They’ve got a ticket to ride

8:00am Wednesday 23rd July 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

A RETIRED Herefordshire couple have put public transport to the test – and found it so successful, they’re off again soon.

Tina and Philip Jackson managed to visit eight counties in just 10 hours in an attempt to see how far they could travel with their new free bus passes.

And the Dorstone couple managed to get as far as Bournemouth, having travelled on eight different buses, using the national free bus pass scheme launched in April.

They decided to let the buses take the strain and, after doing their homework, travelled through Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset before reaching the south coast in Bournemouth.

Before setting off, they sorted out timetables and a list of B&Bs in case they needed an overnight stop.

The journey started outside their Golden Valley home when they caught the 7.30am Brecon to Hereford bus, before they travelled through Ross-on-Wye, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Swindon and Tidworth. They got to their destination in Bournemouth at 5.30pm.

The journey featured a bird’s eye view of the countryside because Philip insisted on top front seats on any double-decker bus.

The Jacksons spent two days in Bournemouth and had a more leisurely trip back home.

They knew they could not bus back in one day because their free passes could not be used before 9.30am outside Herefordshire and the last bus to their home leaves Hereford at 6.55pm.

Tina and Philip, recently retired from an award-winning vegetarian B&B, are planning to go north on their next foray.

Tina said the main quality needed to tackle the challenge was preparation.

“I had plans B, C and D ready for any breakdown in the link, a calmish disposition and a strong bladder,” she joked.

“The longest wait we had for a bus was 18 minutes in Gloucester.