Scotland: Various operators

Friday 1 August 2014 (1148) - Van Hool T9 Acron bodied Volvo B12B KN07 SPA operated by Spa Coaches from Strathpeffer Spa, in the Scottish Highlands. It was seen in Bury St Edmunds on day 6 of an 8 day 'Constable Country' tour. The itenerary was: Sunday 27 July - Home area to Durham. Monday 28 July: Durham to Marks Tey near Colchester via Sherwood Forest and Stamford. Tuesday 29 July: Day tour to Maldon, Southend-on-Sea and Tiptree Jams. Wednesday 30 July: Morning tour of Colchester and afternoon to Carters Vineyards. Thursday 31 July: Constable Country day tour. Friday 1 August: Day tour to Bury St.Edmunds and Newmarket National Stud. Saturday 2 August: Marks Tey to Darlington via York. Sunday 3 August: Darlington to home.

Friday 1 August 2014 (1148) - Van Hool T9 Acron bodied Volvo B12B KN07 SPA operated by Spa Coaches from Strathpeffer Spa, in the Scottish Highlands. It was seen in Bury St Edmunds on day 6 of an 8 day 'Constable Country Tour'. The itenerary was: Sunday 27 July - Home area to Durham. Monday 28 July: Durham to Marks Tey near Colchester via Sherwood Forest and Stamford. Tuesday 29 July: Day tour to Maldon, Southend-on-Sea and Tiptree Jams. Wednesday 30 July: Morning tour of Colchester and afternoon to Carters Vineyards. Thursday 31 July|: Constable Country day tour. Friday 1 August: Day tour to Bury St.Edmunds and Newmarket National Stud. Saturday 2 August: Marks Tey to Darlington via York. Sunday 3 August: Darlington to home.

Sunday 5 July 2015 (0935) - Park's of Hamilton KSK 980 seen arriving at Chorlton Street Coach Station, Manchester when working the 0715 Birmingham to Inverness National Express service 538. En route it had served Stoke-on-Trent (0820) and Manchester Airport (0915) and was scheduled for a break here (0945-1015) before continuing north. The timetable shows a 30 minute break at Tebay Services on the M6 en route to Glasgow (1435). Leaving Glasgow (1500) the points served are Stirling (1540), Perth (1623), Aldour (1700), Pitlochry (1705) and Aviemore (1820 with an arrival in Inverness at 1900.

August 1973 - Western SMT 2356 (WSD 746K), an Alexander Y type bodied Leyland Leopard new in June 1972, seen close to Chorlton Street Coach Station in Manchester.

August 1973 - Western SMT 2356 (WSD 746K), an Alexander Y type bodied Leyland Leopard new in June 1972, seen close to Chorlton Street Coach Station in Manchester.

August 1973 - Western SMT 2388 (YSD 348L), an Alexander Y type bodied Leyland Leopard new in February 1973, seen close to Chorlton Street Coach Station in Manchester. It carried the destination and service number for the overnight service from Glasgow.

December 1981 - Western Scottish V119 (NCS 119W) seen at Baldock when working the London to Glasgow day north service via the 'old road'. The 'K' prefix to the fleet number is a depot allocation code - Kilmarnock I presume. It is a Duple Dominant III bodied Volvo B10M new in June 1981. The blue and white livery adopted for the Anglo-Scottish services of the Scottish Bus Group companies is carried.

Friday 8 Sep 2017 (1231) – Peterborough Service Area not in the middle of the night but at lunchtime on a September day. Left is Park’s of Hamilton LSK 615, a Jonckheere bodied Volvo B11R new in March 2017, and right is Crosskeys Coaches of Folkestone GN17 AZU, a Mercedes-Benz Tourismo new in May 2017. On the extreme right is Ambassador Travel 206 (FJ09 DXA), a Caetano Levante bodied Scania K340 new in July 2009 in all white and now stripped of its National Express graphics.

Friday 8 Sep 2017 (1230) – Park’s of Hamilton LSK 615, a Jonckheere bodied Volvo B11R new in March 2017, seen arriving at Peterborough Services.

