Newcastle to Manchester with National Express (via Sunderland & Middlesbrough).

This is what travel is all about! I saw so many things I've never seen before as I travelled all the way from Newcastle down to Manchester with National Express. Come with me on this trip and I'll share with you some of the sights along the way. I'll give you my opinion on Newcastle Coach Station, the coach, the scenery and I'll tell you why you should do it for LESS than £10!!
I hope you enjoy the trip and many thanks as always guys for taking the time to watch my videos. Please leave me a like, comment, sub or all three if you can!! All helps and keeps me going making content that I hope you enjoy.
Cheers for now.
Mark
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#letsmakeatrip #coachtrip #nationalexpress #newcastle #manchester
📖Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:20 - Newcastle to Sunderland
04:13 - Sunderland to Middlesborough
05:54 - Seat, Interior & Loo Reviews
07:45 - Onwards towards Manchester
13:02 - Summary
Picture Credits:
Route map: OpenStreetMap (annotated)
www.openstreetmap.org/

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

A quick correction to the video - Sunderland Interchange has its own Metro Station: Park Lane 😊

[@ColinOBear]

Thanks again for taking us along with you. Manchester coach station has improved massively since my drunk and debauched visits to the city in the late 80s and 90s 😊😊😊

[@steve-marsh]

I remember a rattle like that in seat 2a, I wonder if it was the same coach 😂 great value journey though!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Could’ve been mate. Only a small thing but it would drive me mad at night. You can’t go wrong for the price though, only surprise for me was how few passengers were on it!

[@richardfurness7556]

Good to see the Northern Spire bridge in a travel video. I remember when it was just two blokes and a theodolite. One small correction: Sunderland Interchange has its own Metro station (Park Lane) which can be accessed from the main concourse.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Richard, yes I have been corrected on that. My mistake. I really enjoyed the area though - especially crossing the rivers 👍

[@grahambell5865]

Brilliant vlog!!there one thing I agree with you no !! people thinking the bus is a extension of their lounge!!I am sat on a bus !!this teenager got a laptop out!!on her phone!!legs allway along the the back seat!! Manners come to mind!! keep up the excellent work 😊

[@stephen4912]

Hello I like to say I really enjoy your videos etc I've just started to watch them. newcastle is my hometown that bus station is dreadfull I remember the old gallowgate station loads of memories there 😊 anyways keep the videos 📹 coming cheers

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Stephen, thanks very much for your support - it’s really appreciated. Newcastle I thought it was a bit frustrating really because it could be good. The location is right, it’s fairly central, there seems to be demand. Why is the building shut??

[@fatwalletboy2]

That constant creaking of some coach trim would drive me nuts....

[@PaulGodfrey]

Great video and a bargain ride. If National Express aren't going to staff the coach station then maybe they should use Haymarket bus station in Newcastle instead? St James Boulevard is a long way from the Metro and other buses. Especially with luggage.

[@sheilam4525]

Great journey. Yes, I think seat 2a looks great although at 5ft 1" I probably dont need it😂

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Yes but once you’ve tried it Sheila, you’ll never go back to a regular seat 😂

[@andrewwilliamson4356]

Newcastle coach station is a disgrace, I complained to national express about this and got a travel voucher. But they contacted me by phone and told me the up keep of the facility was Newcastle city council. As for the first driver he is lovely fella, as I travel from Middlesbrough to Leeds on a regular basis. Go north east who operate the service in my opinion are probably the best national express operator. As for the Newport bridge it doesn't open any more, and the transporter bridge has closed since 2020, with it's future been up in the air. National express does have competition on that route with mega bus and Flixbus. As for Middlesbrough there is a lot to see with some really nice countryside around.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Andrew, well done for getting a voucher btw. They should share that coach station with Flix and Megabus if the council have some kind of input instead of them having to use the street. It could be so much better. I’ll definitely get back up to Middlesborough, well, the whole area really seemed an interesting place. Never been before 👍

[@patrickbut-not-a-saint9418]

Another great upload. Thanks a lot Mark. I've stayed in some very noisy places overnight and not being the best sleeper away from my own bed I decided to mix it up a bit with my night time routine (unfortunately I have a neighbour who likes 3am chats on her balcony, which is close to my bedroom). Some nights I sleep with earplugs, others without them and sometimes with a pair of comfortable in-ear headphones and 'white noise' or repetitive music on an mp3 player, on repeat play. You can find a few different white noise/nature sounds uploads on KZbin and there are a lot of sites online which let you download them after copying and pasting the url. The idea is your brain gets adjusted to different noise environments prior to sleep. I find it really works well, and this from someone who often had trouble in nodding off at the best of times. Another tip if you wear foam earplugs is to dip them in water and squeeze out the excess to they are dry to the touch. The water that remains inside puffs them up and makes them more dense, and therefore a bit more effective at blocking noise. Handy on overnight trips too.

