Can I cross Wales BY BUS in a day?
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- čas přidán 20. 09. 2023
- Wales is a country the size of Wales, so this makes it ideal for a quick public transport challenge. Can Uncle Turtle and I travel from the country's most southerly bus stop to the most northerly one before the buses run out for the night?
Beautifully narrated and edited. I really enjoy the anchoring of your voyages to historical travel literature.
Thanks so much!
Like to know does Wales have preserved Roman remains , now in Spain have seen that my former Colne Chester has been completely ruined , the council are still constantly building hundreds of tight packed houses on the finest yet discovered Roman chariot race Arena , if the say yes , an E.U representative should arrive & declare it illegal , the house of thieves is preserved why not this wonder , in Spain many Roman aqueducts still in use , not bad for no cement 2,500 years !
@@simonsadler9360 Not huge amounts of Roman remains, in large part because they didn’t push that far into the interior of Wales, but a few bits and pieces in the borderlands and coasts, such as the fortress at Caerleon cadw.gov.wales/visit/places-to-visit/caerleon-roman-fortress-and-baths
I don't know much about the UK, let alone Wales so I'm very glad that you decided to give us some history about the villages and cities!
Not only do you have a very calm voice that's nice to listen to, you also provide subtitles which I can't thank you enough for! ☺️
Delighted you enjoyed it!
yeah i live in wales and it's a sick place to live
@@Ethan-5 you must be sick in the head to come out with a ridiculous comment like that
This channel deserves so much more attention than it currently garners. It hits the sweet spot where completely pointless journeys are rigorously researched, planned and undertaken, to be described in a beautifully written and perfectly delivered script. Oh, and the editing is so good that one hardly notices that it has been done. The line "Wales is famously a country the size of Wales" is worth the price of admission alone and the brief tribute to the Aberfan disaster, very touching. Chapeau!
That’s a really lovely thing to say, thank you so much. So pleased you enjoyed the video!
As an American, I love seeing parts of the world that have decent cross-country transit options. Thanks for giving me a break from my car-dependent daily life.
Pleasure! Wish I could say our own transit systems were particularly brilliant…
please come and get your US gay pride flags and take them back to america
@@gavblack get a life gav
@@gg-ps1vz nah its american imperialism im not half mexican and irish im british and i dont understand what the united states gay pride flag even represents? rainbows dont have anything to do with american pride
New Jersey has pretty good rural buses, though their fare system is god awful.
Nice to see a new video. Wales is famously a country the size of Wales😂
As a resident of Rhoose where you started your journey I can say I thoroughly enjoyed your mammoth trip. An excellent commentary and really wonderful scenery. I wish the buses I catch were as punctual as yours!
Thanks so much, really glad you enjoyed it! What you don’t see in the video is that this was actually my third trip on the 304 through Rhoose, having used it to get from Llantwit station to a hotel by the airport the night before, and then to get to Fontygari that morning - it was spot on time on each occasion, so clearly I am very lucky!
oo, award winning fish and chips at font y gary
Wow this is far more charming than those other bus ride videos. Beautifully edited, poetic commentary, spot-on historic/media references, lots of scenery along with the bus nerd information. It's perfect.
That’s really kind, delighted you enjoyed it!
Thanks for all your bus travel vlogs. I got my English Senior bus pass in the middle of our UK lockdowns so my daughter said I am trying to wear it out now! I took her at her word in July. Can’t use it in either Scotland or Wales so John o’Groats was out. Which means, that leaves Lands End then from the Northeast of England. Likewise, I now know the amount of planning involved to make these journeys happen. It took 27 buses 534 miles and 3 and a half days just using £2 tickets and my pass. The most amazing part of the journey was that 20 of those buses were double-deckers. The longest continuous run were 9 buses from Northampton to Plymouth in Devon.
Keep up the good work I look forward to your next journey.
Wow, what an incredible journey. Well done!
I harbour dreams of doing the same thing! Just out of curiosity, where did your bus pass not work, necessitating the purchase of £2 tickets? Thanks.
@@Robutube1 Hi Rob, In order to get going I needed to start on all 3 days before 09:30 so I took the standard approach of saying to the driver I don't suppose this will work, will it?
