The summer holidays are here, and if you're looking for a day out that doesn't involve car parks or traffic queues, Great Western Railway has given us the perfect excuse to hop on a train. Their Myths and Legends campaign, launched earlier this year, is a love letter to the folklore of the South West and Wales and there's a distinctly Cornish thread running right through it that we couldn't resist sharing.

Back in the 1920s, GWR published a promotional series called Legend Land, encouraging Edwardian travellers to explore the region by rail. A hundred years on, GWR has dusted off that archive and reimagined it for a new generation, with an updated collection of eleven stories called The Line to Legend Land. The book pairs classic regional tales with a brand-new one, and it's freely available as a PDF download from GWR, or in print from GWR's souvenir shop.

The Mermaid of Zennor

For us here on the Fal, the highlight has to be the Mermaid of Zennor, one of Cornwall's best-loved folk tales, now immortalised in statue form on the platform at St Ives station. The legend tells of a mysterious, beautiful woman who used to slip into the pews at Zennor's parish church; a young man named Matthew Trewhella followed her home one day and was never seen again. Villagers later concluded she had been a mermaid all along, luring him beneath the waves. The tale is tied to a genuine carved bench-end in St Senara's Church in Zennor, which you can still visit today.

The Mermaid of Zennor statue at St Ives train station

The St Ives statue is part of a wider Legend Trail of five sculptures dotted across the GWR network, from London Paddington through to the South West and Wales:

• Mermaid of Zennor - St Ives station

• Giants of Avon Gorge (Goram and Vincent) - Bristol Temple Meads

• Excalibur - Castle Cary station

• Faeries of Pennard Castle - Swansea station

• Red Dragon - Cardiff Central station

Each one is a photo-worthy, interactive stop on a family day trip and with St Ives so easily reached by train from Truro and along the Cornish main line, it makes for a brilliant summer excursion!

A New Cornish Tale from Michael Morpurgo

The former Children's Laureate and War Horse author Sir Michael Morpurgo has lent his storytelling gifts to the campaign, contributing a brand-new original legend: The Miracle Dolphin of Mevagissey. It sits alongside the reissued folklore in The Line to Legend Land, and it's a lovely addition for any Cornish family collection, tying a much-loved fishing village on our doorstep into the region's wider mythology. The project also supports Farms for City Children, the charity founded by Michael and Lady Clare Morpurgo, which is celebrating fifty years of giving children farm-based experiences in the countryside, including in Devon, Gloucestershire and Pembrokeshire.

If you'd rather listen than read, GWR has also produced a storytime series called Trackanory, with Morpurgo himself narrating his Mevagissey tale, alongside other well-known voices reading the rest of the collection - perfect for a train journey with little ones.

Michael Morpurgo at Paddington station

Dragons on Screen

The campaign isn't just about statues and storybooks. A 60-second film, Five and the Dragon Quest, directed by Peter Baynton, sees Enid Blyton's Famous Five chasing a dragon across the GWR network, taking in landmarks along the way. It's a fun, nostalgic nod for parents who grew up on Blyton, and an introduction into the wider folklore trail for younger viewers.

Don't Miss the Exhibition in Truro

The Cornwall Museum and Art Gallery in Truro has opened a Cornish Myths & Legends  exhibition, running through to November. It's the perfect complement to the GWR trail and with Truro sitting right at the heart of our area, it's an easy add-on to a day exploring the Fal.

Plan Your Own Legendary Day Out

With the school holidays in full swing, this feels like a ready-made itinerary for Cornish families or visitors staying nearby:

1. Start in Truro with the Cornish Myths & Legends exhibition at the Museum and Art Gallery.

2. Hop on a train to St Ives to see the Mermaid of Zennor on the platform, then walk or drive out to Zennor itself to see the original bench-end carving in St Senara's Church.

3. Pick up a copy of The Line to Legend Land (or grab the free PDF before you go) and read Morpurgo's Miracle Dolphin of Mevagissey on the journey home.

GWR's Myths and Legends campaign is a wonderful invitation to rediscover the folklore of the Fal by train, at a gentle pace this summer holiday.

Fares, timetables and the full Legend Trail travel guide are available at gwr.com.