The A30 in Cornwall

[adam 1972]

The A30 in Cornwall has to be my favourite road, since I was very young we used to travel from Sunbury on Thames to Cornwall to see family via the M3, then the A303 onto the M5 and finally to the A30.
Since moving to Cornwall in 1986 this road has seen an enormous amount of change.
I remember Okehampton being a nightmare and always being congested & it being mostly single carriageway all the way to Chiverton Cross with the exception I think of the stretch between Temple and Innis Downs, but I do seem to remember an old part of the A30 going right past Jamaica Inn.
It used to take us about 6 hours from Truro to Sunbury in the old days, now it can be done in 4 providing Temple isn't backed up, the new bypass will make such a difference there.
I can remember the Summercourt Bypass being built, The Indian Queens bypass & of course the Goss Moor bypass, when that opened and I drove on it for the first time it was amazing, quite a feat of engineering & dramtically cut journey times.
I can also very vaguely remember the Blackwater bypass being built but we didn't go that way very often, only when Dad wanted something from Jebs at Scorrier.
I do on a Friday take a client from the care home where I work from Truro to Redruth, I always go via Shortlanesend to avoid the congestion at Highertown & Treliske & pulling out from Shortlanesend onto the single carriageway A30 is awful, I'm looking forward to the dualling between Carland Cross and Chiverton, & looking at the proposed design, going via Shortlanesend will cut Chivvy Roundabout out completely as it look like it's going to be a GSJ with the roundabout above the A30, how they are going to construct that without disruption to traffic I do not know.
My favourite stretch of A30 has to be the Goss Moor bypass, it's so quick & easy & what used to be a nightmare getting from Goss Moor to Innis Down is now a breeze and so quick, before you know it you are at the Bodmin turn off.
What do others think of the A30 and what is your favourite stretch ?

[Vierwielen]

A few years ago I worked in SUnbury and my logical route home was via the A30-M25-M3. However, if teh M25 looked very busy, I would often take the Surrey/Berkshire end of the A30 home and bypass the motorways completely.

[Vierwielen]

When I last travelled teh A30 in Cormwall, I noticed that the values on the marker posts increased as one approached Exeter (and hence London), rather than decreased.

[Was92now625]

Of course, longer ago, a higher proportion of such a journey would have been on A30.

[wrinkly]

When I last travelled teh A30 in Cormwall, I noticed that the values on the marker posts increased as one approached Exeter (and hence London), rather than decreased.

Some rather old discussion of that here:

http://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/forum/vie ... =1&t=20507

I think in my first post in that thread, where I say

There may have been a London-based system on the A38 east of the M5, I forget

, "east" is probably a typo for "west" (or "A38" is a typo for "A30").

[crowntown100]

What do others think of the A30 and what is your favourite stretch ?

1) It's a great road and has done lots for Cornwall and 2) All of it!

[nick_dunn]

The A30 is without question my favourite road of all, not just the Cornish section but all the way from Exeter. It's not just the road quality but also what it represents that makes it so special for me. If the A303 is the 'highway to the sun', the A30 continues the theme all the way to the sunset. It is a holiday road to me - every mile represents an escape from the drudgery of driving in the Midlands! Even now it is still a thrill to reach the end of the M5 and take that little slow right-hander, then blast off down the A30 towards Cornwall. The first highlight is the view of Dartmoor. Then I love the long drop down the hill to the Tamar and into Cornwall, then blasting up the hill on the other side. My favourite section is the high ground around Bolventor and stopping at Jamaica Inn - lovely view of the road from the back garden there. I've been lucky enough to travel down late on summer evenings and I always think of this stretch with a large golden sun setting and rising as we negotiate the hills. I even like Temple as the inevitable jam gives you a chance to enjoy the views. Then it's back onto the D2 again and time to speculate if the traffic lights at the cattle crossing will be on red (has anybody EVER seen these on red - surely not)??
Another favourite bit is the approach to Penzance and sight of the sea. Penzance really feels like a final outpost to me. And finally Lands End itself and all that it represents (despite the thronging masses).
Then we can turn round and do it all again.......

