The 40 hours journey
After 10 months, finally, I am once again back to United
Kingdom for my summer graduation. This 11 days trip was all about celebration, relaxation,
fun and leisure. I have been planning this trip since I got back from the UK
last year and it took me almost 8 to 9 months to complete the itinerary. To be honest, it was a tough one (compared to
the others) as it required me to do lots of intensive research on
accommodations, places of interest, car hired centres and still trying to stay
within the budget. I have to also put into consideration on logistics as I am
not travelling alone but with four of my other family members; my mum and dad,
younger sister and cousin.
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| All checked-in and ready to fly |
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| Dad, younger sister, mum and cousin |
We flew into LHR T4 from KLIA using Etihad Airways where we
transited in AUH for 3 hours 15 minutes. The flight from KUL to AUH was 6 hours
45 minutes and the flight from AUH to LHR was 7 hours 45 minutes. Upon arrival
at LHR T4, we made our way to immigration and collected our luggage at the
carousel before catching the underground tube train to London Paddington Train
Station.
Although the journey from LHR T4 to London Paddington takes
almost 45 minutes (with the underground tube), it is the most affordable (£5.70/pax/way)
if compared to the Express Train service (£21.00/pax) and metered taxis (£70.00/car –
dependent on traffics). We arrived at London Paddington an hour early before
our train departs for Falmouth Town. Tips: Please try to be an hour early when
catching the train because British trains are really punctual with their time
of departure.
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| The always busy London Paddington Station in Central London |
I have booked the
First Great Western service to Cornwall
three months in advance and I have managed to get an awesome deal (under the
super off-peak ticket). The return tickets were only £301.00 for 5 pax. Travelling
on the train is always the best option to get around in the UK because it is economically cheap and it will give you an opportunity to enjoy the spectacular views of the UK’s countryside.
Tips: Tickets
can be purchased online and to get a great deal, it would be advisable to get
them 3 months in advanced. When purchasing, you can either ask them to mail it
for free to a UK address or you can collect it from the booth prior departure.
In my case, I requested them to mail it to my friend’s UK address and my friend
mailed me those tickets to Malaysia. The train journey took us almost 6 hours
with one stop at Truro.
Total time of travel: 40 hours!
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| The First Great Western train service bound for Falmouth Town |
Cornwall, I am back!
We stayed at Penryn Summer Apartment which is situated in
Penryn. The apartment is actually a university student accommodation for both
University of Exeter and Falmouth University students which only opens for the
public and served as a rented apartment during the summer break. The apartment
consisted of seven individual bedrooms en-suite with toilet and a communal area
(kitchen and a dining area). Tips: It is always best if you are travelling in a group
(eg. family) to rent an apartment-like accommodation (especially in Europe) because
this helps you save a lot especially on food. Groceries are easy to get hold
off and cheap, especially in the UK. Major supermarkets such as Tesco,
Sainsbury, Iceland, Londis, Lidhl and Asda are opened daily even in small-town
like Penryn and Falmouth. However, the opening times are shorter on a Sunday.
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| Penryn Summer Apartment |
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| Bedroom en-suite with a toilet and shower |
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| Toilet |
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| Communal area |
It is always advisable to hire a car whenever you are in
Cornwall because public transportation are not convenient. The roads are mostly hilly and walking with
your family will be exhausting! I did my reservation under
Europcar and their
services were really good. I got an upgrade to a bigger car for free and we
got a maroon coloured Vauxhall Mocca which is pretty awesome!
Tips: Do not pay
for full fuel tank because cars nowadays are usually in Eco mode and the fuel
consumption will only be ¼ if you are only staying for 4 days in Cornwall. A full tank will be £65 and for ¼ is only £22! Normally, the car hired is already
all fueled up, try using it first and only pay the amount used later.
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| Our hired car for during our stay in Cornwall |
Pictures around Falmouth before getting some groceries for dinner that night.
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| The view from Falmouth Museum |
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| #SELFIES |
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| Gylly Beach |
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| Our first proper dinner after 40 hours of travelling |
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