I TRAVELLED THE LENGTH AND BREADTH OF TWO COUNTRIES FOR £165
The thought of catching dozens of buses on holiday might make you shudder, but one man managed to travel across England and Wales by doing just that – and it cost him only £165.
Keen traveller Andrew Cowell caught 80 buses during his whistle-stop tour, which he completed in just 13 days.
The 48-year-old put his forward-planning skills to the test after leaving home in Allestree, Derbyshire, and setting off on his trip.
Andrew’s epic excursion began on June 10 when he took six buses in one day to Lancaster, a total distance of 115 miles.
He then took dozens of buses with 39 different operators to explore more than 20 counties the length and breadth of England and Wales.
From there, he trekked across the country to the Lincolnshire coast, then on to the south west before finally getting off at his last stop in Bangor, Wales.
The most buses he caught in a single day was eight, where he travelled over 100 miles from Canterbury, Kent, and to Chichester, West Sussex.
‘I basically wanted to get as close as possible to [the] English and Welsh coast,’ he said.
‘It only took 13 days to complete which I was surprised considering the miles I covered.’
Perhaps we should consider taking the bus when we go on our travels, because Andrew says there are lots of benefits.
‘It’s a wonderful way to travel because you can take everything in and when there is a stop in a town or I have to change, I have a chance to explore somewhere I wouldn’t normally.’
So, how did Andrew manage to pull this off without breaking the bank?
Andrew kept costs to a minimum thanks to the £2 fare cap, and said Welsh prices were on average a couple of pence more. That’s because the bus fare cap only applies in England and runs until December 31, 2024.
The government introduced the bus fare cap to help people save on everyday travel costs amid the cost of living pressures as part of the Help for Households initiative. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said last May: ‘By extending the £2 fare cap, we’re making sure bus travel remains accessible and affordable for everyone while helping to ease cost of living pressures.’
Incredibly, Andrew’s total travel bill came to just £165 and just over £200 on cheap B&Bs near the bus stations.
Andrew, who works a railway operations planner, said: ‘On the whole the buses were reliable, mostly on time and very comfortable.
‘I used 80 buses in total. The original plan was 81 but in typical bus fashion, some of the routes and times had changed.
‘The first day I went up through the Lake District, then through to Newcastle.
‘Then I went to Grimsby. I carried on to Spalding, then to Kings Lynn and then Norfolk coast.
‘I wanted to get the Tilbury ferry but last year they stopped running it. I then went through Kent to Canterbury and then just followed the south coast to Weymouth. Then to Plymouth and through to Cornwall.
‘I made it to around Bristol, across the Severn, then into Wales. I did Cardiff to Bangor in one day. It is amazing how far you can get on ordinary service buses.’
‘You couldn’t drive it for that. Nothing broke down. Everything did turn up, although some stuff was late. Usually due to traffic.’
Andrew only had to seek alternative travel twice, once when a free bus along the Somerset coast failed to stop along the main road – forcing him to take a train.
The second was due to Andrew mistaking the times on the timetable, causing him to miss the bus.
Even if the buses aren’t always reliable (as all London commuters will know), he hopes by sharing his journey he’ll encourage others to get out and explore our country.
‘I do have a car. But I use the bus. We need them,’ he concludes.
Andrew's entire UK bus tour
Day 1:
Derby – Buxton – Manchester Airport – Warrington Interchange – Wigan – Preston – Lancaster.
Day 2:
Lancaster – Keswick – Carlisle – Newcastle – Middlesborough – Scarborough.
Day 3:
Scarborough – Bridlington – Hull Interchange – Grimsby Riverhead Exchange – Lincoln – Boston – Spalding – King’s Lynn Interchange.
Day 4:
King’s Lynn Interchange – Wells-next-the-Sea – Cromer – Norwich – Bungay – Halesworth – Saxmundham – Ipswich Cattle Market Bus Station.
Day 5:
Ipswich Cattle Market Bus Station – Colchester – Chelmsford – Basildon – Lakeside – Bluewater Bus Station – Chatham Waterfront – Sittingbourne – Canterbury.
Day 6:
Canterbury – Dover – New Romney – Hastings – Eastbourne – Brighton – Littlehampton – Chichester – Portsmouth.
Day 7:
Portsmouth – Southampton – Lymington – Bournemouth – Swanage – Weymouth.
Day 8:
Weymouth – Axminster – Exeter – Totnes – Plymouth – Polperro Crumplehorn.
Day 9:
Polperro Crumpleton – Polruan – Ferry to Polruan-Fowey – St Austell – Truro – Penryn – Penzance – St Ives – Truro – Newquay.
Day 10:
Newquay – Wadebridge – Bude – Hartland – Barnstaple – Ilfracombe – Minehead.
Day 11:
Minehead – Bridgwater – Burnham-on-Sea – Weston-Super-Mare – Bristol – Chepstow – Newport – Cardiff.
Day 12:
Cardiff – Bridgend – Swansea – Carmathan – Aberystwyth – Bangor.
Day 13:
Bangor – Llandudno Penmorfa – Rhyl – Chester – Crewe – Macclesfield – Buxton – Allestree.
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2024-07-02T13:52:41Z dg43tfdfdgfd