Can you travel from Lands End to John O Groats entirely on bus vehicles (not coach vehicles)?

[swt class 450]

Is it possible to do Lands Ends to John O Groats entirely on local bus services and using bus vehicles only (so coach vehicles are not allowed even if it is a local bus service)?

Getting from Lands End to Edinburgh or Glasgow is easy and simple but the problem is how to get North from there as all services seem to use coaches instead of buses. There seems to be plenty of services (many of which are registered as local bus services) but every service i have found seems to use coaches.

Is it possible to do it entirely using bus vehicles? If not then what is the furthest North you could get entirely on bus vehicles?

So basically my question is how far North can you get from the Central Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow) areas entirely on bus vehicles?

Many thanks.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Is it possible to do Lands Ends to John O Groats entirely on local bus services and using bus vehicles only (so coach vehicles are not allowed even if it is a local bus service)?

Getting from Lands End to Edinburgh or Glasgow is easy and simple but the problem is how to get North from there as all services seem to use coaches instead of buses. There seems to be plenty of services (many of which are registered as local bus services) but every service i have found seems to use coaches.

Is it possible to do it entirely using bus vehicles? If not then what is the furthest North you could get entirely on bus vehicles?

So basically my question is how far North can you get from the Central Scotland (Edinburgh and Glasgow) areas entirely on bus vehicles?

Many thanks.

If you were banned from using any coach vehicles (regardless of service type) you'd only get to as far north as Tain with Stagecoach NScotland's Service 25/25X, this route mostly uses buses, although coaches are common. If you were lucky you could get slightly further north by getting the 62 from Tain to Lairg, although the allocation on this service is less likely to be a bus.

The only way to go further north would be via Stagecoach's X99 (coaches only) or by getting one of the numerous infrequent services towards the North/west coast typically operated by Ford Transit minibuses.

So in short, your journey would most likely be possible as far as Inverness, but after that you'd stumble in to issues.

 

[swt class 450]

Many thanks for the info. I am thinking of doing Lands End to John O Groats entirely by local buses at some point and would preferably like to do it as much as possible on bus vehicles.

So what is the method of getting from the Central Scotland area (Edinburgh or Glasgow) to Inverness? Which services can be taken that use bus vehicles?

Also can i please ask what type of vehicle these two Stagecoach services use (are they buses or coaches):

• 66 - Lairg to Helmsdale
• 81S - Berriedale to Wick

If these use buses then it may be possible to do Lands End to John O Groats almost entirely by bus vehicles with just a very short coach ride between Helmsdale and Berriedale on the X98 or X99 service.

Although of course this would depend on whether you were lucky enough to get a bus vehicle on these two services you mentioned:

• 25/25U/25X - Inverness to Tain
• 62/62D - Tain to Lairg

I have always found it strange how so many local bus services all over Scotland use coach vehicles instead of bus vehicles. It is much more rare in England and Wales to see this.

Many thanks.

 

[Volvodart]

There have recently been complaints on their twitter about them using "city buses" on the Inverness to Thurso route, but this is likely to be infrequent.

 

[rg177]

Borders Buses 253 from Edinburgh to Berwick uses normal buses as far as I can see.

From there, X15 down to Newcastle, X9 or X10 to Middlesbrough, X93 to Whitby or Scarborough, Coastliner to Leeds.

There, Edinburgh to Leeds

 

[Jordan Adam]

Many thanks for the info. I am thinking of doing Lands End to John O Groats entirely by local buses at some point and would preferably like to do it as much as possible on bus vehicles.

So what is the method of getting from the Central Scotland area (Edinburgh or Glasgow) to Inverness? Which services can be taken that use bus vehicles?

Also can i please ask what type of vehicle these two Stagecoach services use (are they buses or coaches):

• 66 - Lairg to Helmsdale
• 81S - Berriedale to Wick

If these use buses then it may be possible to do Lands End to John O Groats almost entirely by bus vehicles with just a very short coach ride between Helmsdale and Berriedale on the X98 or X99 service.

Although of course this would depend on whether you were lucky enough to get a bus vehicle on these two services you mentioned:

• 25/25U/25X - Inverness to Tain
• 62/62D - Tain to Lairg

I have always found it strange how so many local bus services all over Scotland use coach vehicles instead of bus vehicles. It is much more rare in England and Wales to see this.

