Eco-friendly summer holidays offer savings for train travelers

Did you know you can save money on your trip to Cornwall if you travel by train this summer?

Eco-friendly accommodation company Railholiday is offering a £50 discount to guests who ditch the car and travel by train.

Locals can also benefit from additional discounts if traveling from Cornwall or Devon.

Founded by Dave and Lizzy Stroud in 1998, Railholiday has given new life to derelict railway carriages by transforming them into self-catering holiday apartments.

The Strouds currently welcome guests in five refurbished carriages at St Germans and Hayle and are said to be in the process of restoring a 125-year-old carriage that previously belonged to Queen Victoria.

The focus on renewable transportation isn’t the company’s only environmental commitment; the accommodation is powered by clean energy sources, local suppliers supply the carriages, and guests have the opportunity to offset their stay with carbon emissions.

The initiative is part of Great Green Week, a national event encouraging people in the UK to make more sustainable choices.

This year the focus is on ‘switches’, a theme appropriate for guests choosing rail transport over a private vehicle.

Railholidays has five converted carriages at St Germans and Hayle (Photo: Railway Holidays)

Ms Stroud mentioned: “About 30 per cent of our guests arrive by train and 90 per cent of them use the train while on holiday.

“If people come by train, they are much more likely to engage with the village and spend money locally.”

The historic carriages have undergone modifications to achieve zero carbon emissions and operate year-round.

Guests who choose to stay in one of these carriages, the Traveling Post Office, can enjoy the benefits of insulation and an air-source heat pump.

These wagons are powered by the Good Energy and Octopus Energy renewable energy programs.

To further save energy, all carriages use energy-saving light bulbs and devices are selected based on their energy efficiency class A or A+.

For £25, Railholiday offers to plant a tree on your local business premises or support community orchards in St Germans, Moor Barton and Loveland in Penryn.

More information can be found at www.railholiday.co.uk.