On my first bus from home it was "It's before 09:30 so it's 30p to you concession pass holders". Day 2 out of Leicester I knew it wouldn't do anything on the 06:35 X7 to Northampton, so that one was £2 and the next bus was 0856 X6 to Milton Keynes which was the same. On day 3, I did the same on the 07:33 29 from Glastonbury to Taunton and it was the £2 fare please. The driver on the 09:00 X22 to Tiverton did say "hang on I'II check for you, because on one or two of our routes they're valid after 9" unfortunately this wasn't one of them.
I would suggest that you always give it a try in a jovial way as some authorities routes it will work after 9 and on a few all day.
But a word of warning it's a lot of planning and you need an escape plan too, just in case it all goes wrong. I always had a backup way to make sure I could get to my prebooked Travelodges which were just around the corner from a bus stop!
Timothy
@@timothyduncan3457 What a great and helpful reply Timothy - thanks for taking the time to write it! The planning is part of the fun of course, but you're cautionary advice about back-up plans is well taken. Foolishly, I hadn't thought about the '0930 rule' but I'm encouraged by the fact that the pass works on X-services which I didn't know before. £2 is an absolute bargain anyway when it has to be paid. Thanks again.
@Robutube1 If I may ask how do you plan your travels? Is there a website out there or an app that can be used for these kind of journeys? Highly appreciate any insights.
I went from Burnley to London with £2 bus tickets using pretty much your route (went in via Slough instead). Camped halfway in a Northamptonshire wood though. It's impressive how little you seem bothered by spending 10s of hours on busses. Had a great time thanks for the inspiration!
Brilliant - and I am impressed by the commitment to camping, sounds fun!
Thanks for another video! I really enjoy your calm style combined with an excellent sense of humour.
Thank you, hope you enjoy!
Many thanks for that. A great vlog showing the beauty of Wales.
Sadly it also shows what a transport infrastructure wasteland we have . Over 14 hours to do what is probably less than 130 miles as the crow flies. Plus you had to travel via England. We all laugh in Swansea when we hear Radio Wales tell us of traffic hotspots in Holyhead. They might as well we talking about Dover as it easier to get to. We have inadequate buses, very few railway lines, yet the Welsh Govt deem a 20 mph default limit necessary for the only realistic alternative. Namely the car. If Wales is to retain its green credentials then massive infrastructure investment is needed and not just in Cardiff an its environs.
Still, I really enjoyed this. thanks again🙂
Delighted you enjoyed it, many thanks!
Without disagreeing with your very valid points about the need for transport infrastructure investment, I would say that local buses aren’t ever going to be time-competitive on a journey like this: it is solely a silly challenge for myself. While the trains should undeniably be faster, it would have taken about a third of the time of doing it by bus! Though unlike the train, I *could* have done the bus journey entirely within Wales in exactly the same time window as I did - changing at either Llandrindod or Newtown and heading over to Machynlleth - just my personal choice to take the route via Oswestry. And I would say that many parts of England with equivalent population densities would murder for as frequent and integrated a service as the TrawsCymru routes… 😉
All fair points. It is possible to do the trip in about 5 hours by car if you avoid tractors but the roads are unsafe. Railways are non existent North to South so a trip North always leads to Shrewsbury or Crewe. It is frustration for many of is in Wales that the nation is effectively divided by its lack of transport infrastructure. You would be hard pressed to find anywhere as bad within the EU. Sadly any investment in that direction has now gone. @@travelling_turtle
Great video. I travel on the T4 quite often. I always like the contrast between the way the bus threads its way through narrow streets of the towns, and then turns into an express for the fast runs between them. On the twisty-turny A470 approaching Builth Wells, where the road is tucked into the side of the hill above the river Wye, and you look down (and down, and down) at the foaming water, there are places where it could all get a bit Italian Job if the driver missed his line through the bend. At Llandrindod there's a glimpse of a red bus - the 461 to Hereford. That's an interesting route, criss-crossing the Welsh border several times, calling at Weobley and Evenjobb, picturesque places with names that sound like they were invented for a comic novel. If you ever do an east-west trip, I recommend going that way.
