix of genres. There’s something here for everyone. Headliners this year include George Ezra, Disclosure and Kings of Leon.

As well as the competitions, 300 miles of spectacular Cornish coastline offers amazing beaches and spots to discover. Festival goers are encouraged to hit the beach and surf by day, party by night.

Be aware of GWR’s surfboard policy. Surfboards are not allowed on board our mainline IET trains. You can still take surfboards on our Night Riviera Sleeper and local services.

Industrial action Saturday 13 August
Strike action by the train drivers’ union, Aslef, will mean there are no train services in Cornwall on Saturday 13 August. Train services will also be disrupted on Sunday 14 August. Journey planners are still being updated so please check your journey just before you intend to travel.

Things to see and do in Newquay
Getting to Boardmasters couldn’t be easier. First, hop on a train to Newquay station. Once you’ve arrived in Newquay, there will be shuttle busses from just outside the station. If you’re heading to Watergate Bay, get on the bus outside the Great Western Hotel, for Fistral outside Burger King. Reservations are recommended on trains to Newquay on Wednesday 10, Thursday 11, and Friday 12 August. Reservations are mandatory on trains from Newquay on Monday 15 August.

Please note:
surfboards cannot be taken on long distance trains and local hire is recommended

wheeled cases are allowed but four-wheel trolleys and sack trucks will not be

Those travelling should:
allow extra time because trains to and from Newquay will be busy
expect queues
get to the station at least 30 minutes before your reserved train is due to depart

Interesting collision of 'It couldn't be easier' with 'There's disruption from industrial action, and remember we don't accept surfboards.'

London Underground incidentally is normally happy to allow objects up to 2 metres long according to its Conditions of Carriage.

Other accompanied luggage aside, how else would people be expected to transport double basses.

Mark

Festival goers are heading to Boardmasters in Newquay today (10 August) from all over the country - some even travelling from London. However there is a huge demand for trains with some people describing Plymouth Railway Station as "chaos" - despite people having pre-booked tickets.

We spoke to groups of friends and families who have been left stuck at Plymouth's station, many who have travelled from afar from places like London and Sussex for the festival. Many passengers were outside the station with their camping luggage in the heat, desperate to find transport to Newquay.

The Newquay branch. I don't know it. Is it a 20 mile single line with no passing places and a single terminating platform? To a town of 20,000, but one that can see 80,000 visitors at a time?

That's a recipe for unending pain, why is the railway bothering? (Or rather, why are the politicians pretending that  that's ok, 'cos the Newquay branch sounds to be a 1960s slash-and-burn relic.)

TSNO, the four letter acronym for 'Train Service in Name Only'.

Mark

Almost - there is a passing place at Goonbarrow Junction, and it may be double (not sure) first couple of miles from Par to St Blazey.

It doesn't look as though the existing platform at Newquay was built out and the track slewed when the second one was taken out of use.   That's not to say it won't be expensive to re-instate it!

Almost - there is a passing place at Goonbarrow Junction, and it may be double (not sure) first couple of miles from Par to St Blazey.

The midCornwall Metro is looking at adding another loop and a second platform at Newquay. So perhaps the political types are NOT pretending it's OK

Some views of the out of use second platform at Newquay over the years.

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/nqyplat.jpg)

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/nqyplat2.jpg)

(http://www.mbob.co.uk/rforum/nqyplat3.jpg)

It doesn't look as though the existing platform at Newquay was built out and the track slewed when the second one was taken out of use.   That's not to say it won't be expensive to re-instate it!

1N78 and 1A94 discovered on Wednesday that two 9 cars IETs can’t fit past each other in one of the passing loops. Resulted in 1N78 reversing back off the branch and 45 min late arrivals

Real Time Trains suggests they were scheduled to pass each other between Par and St Blazey.

1A94 left Newquay on time at 14:55, and indeed Goonbarrow, on time but picked up a delay of well over half an hour between there are St Blazey where it called at 16:15 / 16:16 versus a schedule of 15:37 / 15:38

1N78 left Par on time at 15:31, but didn't call at St Blazey until 16:11 to 16:17, versus a schedule of 15:33 / 15:39. It trailed into Newquay 44 minutes late at 17:06.   It set off back at 17:25 (versus a 16:50 schedule) ...

1N78 and 1A94 discovered on Wednesday that two 9 cars IETs can’t fit past each other in one of the passing loops. Resulted in 1N78 reversing back off the branch and 45 min late arrivals

Just 4 departures from Newquay today.

Tomorrow ...
Buses to Luxulyan at 07:12, 09:15, 13:10 and 17:19
Trains to Paddington at 07:40, 09:19, 11:18, 13:19, 14:55 and 18:04. 
Trains to Par at 19:45 and 21:34

So what's the answer to this now annual problem? Using Par and/or Bodmin Parkway as a staging point for Boardmasters and using road transport for the rest of the journey to/from the Festival? It's clear now that the NQY line isn't robust enough to cope, at least until the Mid Cornwall Metro work is completed.

According to Realtime Trains, the 11:18 from Newquay reached Par at 15:37, some 213 late.

The 09:04 Paddington - Newquay had to wait at Goonbarrow for the 11:18 departure, and reached Newquay at 15:50, some 93 late.

It is now on the return journey, the 14:55 departure from Newquay, but 60 late.

Given the late running of the 11:18 I am surprised the 09:04 was sent onto the branch and not held at Par.

So what's the answer to this now annual problem? Using Par and/or Bodmin Parkway as a staging point for Boardmasters and using road transport for the rest of the journey to/from the Festival? It's clear now that the NQY line isn't robust enough to cope, at least until the Mid Cornwall Metro work is completed.

<lifted from a Facebook post.....>
802011 (1A86 11:18 Newquay to Paddington) failed shortly after departure from Newquay.
802114, which was working 1C72 08:04 Paddington to Penzance was terminated at Par and formed 1Z99 to run up the branch and rescue 802011. The combined units then formed 1A86, which was then terminated at Par 213 late. 

There was no problem with the rail. There was 10 53 seater coaches on Standby, I was one of them. Every 9 car IeT cleared the queue. 1000 or so people queuing with all their camping kit made the queue look huge.

Bodmin parkway is a no go for road transport in general. Of the 10 coaches on standby yesterday, only 1 of them would fit under the low bridge. PSVAR coaches are typically taller than their non PSVAR cousins. I had a Mk2 Scania Levante (ex national express) and it was marked 12’9. Par is not the best place due to lack of off Road space for coaches to park so we’d end up blocking the road.

Had we been used GWR had suggested they’d send us to Tiverton or Exeter to spread the load and give the options of Paignton and Exeter originating trains

Nice to hear a report from someone actually 'on the ground'.

I have a childhood memory of Newquay being a whiffy and unpleasant place.  So much so that I’ve not been back since!