Tuesday 27 March 2001 (0910) - Strathtay Buses vehicles parked in Seagate bus station, Dundee. From left to right: An Alexander RL bodied MCW Metrobus 407 (VLT 298), an Alexander TE type bodied Leyland Tiger that had been new to Alexander Midland as their MPT112 in April 1983 registered BMS 512Y 952 (M952 XES), a Northern Counties bodied Volvo Olympian new in May 1995 809 (D309 DSR), an Alexander RL bodied MCW Metrobus DR102/52 new in August 1986

Tuesday 27 March 2001 (0910) - Strathtay Buses 802 (ULS 628X), an Alexander RL bodied MCW Metrobus DR102/28 that had been new to Alexander Midland as their MRM28 in May 1982, was seen entering Seagate bus station from Trades Lane in Dundee. Strathtay was owned by the Traction Group from its privatisation in 1991 until 2005 when Stagecoach acquired the Traction Group.

Tuesday 27 March 2001 (0910) - Strathtay Buses 308 (N308 DSL), a Northern Counties bodied Dennis Dart new in January 1996, seen in Seagate bus station, Dundee. Strathtay was owned by the Traction Group from its privatisation in 1991 until 2005 when Stagecoach acquired the Traction Group.

Sunday 7 May 2017 (1717) – Borders Buses YY17 GSZ seen arriving at Edinburgh bus station on the 1520 service X62 from Galashiels. An Alexander Dennis (ADL) Enviro200 just a few days old, new in May 2017. Borders Buses is owned by Craig of Campbeltown (West Coast Motors) and is the renamed Perrymans of Berwick-upon-Tweed business taken over by Craig in early 2016. In March 2017 Craig acquired the Galashiels garage and operations of First Scotland East which were added to the Borders Buses business. The livery is the same as that used by West Coast Motors and will gradually be introduced for the Borders Buses fleet which will allow vehicles to be interchanged between companies as required.

Saturday 2 August 1997 – Tayside Public Transport Limited 241 (LXI 2630) seen in St. Andrew’s Square bus station in Edinburgh covering the Scottish Citylink Saturdays only 0800 Dundee to Heads of Ayr holiday service 639. The Butlin’s ‘Wonderwest World’ holiday centre would be the destination of some of the passengers on the coach as well as other holiday places on the Ayrshire coast. New in May 1985 to T.D. Alexander and Sons (trading as Greyhound) of Arbroath it is an Irizar Pyrennean bodied Volvo B10M originally registered B918 CSU. The Greyhound business was acquired by TPT in August 1990 and the Tayside Greyhound name was then used for their coaching activities.

Saturday 2 August 1997 – Tayside Public Transport Limited 241 (LXI 2630) seen leaving St. Andrew’s Square bus station in Edinburgh covering the Scottish Citylink Saturdays only 0800 Dundee to Heads of Ayr holiday service 639. The Butlin’s ‘Wonderwest World’ holiday centre would be the destination of some of the passengers on the coach as well as other holiday places on the Ayrshire coast. New in May 1985 to T.D. Alexander and Sons (trading as Greyhound) of Arbroath it is an Irizar Pyrennean bodied Volvo B10M originally registered B918 CSU. The Greyhound business was acquired by TPT in August 1990 and the Tayside Greyhound name was then used for their coaching activities.

Saturday 2 August 1997 – Silver Choice of East Kilbride LBZ 6889 seen departing St. Andrew’s Square bus station, Edinburgh on their service to London. The company offered a cheaper option than the comparable National Express services. It is a Neoplan Skyliner N112/3 that I believe was new to Zebra Holidays of Trimdon Grange in October 1986 registered D320 NWG.

Sunday 20 August 1989 – In the right place at the right time. A trio of coaches operated by Dodd’s Coaches from Troon in Scotland seen heading westbound on the A11 between Barton Mills and Red Lodge. Quite a rare sighting indeed and I have always wondered what type of hire they were working. Two Van Hool Alizées and a Plaxton Paramount bring up the rear. Tucked in between was a Plaxton Viewmaster which my notes say was operated by Seymour’s Coaches of Harlow.

Saturday 10 November 2012 (0923) – Whitelaws Coaches of Stonehouse, Lanarkshire, Scotland SF10 GVK, a Volvo 9700, seen waiting outside The Grand Hotel on St. Nicholas Cliff in Scarborough working for Caledonian Travel – a Glasgow based holiday company. The Grand Hotel was completed in 1867, the ‘V’ shaped building pays homage to Queen Victoria, was designed around the theme of time with 4 towers to represent the seasons, 12 floors for the months of the year and 52 chimneys for the weeks. Originally there were 365 bedrooms - one for each day of a non-leap year. Apparently at the time it was opened it was one of the largest hotels in the world and one of the first giant purpose built hotels in Europe.