Thanks! And yes, I don’t think I’d want to drive the T4 myself - no east bits of that route once you are north of Merthyr! Thanks for the recommendation - definitely one for the future.
Loved watching your latest travel adventures, as usual great narration - thanks! 👍🐢
Thank you!
Yet another fantastic video! Well done and thanks.
I love your journeys and the entertaining-educational way how you share them. Thank you.
Thanks so much!
Another excellent video. I always enjoy your observations on the places and the bus services you travel on, and your fellow passengers/dogs!
Thank you!
Greatly enjoyed as usual…..thanks so much. Can’t wait for your next release. 👍👍👍
Thanks so much!
Wonderful, as always! Thank you! 😊
Thank you!
Brilliant video, very informative and very well edited. It never ceases to amaze me just how beautiful Wales is, John Redwood's rendition of the national anthem is always a pleasure to watch! Subscribed.
Thank you very much!
Another lovely journey, I love how this channel is always giving me ideas as to what sorts of fun journeys I want to do when I feel better than I am now.
Thank you, and I hope you feel better soon!
Get well soon and hop on a bus!
@@Robutube1 Thank you! I can't rush recovery but I find planning things to do afterwards gives me something to focus on
@@shodan2958 You're very welcome. Like you, and many of Jo's viewers, I'm inspired by his travels to do something similar, if smaller in ambition, and thereby get some fun from my hard-earned bus pass! It's good to see the word 'recovery' in your message - hinting at a point, hopefully soon, when you'll be at a bus stop again, wondering how much more overdue the next and vital connection will be😂.
Thanks! As usual, entertaining and instructive!
Thank you!
Thanks
I've had a look ay bus 24 and liked, and left an informative message.
Absolutely love your wandering bus trips and calming narrative. Keep up the good work !
Thank you, will do!
Another great video. Educational and entertaining. Stunning scenery.
Thank you! Though someone else will need to take credit for the scenery…
Ahhh, bendigedig! Great idea for a video mate and thanks for showing so many stunning parts of my country to the world
Glad you enjoyed it - and always happy to promote beautiful Wales!
Another excellent video, thank you.
Thank you!
Beautiful video and production. So evocative - thank you.
Thanks so much!
Good to see you back.
Another fantastic video very inspiring. Please keep doing these videos.
Thanks - and I certainly will!
Love your adventures. Great scripts. 👍
Thank you!
Great video as usual, looking forward to the next one!
Thank you!
Thank you. I thoroughly enjoyed that. Very good!
Thanks very much!
Excellent video, as always. Very enjoyable. Your journey was quicker and cheaper than I expected.
Thank you! Yes, not a bad bargain at all.
Been saving this one for the weekend and it was worth the wait. Another great cross country adventure. It's not often I'm envious of a wooly turtle but today I am 🤣
Thank you, very glad you enjoyed it!
I think this is my favourite video yet. Absolutely lovely.
Aw, thank you!
One of the most charming videos I've seen in a long time, cheers! you've earned a subscriber
Thank you, delighted you enjoyed it!
Another terrific video - informative and amusing. Great to see Uncle Turtle join you.
Thank you!
Another fabulous vlog, great shots and information. Could recoginose so much of the northerly roads and Anglesey. Well done !!
Thanks so much!
Good to see you and turtle back on YT. Excellent video brilliantly narrated as usual.
Thanks so much!
Fantastic vlog. Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
Another wonderful journey! I just moved back to England from Wales and this really made me miss it so much already. Can't wait for your next video ❤
Thank you!
Really appreciated your commentary style sir! Well done. Hugely enjoyed the video - well worth the 35 minutes invested. Have subscribed so shall look forward to future pieces, as well as catching up with previous ones... 🙂
Really pleased you enjoyed it - and thanks for the subscription.
So pleased when I realised there was a new video and, I think, the best yet. Really appreciated your narrative style which is so easy to listen to. Added bonus that there is no reason why I could not try some of those routes myself. Thanks again.
Aw, that’s really kind of you to say. And yes, can happily recommend any of the routes I took!
