TRIVIA: Farthest distance travelled avoiding the big 4 operators

[peterblue]

What is the farthest point-to-point journey possible by bus, avoiding First/Stagecoach/Arriva/Goahead?

For example, it's possible to travel Blackpool/Fleetwood to Whitby using both Blackpool Transport and Transdev networks avoiding the larger groups. This journey's around 155miles!

2/2C Blackpool to Poulton
74/75 Poulton to Preston
152 Preston to Burnley
M4 Burnley to Keighley
60 Keighley to Leeds
CZ Leeds to York
CL York to Whitby

 

[Dai Corner]

How about

Mold - Wrexham 29. M&H Coaches
Wrexham - Newtown - Machynlleth T12 Lloyds Coaches
Machynlleth- Aberystwyth T2 Lloyds Coaches
Aberystwyth- Cardiff T1C Adventure Travel
Cardiff- Newport 30 Cardiff Bus or Newport Transport
Newport - Chepstow 73 Newport Transport
Chepstow - Bristol T7 Newport Transport

I haven't got time to work out the distances or whether you could could extend at either end at the moment.

 

[Deerfold]

What is the farthest point-to-point journey possible by bus, avoiding First/Stagecoach/Arriva/Goahead?

For example, it's possible to travel Blackpool/Fleetwood to Whitby using both Blackpool Transport and Transdev networks avoiding the larger groups. This journey's around 155miles!

2/2C Blackpool to Poulton
74/75 Poulton to Preston
152 Preston to Burnley
M4 Burnley to Keighley
60 Keighley to Leeds
CZ Leeds to York
CL York to Whitby

Skylink Loughborough to Derby
TransPeak Derby to Buxton
Skylink Buxton to Manchester Airport
X57 Manchester Airport to Manchester
X43 Manchester to Burnley
Pendle Wizz Burnley to Skipton
580/1/2 Skipton to Lancaster

Trent Barton x 2
High Peak
Hulleys
Transdev x2
Kirby Lonsdale Coaches x3 ( but all the same bus)

 

[NorthOxonian]

Skylink Loughborough to Derby
TransPeak Derby to Buxton
Skylink Buxton to Manchester Airport
X57 Manchester Airport to Manchester
X43 Manchester to Burnley
Pendle Wizz Burnley to Skipton
580/1/2 Skipton to Lancaster

Trent Barton x 2
High Peak
Hulleys
Transdev x2
Kirby Lonsdale Coaches x3 ( but all the same bus)

Depending on how much realism you want to apply for this trip, it might be possible to start on the South Coast. But the first leg only runs on a Wednesday, a night bus is required, and you would have to stay overnight in the tiny Bedfordshire village of Wrestlingworth.

195 Eastbourne - Heathfield (Cuckmere Buses)
261 Uckfield - East Grinstead (Compasss Travel)
409 East Grinstead - Caterham (Southdown)
404 Caterham - Coulsdon (London United)
N68 Coulsdon - Holborn (Abellio London)
N98 Holborn - Queensbury (Metroline)
614 Queensbury - Hatfield (Uno)
635 Hatfield - Hitchin (Uno)
74 Hitchin - Biggleswade (Centrebus)
188 Biggleswade - Wrestlingworth (Centrebus)
75 Wrestlingworth - Cambridge (A2B Bus)
X3 Cambridge - Corby (Whippet)
RF1 Corby - Oakham (Centrebus)
R1A Oakham - Melton Mowbray (Centrebus)
8A Melton - Loughborough (Centrebus)

Heading north it should be possible to get to Consett (by using Transdev to Ripon then Dales and District to Richmond, Hodgsons to Barnard Castle, Scarlet Band to Bishop Auckland, and Weardale to Wolsingham then Consett). In a few weeks time, that extends to Newcastle (and maybe beyond, I've not checked) - Weardale are reintroducing a direct service between Stanhope and Newcastle.

 

[Man of Kent]

Depending on how much realism you want to apply for this trip, it might be possible to start on the South Coast. But the first leg only runs on a Wednesday, a night bus is required, and you would have to stay overnight in the tiny Bedfordshire village of Wrestlingworth.

195 Eastbourne - Heathfield (Cuckmere Buses)
261 Uckfield - East Grinstead (Compasss Travel)

Plus Compass 231 to get from Heathfield to Uckfield, for a 4 minute connection to the 261 (and you can only start on a Wednesday).

 

[Dai Corner]

Depending on how much realism you want to apply for this trip, it might be possible to start on the South Coast. But the first leg only runs on a Wednesday, a night bus is required, and you would have to stay overnight in the tiny Bedfordshire village of Wrestlingworth.

195 Eastbourne - Heathfield (Cuckmere Buses)
261 Uckfield - East Grinstead (Compasss Travel)
409 East Grinstead - Caterham (Southdown)
404 Caterham - Coulsdon (London United)
N68 Coulsdon - Holborn (Abellio London)
N98 Holborn - Queensbury (Metroline)
614 Queensbury - Hatfield (Uno)
635 Hatfield - Hitchin (Uno)
74 Hitchin - Biggleswade (Centrebus)
188 Biggleswade - Wrestlingworth (Centrebus)
75 Wrestlingworth - Cambridge (A2B Bus)
X3 Cambridge - Corby (Whippet)
RF1 Corby - Oakham (Centrebus)
R1A Oakham - Melton Mowbray (Centrebus)
8A Melton - Loughborough (Centrebus)

Heading north it should be possible to get to Consett (by using Transdev to Ripon then Dales and District to Richmond, Hodgsons to Barnard Castle, Scarlet Band to Bishop Auckland, and Weardale to Wolsingham then Consett). In a few weeks time, that extends to Newcastle (and maybe beyond, I've not checked) - Weardale are reintroducing a direct service between Stanhope and Newcastle.

