What we learned travelling 312 miles on 17 buses (and one train)

BBC News

21-03-2025

An intrepid pair of pensioners have completed a pilgrimage to the most westerly point of mainland England using only local buses.Nick and Kerstin Banham, from Little Brington, near Northampton, faced the challenge to raise awareness of a charity for parents of children with serious illnesses.They set off from Daventry on Monday and, using their pensioners' bus passes, arrived in Land's End, at the tip of Cornwall, on Thursday lunchtime.They said one thing they had learnt was that one county has a particularly bad bus service.
When their first bus was 12 minutes late, Mr and Mrs Banham were a bit worried that their carefully planned itinerary would go out of the window before they had even left Northamptonshire.But they soon got back on track and ended up at a pub in Wells, Somerset, where they learned that the nicest hostelries do not necessarily guarantee a good night's sleep."The pub was quite nice, they had live music in the bar, but the beds... I didn't know people still had beds like that in hotels," Mrs Banham said."I literally had a big lump in my mattress."
By the second day, which was Mr Banham's 83rd birthday, the couple were getting into their stride and wanting to tell fellow passengers about the charity they were undertaking the challenge for.Harry's Pals was started by Hayley Charlesworth, from Newnham, Northamptonshire, after her son was diagnosed with a serious illness, and there was no advice or support for his parents.The charity provides counselling and therapy for families as well as short breaks.
Mrs Banham, 72, said: "The first bus between Wells and Taunton was a two-hour ride, and we went through these picturesque villages and it was very relaxing. "Unfortunately, the bus was very empty which meant I couldn't launch into my bit about Harry's Pals."The Banhams soon learned that there was a reason for the lack of passengers."When we got to Taunton, we were there in plenty of time," she said."This bus comes round the corner and just drives straight past us without stopping to pick people up. And the next one wasn't until 17:00."
Fellow travellers told them that the Somerset bus service was not very reliable. Fortunately, a taxi driver who happened to have lived in Northampton rescued them and took them to the railway station.They made it to their next destination, Tiverton, in Devon, but more disappointment was in store.Mrs Banham said: "The taxi driver hadn't warned us – the train station is eight miles away from the bus station."We got to Tiverton bus station just as our bus disappeared. We had to wait in a freezing, draughty bus station – didn't get to Oakhampton until 18:40."After a pleasant night with Mr Banham's niece in Lifton, Mrs Banham felt like "a new woman".
On Wednesday, they made their way to Cornwall, where the bus service was "excellent".Mrs Banham got talking to one passenger, who handed over £20 for the charity, and then revealed that "she had a French rescue donkey that was rescued from a friend's abbatoir"."'Do you know?'" she said. 'I've called her Barbara after me!"
Thursday saw the intrepid couple to Penzance and journey's end at Land's End.After the obligatory photo next to the sign, it was time to reflect on what they learned during four days travelling 312 miles on 17 buses (and one train)."There's a lot to be said for bus travel," said Mrs Banham"It's very liberating, just carrying a small backpack."You're not having to think about where you're going because you're not driving."You can watch the scenery. I can really recommend it."
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