Many thanks.

It can be done using registered bus services, however if you were to ban coaches all together it wouldn't work

As far as Dundee there's far too many options to list. But from there you could do the following...

• 39/39A (E300) or 73/73A (B5LH) Dundee to Arbroath
• 30 (E300) Arbroath to Montrose
• 107 (Solo) Montrose to Stonehaven
• X6/7/7A/7B (E300 or Trident) Stonehaven to Aberdeen
• 54/54A/X54 (E300) Aberdeen to Ellon
• 51 (Solo) Ellon to New Pitsligo
• 271/272 (E400) New Pitsligo to Banff
• 405 (Solo) Banff to Cullen
• 351 (Solo) Cullen to Keith
• 353 or 362 (Solo) Keith to Dufftown
• 36 (E200) Dufftown to Elgin
• 10 (E200MMC) Elgin to Inverness (Hourly short workings only)

Due to the timetabling on many of services listed above it would probably take you a few days to go from Aberdeen to Inverness, however technically it is possible. Bus types may also slightly vary, however those listed as the "booked" and most common types.

The 66 & 81S both typically use a coach (Plaxton Profile or Panther).

Part of the reason for the higher use of coaches (Particularly in Northern Scotland) is the tougher geographical conditions, many routes are just far too demanding and/or long for a bus. Another reason is because many public services interwork or double as school services, for these a single decker is too low capacity, while a decker would be unsuitable.

 

[overthewater]

What about going the long way around. 806 the Durness bus? I dare say a few b&b will be needed.

 

[baz962]

I can only imagine that such a journey would be akin to torture.

 

[Deerfold]

Borders Buses 253 from Edinburgh to Berwick uses normal buses as far as I can see.

From there, X15 down to Newcastle, X9 or X10 to Middlesbrough, X93 to Whitby or Scarborough, Coastliner to Leeds.

There, Edinburgh to Leeds

You don't appear to be going North from Edinburgh or Glasgow.

The OP already said they had no problem working out Lands End to either Edinburgh or Glasgow.

 

[Ploughman]

Would the original post have been better stating:-
Is it possible to do Lands Ends to John O Groats entirely on local bus services and using PUBLIC SERVICE vehicles only?

 

[Deerfold]

Would the original post have been better stating:-
Is it possible to do Lands Ends to John O Groats entirely on local bus services and using PUBLIC SERVICE vehicles only?

How would that be better?

 

[rg177]

You don't appear to be going North from Edinburgh or Glasgow.

The OP already said they had no problem working out Lands End to either Edinburgh or Glasgow.

This is what I get for posting while half asleep- I read it the wrong way around and thought they said south of Edinburgh...

 

[Ploughman]

How would that be better?

Opens up the use of Single Deck buses which were always more common in the far north.

 

[RT4038]

How would that be better?

Quite!

 

[Busaholic]

I remember when the ENCTS came in that someone quickly brought out a book on doing the Land's End to Berwick-on-Tweed section: I even stocked it in the bookshop I ran then, and managed to sell a copy. IIRC the most problematic bit for him was getting from Mid/Cornwall into Devon at the time, but it's improved to a certain extent since. First had retrenched, Western Greyhound hadn't been set up, Stagecoach weren't on the scene and Plymouth Citybus was what it said on the side of the buses!

 

[Stan Drews]

Would the original post have been better stating:-
Is it possible to do Lands Ends to John O Groats entirely on local bus services and using PUBLIC SERVICE vehicles only?

That would make it relatively straightforward, as that would allow use on all the Stagecoach services in Scotland, but I think the OP was trying to establish if it could be done without travelling on coach type vehicles.

 

[Jordan Adam]

Opens up the use of Single Deck buses which were always more common in the far north.

Not quite sure what you're trying to get through? "Local bus services" would include those operated by single deckers. In basic terms the OP is asking if the journey would be possible to do using services operated by buses only. In North Scotland many local services, even relatively short ones are often operated by coaches.

 

[Deerfold]

Opens up the use of Single Deck buses which were always more common in the far north.

Which bit of the OP's post excludes Single Deckers?

