Adlington
Member
- Joined
- 3 Oct 2016
- Messages
- 1,040
Still a bargain compared with Glasgow - Kyle of Lochalsh (which isn't exactly on Skye...) by train: two singles add to £64.60.Glasgow to Skye is £52.70 adult return.
-
Our booking engine at tickets.railforums.co.uk (powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Most Scenic Bus Route
- Thread starter overthewater
- Start date
- Status
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
The 50/40 are deckers with o/t in summer.
Needles and Island Coaster are o/t.
X53 and 376 are deckers.
20 is single deck in winter (DD in summer) with additional summer journeys operated with o/t
124 is SD? and so is 24.
Only done the 118 to Rhosilli - nice route spoilt by travelling on a shocking e200 that seemed a lot older than 4 year old.
Last edited:
Jordan Adam
Established Member
I think in part this survey reflected more the fact that places in around central England etc have a much higher population mass than that of Wales and Scotland.
Isn't the Island Coaster run by Vectis Blue DD's? It was about 2 years ago when I last went to the Isle of Wight.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Sorry - you’re quite correct. Think I’m mixing Coasters with Breezers
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
In Sussex (where I live) there are some really scenic bus routes that you'll enjoy - e.g. Metrobus 291 from Crawley to Tunbridge Wells, or the Brighton & Hove Coasters from Brighton to Eastbourne. Those two have even apparently won the award for being one of the UK's most scenic bus routes (with the Yorkshire 840 coming out first).
Going onto Mainland Europe (if I'm allowed to talk about it on this thread), I can only comment about Italy, since that's the other country I rode on a lot of buses. But back to that, various Naples city bus routes that go to Vomero or Posillipo (such as the 140, C16 and C31) are very worth riding. You can get a great view of Capri and the Sorrento peninsula (or the Vesuvius volcano in the case of the C31)!
Going onto Mainland Europe (if I'm allowed to talk about it on this thread), I can only comment about Italy, since that's the other country I rode on a lot of buses. But back to that, various Naples city bus routes that go to Vomero or Posillipo (such as the 140, C16 and C31) are very worth riding. You can get a great view of Capri and the Sorrento peninsula (or the Vesuvius volcano in the case of the C31)!
peterblue
Member
It is a shame, although inevitable, that the most high profile and well publicised routes tend to win.
Agreed. High Peak have some amazing routes e.g. 60 from Macclesfield to Hayfield, 61 Buxton to Glossop and 58 Macclesfield to Buxton but they don't seem to publicise and promote in the same way that Transdev do. The 36 from Leeds to Harrogate is very pleasant but it doesn't compete with the routes I mentioned in terms of scenery.
Whats the difference between Vectis blue and the green buses?
I Believe the blue is the school fleet arm
Vectis blue is the school side of southern vectis although I think some of the Solo SR's run some of the less frequent routes between school runs.
Yes that’s right. Some of the blue E400s are fitted with ticket machines too and can be found out on normal service at busy times - that also includes at the moment while route 1 is being worked by deckers instead of the usual singles for Social Distancing.
The Vectis route 1 mini e200s are being transferred to morebus at Poole with Scanias from Salisbury going the other way to replace them on route 1 which will be withdrawn from the Red Jet terminal entirely.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Very true but as you say, it's inevitable that the routes with the higher loadings and are sold as a picturesque tourist route tend to do well in such surveys. It is of course, rather subjective.
@RELL6L tipped me the wink about Stagecoach's service 1 from Bargoed to Merthyr Tydfil. Hardly tourist central and operated by 15 year old Darts (last I saw). However, you leave Bargoed and begin climbing up the Rhymney, then branching into a treelined cleft in the geography. Leaving the narrow tree lined verdant foothills, you exit the valley into the windswept uplands scarred from various mines and spoil heaps before looping through a village called Fochriw, a bleak tribute to pebble dash and Valium. Then drop back to the Rhymney and through the eponymous town before climbing again onto the Heads of the Valleys and the descent (physically and metaphorically) to Merthyr.
It'll never get on a list of Britain's most beautiful bus routes but it's really something in it's own way.
Lancashire had/has some good routes; I recollect journeys from Clitheroe to Nelson via Downham and Barley, at the foot of Pendle Hill; this is still going AFAIK, but Slaidburn (in the Forest of Bowland) lost its routes to Settle and Clitheroe in favour of dial-a-ride. A few years ago I made a special trip to Halifax, in order to get there early enough on a Saturday to catch the SO bus to Burnley which took the other route, over the tops via the Long Causeway, much bleaker and more rural than the valley route via Todmorden, interesting as that is. I think it went through Heptonstall. Not too far away in Yorkshire, the bus from Hebden Bridge to Keighley is a wonderful route as far as Haworth.
The 'spectacular' tag is probably over used. We have it here with the Purbeck Breezers too and obviously you have it too now with the Atlantic Coasters. Of course, they're all Best Impressions (and Alex Carter) creations and are top drawer tourist products but whether they are spectacular is down to personal opinion.
