All six destinations are reachable by train or car from anywhere in the UK, though a car makes the more rural spots — Kielder Water and Cannock Chase especially — considerably easier.
Salcombe
There’s no station in Salcombe itself. The nearest is Totnes, with frequent direct trains from London Paddington (just over 3 hours) and connections from Exeter and Plymouth. From Totnes, the 164 bus runs regularly to Salcombe (timed to meet trains), or a taxi takes 30–40 minutes. If you’re flying, Exeter Airport is the closest, about 45 minutes by road.
Falmouth
Falmouth has its own stations (Falmouth Town and Falmouth Docks), reached via the branch line from Truro — about a 20-minute ride, with Truro itself well connected to London Paddington and the rest of the country via Great Western Railway. Newquay Cornwall Airport is the nearest airport, roughly 30 miles away, with a taxi, bus or hire car needed to cover the final leg.
Kielder Water
This is the most remote of the six, and driving is genuinely the easiest way in. The nearest train stations are Hexham (about 30 miles) and Carlisle (about 50 miles); from Hexham, a limited charity-run bus (the 694) runs to Kielder, but only a couple of days a week, so check current timetables before relying on it. By car, it’s roughly 1 hour 20 minutes from Newcastle upon Tyne via the A69 and B6320.
Brimham Rocks
The nearest train station is Harrogate, about 10 miles away, from where a taxi is the most reliable option (bus services to Brimham Rocks are limited and, on some routes, only run on Sundays and bank holidays). Harrogate itself is well served by trains from Leeds and York. Driving from Harrogate takes about 25 minutes through the Nidderdale countryside.
Sandbanks
Sandbanks doesn’t have its own station, but is well connected via the South Western Railway mainline from London Waterloo (around 2 hours) to Poole or Parkstone stations, both a short taxi or bus ride from the peninsula. The Purbeck Breezer open-top bus (route 50) runs directly from Poole and Bournemouth to Sandbanks and onto the historic chain ferry, which crosses to Studland and the Isle of Purbeck every 20 minutes.
Cannock Chase
Three stations sit close to the Chase — Rugeley Town, Rugeley Trent Valley and Hednesford — all on lines with regular services to Birmingham New Street (around 40 minutes). None are directly on the doorstep, so a short taxi ride or a 40–45 minute walk covers the last leg. By car, Cannock Chase sits just off the M6, making it one of the easier destinations on this list to combine with a wider Midlands trip.