Ellen Smith and National Travel Skegness service leaflet Summer 1977 (Page 1 of 2)

During the mid 1960s a new Saturday summer holiday service between East Lancashire and Skegness commenced operated jointly by Ribble Motor Services Limited, Ellen Smith (Tours) Limited, Bracewells (Colne) Limited and David Tattersall Limited. The latter three (independent) operators had each possessed ‘long date excursion’ road service licences from their respective local towns to the Lincolnshire resort prior to the joint working arrangement (Ribble may have also). After a few years Bracewell and Tattersall ceased to participate leaving only Ellen Smith and Ribble. In the early 1970s Ribble’s interest was in the hands of National Travel (North West) as shown in this leaflet for the Summer 1977 season. At some future date in the 1980s during the reorganisation of National Travel the service passed back to Ribble who again was working jointly with Ellen Smith.

A ‘Long date excursion licence’ usually comprised the operation to a holiday resort or group of resorts specifically in connection with the local annual wakes weeks holidays. Coaches would run outward on the first and middle Saturdays returning on the middle and third Saturdays.