I really enjoyed that. Being a Welshman and knowing well all of the places you visited, it was lovely to see them through your eyes, and I thank you for your kind commentary of my homeland. You’ve just got yourself a new subscriber. 😉 Thank you.
Thank you very much - delighted you enjoyed it!
Yet another magnificent travelogue, look forward to more.
Thank you!
Jo, delighted to have found your latest adventure here on CZcams. Since departing Xitter, I have missed following your journeys. So glad you have another "slow traveler" to join you. 🐢 Thoroughly enjoyed this latest travelogue, as always so informative & humourous! Cheers.
Hello! Really glad you enjoyed it - miss you over at the other place…
Another brilliant video, looking forward to the next one wherever it may be 👍🙂
Thanks so much! Hopefully not too long until the next one…
Another beautifully narrated and researched travel journey.
Thank you!
Fantastic (best video I’ve watched tonight on my friday night tube binge) fantastic facts and some top draw narration 🙌🙌
My Dad being Welsh it was great to see some familiar haunts in the South Brecon & Cardiff ect
And my beloved mountains in the north 🏔️⛰️⛰️🏴 not forgeting the Beacons ⛰️
I’m glad I stumbled across your channel 🤠👍
Best regards Simon 🤠👍🏔️
Thank you! Very glad you enjoyed it.
@@travelling_turtle it was ace 👍 genuinely 🙌🙌
Brilliant - always a joy for us when we see a new video from you.
We really appreciated the bilingual names too.
Thank you - really glad you enjoyed it!
Thanks Jo for this another amazing road trip, I wish many more from you as they are all so much enjoyable. :)
Thanks very much Daniel. Delighted you enjoyed it!
@@travelling_turtleAlways and you are ready to respond very quick too! On our road trip to Wales we missed a junction / roundabout / I don't know what and ended up on that amazing bridge (the Menai Suspension Bridge). It was worth it! :)
@@danieltoth-nagy5097 There’s lots of confusing roundabouts around there. But a mistake that ends up on the fantastic Menai Bridge is a good mistake! Wonderful bit of engineering.
You started the journey in the village i grew up in!! So surreal to see Rhoose mentioned on a channel i love haha
My first proper visit to the Vale of Glamorgan! Such a nice coastline.
Beautiful video, thanks for sharing!
Thank you!
Another great trip, it brought back memories of a couple of holidays in North Wales pre and post-Covid and we used a couple of the TrawsCymru buses. Looking forward to your next adventure.
Thank you!
Excellent narrative and lovely music.
Thank you!
Excellent...........you're good at this 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🙏🏼
Thank you, that’s very kind!
Superb video - really enjoyed that !
Thank you!
Lovely vlog , great scenery and a wonderful commentary
Thank you!
Brilliant as usual!👍👍
Thank you!
As someone who lives in Anglesey and had lived in different parts of North Wales, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey and seeing different parts of Wales I haven't seen in quite some time! Thank you for your wonderful video and showing others around Wales!
Glad you enjoyed it! Really loved my weekend in Anglesey after this journey - what a great part of the world.
Just marvellous. Big fan of your videos
Thanks so much!
Another great adventure Jo! I've been looking forward to seeing what you've been up to all summer. Loved the glimpse of Montgomery - home to one of my favourite ever shops, Bunners. If they don't sell it, it's not worth having!😅
Thank you! Delighted you enjoyed it. Yes, Bunners is superb - and amazingly well-known across the country…
Wow. What an awesome video. 14 hours on buses...that's dedication! Loved it! Your narration is always so informative. Can't wait for the next instalment of the Travelling Turtles.
Thanks so much! Delighted you enjoyed it.
🐢🥰 Thank you for sharing your epic journey through my spiritual home.... really enjoyable video. Looking forward to your future adventures
Thank you! More to come…
Well, thank you CZcams for promoting this video to me. How informative and interestng. Having lived in Cardiff for a few years i never got to travel north, but have always wanted to return and do an adventure. I may need to replicate this! Thank you.
Delighted you enjoyed it!
great trip, thanks for taking us with you.
Thank you!
