SURPRISING END! Using public transport only, how far can I travel through Scotland in 12 hours?

[@scottishtransportlad5589]

I want to know what happened on that bus that required them to put a sign reminding people not to use the USBs for using a hair dryer, Toaster and a washing machine 😂

[@AstonL3]

Just imagine somebody casually carrying a washing machine on board 😂😂😂

[@respectedgentleman4322]

Pretty sure it was a joke :)

[@jamesmitchell3422]

Hi Scott,we are two Scots living here Western Canada thoroughly enjoying your adventures,the shot of the steak pie supper tuned our legs to jelly.Margaret is from Paisley and I am from Neilston Gilmour street station brings back nice memories,take care and keep on traveling.Ciao.J

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

Hi James. It's great to hear from you. You can take the boy out of Paisley, but you can't take Paisley out of the boy! Thanks again.

[@mikevale3620]

This intrepid Aussie traveller in 24 hours travelled on the 21:45 Night Riviera in a sleeper from Penzance to London, then connecting Arriva service to Holyhead. Thence a wonderful blue skies and very sunny crossing of the Irish sea to Dublin, thence a 19:00 connecting intercity train to Cork...not bad for an Aussie!

[@presspound7358]

Great fun to travel “vicariously” with you. It’s the kind of adventure folks half your age would hesitate to do nowadays. All the best 🇨🇦👍

[@theBusManiac]

I worked at a Bus company that washed their vehicles every night, in icy weather the salt and grit from the road covered the windows in a few hours. Brushes surrounding the wheel arch can help stop it but makes inspecting the tyres impossible hence why they didn't have them.

[@derekstuart5234]

Not a lot changes there, James. I manage a depot that operates mostly rural services and we're talking not just grit and salt in winter, but farmer's mud trails and all sorts in summer. With the modern aerodynamics of buses and coaches, I've found that the wheelarch brushes don't really make much of a difference anymore. Oddly I've found that our old Vanhool Alizees (now long gone) and our few remaining Optare Versas rarely seem to get dirty, but the Plaxtons, Dennis/Transbus/ADL products and oddly the Optare Solos (also now gone) became dirty very quickly.

[@leplessis8179]

When a little younger my neighbour and I decided to see how far we could CYCLE in 12 hours, as a warm-up to attempting the UK 400-mile record. I found the results surprising, in that riding for 12 hours is not too bad - but as time wears on so come tiredness, and the performance drops alarmingly (we were just ordinary riders, and had not 'practiced' as such). So then, at 12 hours I was still awake at 162 miles. The following weekend I stopped for a drink at 233 miles and fell asleep in a bus shelter, whilst my mate rode on for a while longer but stopped, fairly satisfied, at 300 miles. Slower these days: when riding down to my home in France it takes me 4 1'2 days from Roscoff for 452 kilometres, camping out at nights. But then, I am now 76 years old.

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

Wow, that's amazing. I think the most I ever cycled in one day was around 110 miles, and I was walking funny the following day.

[@chrissybhoy6798]

Kudos to you my friend. Cycling that much at that age. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@victoriaaletaaustria2817]

@ Le Plessis: you're amazing. 👏👏👏How do you take care of yourself? Hope I will reach that age still that strong.

[@leplessis8179]

@@victoriaaletaaustria2817 Victoria, thnks for your message. Fitness is quite easy, really - it's all in your head. I walk, and run, and cycle, and why not? - I eat what I like but it's all fresh food, no burgers or pizza, and drink what I like as well - but all win, no beer or spirits. Just back from France and a 'short tour' of 2,000 kilometres, whilst camping out each night as usual - and now planning ndxt moths' ride up to Scotland (I can't go before because I have a bsuiebss to run - why retire, tht wuld just be boring). Get out there and do it - life's too short to let it pss you by.

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

Crazy kid 🚴

[@CynthiajKnight]

Loving your videos. I live in Brisbane Australia. 12 hours north or west wouldn't even get me out of my State of Qld. I love that you can go to another country in that time. It takes me 5hrs flying time before I even leave my own country.