 

[carlberry]

I remember when the ENCTS came in that someone quickly brought out a book on doing the Land's End to Berwick-on-Tweed section: I even stocked it in the bookshop I ran then, and managed to sell a copy. IIRC the most problematic bit for him was getting from Mid/Cornwall into Devon at the time, but it's improved to a certain extent since. First had retrenched, Western Greyhound hadn't been set up, Stagecoach weren't on the scene and Plymouth Citybus was what it said on the side of the buses!

Somebody did a similar journey and wrote about it for Buses magazine back in the 'good old days' when the National Bus company was still around. They came completely unstuck trying to get from Plymouth onto the Island of Kernow and had to give up and use National Express!

 

[TJ Barrent]

I’ve read through and can’t see one yet but this thread would not be complete without a mention of Mark Mason’s book “Move Along, Please”.

If it has already been mentioned and I’ve missed it, my apologies.

 

[route101]

Glasgow to Perth you could go via Stirling , Dunblane , crieff. Altough is there any local services between Aviemore and Pitlochry ? Often thought of doing this but booking accommodation in advance may be tricky when plans change

 

[overthewater]

Does these small transit count? http://www.thedurnessbus.com/

 

[MedwayValiant]

Yule (Pitlochry) operates service 87 from Pitlochry as far up the A9 as Calvine, which runs five times a day. At the other end, Stagecoach operates service 39 from Aviemore as far down as Dalwhinnie, twice a day.

That leaves a 20 mile gap where only Citylink services run. That 20 miles includes a 900 foot climb and a summit so only the very fit would contemplate walking. Hitch hiking is rather out of fashion in England but less rare in Scotland, and it probably wouldn't be all that hard to get a ride up the A9 if you went for that option.

 

[F262YTJ]

Sounds like a project for one of Bob Hind's articles for Buses!

 

[JLH]

I enjoyed Mark Mason's book Move Along Please where he completes the same journey. There are also two Brant books called Bus Pass Britain which detail scenic bus journeys. They probably won't help with your trip planning but I found them enjoyable reading. Good luck with the journey.

 

[Busaholic]

I enjoyed Mark Mason's book Move Along Please where he completes the same journey. There are also two Brant books called Bus Pass Britain which detail scenic bus journeys. They probably won't help with your trip planning but I found them enjoyable reading. Good luck with the journey.

Forgive me if I appear pedantic: the publisher is Bradt, whose travel books have a very good reputation. That's an old bookseller talking! Agree about the readability of the Bus Pass Britain books, particularly the first.

 

[317 forever]

A few years ago someone here reported how much of the journey from Lands End to John O'Groats could be done on just First and Stagecoach buses!

 

[route101]

Yule (Pitlochry) operates service 87 from Pitlochry as far up the A9 as Calvine, which runs five times a day. At the other end, Stagecoach operates service 39 from Aviemore as far down as Dalwhinnie, twice a day.

That leaves a 20 mile gap where only Citylink services run. That 20 miles includes a 900 foot climb and a summit so only the very fit would contemplate walking. Hitch hiking is rather out of fashion in England but less rare in Scotland, and it probably wouldn't be all that hard to get a ride up the A9 if you went for that option.

I see , bit of a gap . Think going via Aberdeen and Moray is only way , im thinking of doing this but the problem is figuring how long its going to take

 

[backontrack]

Yule (Pitlochry) operates service 87 from Pitlochry as far up the A9 as Calvine, which runs five times a day. At the other end, Stagecoach operates service 39 from Aviemore as far down as Dalwhinnie, twice a day.

That leaves a 20 mile gap where only Citylink services run. That 20 miles includes a 900 foot climb and a summit so only the very fit would contemplate walking. Hitch hiking is rather out of fashion in England but less rare in Scotland, and it probably wouldn't be all that hard to get a ride up the A9 if you went for that option.

What about going via the east?

Perth-Dundee-Forfar-Montrose-Laurencekirk-Stonehaven-Aberdeen-Inverurie-Turriff-Aberchirder-Huntly is possible using only bus stock; can you get any further west from Huntly?

From Keith, you can go to Dufftown, then Tomintoul, then Grantown-on-Spey, then you can get the 34X to Inverness.

 

[route101]

What about going via the east?

Perth-Dundee-Forfar-Montrose-Laurencekirk-Stonehaven-Aberdeen-Inverurie-Turriff-Aberchirder-Huntly is possible using only bus stock; can you get any further west from Huntly?

Think thats the only way . Going via Fort William would involve coaches