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Arriving in Newquay

Travel distances

Falmouth to Newquay

Falmouth to Newquay on the map

Start and finish

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Distance

38 miles

by road

By car

About 55 minutes

in normal traffic

By bike

About 3 hours 45 minutes

steady pace

By foot

About 12 hours

on foot

Before you set off

Newquay is a changeover town. On summer Saturdays the A3075 backs up at Goonhavern between about 9am and noon as one week's visitors leave and the next week's arrive.1 Travel either side of that window and the road is clear. Falmouth's approach on the A393 is typically fine.

Which way to go

The fastest route

Take the A39 north from Falmouth to Truro, then the A30 east to Chiverton Cross and straight up the A3075 through Goonhavern into Newquay.2 Single carriageway for much of the northern half but direct and well signed throughout.

The scenic route

Go north from Falmouth to Truro on the A39, then follow the A30 and A3075 to Perranporth, turning onto the B3285 coast road through Perranporth and the dune roads above Holywell into Newquay.2 It is a far better drive than the A3075 and passes several excellent beaches. Add about twenty-five minutes.

Caravans and motorhomes

The A39 and A3075 are fine for caravans and motorhomes. The B3285 coast road above Holywell is narrow in places and best avoided with a large unit. Newquay has good-sized car parks; Trenance is the most convenient for a large vehicle.

Stops along the way

  1. Start

    Falmouth

  2. Truro

    0.3 miles off the A39, adds roughly 5 minutes

    Cornwall's cathedral city, a natural midpoint and a good coffee or fuel stop on the way north.3

  3. Perranporth

    0.5 miles off the A3075, adds roughly 6 minutes

    Three miles of sand and a beach bar built directly on the dunes — a short turn off the A3075 or the coast road.

  4. Holywell Bay

    1 mile off the B3285, adds roughly 8 minutes

    Dune-backed sand behind a tidal valley, quieter than any of the Newquay beaches and worth the minor detour.

  5. Arrive

    Newquay

Practical information

Parking

Newquay has plenty of car parks but little of them beside the beach you actually want. Trenance and Manor are the largest; Tolcarne and Narrowcliff are closest to the town beaches. Fistral has its own car park, which fills first on a good surf day.

Train and bus

By rail it is Falmouth Docks to Truro, then a change for Newquay on the Atlantic Coast Line4 — about an hour and a half all told.5 The Newquay branch from Par also connects, but the Truro change is more direct from Falmouth. First Kernow buses cover the same route if the rail times do not suit.6

The best time to travel

Early morning or after 5pm in summer once the beaches empty. Avoid the Saturday changeover window between 9am and noon on the A3075.

About the Falmouth to Newquay journey

Thirty-eight miles north, from one of Cornwall's great estuaries to its loudest seaside town, and a change of wavelength at the end of it. Falmouth is old maritime, with four centuries of trading behind it and a quieter register than its size suggests. Newquay is entirely contemporary, built for the summer and entirely honest about it: surf, sun, stags and the Atlantic, in that order. The drive up the A39 and A3075 is the transition — fast, functional and entirely unmemorable, which means every minute spent on the coast road instead is a minute well spent.

What to do in Newquay

Fistral for the surf, Towan and Great Western for families, Watergate Bay for space and the walk back along the cliff path.7 The Huer's Hut above the town gives the whole bay at once, and in poor weather the Blue Reef Aquarium and Newquay Zoo both earn their entrance fees. Outside the season the beaches are better for being emptier.

Read the Newquay guide

Going the other way: Newquay to Falmouth

Newquay to Falmouth is the same thirty-eight miles in reverse, mostly the A3075 and A39. The Saturday queue runs the other way, so the return on a changeover weekend is usually clearer southbound.

Related journeys

Falmouth to Truro12 miles

Falmouth to Truro

25 mins by car (About 25 minutes)1hr 10mins by bike (About 1 hour 10 minutes)

Falmouth to Truro is 12 miles and about 25 minutes by car. Compare the A39 direct route, the Fal estuary scenic road, bus times, parking and the best time to travel.

Falmouth to Padstow52 miles

Falmouth to Padstow

1hr 20mins by car (About 1 hour 20 minutes)5hr by bike (About 5 hours)

Falmouth to Padstow is 52 miles and about 1 hour 20 minutes by car. The A39 direct route, the north coast road, parking at Padstow and the best time to travel.

Truro to Newquay14 miles

Truro to Newquay

30 mins by car (About 30 minutes)1hr 30mins by bike (About 1 hour 30 minutes)

Truro to Newquay is 14 miles and about 30 minutes by car. The fastest A3075 route, the coast road alternative, buses, parking and the best time to travel.

See every Cornwall journey →

Article Sources
  1. National Highways (no date). Travel updates: roadworks and traffic on the strategic road network [online]. Available at: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/travel-updates/ National Highways[↩]
  2. OpenStreetMap contributors (2026). Road network, road classifications and place names. Copyright and licence [online]. Available at: https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright OpenStreetMap[↩]
  3. Truro Cathedral (no date). Home page [online]. Available at: https://www.trurocathedral.org.uk Truro Cathedral[↩]
  4. Great Western Railway (no date). Plan your journey: timetables and branch-line services in Cornwall [online]. Available at: https://www.gwr.com/plan-journey Great Western Railway[↩]
  5. National Rail Enquiries (no date). Train times and journey planner [online]. Available at: https://www.nationalrail.co.uk National Rail[↩]
  6. First Kernow (no date). Bus services, routes and timetables in Cornwall [online]. Available at: https://www.firstbus.co.uk/cornwall First Kernow[↩]
  7. Visit Cornwall (no date). Cornwall events calendar [online]. Available at: https://www.visitcornwall.com Visit Cornwall[↩]
  8. Project OSRM (no date). Open Source Routing Machine: route shape and detour calculations [online]. Available at: https://project-osrm.org Project OSRM
  9. Ordnance Survey (no date). National Grid references used to position each place on the route map [online]. Available at: https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk Ordnance Survey
  10. Google (no date). Google Maps: live traffic and turn-by-turn directions [online]. Available at: https://www.google.com/maps Google Maps