Some say Somerset is behind the times...

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Seen today (May 2018) on a bus shelter in Yeovil:



Timetable information that is 14 years out of date. Is that a record?

[TaplowGreen]

It never caught on......the locals had never seen a coach before and ran away screaming & crossing themselves frantically.

Horse & cart still going strong.

[Surrey 455]

At least it had a year on it. It frustrates me when I see something similar to "until xx Feb" and you have to guess whether it's a future or past date.

[LiskeardRich]

In the village of Witter near Plymouth there is still Western National stuff up.

At the end of my road there is a very faded DAC timetable, who went bust many years back

[SandTEngineer]

In the village of Witter near Plymouth there is still Western National stuff up.

At the end of my road there is a very faded DAC timetable, who went bust many years back

...mmm.  I think you mean WOTTER....

[broadgage]

It never caught on......the locals had never seen a coach before and ran away screaming & crossing themselves frantically.

Horse & cart still going strong.

I think that you must be referring to a new fangled MOTOR coach, I would assure you that we are by no means backwards around here and are familiar with horse drawn coaches, these call regularly and bring news, passengers and mail from as far away as the metropolis.
The new mail coaches cover huge distances by frequently exchanging the tired horses for fresh animals.

The fares are considerable, but compare very favourably with keeping ones own carriage and horses and staff to attend to same.

The improved roads, coaches fitted with springs, and specially selected horses, have much reduced journey times, a neighbour recently travelled in the new "one day machine" and arrived Bristol THE SAME DAY !
It has even been suggested that London itself could soon be reached with but a single overnight stop, at a modern and well appointed inn.

[grahame]

At least it had a year on it. It frustrates me when I see something similar to "until xx Feb" and you have to guess whether it's a future or past date.

In February, the sign at Bristol Temple Meads for the Bristol Ferry was telling me about Christmas services - I suspect telling me what happened last Christmas rather than what will happen next ... it must still be over 200 shopping days to Christmas.   But it is very easy to let signs slip out of date ... I'm painfully aware of the CRP^▸ (Community Rail Partnership) sign at Melksham Station which is about the week before last; the catch to the case has broken ...

[TaplowGreen]

It never caught on......the locals had never seen a coach before and ran away screaming & crossing themselves frantically.

Horse & cart still going strong.

I think that you must be referring to a new fangled MOTOR coach, I would assure you that we are by no means backwards around here and are familiar with horse drawn coaches, these call regularly and bring news, passengers and mail from as far away as the metropolis.
The new mail coaches cover huge distances by frequently exchanging the tired horses for fresh animals.

The fares are considerable, but compare very favourably with keeping ones own carriage and horses and staff to attend to same.

The improved roads, coaches fitted with springs, and specially selected horses, have much reduced journey times, a neighbour recently travelled in the new "one day machine" and arrived Bristol THE SAME DAY !
It has even been suggested that London itself could soon be reached with but a single overnight stop, at a modern and well appointed inn.

Who knows, there may even come a time when there is a reliable and affordable service via "Iron Horse" between Zummerzet and London/to the South West, possibly even at weekends too..................no I'm being daft now, it'll never happen, not in our lifetimes! 

[LiskeardRich]

In the village of Witter near Plymouth there is still Western National stuff up.

At the end of my road there is a very faded DAC timetable, who went bust many years back

...mmm.  I think you mean WOTTER....

Auto correct got me, they didn’t have this technological issue in western national days!

[broadgage]

Surely, young sir, you are not proposing that these fire breathing, spark snorting iron monsters should be allowed to "roam the countryside at will"

Consider please the risks, cows will dry up or yield sour milk, hens will cease laying, the hovels of the poor will be tumbled down, crops be destroyed by fire, and horses be frightened and then in time become extinct. Fair maidens who are with child will miscarry, and smoke, dirt and misery cover the nation.
Consider also the amounts of iron needed to build a dozen or more of these monstrous inventions, it is already expensive and in short supply.
And as for the bursting of the boilers, and the risks of breaking down bridges, and the breaching of canal banks, the less said the better.

The whole idea is clearly foolish and beyond serious consideration.

[johnneyw]

Sadly, it the impression someone from the old smoke gets on arrival in Bristol in so far as they leave London with it's extensive underground/overground/light rail/tram systems to find,well, the Severn Riviera Express with it's (now) unreliable service and First Bristol busses ( of which no more need be said). Oh, and Justabus, which doesn't go to stations anyway.

[JayMac]

I think that you must be referring to a new fangled MOTOR coach, I would assure you that we are by no means backwards around here and are familiar with horse drawn coaches, these call regularly and bring news, passengers and mail from as far away as the metropolis.
The new mail coaches cover huge distances by frequently exchanging the tired horses for fresh animals.

The fares are considerable, but compare very favourably with keeping ones own carriage and horses and staff to attend to same.

The improved roads, coaches fitted with springs, and specially selected horses, have much reduced journey times, a neighbour recently travelled in the new "one day machine" and arrived Bristol THE SAME DAY !
It has even been suggested that London itself could soon be reached with but a single overnight stop, at a modern and well appointed inn.

What are the seats like though? Is there a table? Do they line up with a window? Legroom? Catering? 

[broadgage]

The seats are reported to well sprung and comfortable, and line up with the windows.
No tables, and no catering, leg room is ample provided that luggage is placed on the outside of the coach, and not between the seats.
Or so I am told, I have yet to use one of these much improved mail coaches.

Two classes of travel are provided, outside is cheaper but exposed to the weather. "On top" is pleasant in mild weather and gives a good view of the countryside, but cant be recommended in snow or rain.

[Bmblbzzz]

I was reading recently that as late as the 1840s it was quicker to travel from Dorset to London by sea than by coach, at least in winter due to the dreadful state of roads.

[broadgage]

I have heard, but can not substantiate, that the last working* stagecoach route in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) served Minehead.

Also said to be the only stagecoach in everyday* use of which movie film exists, all the others having ceased operation before the invention of moving pictures.

Can anyone confirm or find a link ?

*I must stress that I refer here to regular operation as a form of public transport. Not to re-enactments for filming or TV purposes nor as a tourist attraction.