[@lindajoy7208]

I really enjoyed this trip and very economical too. I got rather concerned at 13.40 on your video when I thought the driver was asleep 😱😆😅🤣my mistake. I've travelled on National Express a few times in the past and found them very good. Though the trip from London Victoria to Paignton was rather long for obvious reasons. Thank you for the trip.

[@tsr207]

As always an excellent video - full of good clear content -never disappoints !

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers mate and I appreciate your support 😊👍

[@maxwilson5176]

Using Uber is great. You get 10% cashback on train trips and 15% on coaches I think, no booking fees or anything either

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Max, I’ll have to try that out now. Thanks for the info 👍

[@MarcsCupofTea]

What a great looking trip Mark. National Express should do some kind of regular passenger rewards (coach miles maybe) as by now you'll platinum class 😊 As for tips, i think its a great idea about putting a notice up as from driving coaches (not National but on only Duplicate services) putting a tip both at the front was a massive no no but see it alot in Europe and America. Did get tips from jobs but normally from private day trips adn holidays etc although had a few on rail replacement and National Dupes, makes the day better when you've had stressful traffic etc. Great video again Mark, keep up the good work 👍

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Marc. Yep, that’s what I remember from years ago. There’d be a collection for the driver at the end of the school trip or day trip or whatever because you’d had a nice day and the driver was like part of the outing so you’d get to know them a bit etc. definitely a thing in the US with their tipping culture but yeh the first time I’ve seen it on a scheduled service in the UK.

[@MarcsCupofTea]

@@LetsMakeaTrip yeah that's right and it still happened before I left in 2018 but was getting fewer and far between. Had nice tips and had 50p for the whole week off someone a few times but luckily I've never had to rely on my tips to make ends meet. Oh yes the Americans tip very well even over here, often more than my weekly wage. Tipping culture is the norm over there for sure, even shuttle busses to and from airports had a tip box at the front (I always left a few $$)

[@davidoliver1169]

Hi Mark. Great way to end the week with another of your great videos. Take care. D

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers David, glad you enjoyed it 😊👍

[@RogEdwardsTV]

Another great report, Mark. Brought back memories of long past student journeys. 😀

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Rog, you can’t beat National Express - especially at that price and I’ll definitely be back up in the North East again. Some interesting history for one or two videos yourself there mate?

[@robertalan3214]

Thanks Mark, another great video 👏

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Robert, thanks for watching 😊👍

[@adnanhussain4597]

Great video as always I recently did a birmingham to heathrow airport on national express the toilet stench was horrible lol

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

You can get it unfortunately, especially in those rear seats.

[@mikedown1250]

Cheers mark. nice upload.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Mike and thanks for watching and commenting 😊👍

[@bobbythomas200420032]

Hi that was an excellent video and I really enjoyed it so much.

[@ashleyrobinson4217]

The coach station in Newcastle closed last year at some point if I remember correctly. I'm sure ot hasn't been open at all in 2023! Apparently the passenger numbers didn't Warrent staff being there but we here off a lot of drivers that it can still get very busy at times! Speaking of drivers the one you had from Newcastle is a lovely chap and is full of pleasant conversation. A regular visitor into Bham. Safe travels!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

He seemed a nice guy - someone who loves his job (which makes a big difference doesn’t it). The coach station, I think of NX don’t want to use it to its full potential, let Megabus and Flixbus use it too.

[@calebmumby5803]

Pls do more of these your vids never go out of style

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Caleb and rest-assured there will be more to come if the interest is there 😊👍

[@markcarson8]

You’re totally right Mark, when I travel by train or bus I c so much more than I would if I was driving, another top video.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Mark, yep I just find it much more relaxing not driving much atm - I do enough of that during the week! And when you can travel long distance cheaply, it makes much more sense to me. Coach or otherwise 👍

[@Treetops17]

Enjoyed your coach trip. Thank you! I have done Wolverhampton to Manchester on National Express and Birmingham to Great Yarmouth 6 hours, but now you have to go via London Victoria. Crazy! Great video! Look forward to seeing the next one 👍

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thank you and thanks for commenting. Always nice to hear from people doing similar trips. Shame that Birmingham direct isn’t running atm but fingers crossed for more direct routes that don’t have to go via London 👍

[@Treetops17]

@@LetsMakeaTrip Was so convenient. Now 8-10 hour trip. My sister lives there and my brother lives in Norwich. Might give Megabus a try. Take care 🤗

[@NikkiEvernight]

Nice vid! I did that trip during storm Arwen... it was interesting over the mountains in that! Always use the coach to Newcastle, prefer it to the train and changing in Leeds (the worst station to connect in for the northwest as its always a short connection and the trains are always at opposite ends of the station! Nice video!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Nikki, I'm inclined to agree the coach is better, certainly cheaper, the scenery is great whatever the weather. Only one draw back - traffic queues.