I would agree that I don't find the Needles Breezer particularly spectacular, 'scenic' yes at the Alum Bay end and the approach back to Yarmouth bus station but the rest could be any old B roads. The 50 tops it with it's views across Poole Harbour, the crossing over the Sandbanks Ferry onto the sand dunes at Shell Bay and the run through Studland into Swanage. At the other end though, it's a Bournemouth and Poole local service and not especially scenic, let alone spectacular. I'd say for views, you're A3 is probably the most spectacular... and bracing.
For what it's worth, and I drove it for a couple of years back in the early 00s, I think the YCL 840 is boring as hell. Very bleak. Hole of Horcum and Blue Bank are not my idea of spectacular. As for the rest of the route, 50 miles along the A64 and sat in York traffic... no thanks!
A3 is my favourite I’ve been on. The A5 route that FK are using this year comes close as it doesn’t dart into the airport or st Eval or St mawgan. Pretty much sticks to coast road.
I am hoping to get down and grab an open top run on the A5 this season. I've had a few trips on it before and always thought that if the trees could be cleared, it would make for a great open top route. Good to see Alex and Marc taking the leap with it this year.
As the new open tops haven’t entered service yet the open top fleet is stretched this season so if vehicles unavailable there isn’t an abundance of spares so it does get subbed for closed top where issues occur. Summercourt has 2 open tops for a PVR of 2. Only the 10m can get over Harlyn bridge so not a case of being able to send a replacement up from Penzance where most are longer
Yeah, I appreciate it'll be a bit of a gamble, but it's a cracking run in a closed top anyway and I do want to try out the new Premier Inn too!
Do both work out of Summercourt or is the Padstow outstation still used?
All currently out of Summercourt. Padstow is currently not operational but soon to return is my understanding
Bristol LH
Member
- Joined
- 6 Aug 2017
- Messages
- 73
Stagecoach's Service 1 has my vote as well, second to Service 172 between Aberdare, the Rhondda Valleys, Bridgend and Porthcawl.
To bring you up to date, all of the South Wales fleet's Darts have been SORNd since late March and Service 1 (and 2 & 3) are now in the hands of Alexander Dennis Enviro200s.
High Hopes
The BBC Wales sitcom High Hopes was shown between 2002 and 2009 and was set in the South Wales Valleys. It featured the late Margaret John, who went on to appear as Doris in Gavin & Stacey. The backdrop village seen on the opening and closing credits is Fochriw in the Upper Rhymney Valley, and...
www.flickr.com
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Stagecoach's Service 1 has my vote as well, second to Service 172 between Aberdare, the Rhondda Valleys, Bridgend and Porthcawl.
To bring you up to date, all of the South Wales fleet's Darts have been SORNd since late March and Service 1 (and 2 & 3) are now in the hands of Alexander Dennis Enviro200s.
High Hopes
The BBC Wales sitcom High Hopes was shown between 2002 and 2009 and was set in the South Wales Valleys. It featured the late Margaret John, who went on to appear as Doris in Gavin & Stacey. The backdrop village seen on the opening and closing credits is Fochriw in the Upper Rhymney Valley, and...
Thanks Barrie. The "Last I saw" reference was that I'd seen on Flickr that most Darts were indeed SORN'ed but didn't know if that had changed. The 172 is a cracker but that's a bit well known; the 1 is a hidden gem!
And yes, I remember High Hopes and the opening titles. I guess you may have approved of the vehicle too!
Whisky Papa
Member
- Joined
- 8 Aug 2019
- Messages
- 394
The former 517 route over Long Causeway was a spectacular route - the road is a bizzare switchback on the Lancashire side. I gather it was a hangover from a former Hebble route, which went that way as Todmorden Borough Council would not grant Hebble permission to run via Todmorden on the main road in the valley bottom. I never drove the 517 as it was worked by Halifax, but from Todmorden garage I regularly drove double-deckers over the route on a school contract to Calder High School at Mytholmroyd, the C86 from memory. Although the first pick-up was at the Lancs / West Yorks boundary at Shore Road Top, we usually ran empty via Mereclough and Long Causeway to reach that point. In addition to the usual weather-related hazards, this road had an additonal problem as it faced due East, and on some fine mornings in winter, as you climbed up out of the dips you would find you had the rising sun exactly on the skyline between the dry stone walls you were aiming to keep between - horrible! The 517 did indeed go via Heptonstall but the school contract ran via Lee Wood, which has a spectacular view down over Hardcasle Crags - one morning I remember looking down on a Chinook helicopter on manoeuvres in the valley below.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Done a few trips in the last 12-18 months in that area. As I've mentioned before, Burnley - Bacup - Todmorden is another hidden gem of a service, and fully agree, Keighley to Hebden Bridge is an excellent trip out, with some wild Bronte scenery on the moors before you have an exhilarating drop into HB.
Westcountryman
Member
The 40 is generally closed top, although the 50s have a mix of closed top, part open top and open top (part open top has a fixed roof for about 40% of the top deck, the remainder being permanently open)
- Status