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Tour of Southern England The Editor of this Journal Comments Upon a Seven-day Coach Tour from Newcastle to Land's End which He Made Last Week ONE of the activities of the Northern General Transport Co., Ltd., Worswick Street, Newcastleon-Tyne, 1, is the organizing of extended tours in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the company making all arrangements in respect of meals, hotel accommodation, luggage and tips.
The tours arranged last year proved extremely popular, and the company is repeating them this year, with one or two additions. Perhaps one of the most interesting points aboutthem is the employment of a new fleet of special touring coaches, mainly of the Northern General side-engined pattern.
At the invitation of the company, last week, we joined a party, consisting of 28 persons and the drivercourier, for a seven-day trip known as the Cornish Riviera Tour, commencing and finishing at Newcastleon-Tyne. Such a tour as this can be nothing but a delight to people who mainly inhabit the industrial areas of the North.
Camaraderie Amongst Coath Tourists.
This particular example costs f11., which is inclusive, except for a few shillings for teas and refreshments; but others, varying from three days to nine dayS, are
available at surris ranging from ,
Much of the success of a trip of this nature naturally depends upon the individuals making up. the party but from our exPerienCe; even people of most divetse-ta"..stes n32 and stations in life quickly establish a camaraderie which makes for mutual enjoyment of the wonderful panoramas and other interests en route and at stops.
On a tour—at least we found it so on this occasion— there is a continual flow of friendly banter, occasionally interlarded with some harmless practical joke into which all enter with zest. It may be an apple-pie bed, or, as in our case, the sewing up of pyjamas. Usually, one passenger takes the lead, or has it thrust upon him, and he can help to make the tour go with a swing by
arranging card and theatre parties, etc. .
The Start front Newcastle-on-Tyne.
A start was made from Newcastle at 9.15 a.m. on Whit-Monday, after the baggage had been carefully disposed of in special lockers at the back and of( side of the vehicle. There is no excessive restriction on luggage, each passenger being able to take an ordinarysize suitcase, and, if required, an attaché cash for books, etc., which may be required between the major stops.
The first part of the journey was along the Great North Road, and was effected at a good average speed, because the main object was to reach ground more unfamiliar to the tourists, the first night was spent at the Bell Hotel, Leicester. On an extensive tour of this nature it is important to make an early start, because the mileage is considerable, amounting to something like 1,100, and for the comfort of the passengers it is essential to arrive fairly early at the night halts to permit of a clean-up before dinner..
The next day was a more interesting run, giving views of Kenilworth, Warwick Castle, etc„ with a stop of about half an hour at Stratford-on-Avon to visit Shakespeare's birthplace, and a further stop, a short distance away, to see Ann Hathaway's cottage. This part of the country, covering as it does Evesham and much of the River Avon, is renowned for its beauty. The stop for luncheon was made at Cheltenham, after which the route took us through Cirencester, Chippenham, Bath and the northern extremities of the Mendip Hills to Weston-super-Mare, where the Cairo Hotel was the venue for the night.
A Visit to the Caves at Cheddar.
A slight divergence on the Wednesday morning permitted a visit to Cox's Caves in the Cheddar Gorge, opportunity being taken to despatch numerous cheeses by post to relatives and friends.
Thence we proceeded past Dunster Castle, owned by the Luttrell family. Luncheon was provided at the Wellington Hotel, Minehead, some of the party braving the inclement elements to enjoy a view of the sea.
Returning for a couple of miles, the south bank of the River Avill was followed, and we soon entered Exmoor Forest, in the centre of which is Simonsba.th. Here there were many comments from those passengers interested in farming, upon the fine sheep, which are quite different from those in the North country. The wild ponies both here and, later on, at Dartmoor, also attracted much attention. The Rtmnacleave Hotel, Ilfracombe, was reached in good time for dinner.
For the next morning a small surprise was announced. This proved to be a visit to the Litchdown Pottery of C. H. Barham, Ltd., of Barnstaple. This resulted in a load of vases, etc., being added.
At Bideford much attention was attracted to the wonderful old bridge of 24 arches which crosses the River Torridge, but even this was eclipsed by the enthusiasm over the remarkable configuration of Clovelly. Here certain of the lady members of the party changed their method of transport, going to the donkeys to avoid the steep climb back to the coach.
We continued along the coast of Northern Cornwall to luncheon at Crooklet's Café at Bude, and proceeding along the coast for a few miles,. gm main road was rejoined at
Wainhouse for Camelford. In this district are the most important tin mines in Cornwall, with their pyramids, equivalent to the slag heaps of the North, giving a curious aspect to the scenery. The night was spent at the Land's End Hotel, Sennen, and much time was occupied in argument as to whether or not certain members of the party could see the Scilly Isles, the disappointment of those who could not do so being tempered by the remark of a " local " that the sight of them always means rain the next day.
Passing through beautiful and picturesque country, with a stop at Truro to see the cathedral church and the streams which run behind the houses and out into the gutters, we proceeded to Bothnia for luncheon. Thence our way led through the beautiful Glynn Valley by the side of the pretty River Towey, and past the Moorswater Viaduct, which spans the Looe Valley, to Liskeard.
Soon we came to Dartmoor and passed the famous prison at Princetown, stopping for a real Devonshire tea at Two Bridges. At Moreton Hampstead we left the Moor for a pleasant but tortuous run to Exeter, where we stopped at the Rougemont Hotel, spending the evening in seeing a, so-called, French revue.
On Saturday a long run was made through Honiton, Chard, and Yeovil to Shaftesbury, for luncheon at the Grosvenor Hotel, where the famous Chevy Chase sideboard, one of the few copies of the Magna Charta, and other notable exhibits proved of great interest to the party.
Skirting Salisbury Plain and passing through Andover and Newbury, we reached Abingdon and the Thames, which was followed to Oxford, where we spent the night at the Clarendon Hotel, Many comments, all favourable, were made on the smooth running, hill-climbing powers and exceptional manceuvrability of the big six-wheeled coach, the chassis of which is the product of the Northern General workshops. The smoothness of travel was such that, on one occasion, after an exceptionally generous luncheon, the coach was run into a side road and halted for tea, but no one stirred, and the driver found that all were dozing.
Long tours of this description are really very restful. The time is spent in chatting, viewing the scenery, reading and "napping."
The hotel accommodation was first-class and the attention and service were those normally accorded to the independent traveller. There was none of the "no chars-a-bancs " spirit.
A small difficulty applying to the vehicle was as to where to dispose of one's hat. A net at each end, just under the fixed portions of the roof would prove a great convenience. Small nets behind the seats proved useful for books, papers and other small impedimenta.
We were greatly impressed by the care with which the vehicle was driven, and the courtesy and attention given by the driver to the party, both en route and at the stops, The arrangements regarding luggage were admirable. The passengers were given no trouble, as their bags were automatically delivered and collected.
Not the least of the pleasures of coach touring is the complete absence of that waiting about for tips, which characterizes the usual stay at an hotel. Gratuities are included in the fare.