[@aodhantravels123]

Great video, the M62 between Leeds and Manchester is my favourite part of the journey because of the amazing scenery

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers mate and I agree with what you say about the M62 stretch because I reckon even in bad weather the bleak surroundings would look fantastic! Cheers 😊👍

[@BoskiM]

The journey across the Pennines is great with nice views only spoilt by the endless road works. I have been on the M62 for years and I can't remember a free run without roadworks

[@walterfillingham]

I actually really enjoyed this trip, liked the contrast in scenery

[@simonwhitlock9189]

A nice journey and you saw something new and for a bargain price, well done, stay safe now ad cheers.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Yep, job done really isn’t it. Cheap travel, seeing new stuff, having a great day. Recommended 😊👍

[@KarlRobson1989]

Great video. You should do middlesbrough to whitby train. Lovely journey

[@MrGilly92]

Worked with that driver you got at Newcastle a good few times .....always friendly and always looks after the passengers

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

A nice guy I thought - all about first impressions isn’t it and he clearly loves his job 😊👍

[@randomtransportguyx4397]

Really nerdy coach fact, but you could have got the incredibly rare caetano levante 1, go north east operate 3 of these and they regularly operate on the 172

[@hey12542]

I love Newcastle so much. Northumberland is amazing too and thats as far as I can go , I wasnt made to feel very welcome last time I went into the country of Scotland so now I won't go anywhere outside of England on this Island unless im travelling abroad.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Newcastle’s a great place. What about Wales? Some lovely coastal places too 👍

[@joshuajeffrey1843]

See you next week

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Are you in Delhi?

[@johnmullin1188]

😊 you got a good bargain in this 1 Mark you should have got off in the Boro we could have had a pint lol all the best my friend thanks John 😊

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers John, next time mate! I’ll hope to come back one day - looked an interesting place 👍

[@baseballfan99]

Given I was at Uni in Middlesbrough many years ago it’s the route I have taken most often. The M1 link certainly speeds things up avoiding heading through central Leeds. Good bit of Trivia re the opening of the Sunderland Bridge as I thought I used to travel over the old one until my last few trips. Like Manchester Coach Station the previous Sunderland bus station left a lot to be desired. I much prefer this run to the train as the views are better. I can highly recommend the X4 route from Whitby to Middlesbrough, not only are the costal views amazing but the hills are so steep the bus only just makes it up. Look forward to your next trip. 👍

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers mate, I certainly have very little knowledge of the area tbh but I did like it and will be back. I’d love to get a closer look at the bridges for one. I have done the Whitby to Scarborough X93/4 a while back and am halfway through editing it. It will be released at some point and yep, that stretch itself was pretty good as I remember 😊👍

[@FrostyGaming8394]

Hi Mark how you doing mate? Great video as always well edited plus great background music in the road scenes its great to see another National Express coach video once again there my favorite video on the channel this time from Newcastle to Manchester the National Express coach station in Newcastle does look very deserted indeed as the main building is shut, thats a really nice 4 year old National Express from 2019 the coach the driver does seem very friendly which is good the senery of this journey is really great speccaily around Newcastle and Sunderland way plus pennines way, that sound that you kept on hearing would have been really annoying if you was on at night time specially getting some sleep seat 2a is really great massive bit of leg room there which is great also great that all the facilites worked accept for the wifi really good clean and mantained, the toilet facileties were also great and fully stocked of soap which is also great, the price you paid for this journey £9.20 was a great price indeed for a over 3 hour and 30 mins journey all the way from Newcastle to Mancheser i would certainly do it if i had to if i was in the area did look like you enjoyed the journey anyways i hope your having a good afternoon so far Mark and keep up the great content on your channel like always as its so enjoyable and entertaining to watch 👍

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers FG, sorry I missed replying to this, I’ve been a bit inundated with comments tbh and lost control of them all! Just appreciate you taking the time to post so thanks very much. And yes, it was another great NatEx journey! Got one or two others planned soon too 👍

[@andrewr2825]

I’ve just stumbled onto your excellent channel! Now I’ve started working backwards (well I do live in Australia😁) - I enjoy these travelogues. Thanks for posting 👍🏻

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Andrew and thanks for commenting yourself 😊 appreciate the support 👍

[@AceCrickey]

Why on God’s earth would an Aussie be interested in watching a tail back on the A369?