[SteveA30]

Is it just the Cornish section that you like or, all of it? It's all good, both old and new. The old bits in Cornwall are isolated from each other but, you can do Launceston to Exeter throughout, criss-crossing the new road, apart from a half mile section at Sourton that is online. The best modern bits are Okehampton, the big dip before Plusha and, the Bodmin Moor sections. The section from Honiton to the start of the A303, is just as it always was. The next stretch via Yeovil and Salisbury is a time warp as well, outside the towns. The eastern end is the most affected by the modern world, especially at Basingstoke and Camberley. Ironically, the last stretch towards London is the least spoiled, the same WS2, passing through leafy Surrey and on to London Airport, as it used to be called.

The pic is of Launceston, in August 1975. We stayed at Gran's house, halfway down the terrace. I sat on the wall, watching the holiday traffic on a Friday or Saturday, and seeing who could restart without stalling. A 24 hr tea van was in the layby on summer Friday nights.

Pity you have just joined, as I had 2 Photobucket A30 albums until about a month ago. I have perhaps 500 pics of the new and old A30 over the last 50 years. I left Photo*ucket, due to their total remoteness and inability to respond to anything. Part of the automating of everything which infects more and more things these days. PhotoPox are the same. Neither even noticed that I had left, as no humans are involved in their operation.Rant over, back to the A30.....

[brummie_rob]

Does anyone know why there are two fuel garages next to each other here: https://goo.gl/maps/VzN5LFWsbvH2

I take it the road used to carry on through before the bypass but it seems odd they were next door. I've seen forecourts opposite before but not next to each other. Surely as well the Total garage was always dead as it is at the bottom?

From this angle it looks like they are both Esso now but with different signage suggesting they are still separate forecourts. https://goo.gl/maps/aYM2HStUkd52

[adam 1972]

Never noticed that and it's right on my doorstep !
That piece of road used to be the approach to the old Chiverton Cross, these 2 maps show where it is, the first one is from 1971 and the 2nd is from 1981 to show how it changed over 10 years, the area with the forecourts I have highlighted in red.

chivvy1971.png (5.04 KiB) Viewed 4857 times

chivvy1981.png (5.68 KiB) Viewed 4857 times

In reply to Steve A30, that's a shame as I'd love to have seen those photos.
I pretty much like the section from the M5 onwards, you turn off the M5, go down the long spiral which makes my wife car sick !!
Under the M5 or A38 I think it is from that bridge onwards, then onto the A30 and you know you are not far from home.
I also remember the section that bypasses Lifton and Lewdown being built & the major difference that made once it opened, quite a long section of new road.
Going a bit further East I also remember Clyst Honiton being notorious for traffic jams, back in those days Dad used to go on the M5 a bit further and take the A358 & then join the A303 at Ilminster to avoid that section.

[Norfolktolancashire]

Along with many I use the A30 for holidays in Cornwall. I have travelled on it out of season too finding it a joy to drive along then.
My favourite section is from just east of Okehampton to Launceston, particularly the view westwards as you drop from the A386 junction, the road is at some height here.

[Reading]

In 1999 I rode my bike down to The Lizard for the eclipse, does anyone else remember they turned the A390, 391, 38 & 30 into a giant circulatory section west of Dobwalls to try and manage the traffic that never materialised - A390 dobwalls to Holmbush was westbound only using all lanes

[DavidBrown]

In 1999 I rode my bike down to The Lizard for the eclipse, does anyone else remember they turned the A390, 391, 38 & 30 into a giant circulatory section west of Dobwalls to try and manage the traffic that never materialised - A390 dobwalls to Holmbush was westbound only using all lanes

Not quite - that would be one hell of a one way system! It used the B3360 that links the A390 and A38 just west of Dobwalls, like this (using the pre-bypass layout, obviously).

[Reading]

Did look a bit big on the map- I just remember going round this right hander https://goo.gl/maps/CT78vVgZ9Zp at a merry clip and another bike (I am guessing a local) overtook me apexing the corner at an awful lot more than me (full-on knee to the ground stuff). We were travelling on the Monday before the eclipse and I was very laden as I had a week of camping equipment for 2 to keep my wife's bike light as she was 4/5 months pregnant, climbing up out of Gunnislake I struggled to keep the front end on the ground enough to steer effectively (had stayed in tavistock the night before).