[@The_Tartan_Terror]

I've been stuck in the house due to being Covid 19 positive, and came across your channel randomly, and have been watching all your videos back to back, and thoroughly enjoying them ! Imagine my shock when in this video you confirmed you live in the same town in Scotland as myself ! Such a small world, loving the channel and content :)

[@nellybrown9127]

As a Paisley Buddy very impressed on how to get to Kirkwall , might try it sometime. Glad you didn’t start your journey with a Mc Gill’s bus .😀

[@RowanVeeTee]

Thoroughly enough, planning on doing this very same journey in the future to visit a friend up in the Islands! Taking the slightly longer route via the Scrabster ferry though, so least I won't have to worry about catching that last bus!

[@mgrunnill7330]

During periods of cold weather and the roads are heavily gritted it doesn't take long for vehicles to become dirty.

[@Everythingwithonehand]

If you’d stayed on the bus at Wick you could have caught the ferry to Stromness from Scrabster.

[@adastida]

Agree, the train to Thurso and a short bus ride to Scrabster also works for the same connection

[@andyhughes5885]

As an old age pensioner now Scott, i can travel on any bus service, anywhere in Scotland, even as far south to Carlisle for free and i have. In fact, i have a friend who lives in Inverness and i`ll be heading up that way when the weather gets warmer.

[@elizabethwilsonwall1049]

Thank you so much for filming this! I'm doing the same trip in reverse in July and I now have a better idea of what to expect.

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

Hi Elizabeth. I'm constantly reminded of how beautiful Scotland is, especially when travelling further north.

[@baseballfan99]

After reading information about the Tran-Siberian railway one of the important things to pack apparently is some washing up liquid so you can clean the outside window and not suffer with a hazy view for 7 days. 👀 Really need to travel this route.

[@gnhansen29]

I recently had my own challenge when Sydney Trains was shut down for a day. I had to travel from the top of the Blue Mountains to the city all on local buses taking seven hours.

[@billycrawford6080]

Hi Scott, loved your new video, as a bus driver myself down here in Cambridge it is always interesting to see you travel all over Scotland on the transport system, great stuff Scott. 👍

[@aaronmackenzie167]

Amazing video U had Donna as your driver from Inverness to wick she's lovely just wish u would tell me when your coming to inverness so I can meet you

[@ronmac9522]

Yes the windows do need a bit of a wash but I’m upset that I can’t bring my washing machine onboard to charge it up, Talk about being tight. 😂.

[@marygarner5249]

SCOTT sorry late not getting notified always love your Adventures 😁😁💟

[@danielpeti3885]

Interesting as always. Thank you

[@walterfillingham]

Another fantastic video Scott, so did you get to try one of the new buses in Orkney? So when you going to get on the overnight ferry from Aberdeen up to Shetland and explore ??

[@hazels27]

Just looking for an interesting video to watch this evening and came across this one. Thank you for filming it.

[@kazzicup]

I will try that cafe in Inverness when I am in town. ☕ 🥓🥐

[@tsr207]

Highly enjoyable as always - I enjoy the "off beat" method Scott chooses to plan his visits !

[@Martycycleman]

Cheers Scott very interesting

[@kevinellis8869]

Love these quirky challenges, please keep them coming.

[@janettesinclair6279]

Wonderful scenery all the way (when the bus windows were clean). Thank you for a very enjoyable video, even though the ferry crossing was a bit bracing! With a surname like Manson, I thought you may have had a connection with the far north, and thank you for featuring the island of Stroma - where I lived for the first 9 years of my life. PS If you are interested in antiquities and ancient places, Orkney has many sites to explore. Maybe you could do a video of that? Also you could fly the shortest scheduled plane flight in the world - Westray to Papa Westray.

[@steve-marsh]

Amazing challenge Scott, really enjoyed that! But I guess I now have to say ‘challenge accepted’. I’ll need to get researching! 😂 edit: meant to say, watching this on a similarly wild Skye!