[@paulhellander2791]

Another entertaining and informative vid, Mark. I really enjoyed travelling with you on this trip. I find it odd that wi-fi on a lot of UK buses simply 'doesn't work'. Is there any good reason for the almost frequent failure of UK bus companies to actually provide a seriously proper working wi-fi service? Keep riding. We are following you. Paul in Oz.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Paul. Just so hot and miss the WiFi thing. It doesn’t particularly bother me most of the time, though if they say they have it, I feel the need to comment on it. Incidentally, the coach I’ve just travelled on to Singapore didn’t have it either despite advertising it on the side.

[@paulhellander2791]

Yea, but as consumers (bus travellers) you/we are being deceived. It's like a pub saying 'free beer' and when you ask for it, it the tap's dry. It's bad karma. It is lying. Paul in Oz@@LetsMakeaTrip

[@highpath4776]

Tips to Driver, I have mainly seen that when it has been one driver throughout , and it was americans from the airport to central london and the driver was helpful with the unloading of suitcases. It is more common on tour coaches

[@DavidJones-kn9zb]

Hi Aussie fan here. Really enjoy your programs which are very well produced. Also your mix of train, bus and ferry trips provide an extra dimension. By the way are u a full time you tuber?

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers David, thanks for the comment. I do try and mix it about a bit but as a consequence, some videos do better than others. Overall, it's just my enjoyment of travel really that I like to share. I'm not full time atm but I'm working towards it in the future. Thanks.

[@seancoleman8528]

Thanks Mark, I've travelled the m62 many times but didn't know the name of the reservoir you pass so thanks also for £9 it's a bargain

[@damnimloomin]

I just noticed you use yards instead of feet for road signs that is wild i assumed the us and UK were the same in terms of roads! We use miles of course but we use feet not yards (mostly on the highway they would still say like .3 miles but we definitely would never say “4 yards”) The more i think about it in school when learning about yards as a kid the teachers always mocked the unit since it really makes no sense at all to us 😂 if we called our yards gardens maybe we would use it more 🤔

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Haha, yep, lots of yards used over here. Just a natural thing to say I guess and football of course (proper football 😂) we have the 6 yard box and the 18 yard box and the penalty spot is 12 yards from the goal line 😊👍

[@grayhalf1854]

Just starting to watch but am wondering whether you saw a Geordie in a jacket without there being a thick layer of snow on the ground?!? 🤔🤪

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Haha, cheers mate. I’m sure they must exist!?

[@leeallen1407]

Caetano Build quality ...say no more....used to love doing my late 120 Birmingham - Manchester via the Airport

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

I’ll take your word for it Lee! 😊👍

[@alanshelly7068]

A very good v😢buddy from Alan in Lowestoft buddy 👍 😊

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers Alan, thanks as always for watching and leaving a comment 😊👍

[@kevinmcanulty2593]

come and see the transporter bridge in Newport!

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

I’ve seen that Kevin from the train I think. Yes it’s a lot closer to me than Newcastle tbh 👍

[@dazzlingdaz187]

Ive not been to Middlesbrough either, will have to go some time. Coach station looks bleak, i think NX are economising, they seem to be concentrating on cheap fares to compete with Flixbus, which is a shame. Never seen a tips bucket on a scheduled coach service either , i wonder what view NX have of that..

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

The tips thing, there were proper signs on the window and near the front so I’m assuming it’s fine (I don’t have an issue with it tbh, good luck to them). Hope I get to return to Middlesborough, ok it’s probably not top of everyone’s wish list but I like these kind of places personally.

[@enricomonti156]

Yes, National express has its fair share of Bargains. I travelled with them sometimes, also to Mancheser. And once I paid about £7 between Leeds and Manchestern with them. Sunderland is a place which I visited some years ago, and to be fair it did not impress me much. I remember the city centre being fairly empty except the local branch of Nando's which was bustling. BTW that coach station does not reflect the city of Newcastle. I am surprised they do not use Haymarket and Eldon Square for long distance coaches. These are much better and I tell from experience

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Yes it could be so much better that coach station in Newcastle. Maybe it’s just a victim of the last few years events and it can hopefully get back to past glories! Or maybe they can share the space with Flix and Mega, I know it’s not n NX’s nature but seems a bit of a waste of space at present. Cheers mate 😊👍

[@jackcrawford3921]

Did this one not stop at Leeds? It's just I'm getting the reverse 172 from there in June

[@TravelSignal]

Nice one mate 👍 the north east isn't an area I know well, but looks nice enough. Did the coach bypass Leeds without stopping? Unless it was full, there's bound to be enough market there.

