Ninety miles. On a map, the run from Bude to Land's End looks like a morning's work. On the ground, the A39 rewards patience and punishes a tight schedule: high hedges, blind bends, tractors, and a couple of towns that will hold you up for twenty minutes without apology. Treat it as a day out rather than a driving task and you'll reach the western tip with the light going gold over the Longships.

The route at a glance

The Atlantic Highway proper runs south from Bude on the A39 to Indian Queens, where it meets the A30. From there the fast road takes over, carrying you west through Redruth and Camborne to Hayle and on towards Penzance. The final stretch to Land's End is slow again, whether you go through St Just or take the coast route past Porthcurno.

Call it 90 miles end to end and around two and a half hours of actual driving. Spread across a day with stops, it looks roughly like this:

1. 08:00 Leave Bude, heading south on the A39.
2. 08:20 Widemouth Bay: boots on, ten minutes on the sand.
3. 09:15 Wadebridge. Fuel, coffee, a leg stretch by the Camel.
4. 10:45 Indian Queens. Join the A30 and let it do the work.
5. 11:30 Godrevy and Gwithian, if the tide agrees.
6. 12:30 Hayle for lunch.
7. 14:30 Penzance and Newlyn.
8. 16:00 Land's End, with daylight left for Sennen Cove.

That's a guide, not a timetable. In August, add an hour. In February, take one away.

Bude to Wadebridge: the real Atlantic Highway

Start in Bude with a walk along the breakwater and a look at the sea pool. It's a good way to remind yourself what the day is about before you spend three hours behind a windscreen, and the town is small enough that half an hour covers it.

Widemouth Bay arrives within a few minutes of leaving, with a big car park right off the road and two miles of sand beyond it. It's the easiest stop of the day, so use it rather than promising yourself you'll pull over somewhere later.

Past Widemouth the road turns inland and climbs, and this is the section people remember. Hedges crowd the tarmac, occasional gaps flash the coast into view, and the surface rises and falls across the moors around Week St Mary. Overtaking chances are scarce, so settle in behind whatever's in front. The tight bends near Treskinnick Cross catch out drivers who have been cruising on autopilot; slow properly, not late.

The A39 now skirts Wadebridge rather than running through it. If you want the town, take the exit and find the riverside, where the Camel Trail begins and there's usually somewhere open for coffee. Wadebridge is also the sensible place to fill the tank if you skipped Bude, because the next reliable cluster of filling stations sits at the A30.

Wadebridge to Indian Queens

Back on the A39, the road runs south past St Columb Major to Indian Queens. It's straightforward, though this is the stretch most likely to be slowed by holiday traffic bound for Newquay, which splits away near St Columb.

Padstow is the temptation, signposted off the B3276. It's a lovely detour and a slow one: twenty minutes each way, plus parking that turns into a competitive sport in high summer. If you're serious about reaching Land's End in daylight, save Padstow for the return leg or another trip.

At Indian Queens you join the A30, and there's a cluster of filling stations and food outlets at the junction. That makes it the natural second break of the day.

Onto the A30: Indian Queens to Hayle

This is where the miles fall away. The A30 is dual carriageway for most of the run west, and after the concentration the A39 demands, it feels almost too easy. Use it to make up time, but don't switch off entirely. The junction at Chiverton Cross is busy, and the weather on this high, exposed stretch can change quickly.

Leave the A30 at Hayle if you want Godrevy. Follow the signs through Gwithian and you'll reach a National Trust car park above the towans, with the lighthouse offshore and a decent chance of seals on the rocks below the cliffs. It's a short walk to a view worth the detour, and a much longer one if you keep going along the coast path.

Hayle, Penzance and the last push west

Hayle is the right place for lunch: fuel, a good spread of cafés and takeaways, and the dune-backed towans to walk off a heavy meal. From here the A30 continues to Penzance, passing through Camborne and Redruth, both of which have services if you need them.

Penzance deserves more than a drive-through. Park near the promenade, look at the Jubilee Pool, and wander Chapel Street if time allows. Newlyn, five minutes further on, is the place for fish.

Then the road narrows and the day gets better. From Penzance the A3071 runs west to St Just, and from there you follow the signs for Land's End. The alternative is the southern coast route through Newlyn, Lamorna and Porthcurno, past the Minack Theatre. It's narrower, slower and considerably more beautiful. Take it if you have the light and the nerve; skip it if you're already running late.

Either way, Sennen Cove is the last stop before the end and worth twenty minutes. Land's End itself is a few minutes further on, with a paid car park and the Longships lighthouse standing out to sea.

Fuel, food and the things that catch people out

• Fill up early. Rural filling stations in west Cornwall can keep short hours, and some are closed on Sundays. Don't assume a village garage will be open when you need it.
• Saturday is changeover day. Many holiday lets turn around at the weekend, so westbound traffic peaks in the afternoon. A weekday run is noticeably easier.
• The A39 is slow by design. Tractors, caravans and horseboxes are part of the deal. Leave bigger gaps than you would at home and only overtake where you can see a long way ahead.
• Parking at Land's End is charged. Bring a card and expect the main car park to be busy in summer.
• Signal comes and goes. Download an offline map before you set out.
• Check sunset before you leave. If you want to be at the end for it, work backwards from that time rather than forwards from Bude.

Making a day of it

The drive back from Land's End to Bude is another two hours or more, and by then you'll have had a long day. If you can, stay the night in Sennen, St Just or Penzance and drive back in the morning. If you can't, build in a proper meal stop rather than pushing straight through.

One last thought: the route works just as well in reverse. Starting at Land's End early and finishing in Bude for the evening puts the sun behind you and the heaviest traffic ahead of you. Whichever way you run it, give the road the day it deserves.

Photo: alleksana / Pexels