Alan Payling suggests that Cockington is the ideal destination for an excursion for Torbay-based tours, particularly as it might not cost operators very much, if anything, for their passengers to get there.
Cockington Village has fallen off the radar for coach tours in recent years. There used to be a regular minibus service from Torquay Pavilion, but no more. Direct access for coaches is prohibited and I would strongly urge anyone wanting to take groups to Cockington not to drop them at the Herbert Road coach drop off point, particularly if they are elderly. The road down into Cockington from there is narrow, dark and in places, a bit steep. So how do operators get their passengers there? There is in fact a frequent bus service, the number 62, that is allowed to drive right into Cockington Village and then up to Cockington Court where it terminates. The beauty of this bus service is that Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays, it passes close or fairly close to a good number of the coaching hotels in Torquay. Passengers can get on the bus at, amongst other places, the Devonshire Hotel, Torquay harbour, the Pavilion, Belgrave Road and then Falkland Road. This is where many of the resort’s coaching hotels are located. The first bus from the Devonshire Hotel leaves at 0958hrs with the last bus from Cockington Village returning at 1610hrs. And the beauty of this option is that the operator concerned, Torbay Buses, accepts English concessionary bus passes. So, this is a win win situation for you and most of your English passengers.
[…]
By subscribing you will benefit from:
- Operator & Supplier Profiles
- Face-to-Face Interviews
- Lastest News
- Test Drives and Reviews
- Legal Updates
- Route Focus
- Industry Insider Opinions
- Passenger Perspective
- Vehicle Launches
- and much more!