[@jjsmallpiece9234]

Here you go Steve, for your channel can you beat this? Another guy did something similar but from London. He did 2 24hr challenges. One by bus from London within the UK and got to the Preston/Morecambe area. The second by train and went into Europe and got as far as the very bottom of Italy. www.youtube.com/@travelling_turtle

[@vanessaschofield7927]

thankyou scott this was epic. i have recently found your channel and am binge watching.

[@ellenthorne818]

Staying at The For Nick Hotel, the first test I had a bad call at the Falls of Shinn , so spent next at local hospital having my shoulder xrayed. Missed the Orkneys trip hence going the following year as I really wanted to the Orkneys.

[@peterdnreynolds777]

another great vlog Scott!! hope all is well, take care

[@stevenjones19-m8i]

What a brilliant video,there was some nice views at Scotland,you made in good time.

[@kennethbell54]

Great content yet again Scott. Very enjoyable. All the very best frae Thailand.

[@colinblick4903]

Considering it was public transport ,you covered a fair few miles Scott. Well done youngun😎👍🏼

[@Kenbur]

something about you and ferry boats being mty Scott🤣😂 very enjoyable and great fun to see the country side. thanks

[@jarrodhofmann3219]

I would love for you to try the last 444 on national express from London to Gloucester as that’s the one I drive it’s around 23:30 or 23:59

[@D3bblicious]

Hey!! No way you live in paisley!! I live in Greenock. Everytime I’m on the train now and pass through Paisley am looking for you lol

[@colinrenfrew48]

Thoroughly enjoyed this video.

[@simondavey7787]

Your videos are a delight and the scenery on this one is stunning. How do you plan your journeys? I have contemplated making a video of travelling from John O'Groats to Lands End using nothing but local bus services. However, I feel you would be much better at it than me!

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

Hi Simon, I'm planning the same journey (or maybe in reverse), but it's the time required to actually do the journey. It's tricky when you work 5 days a week. Thanks for your kind comment.

[@icdgyixify99]

Someone already did that, and published a book about it. His name is Eric Newton. I got it from Amazon in paperback form.

[@stevenmc4446]

"Scrabster" best name ever! must visit

[@Traveller69]

I have found buses in Caithness particularly bad for dirty windows, even early in the morning. Clearly (pun intended) not getting the necessary clean at night. The morning X99 south can be bad for it too. Stagecoach/Citylink need to take more pride in their work and look after the vehicles better.

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

Hi John, I wonder whether being late in the winter season there's still grit on the roads further north? That would certainly not help.

[@Traveller69]

@@PlanesTrainsEverything The winter in Caithness has been no worse than anywhere else. I have never driven, so always use public transport to get around Scotland too. Plenty of depots put out clean vehicles. I just laughed at your (rightful) comment in this video because I had noted the clatty state of a lot of buses in Caithness and been on a few where, like you, I literally couldn't see out of the windows. Just lax standards in my opinion.

[@davidcole8572]

That bus you got is based in wick for the shift its on and will never see Thurso depot on the shift. as there's no wash in wick it will rarely get cleaned.

[@junethomson5176]

Most buses are filthy even in summer

[@lookoutleo]

I've hitched lift many times in Orkney , very friendly group of islands , must come again soon to rousay

[@michaelsansom6]

Excellent!

[@CW-Design]

I love the normality and realness of these videos and especially as there is a big UK focus too.

[@DEEN133]

12 hours challenge absolutely good motivation good inspiration on public transport 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@maryrobins2016]

You may think this pedestrian but it would be useful to know about loos and leg room. Disabled friendly?

[@Kntybum]

I used to drive 54137 regular when it was a Citylink coach at Cumbernauld, one of the better panthers in the fleet.

