COACH TOURS GALORE.
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Blackpool Owners' First Busy Week.
SOME DAYS ago the Blackpool motor coach season may be said to have commenced in real earnest. Every year the fortnight preceding the Whitsun holidays is utilized by local tradespeople as their holiday time, for once May -is over, hotel proprietors, boarding
ing to note how • the different owners provide for the wants of their parties, some of whom occupied as many as half a dozen coaches,
One Cheshire coach owner had an improvised hutment erected at the side of his vehicle, and here were prepared, under cover, all the toothsome delieacies intended for the regalement of his passengers. It was a rather crude structure, but it served the purpose quite well. Inside the but were hampers of food, which -wero unpacked and loaded on to trays for distribution by time waitresses.
Other coach owners brought with them baskets of sandwiches, etc., which were rationed out--so much per vehicle.
Another firm used a furniture pantechnicon as a food store from which to house people, and others are fully employed in catering for tho huge visiting population. Many of the 10 local coach owners recently _ran the first of their extended tours, and, reviewing their programmes, one is amazed at their coin preliensiveness.
Messrs. W. Marshall and Sons, who have a fleet of 28-seater coaches, most of thein Ma-Malays, have just pelt on the road an additional vehicle, which has just been on a 12 days' tour to parts of Devonshire, Cornwall, touching Land's End, Lymnouth, Ilfracombe, Torquay, and Bournemouth. To provide for a comfortable journey, only four passengers per row were carried. The cost of this outing was 15 guineas, including late dinner, bed, and breakfast each day. Another one of the company's trades
men's holiday tours was to the Dukeries, including Buxton and Matlock—a trip extending over three days. On the second day of the tour over 100 miles were covered. The fare for this tour, including hotel accommodation, was only.' £3 5s. Equally attractive was the cons-pany's two days' tour of the English Lakes, passing eight lakes and including Kirkstone Pass, the fare .being only 2. guineas.
Another company who specialize in long-distance touring are Messrs. J. H. Jackson, who have just completed a seven days' tour of Scotland at a fare per passenger of 9 guineas inclusive, whilst on May 28th they will run an eight days' tour to London, Bournemouth, and the Isle of Wight for 10 guineas. On June 25th they will commence a thirteen days' excursion throogh Devon, Cornwall, and the Wye Valley for 16 guineas, Messrs. W. and C. Standerwick, who have a fleet of Tilling-Stevens coaches of large seating capacity, are concentrating on the shorter trips, and a few days' ago ran a coach on a two days' journey to Llandudno, returning to Chester in time for the race meeting. The return fare was 21s. The company' offer' day tours to Kirkby Lonsclale and Ingleton, fare 8s. 6d.; Boivness, Amblesiclo, and Orasnaere, fare 1.0a. 6d.; Bolton Woods end Ilkley, fare 103. ; Chester, returning via Liverpool, fare 10s. ; Liverpool, returning via Southport, fare 8s. ; Windermere, fare 9s. .
Several companiesincluded Chester in their programmes, on account of the race . meeting. being held 'there and the fact that all of them .charged the uniform fare of 10s. suggests that the :Blackpool coach owners are starting off on a better
basis than they did. last.year. • . • The two and three-day tours have undoubtedly increased in popularity,.and are more numerous this.year than they . have ever been . • :
Messrs. William Salisbury and Sons, of the Empress. Garage, ran pnuematictyred coaches on two-day runs to Harrogate and York: for which they charged a guinea for the . journey only, . and 16s. 6d. extra for dinner, bed, and breakfast. To Harroga.te and Ilkley they had a one-ay excursion ..on two separate days, for which they charged 12s. 6d. A variation of the Liverpool and Chester run was the inclusion ofLlangollen-in the itinerary. This splendid trip worked out at a charge of 13s. 6d. per passenger.
S. and J. Wood, Ltd., offered a two days' " holiday on wheels" at an inclusive charge of 35s., the destination being Llandudno, where first-clais hotel accemmodation was provided. On other days there were long day trips to popular places in the vicinity.
Mac Motors, who have a fleet of new 14 and 18-seaters on pneumatic tyres, despatched their coaches to Keswick, Harrogate, Rhyl, Chester, Windermere, and Llangollen.
Another owner who favoured the Llandudno inn was Mr. A. Roberts, who for the two-day journey quoted Bl 5s, for travelling only, or £2 Ss. includirc hotel accommodation and meals. A cut rate of 35s. was quoted.by another owner for the same journey, including accommodation and meals.
It will be seen from the foregoing brief review of Blackpool owners' intentions that they are still vindicating their reputation for cheap outings. After the Whitsun holidays, Blackpool coach owners will be settling down to the day, half-day, and evening runs for local visitors, whose invasion of the town will then begin.