Arriving in Looe by train
The Looe Valley Railway Line has to be one of the most scenic railway lines in the country. From the station at Looe, the train takes you just over 8 miles through the beautiful Looe Valley to the market town of Liskeard.
From Looe to Sandplace the Looe River is tidal. At high-tide this makes the journey particularly impressive as the train almost seems to 'float on water' and offers a great vantage point for spotting wildlife.
Basic history
The Looe Valley Line was built in the mid 19th century and transported copper ore and granite between the Cornish fishing port of Looe and Moorswater - further up the Looe Valley.
The interesting horseshoe-shaped link to Liskeard was added in 1901. It sweeps up from Coombe Junction, with gradients as steep as 1:34 for 2 miles, to reach Liskeard which is only 200 feet above!
For this to work the train travels from Looe to Coombe junction and stops. The conductor gets out and operates the points allowing the train to change direction and head on up to Liskeard - backwards!
Connections
Liskeard connects you with the national rail network offering Intercity regular services to Plymouth, Bristol, Exeter, the Midlands, Northern England, Scotland and London (Paddington).
For rail information visit the National Rail Enquiries website.
The 2007 timetable for the Looe Valley line is available at -
http://www.carfreedaysout.com/timetables/looett.pdf
Note: the Looe Valley line only runs during the day, so please make sure you plan your trip accordingly.