[@AlanMckinley-v8n]

Been in that wee cafe in Inverness bus station in 2015 the first time me and my partner where up there we went to balintor then again when we were coming home then again in 2021 then 2022 my partner's uncle lives in balintor we loved it up there it a nice quiet wee village and the cafe is really good the staff are brilliant

[@Madjock1965]

Great trip but was surprised to hear that you have never been to the Orkney Islands. You should try the Shetland’s the boat trip itself is fantastic. Then you can make your way up to Norwick which I believe is one of the last bus stops in the the Uk I have been but I did drive. I. Do enjoy watching your videos thanks

[@jacquelineyong5454]

Such wonderful videos. They have provided much insight as to how I might travel around Scotland next year. Train or bus or plane... hmm. 🤔

[@kevanhubbard9673]

Those Glasgow Inverness trains tend to alternate with the Edinburgh ones so if you got to Perth on say an Aberdeen or local you'd connect with one that's come from Edinburgh.Plus there's a few more that way as about 2 day day come from England to Inverness via Edinburgh and Perth.

[@markstramtrainbuscapades1729]

You live in a beautiful country!

[@terranceparsons5185]

Excellent video! Really enjoyed it. Having been to Lands End when I was very small I hope one day to go to John O Groats.

[@anianoenrique2115]

I work for a bus company and the reason why we don't wash our buses in winter is because if you leave a dripping wet bus outside overnight (our buses our not kept inside overnight), the water turns to ice, and when you try to open the doors in the morning you can damage the rubbers between the doors as both sides of the door pull apart. So our buses are also dirty if it's been freezing for a few days on end. It's always amazing how quickly buses, and especially the windows, can get so very dirty so very quickly.

[@88andy]

How much was the steak pie and chips and the coffee?

[@victoriaaletaaustria2817]

I'm a new subscriber seen the trip from Victoria Stn to Paris and the Gare de Leon. This video is nice just being spontaneous and could be easy for you coz you're from there. But it's nice to make a trip just spontaneously which I never tried because I dont want to miss a ride or be concerned where to stay so I made prior arrangements. Been to Glasgow and the Highlands tour dropping by Lake Lomond, Nevis, Lockness, Urquhart Castle, etc. Love the various sights along the way. Question. Are those bus tickets pre-booked and pre-bought? Or the bus driver accepts payment on the spot?

[@jocky2]

Thanks a lot fur takin us wae ye.

[@grainnelambert881]

I love Bucannan station xx

[@Alan_Mac]

Really enjoyable.

[@ryanboyd6027]

So what was the expenditure for entire trip? Curious to try this myself

[@christianbouwer8052]

You giving me some ideas for our visit to Scotland(We were there in 2012) in September. If all's good we will travel from Namibia.......we were suppose to do it last year!

[@jayaprakashgs571]

Thank you

[@timbounds7190]

How curious - I'm from Southern England, and I've visited Orkney several times, yet you, despite being Scottish, hadn't ever gone there! Fascinating and beautiful place.

[@tstuart7333]

Wo, I really enjoyed that pocket travel. Thank you.

[@thenewjerseydevil997]

Wow you are a trooper Scott. That was great. Thank you

[@chriscoughlan5221]

i did something similar in the 90s, i took trains from B´ham new st to Thurso, and got the ferry from scrabster to stromness

[@icdgyixify99]

That is what the tourist office advised me to do.

[@Benhutchie22386]

What a fantastic Video. Thoroughly enjoyed this - thank you! :)

[@richardoliver6131]

Loved this video and what a nice friendly chap

[@benbrist]

Heh, I live in Paisley too (you might recognise where my profile picture was taken). Nice video!

[@angelaaz6282]

Quite a nice day for a ferry ride up to the north!

[@thealbagalavanter9986]

I did the X99 from Inverness to Scrabster for my own channel and trust me it's a long long journey over 4 hours in total had a numb bottom at the other end lol 😆

[@jdtayloruk]

I’m not sure in that situation but I thought there was one Virgin or Avanti train which goes directly Glasgow or similar direct but I thought it might have been so if you do get stuck, have a look at that.

[@hectorafc3398]

Hi James great vid oh how I would love 2 live in the Highlands must be so peacefully like 2 move 2 Scotland full stop does followers of these vids know the name of local paper that adverties accomodation plz

[@jackw5626]

Brilliant video!