From Newcastle the Glen Valley Coaches 710 will get you over the border to Kelso.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Plus Compass 231 to get from Heathfield to Uckfield, for a 4 minute connection to the 261 (and you can only start on a Wednesday).

Yes - I mistakenly missed that one out. It's definitely not a straightforward route and I'm sure there's an easier way to the South Coast (but Stagecoach and the Go Ahead subsidiary Metrobus seem to be almost everywhere down there which makes life difficult).

From Newcastle the Glen Valley Coaches 710 will get you over the border to Kelso.

Borders Buses would then be able to take you to Edinburgh.

 

[LancasterRed]

Skylink Loughborough to Derby
TransPeak Derby to Buxton
Skylink Buxton to Manchester Airport
X57 Manchester Airport to Manchester
X43 Manchester to Burnley
Pendle Wizz Burnley to Skipton
580/1/2 Skipton to Lancaster

Trent Barton x 2
High Peak
Hulleys
Transdev x2
Kirby Lonsdale Coaches x3 ( but all the same bus)

This doesn't stop in Lancaster.

830 Lancaster-Preston
74/75 Preston-Fleetwood
1 Fleetwood-Blackpool
11 Blackpool-Lytham
78 Lytham-Kirkham

At which point your journey will come to an end. Unless you go the other way...

830 Lancaster - Hawes
856 Hawes - Northallerton

Where at the very least you can travel to a nearby village to close out your journey. As NorthOxonian pointed out there are connections from Ripon too, which gives more options.

If willing to wait the 830 blows everything open...

 

[scotrail158713]

Borders Buses would then be able to take you to Edinburgh.

Or also Biggar (via Galashiels and Peebles). From Biggar you can then take Stuart's Coaches to Lanark and then onto Glasgow.

 

[route101]

Or also Biggar (via Galashiels and Peebles). From Biggar you can then take Stuart's Coaches to Lanark and then onto Glasgow.

I did that route once. Berwick to Glasgow using Borders and Stuart coaches. Peebles to Lanark is the tricky bit.

From Newcastle the Glen Valley Coaches 710 will get you over the border to Kelso.

Do you know what kind of bus they use for this route?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Do you know what kind of bus they use for this route?

B9R coaches usually

 

[Deerfold]

This doesn't stop in Lancaster.

830 Lancaster-Preston
74/75 Preston-Fleetwood
1 Fleetwood-Blackpool
11 Blackpool-Lytham
78 Lytham-Kirkham

At which point your journey will come to an end. Unless you go the other way...

830 Lancaster - Hawes
856 Hawes - Northallerton

Where at the very least you can travel to a nearby village to close out your journey. As NorthOxonian pointed out there are connections from Ripon too, which gives more options.

If willing to wait the 830 blows everything open...

Unfortunately the 830 and 856 only run on a Sunday and the 582 doesn't.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Unfortunately the 830 and 856 only run on a Sunday and the 582 doesn't.

Would you not be able to go 784 Skipton to Ilkley (Transdev), X52 Ilkley to Harrogate (Connexions), 36 Harrogate to Ripon (Transdev), 159 Ripon to Richmond (Proctors/D&D), 79 Richmond to Barnard Castle to visit the ophthalmologist (Hodgsons), 85 Barney to Bishop (Scarlet Band), 101 Bishop to Wolsingham (Weardale), 764 Wolsingham to Consett (Weardale).

Then I'm struggling to think of how to get to Newcastle to get the Glen Valley 710....

 

[LancasterRed]

Unfortunately the 830 and 856 only run on a Sunday and the 582 doesn't.

There are no stipulations regarding waiting overnight, merely completing a journey. So this journey would still be valid.

For one day journeys I imagine a truncated route would be used.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Then I'm struggling to think of how to get to Newcastle to get the Glen Valley 710....

Soon there will be the Weardale X6 service which runs from Stanhope, Wolsingham, Tow Law, and Crook to the MetroCentre and Newcastle. While Weardale haven't yet announced the date when it will restart on their social media, bustimes has it down as restarting on August 14th.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Soon there will be the Weardale X6 service which runs from Stanhope, Wolsingham, Tow Law, and Crook to the MetroCentre and Newcastle. While Weardale haven't yet announced the date when it will restart on their social media, bustimes has it down as restarting on August 14th.

That's a restoration of the old Weardale X21?

 

[NorthOxonian]

That's a restoration of the old Weardale X21?

Yes - they had renamed it to the X6 last year, I believe because of confusion with the Go North East X21.

It operates on Wednesdays and Saturdays - with one of the Saturday trips each way running via Lanchester and Satley (slightly faster than via Crook) as service X6A.

 

[Bristol LHS]

830 Lancaster - Hawes
856 Hawes - Northallerton

Where at the very least you can travel to a nearby village to close out your journey. As NorthOxonian pointed out there are connections from Ripon too, which gives more options.

If willing to wait the 830 blows everything open...

80/89 Northallerton - Stokesley (Abbots of Leeming)
18 Stokesley - Saltburn (Coatham Coaches)