Excellent 👍 I've just reached the grand old age of 60 and, living in Wales, have acquired my free bus pass!! So this video is just what I've been looking for. I intend to make the most of my newly acquired free travel facility so will be making this trip and more to cover as much of Wales as possible in the very near future. Many thanks for this and love your informative commentry. Cheers, Jon 👍
Glad to have provided some inspiration. Enjoy your travels!
Once again another thoroughly enjoyable video, I love the content, commentary and scenery which brought memories of family holidays to Wales in my Dad's Austin 1300. Looking forward to your next adventure.
Thank you! Not sure if the buses are more comfortable than an Austin 1300 or not…
@@travelling_turtle as I recall it wasn't the comfortable particularly when you consider we travelled all the way from Lincolnshire only about 20 miles from Uncle Turtles home.
Our 3-legged turtle, "Hoppy", certainly enjoyed this one. Mind you he always does.
Hurrah!
Beautiful, thank you. 🎉
Thank you!
Another fantastic journey. Makes me want to visit Wales again!
Thanks - you should!
Fantastic run! Reminds me of my walk of the Glyndwr's Way nearly twenty years ago, especially when you showed pictures of Welshpool.
Thanks - that’s such a great walk through little known bits of Wales.
I am only a bit in as I am watching in parts, but can I just say thank you for not only using the Welsh place names and doing a really good job with them, but also having the translations too! Amazing, diolch yn fawr
Diolch! And with many apologies for any of the inevitable mess ups with pronunciations.
Some great plane footage here enjoyed all those take offs 🤠👍
Best regards Simon 🤠👍
Apologies comments going to the wrong film
Well that explains it…
😮 I've never watched your videos before, I watch this and thoroughly enjoyed it .. WHAT A COINCIDENCE.. you filled me crossing Llangollen bridge. There I am in your video😮😮❤❤
Delighted you enjoyed it. What a hilarious coincidence!
Fantastic - this adventure makes me want to get up and travel again!!!❤ I had an idea that Wales might be interesting but this has layers of interest - scenery, history ... just missing the people ... 🤔
Thank you! Can certainly recommend a visit to Wales. And the people are lovely, honestly 😊
You did forget that Barry Island used to be the graveyard of many British Rail Steam Locomotives as well. Your commentary was lovely as always. Yet, I may need to visit Wales sometimes soon
Thanks! There are so many things I could have mentioned about Barry…
Can't quite believe CZcams has only just suggested this interesting channel to me! Subscribed 👍
Thanks! Hope you enjoy the content.
That was some top-self Tim Traveler pedantry at the beginning there. Fantastic stuff!
The highest possible praise, thank you 😉
Gongoozlers: a word i learned watching rosemary and thyme and has the walesborn Gareth David Lloyd who played in torchwood *i really adore this part of the journey* But the music, the attention to detail, the research, the pronounciation of the cities/places/buildings and the humor *john redwood/horrible histories* and of course the love for a crocheted turtle makes this channel a joy to watch.
Delighted you enjoyed it. I always thing gongoozlers is such a good word that it shouldn’t be limited to use on the canals!
Good stuff Well done!
Thank you!
Really admire you for that epic journey, enjoyed the Men of Harlech song and the mention of Owen Glendwr as I live in Harlech and we have just celebrated the anniversary of his taking HarlechCastle back from the English with a parade of knights through the village. Look forward to more of your travels.
Thank you, really glad you enjoyed it. Clearly it is the season for castle festivities - am off back to Montgomery next weekend for a pageant to celebrate its 800th birthday.
Many happy childhood memories of Harlech Castle!
What a fabulous adventure .
You went past the bottom on my road on the English/welsh border.
Hope turtle enjoyed himself xx
Thanks! Love the borderlands! And yes, Uncle Turtle had a great time being fed Welshcakes.
Heyyyyy! I haven't watched the video yet, but welcome back! 👌👌👌
Thanks, hope you enjoy the video!
These videos are always a treat thank you for making them, where will be your next journey?
Thank you! Heading slightly further afield next month, all being well.