[@samanthamorristhecat8131]

had a giggle at the socket sign on the bus. I hope you didn't do your washing 🤣😂🤣

[@terranceparsons5185]

What month did you do this in? Still light at 6:30 pm around John o groats, but snowing in Inverness? Can't be any earlier than May can it otherwise it's dark at that lattitude? Inverness gets snow in May?

[@johnmehaffey9953]

I caught the ferry from Northern Ireland to cairnryan and then drove up to Wick with the young family quite a few years ago, are we there yet was cried out many times but 3 punctures later and more than 12 hours later arrived at Wick and can say that it was a beautiful area to visit what amazed me was that the nearest cinema was in Orkney in those days roughly 20 years ago, my wife and I will be visiting Scotland soon will I be trying the 12 hour travel challenge, NO

[@ChrisWar666]

As soon as you gave the direction I pretty much guessed your destination; just had to choose which one it was, as there's really only two possibilities at that time (3 if you include "international"? Is that possible in 12 hours?). I just want sure which one you could reach. Top stuff from the lads giving you a ride tho! As the only foot passenger maybe it was an extra perk hah

[@littlebigman6957]

Please note that the ' coaches ' windows are washed every night. The longer a coach is on the road the dirtier the windows will get. Stagecoach can't have a window cleaner at every town. It's not cost effective.

[@littlebigman6957]

Ps I am an ex slavecoach driver.

[@PlanesTrainsEverything]

I guess it doesn't help being so far north that the roads are still being gritted.

[@littlebigman6957]

@@PlanesTrainsEverything 👍 agreed. I am in the North but not that far and the roads are filthy.

[@davidcole8572]

Stagecoach in caithness certainly don't clean the buses every night and the bus to gills Bay because of the shift will only get washed if it changes shift

[@littlebigman6957]

@@davidcole8572 they do in sunny hull

[@johanyousef1951]

What cameras do you use? First time watcher, instantly subbed!

[@tspmcfarlane]

Lovely video!

[@GabrielsReviews]

11:11 Fun fact , that vessel is currently being use by Caledonian Macbrane

[@jackmcsween1334]

Why didn’t you go to Thurso for getting to Scrabster ?

[@jamesdoyle8442]

Scott Love. Your. VIDEO 👍👍

[@benrose1874]

enjoyed this

[@chrishayes6427]

Really interesting video. I went to Orkney by car from London twice since December 2021. Will definitely consider trying via public transport. Does the X99 connect with the North Link Ferry to Stromness?

[@janettesinclair6279]

Yes it does.

[@subinalai1954]

Wonderful scenery! How much for using public transport? I mean the whole trip, All the best!

[@tomjones7593]

Really interesting- do you get 'bus passes' in Scotland ? I do in Wales as of pension age; theoretically I could travel down to Cardiff free-but I would need a couple of days ! What was the approx cost of your wanderings ?

[@janettesinclair6279]

Yes, us pensioners have free bus pass travel all over Scotland.

[@hectorafc3398]

Got 2 say Scotland transport sound a lot better than north East of England that journey was amazing but did not catch how much specialy boat ride

[@pacerchaser9434]

Really enjoyed that, great video 👍

[@grainnelambert881]

Oh i have not watched yet lolol but just had to say i do a minutes walk with my dog...... where will we be in 37 minutes to 4 hours times.. im sure ill enjoy your video

[@Eraserbattlefordreamisland]

Very Cool and Underrated youtuber

[@ianhodgso-tm3gu]

You want to try the no 16 bus beetwen Perth and Dundee nightmare

[@Ali-ew9gv]

How long did you stay there before heading home? Really interesting content btw

[@GEORDIEBOY1]

Do you ever get board of travelling around the world granted I love your channel

[@DIEMLtdTV]

There are not many more greater journeys than over the Clyde into Glasgow Central.

[@sandylow7251]

Glad t see up up north scot ❤👍👍👍

[@sandylow7251]

Yersel and Stieve Marsh do a braw job a wish a wuz we u folks 👍👍 😢

[@ellenthorne818]

I took 2 Dornock & The Orkneys coach tours stayinv

[@Honkawsuzyamal]

If you go to the isle of Man you'll find cafés with motorcycles in them