The Welcome News of Increase in Passenger Travel on UK Branch Lines

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14580224


This really can be only good news for the rail industry in England. For those branch lines that are related to tourism such as the Liskeard - Looe and the St Erth - St Ives line the number can be seen to be increasingly significantly year upon year. The Truro - Falmouth branch line alone has seen passenger numbers grow by 90.6% percent according to this BBC report, fueling claims from local communities that these lines are part of regional tradition that needs to be maintained.

Four Weekend's Travel Blog stated a while ago that 'The days of the great travel romance are, in the UK anyway, gone.' Yes in the main this is true, for long distance journies anyway..but I truly believe in the romantic power of regional branch lines through stunning countryside - and in many ways I think other people believe in that as well hence the growth of such a slow, winding form of travel. Slow, sustainable travel has become more and more popular in recent years and that's a very good thing for both the public's sensebilties and the communities that are being invaded year upon year.

Obviously railways journies and the British countryside are inextricably linked, and there have been hundreds of eulogies to the 'romantic' era of rail travel. If you look hard enough though, I'm pretty confident it still remains...it's just what the individual chooses to get out of it and how much they connect with the landscape in which their speeding through. One of the most resonant and one of my favourite films linked with this is Night Mail - the poetic nature of the railways never ceases to interest me. As the poet De Sola Pinto claims - it is 'the strong unchanging steel rails of necessity.'

For more information visit http://www.branchlinebritain.co.uk/

For a small film featuring the area of the St. Ives Branch Line called 'Noise & Silence,' visit my Vimeo. http://www.vimeo.com/14190145

Image - The Sandy Apartments, Carbis Bay



Martin Scorsese in Cornwall as Curator of Port Eliot Film Festival

It's recently been announced that legendary film director Martin Scorsese will be curating the Port Eliot Film Festival.

The surprise announcement came as hype for the festival builds and the appeal of small scale local based art ventures increases.

Scorsese will take a break from editing his first 3d film to curate the festival, and he is currently deliberating over a number of vintage classics which match the epic proportions and beauty of the landscape.

More can be read in this Guardian article

Reflections on Summer Part 1 - Why Do People Come to Cornwall?

Hi again,

Summer is a wierd and wonderful period for Cornwall but also a period which we could not do without. Visitor numbers in 2009, in many ways, exceeded those of 2008 despite the poor weather.

I have been wondering whether the nature of Cornwall's Tourism industry has changed much in the last five years or so. Really, I believe people still come here for the same reasons, however not so long ago I remember very little material in many of our town and villages which actually welcomed tourists into our lives. Over the last few years, I've seen signs being put up, buildings being repainted, road links being improved and tourist attractions such as Eden develop immeasurably - however I always ask whether people see these improvements based on what it was like before. Obviously, the old-timers do see them and appreciate them, but a large number of tourists from to Cornwall are in the 25 - 35 age range and therefore may be making their first trip to Cornwall with a small family. Do they just presume the improvements they see have been there forever? We see lacklustre attempts every year to improve the status of Cornwall as a 'tourist destination' - but that is exactly what most people are trying to avoid. The true beauty of Cornwall is that it doesn't need any added extras. The scenery, the way of the life and the people who live here are what makes Cornwall so great - not Land's End, not Eden........

My argument therefore is that while many people in Cornwall complain about the lack of civilized entertainment on offer for tourists, many people who do not come from complain hardly complain at all. It is part of the beauty of this place that we do not need Alton Towers, Chessington World of Adventures or any number of manufactured theme park based attractions. Just let Cornwall be what it is, and everyone will be better off.

I am starting a new project on Cornish Life which will be called Reflections on Summer. It is for anyone who is either from Cornwall or not to comment on these posts regarding their experiences of their time in Cornwall. I hope to take this to other blogs and website, and get enough reaction to suggest what improvements could be made in Cornwall for tourists.