atraindriver
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Newcastle to Lancaster (via Keswick and a trundle round Honister) on a Stagecoach North West Explorer?
(I didn't come back).
Concessionary passes don't count, this discussion is about tickets that anyone can haveCan't believe no one beat me to the ENTS ticket, Lands End to the Scottish border.
Here's a variation on a theme..... These are all theoretical (?) so what is the longest journey that people have actually done with one ticket?
Pretty sure Citylink will sell almost anything on-bus once you’re away from the main bus stations, so something like Great Western Road or Dumbarton to Uig return should be possible on-bus.
EDIT - just measured it, 444 miles return. Doable in a day, leaving Gartnavel Hospital at 07:01, getting back at 21:59, you get from 13:35 to 14:45 to watch the boats. £63.80 for a day return
Me and my wife did a version of the Arriva North West & Wales one last year. Rather than start in Chorley, though, we started down the road from our house in Manchester.
From there it was on to Macclesfield, then Crewe, then onto Chester. Come to think of it, we only went as far as Bangor in the end, but still...!
Honourable mention, too, to the Red Rover ticket we got the next day (£5.50 for that as well, I think). That took us on a lap of Anglesey in the morning before getting us to Aberystwyth in the afternoon.
I have tried to replicate this on paper. You are quite right, once you hit First Hampshire territory, you hit a problem. I have managed to work out a journey that gets as far as Winchester (at 19:30) then the demise of evening journeys kicks in. I might have been able to progress a few miles further but I am unfamiliar with Winchester locals. Some of the connections were very tight (eg 3 minutes) so, in real life, you will probably be someway short of this if you were brave enough to undertake the journey in real life. The break up of some routes (700, 100/1/2 for example) has not helped.I did Dover to Bournemouth back in early 2012 on the old Explorer ticket for just £4.80 total. .. This ticket has since been replaced by the Discovery and has far less validity these days. So this journey is no longer possible as First Hampshire and Go Ahead South Coast no longer issue and accept the Discovery ticket (also a lot of the late evening buses have been withdrawn so i don't think it would still be possible anyway). So that is the furthest i have personally done on one ticket.
I once heard a passenger ask an Arriva driver what the fare was (from Tenterden) to Maidstone; it would have been cheaper to get an Explorer on a Stagecoach bus, travel one stop then use the Explorer on the Arriva service to Maidstone.The Explorer ticket was issued and accepted by over 50 bus operators across the South East but interestingly they were all allowed to charge whatever they wanted.
I've also heard that ticket is even valid on Citylink between Edinburgh and Stirling/Perth, is that correct?If you head up that way again, you could also have a look at the OneTicket, which in its "Travelarea 5" variant covers everywhere from Berwick-on-Tweed to Perth/Dundee, all operators.
The bus-only "Travelarea 5" day ticket is currently £15.80 on their app, which isn't bad at all for a multi-operator ticket covering the area it does.
Caveat: I've never actually used one as each time I've intended to head that way and try it out, something else has distracted me!
I've heard of that £10.50 Network One Explorer, definitely wanna try it sometime to really explore the North East! Basically, you get an Arriva X93 to Middlesbrough, GNE X9 X10 to Newcastle and then Stagecoach 685 to Carlisle! However, I think it might be a longer distance going to Berwick-upon-Tweed instead, which can be achieved with an Arriva North East day ticket which is about £2 cheaper! Great value either way, don't think there's a cheaper way to get from Scarborough to Carlisle, and all on good buses too!With a North East Explorer you can travel from Scarborough to Carlisle, neither of which are in the North East (really Yorkshire and Cumbria, North West respectively).
If you want to explore rather than amass miles, then go for quality rather than distance.
So, for example, if you base out of Newcastle, head over to Consett and pick up the lunchtime GNE 689 across to Hexham, then hop the ANE/SNWC 685 to Haltwhistle for the afternoon "rail replacement" GNE 681 to Alston (for which you're likely to be the only passenger for most of the trip). Stay on at Alston as it becomes the GNE X81 back across to Hexham, then make your way back to Newcastle (685/GNE 10).
The 689/681/X81 are only Solos, but they're proper country bus routes (on which you'll see the Solo being taxed by the roads) and on the 681 particularly you might be able to get the driver to stop for you to take photos as it's a photogenic bit of the world - it's a very tightly timed run, though, and the driver's coming to the end of a long shift, so don't overdo it!
If you (or anyone else) feels like doing it, don't leave it too long. I did it a couple of years ago and the driver (Hexham's leading driver) spoke of his concern that now Cumbria no longer subsidise buses, Northumbria were unlikely to be willing to pay the full cost of the 681 contract once it came up for renewal. So, do it sooner rather than later!
