Driving to Cornwall over night - tips needed

[WaffleDogg20]

We booked our yearly holiday to St Just/Cape Cornwall last year but unfortunately found out the Friday we go is also the day of my dds prom. We are going for a week.

im planning on driving down (6 hours) straight after prom as it finishes at 9.30.

DH wants to drive down in the day with dd7 and ds14 and dog but I feel sad that he will miss her prom. We would follow in my car after.

what would you do? I really don’t fancy driving on Saturday when it’s probably going to be super busy on the roads.

do I just drink loads of energy drinks to keep me awake?! 😩

We have done the drive to Cornwall from the north east of England. We are going to st Ives in a couple of weeks. We Tend to break the journey up though and stay in places on the way down. Coming back though we do in one stretch and it’s about 9 hrs. To be honest I would set off around 5 on Saturday morning, the thought of driving to Cornwall during the night would fill me with dread. We have drove into Cornwall Saturday mornings and this was at the high of the school summer holidays and have never been stuck in traffic. Maybe that was just luck though.
what’s the train service like, can your DD get the train down the next day.

Two cars for your family of 5? I'd look to get the train.

We used to leave in the early hours, and stop for breakfast on the way.

I'd go at around 4am on the Saturday. That's when we usually do our Cornwall travel.

You'll be there by around 10am. Your DD can sleep for some time in the car if she needs to. You can sleep from 10pm until 4am when you leave.

You'll then both be able to enjoy the Saturday when you arrive. You might just need a bit of an early night on Saturday to catch up.

If you drive there overnight on Friday you'll arrive earlier but you'll probably be too tired to do very much at all on Saturday.

Enjoy your holiday. St Just and Cape Cornwall are lovely.

If you're used to driving, I'd definitely head off after the prom.
I much prefer driving through the night to having to get up in the small hours.

I don’t think the prom attendee is the driver.
I do lots of long drives. Espresso, apples and windows open or air conditioning. If you go separately does that mean your husband gets there mid afternoon and you the following morning? Is that worth the double parking and fuel hassles? If not all collecting her from prom and sharing the driving seems the best bet!
I drove toddler dds down to Cornwall for the eclipse in 2000! Up at 4 and there in time and back. Lots of music and snacks.

This is exactly what I was about to say !
I’d hate to drive all night , but would until 11/12 , premier inn then off again by 9 , you’d be there by lunch and not as sleepy ‘

Where are you travelling from?

I've done the sleeper to Cornwall from London a couple of times, you don't leave until after 11pm.

There is also the option (depending where you are) to fly in to Newquay.

It seems a lot of hassle to and expense to take two cars, although maybe not with the cost of trains / flights.

I'm also in favour of having a sleep in the evening and leaving in the middle of the night, but it's a bit different for me. I'm in East Sussex so the early part of the journey, along the collection of signposts that is the eastern stretch of the A27 is the worst bit of the whole trip.

I'm very jealous, my late DP and I spent a lot of time in Cornwall, mostly when we had a motorhome, and used to stop in St Just a lot. The pasties from the butcher in St Just are the best I've ever had!

If you would normally all fit in one car, I wouldn't contemplate taking two, just for the sake of a few hours difference. Think of the petrol money and extra pollution in the environment. Also, you'd have two cars for the return journey, which would be entirely unnecessary.

Use the services toilet before you get off the motorway! Once off the motorways much harder to find a toilet in the small hours I've been caught by this sooo many times. Same for coffees once off the motorway you can't get one in the small hours

All stay home on Friday, daughter enjoys her prom. The adult who will be driving to Cornwall gets an early night on Friday. The other adult collects daughter from prom and then you both go home and get to bed asap. Set alarm for 2.30. and aim to be on your way by 3.30 a.m. Take some snacks and drinks, but stop off for breakfast about 7.00.

I regularly used to go to visit relatives in Devon, setting off from sunny east Berkshire about 5am, depending on mood I go either M4 M5 or via M3 A303 M5 which is prettier.
In summer, the sun is up earlier than you and behind you, so the only thing you have to watch is the idiots coming the other way on A303 on the single lane bits (sometimes accidents round Stonehenge.) My ideal is to get past Exeter before 8.30am, then you'll have a trouble free trip.

My favourite services are Weyhill on A303, and Sedgemoor on M5. Teals on A303 is a very good cafe, but often not open at the time I go past (opens 8am), ditto Hillbrush at Mere (excellent breakfasts but not open till 9). Hubby liked the American diner on the 303 but I think that's changes in recent years

We have two teenagers and a 7 year old. They can not sit next to each other without arguing. And I don’t like the dog in my car but mine is bigger than dh. We wouldn’t all fit in dhs car.

She will not be drinking, and no my younger two won’t be finished until that day.

and yes we always take two cars x

I'd get home from the prom, both sleep from 10 - 3.30 then up and leaving at 4.30am. Dd can carry on sleeping in the car.

Just leave early on the Saturday. If you leave at 4am you'll be down before it gets busy. We often leave early and are down there in time for a late breakfast!

Can’t believe you take 2 cars on a six hour drive. And if your DC argue in the car, don’t they argue on holiday too

Depends very much on your own preferences and circadian rhythm, OP. I’d be far less tired (so safer to drive) driving at 10pm into the night and stopping for a nap in the car around 2-3am and carrying on, than picking DD up from prom and then getting up at 4am to start the drive.

Can't you have a couple of nap about 3pm and then sleep whilst she's at prom?

Pick her up straight from prom with a change of clothes and get cracking down to Cornwall.

Crikey. It's meant to be a holiday! All those of you suggesting getting up halfway through the night - why??? You'll just wreck the Saturday and Sunday while you all try to recover from the weird hours. That's without the increased risk of injuring yourselves and others in a tired crash.

Train to London after prom and sleeper train to Penzance, leisurely breakfast then take a bus or DH collects you.
Or - all of you set off at a leisurely pace on Saturday, couple of stops at interesting sights and actuality make a nice family day out of the journey

Have you ever driven to Cornwall?

No dear, I have always taken the train. Have you ever been on a train?

all of you set off at a leisurely pace on Saturday, couple of stops at interesting sights and actuality make a nice family day out of the journey

They're driving to Cornwall, not Italy 😂

It's 6 hours for goodness sake, it's nothing.

If we're travelling somewhere 6 hours away it's because the destination is somewhere we'd like to go. So we GO - I have no desire to make a production out of the drive there with lots of stops!

Then you won't know that it's the stuff of nightmares.

What looks like a 6 HR drive can take double that on a good day. Without stopping "at interesting places along the way"