[@AceCrickey]

Leeds already has a bus station and loads of buses. We don’t need a Geordie bus thanks 👍🤗👍🤗

[@stephencostin2616]

How did you get from Edinburgh to Newcastle?

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Lumo 😊

[@stephencostin2616]

@@LetsMakeaTrip a bus journey between Edinburgh to Newcastle would be very interesting

[@petermoll8309]

Annoyed with myself for being excited over your clickbait title. 😂 A great informative video as ever. For me this video is Mark names things I have seen before but never known their proper name.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Click bait 🤔 yep, ok maybe people were expecting a naked coach driver or something 😂 but I really enjoyed seeing this stuff I’d only ever read about before. Cheers Peter 👍

[@montystelevision3238]

Coach Drivers seem friendlier than Bus Drivers. Bus Drivers where I live are surley,

[@MarcsCupofTea]

From doing both I can understand why. Going round and round in circles all day with people asking the same stupid questions "why you late" "why can't I use this return I bought 6months ago" etc. Credit to National Express and their franchise companies the drivers have always been friendly and professional

[@roypaton5573]

quick question is chorlton street coach station in Manchester still in use

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Yes it is Roy.

[@JackSullivan101]

I’m surprised it didn’t stop in Leeds.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Good point, maybe one of the other services does? There was certainly room for more on this coach though.

[@patrikmatousek6246]

no way, I was right there in newcastle a short time ago

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did mate 😊👍

[@bentairyukiba]

I tried to sleep on the megabus in April on the night bus coming back from London but in the end I just stayed up all night

[@davidhughes2772]

nice video but is winter hill transmitter not windy hill

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Windy Hill yes 👍

[@SoldierCivilWarYT]

Ah yes, can't forget the infamous national express series 😅

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

A staple feature on my channel mate 👍

[@sarahillingworth2718]

It's a shame about the bus station 😔

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Agree, just needs sorting out or let Flix and Megabus use it too 👍

[@sarahillingworth2718]

@@LetsMakeaTrip yes definitely 👍

[@charlottescott6609]

How much wa s your ti

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Price stated in the video.

[@s125ish]

Interesting that this service does not call at Leeds. I’ve not done this service. Great vid as always.

[@AndymusThePrime]

Hello, hope you are well. Mind I mentioned about Avanti and their DDA incident featuring a less visibility and a staff member screaming at me to get out of the disabled seat? Well AWC are standing by their on train worker and "cannot substantiate" Anything I had to say, reassuring that robust would happen if they catch staff behaving in this matter. They consider the matter closed. Dissapointing. I remember you had said to keep you upto date

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Hi Andy. Well I did, but that's not the positive update I was expecting tbh. Sounds like they think it's a case of 'one version of events against the other'. I agree, it's disappointing.

[@andrewvannan1714]

@@LetsMakeaTrip thats the best way to put it. Mind AWC are made up of two companies: trentitalia and first group and the latter is very well known for deflection and blaming others for their stuff. First Glasgow was bad enough to deal with

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

Not so sure going to Smoggie City - Middleborough is a benefit of travel. Most people want to leave.

[@Oddly1970]

Where you from then ya doylem

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

I thought the place looked really interesting 😊

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

@@LetsMakeaTrip Try working there....

[@user-xh3lz9xt4l]

Its probably the worst bus station in the North East

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Are you talking about the National Express coach station or something else? 🤷‍♂️

[@s125ish]

It’s a bit sparse, I was the only person waiting for the 591 at Newcastle a few months ago

[@user-xh3lz9xt4l]

The Park lane interchange is only a minute or less to Metro not 5 minutes at all. Please try to get facts right.

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Thanks for the correction.

[@Oddly1970]

Ok Mr one month old account with attitude

[@CoxyNW]

Might be 5 minutes if you’re on crutches 😉

[@derisleybrittain]

Enjoyed🚌🚌🚌🚌🏆🏆🏆🥇🥇🥇

[@LetsMakeaTrip]

Cheers mate 👍👍👍👍👍🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️⛰️🏖️🏖️