[matt-thepie]

My favourite bit going there is to get just past St Erth when you get that beautiful view of Mounts Bay and Newlyn/Penzance. However, I also hate it, because it's slow and at the end of an 11 (or 12, thanks Raith improvements and hideously congested waste-of-money M80) hour drive from Aberdeen

I hate Temple. I got stuck there for an hour last week. Cannot for the life of me work out why they left it when they were doing Bodmin-Indian Queens anyway. At least it's being done now. Carland-Chiverton is also an awful bore, and very slow at Chybucca/Boxheater at times.

[crowntown100]

My favourite bit going there is to get just past St Erth when you get that beautiful view of Mounts Bay and Newlyn/Penzance. However, I also hate it, because it's slow and at the end of an 11 (or 12, thanks Raith improvements and hideously congested waste-of-money M80) hour drive from Aberdeen

There are 1993 plans to dual that bit. It just never happened. You are right though; the view of the Mount and the bay is one of the best views on any road IMO.

I hate Temple. I got stuck there for an hour last week. Cannot for the life of me work out why they left it when they were doing Bodmin-Indian Queens anyway. At least it's being done now. Carland-Chiverton is also an awful bore, and very slow at Chybucca/Boxheater at times.

Like you say, at least Temple is being done now but it was planned to be done (with Carland-Chiverton Cross) not long after Goss Moor was finished.

[Bertiebus]

Regularly drove Sussex-Falmouth when at uni (or Falmouth College of Arts as it was then) from 1994-97 and hitting the A30 at Exeter always felt like i was 'nearly there'!

I remember various new stretches being built, including the Indian Queens bypass and the bit bypassing Victoria. Each time i went along and a new bit had been completed i felt disappointed that another section of the 'old' road had been 'lost'. But there, I was careful to never drive it during the day on a summer Saturday - I always left Falmouth at 3am when I went home for the summer holidays!

But the road I most regretted being rebuilt was the A39 from Carland Cross to Trispen. I loved that road when it was twisty and it completely lost all its character when they messed about with it.

[brummie_rob]

Regularly drove Sussex-Falmouth when at uni (or Falmouth College of Arts as it was then) from 1994-97 and hitting the A30 at Exeter always felt like i was 'nearly there'!

I remember various new stretches being built, including the Indian Queens bypass and the bit bypassing Victoria. Each time i went along and a new bit had been completed i felt disappointed that another section of the 'old' road had been 'lost'. But there, I was careful to never drive it during the day on a summer Saturday - I always left Falmouth at 3am when I went home for the summer holidays!

But the road I most regretted being rebuilt was the A39 from Carland Cross to Trispen. I loved that road when it was twisty and it completely lost all its character when they messed about with it.

What year was the A39 rebuilt? I had a look at the old alignments on Google Maps, looks quite narrow compared to the modern stretch. I love the A30 as well, certainly I prefer it after the boring section of the M5 (Weston-Exeter bores me). I love the undulations and the fast nature of it (outside of peak times).

[SteveA30]

I love the A30 as well, certainly I prefer it after the boring section of the M5 (Weston-Exeter bores me).

You don't have to use the M5 every time of course, if boredom sets in and time is not an issue. The A38 has many interesting bits. The Mendips section for starters, although it is quite a detour from the M5. Once they become parallel, the section from J24-25 is good. Avoiding Taunton, J26-27 or, 28 is the best. Wellington has a 1971 bypass and, then sweeps over the hills on mostly S2/1 and unhatched D2 (last time I went). There is even a traditional transport café with views towards the Blackdown Hills, open til 2pm ish. Going on to J28 at Cullompton is good, as there is now a little bypass of the centre, taking you direct to J28. Another old style 1930's garage and café at Willand.

One can carry on to Exeter on the now B3181, although this ends up in a modern signal infested part of the Exeter bypass. Apart from that, the rest is worth doing in little chunks on different journeys. Then, there is the old A30 from Alphington junction, A377, westwards.........

[Jeni]

What year was the A39 rebuilt? I had a look at the old alignments on Google Maps, looks quite narrow compared to the modern stretch. I love the A30 as well, certainly I prefer it after the boring section of the M5 (Weston-Exeter bores me). I love the undulations and the fast nature of it (outside of peak times).

It was rebuilt around the same time as the Indian Queens bypass. The section from Carland Cross down to Truro was not part of the A39 until that happened.

The B3275 is the previous route of the A39, as such there was less than a mile's multiplex with the A30, rather than the current longer multiplex. The B3275 is full of green signs patched over with B3275 - definitely worth a drive if you're ever down there!