View attachment 58693
One of the former Alston branch viaducts, seen from the 681 in April 2017. A lot of the railway alignment is visible from the bus.
I've done Parrs Wood to Bangor, changing at Macclesfield, Crewe, Chester, Prestatyn, and Llandudno Junction. I don't know if your inclined to count it, but I then carried on for free on the T2 to Machynlleth.Here's a variation on a theme..... These are all theoretical (?) so what is the longest journey that people have actually done with one ticket?
I'm not sure it's within the spirit of the original question however (as qnolife has pointed out) the whole of the Traws Cymru network is free at weekends. You do 'purchase' separate tickets however, you just don't have to pay for them.I've done Parrs Wood to Bangor, changing at Macclesfield, Crewe, Chester, Prestatyn, and Llandudno Junction. I don't know if your inclined to count it, but I then carried on for free on the T2 to Machynlleth.
I've also done as a round trip Manchester - Leeds - York - Harrogate (via Ripon) - Keighley - Burnley - Accrington - Manchester.
I've got plans for a trip Glasgow Buchanan - Ayr - Stranraer - Dumfries - Glasgow, and a rough figure 8 going Glasgow - Dunfermline - Edinburgh - Perth - Dundee - GlasgowBack in the day when Travelodge sold some rooms in their regular sales for £9 I had some excellent day trips by bus with cheap overnight accommodation but the priority for me both then and now was to follow an itinerary which avoided tight connections and also gave me the opportunity to explore some of the places I visited. Sometimes I made one direction journeys between Travelodges ( Leeds to Newcastle via the coast was a good one followed by Newcastle to Edinburgh the next day, two overnight £9 Travelodge rooms, and then home by train), other times I followed a circular route.
While several of the suggestions on this thread are appealing and potentially inexpensive there are drawbacks starting somewhere like King's Lynn and ending up in Swindon mid evening, or travelling by bus from Dover to Salisbury. The cost of a train journey back to starting point, even if possible, is a significant cost and an overnight hotel even more so.
Any more suggestions for CIRCULAR bus journeys say with 100 miles or more travel like gnolife's Manchester round trip via Leeds, Harrogate and Burnley ?
Any more suggestions for CIRCULAR bus journeys say with 100 miles or more travel like gnolife's Manchester round trip via Leeds, Harrogate and Burnley ?
Exactly, when I actually use tickets, I'm aimed at exploring new places This discussion is mostly theoretical but in practice, I prefer to have a fun relaxing day out! The great thing is that on a lot of these tickets, you can have a nice day out AND amass a good number of miles!I do agree with you. I know it's all personal and not decrying anyone, but bashing as many buses in a day (with journeys for a matter of minutes) or trying to amass miles doesn't appeal to me. There are some fantastic places to explore in the North East. The Northumberland Coast, across Co Durham, and even some of the Teesside routes are quite interesting.
I've not done the 681/X81 and confess that sounds absolutely superb. A few years ago, me and a mate had a great day in the area, heading across and having a run up to Bellingham and to Allenheads (both there and back journeys) to enjoy the scenery and then getting the 74 long route via Ponteland back to Newcastle from Hexham. The scenery is stunning. I've done the Hexham to Consett a few times too - really great route.
Shame that Weardale dropped out of the scheme a few years ago and that Arriva NE pulled back from Upper Teesdale, Richmondshire and Hambleton in the main but then again, Stagecoach's operations never used to be covered.
I think I might know who you're talking about there if I wanna bash a particular bus, I look for luxury / hi-spec as is the case with the 36, which even allowed me to get a step closer to visiting every city in the UK (Ripon has a lovely market square) not a specific number plate or fleet number!Yeah , you do get people who bash the buses or into a very specific thing about , i know a guy who went to London just to see 55 plate Stagecoach Tridents !
For me its the route , is it interesting ?
Every so often i will pick an interesting route . Last one i did was Skipton to Preston!
Yeah , you do get people who bash the buses or into a very specific thing about , i know a guy who went to London just to see 55 plate Stagecoach Tridents !
For me its the route , is it interesting ?
Every so often i will pick an interesting route . Last one i did was Skipton to Preston!
That would have been the 106 via Shap - again, a wonderful run out on the top of the Pennines!! It did get withdrawn but now survives only on certain days of the week.The furthest I've ever been on one bus ticket in the UK is Dumfries to Manchester on the Stagecoach Northwest Explorer. This was nearly 15 years ago and two of the routes I used, the X61 between Preston and Manchester and a bus between Penrith and Kendal (I think the 108?) don't run anymore.