I do enjoy the style of your videos. No nonsense and I mean this in the nicest possible way, you do not conform to the usual CZcams video norms, with silly vlog music, begging for likes and subscribers, patreon etc etc. Very refreshing and very enjoyable to travel along with you! As for the trips, I'd be riddled with anxiety before even setting off, so I am impressed with your calmness and ability to do these complex journeys! All the best, Andy.
Thanks very much, Andy - delighted you enjoy the videos. Please like and subscribe 😜
@@travelling_turtle ha ha love it!
Who needs television when You are around - brain spinning now with culture, travels docs, music, history and the stress of public transport, bendigedig.
Aw, thanks so much. Delighted you enjoyed it.
Fantastic video. I did a sort of east to west adventure, from Gloucester to Aberystwyth back in April. It was a lovely journey.
Thank you! I must go and try some of those east-west routes around there soon.
Love the way you added all the bus services and times to your video. I have also travelled on the T4 bus from Cardiff to Newtown ( Which I stayed in the Elephant and Castle Hotel) and the T1C from Cardiff to Aberystwyth ( Which I stayed in the Richmond Hotel) both lovely journeys and excellent hotels. But the best thing was the free travel as I'm over 60.
Thanks! Hope you enjoy future exciting bus travels.
Brilliant video. Lovely to see the Chirk Aqueduct again, we were there just a few weeks ago on a narrowboat. Sadly Wales is not on my journey planner at the moment for my inaugural bus pass trip later in the year because each UK country issues their own bus pass, rather negating the purpose of my journey!
Glad you enjoyed it - I really like Chirk even though it does get overshadowed a bit by having Pontcysyllte basically next door…
Enjoyed that having grown up as a kid in Barry and now living near Wrexham. Using the T4 & T10 regularly to Ogwen Cottage and Barmouth, The connections are usually good in Corwen and Dollgellau. Planning on going to Cardiff shortly, via Aberystwyth to try the electric buses between Aberystwyh and Carmarthen.
Also been using the 62 on Ynys Mon a lot recently as manage different sections of the coast path.
That’s great - I was astonished to hear that a route as long and rural as Aber to Carmarthen is now fully electric: fantastic that is now feasible. We also employed the 62 to do some very nice coastal walks after I got to Ynys Môn - rare to find somewhere you can do a country walk by bus on a Sunday!
'Outstanding' chwarae teg! New Subscriber.
Diolch!
This was great. Love North Wales. Did a bus journey in the summer to the waterfall at dyserth. xx
Thank you! North Wales is so beautiful.
I liked the artistry of framing your glimpse of Tryfan with the bus door, handrails and stop button.
Artistry or luck, you decide 😉
Diolch. Thank you for showcasing our country and treating our language with such respect. :)
Diolch yn fawr, and apologies for the inevitable mispronunciations.
@@travelling_turtle pretty close on most. Shout if you want help to perfect your pronunciations.
Great video, Jo! Can't wait for the next one! What's next up your sleeve?
Thank you! The next adventure is booked for October - a somewhat longer distance outing than this one…
Canal! I live near a lovely canal, and they've become something of a passion in the last few years. I can't imagine a canal boat trip being involved in any of these challenges! ;) But if canal scenery offers equisite little passages, roadside scenery often offers broad vistas of a type rarely possible on a canal. Whatever your mode of transport, Jo, your commentary is delightful!
Thank you! I love canals and travelling by canal boat. Not yet worked out how to weave one into a challenge yet, but we shall see!
Another fascinating adventure and a well made video. Having the Welsh and English names was especially useful for me, as I struggle to remember the Welsh names. When I next go to Wales, I want to try and use Welsh names as much as I can.
Thank you, really glad you enjoyed it. To be fair, in some parts of Wales, using the Welsh place names would get you some odd looks 😉
I love all your videos but this one really helped me plan a completely different trip. I recently attended an Ice Hockey tournament at the rink you pass at 04:50. Knowing of the 304 helped identify a bus route from my hotel to the rink. The Market and Bakestones is also a great recommendation.
Delighted it turned out to be a useful snippet of information - hope the tournament was fun!
Another interesting video. You must put a lot of time into the research. Thanks for your efforts 👌
Thank you - glad you enjoyed it!