This is episode 4 of our 2023 podcast series. Listen to the episode here and find other episodes and previous series here.
Emily
I'm a travel enthusiast and I’ve always loved riding buses. I see them as a great form of transport and also as a thing to do when I need to get out of the house or during periods when I’ve been depressed. I’ve always wanted to do a long interconnected bus journey. So, this February I went from London to Edinburgh.
Flight Free UK
Why do you love a bus so much?
Emily
When I was at university in Canada I got a free bus pass. I was incredibly lonely and I was in a beautiful city on the ocean of Halifax, so I found it soothing to ride the buses. I’d put my headphones on and go wherever it took me.
So when I moved to Britain I did the same thing. I once took every bus in London, which took way longer than I anticipated! I think if you’re not going anywhere in particular, you can put on a podcast or music and see where it takes you. It’s also particularly great on a double decker bus where you can see so far, explore unexpected places and go a lot further than if you were walking and see a lot more than when you are on a bike.
Flight Free UK
There are many ways to get from London to Edinburgh, so where did the idea to get local buses come from?
Emily
I’d always wondered how far you could get on local buses. I’ve taken all the variations of routes to Edinburgh and I like Edinburgh a lot as a destination. I’m a big theatre fan and have worked at the Fringe. Last year my partner and I rode our bikes from Newcastle to Berwick so I spotted the X18 bus that did that route. It’s such a long, beautiful bus.
So I’d been saying I wanted to do this for ages, and with the government’s £2 fare scheme, it was going to make it way cheaper than it would have been otherwise.
Flight Free UK
Let’s get into the details of the trip!
Emily
I was wary that Sunday and Saturday services aren’t great so I needed to get as far as I could on the Friday. I was also wary that in the winter at 5pm I could end up in the middle of nowhere, in the dark, without a hotel. I left at 5am, took a night bus just down the road to Manor House, then another to Enfield and then another to Potters Bar. Then to Luton and onwards.
I had some one minute interchanges that I doubted I would make and I definitely didn’t! But there were enough options to make sure I got to where I needed to go.
Flight Free UK
Had you planned your overnight stays in advance?
Emily
I booked hotels in advance as I didn’t want to be scrambling around in random places to find my accommodation. On the first night I missed the last bus that would have stopped right outside my hotel, so I had to get a taxi from the bus station to my hotel.
Flight Free UK
How far did you travel before your first overnight stop?
Emily
It was Pontefract near Leeds. If I made all the one minute connections I could have made it all the way to Leeds! The second day I stayed in Alnwick. The bus actually goes from Newcastle to Berwick but annoyingly on Saturday nights it doesn’t go the full journey after about 6pm, so that’s why I stopped in Alnwick. On Sunday I took three more buses to get to Edinburgh.
Flight Free UK
Did you have a favourite part?
Emily
Probably the Northumberland coast. I had the memories of cycling that route – the bus goes basically the route we cycled. It’s so beautiful up there.
I also took the 840 on the Saturday which is apparently the most scenic bus in Britain. It was stunning. It goes from Leeds to Whitby, you go through all these valleys. I’ve heard people describe coaches around South America where you feel like you are going to fall off a cliff. It felt like that! Sadly the route between Derby and Chesterfield was quite dark by the time I was there but there are lots of stunning views there. It’s such a beautiful way to see so much of the country.
Flight Free UK
What was the longest leg you went on for £2?
Emily
The 840 from Leeds to Whitby takes several hours as it is a very windy route. The Northampton to Leicester bus was also quite long.
Flight Free UK
In terms of the practicalities, what were the facilities like?
Emily
I kept a lot of snacks with me and a water bottle in my bag, and I was mostly using toilets in bus stations. I did eat relatively well, and I went to an amazing vegan place in Leicester. A lot of the buses I was on past London had charging points. London buses are the best in terms of network, but the actual quality of the bus is much better outside of London because they are expecting people to take longer journeys on them.
Flight Free UK
Do you think that a much more simple ticketing system such as the £2 journey would help get more people taking the bus?
Emily
If you could tap on and tap off it could save a lot of time. It slows everything down when you have to tell the driver your destination.
Flight Free UK
This trip was all about the journey rather than the destination. Is that your motivation?
Emily
Definitely yes! A lot of people pointed out it’s going to be more expensive getting to Edinburgh this way, if you include the overnight stays. But that’s not why I did it.
Whenever I go to a new city I spend a lot of time on the public transport because it’s an interesting way to see the people and get such a feel for a place. I think it’s the most authentic way to see a city.
Flight Free UK
Should we look to home-grown adventures a bit more to satisfy our adventurous itches?
Emily
There are a lot of people that won’t see it as a real holiday, or an exciting adventure. But I had 22,000 people cheering me on on Twitter, so it was exciting to them! I’ve had people message me since saying they’ve been inspired to do something similar. Life is so much better when you are excited and interested in your surroundings.
You can find Emily on Twitter: @etwritehome
Listen to the full episode here and find other episodes and previous series here.
Credits:
Interview conducted and produced by Anna Hughes. Voiceover: Lou Millington. Intro music: Call to Arms by Aaron Paul Low. Outro music: First Action Hero by Aaron Paul Low.
