Adventures by Land’s End Coaster

As we enter the depths of winter and the cold dark nights which start mid-afternoon encroach upon us, Richard Sharman takes a light hearted trip to the seaside in the second part of his Adventures by Bus feature

Cast your mind back to July this year, we were pandemic-free and ready to enjoy a good old British summer holiday. The early signs were that the weather wasn’t going to disappoint on my three day visit to the South West, however it did quickly become clear that I was not the only one planning a trip to beat the long school holiday rush just the week before it was due to kick off.

Penzance bound

There is something about Penzance that I quite like, and always try to visit when in the area. I am not sure if it is because it serves as the last big town in the South West before you head out into the countryside towards Land’s End, the unusually scenic bus station or, like on my last trip during the winter, sitting in the car on the sea front eating fish and chips as the waves crash over the roof.

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Whichever one it is, I found myself leaving my hotel on the outskirts of Camborne and hitting the A30 for my second day as a passenger on First South West’s Adventures by Bus network.
Despite it only being 0900hrs, it was already scorchingly hot. In fact I recall that the BBC weather report had referred to the weather that week as being ‘part of a mini heatwave that was gripping the country.’

If you are familiar with this part of the world you will know that the A30, which runs through the county, features multiple tractors from Riviera Produce transporting locally-grown produce including brassicas (that’s plants from the cabbage family to the layman!) such as cauliflower, and other vegetables including courgettes. Amongst the correctly displayed yellow flashing lights of the tractors and trailers appeared a number of European registered cars. Visitors from Sweden, Norway, France, Germany and others all heading the same way as me, many packed with families looking like they were ready for a day a the beach.

As we approached the outskirts of Penzance the traffic started to slow as we approached the main roundabout where you have the chance to turn off to visit Marazion and the beach area. My destination was the town’s bus station, but before that you pass the long-standing Mount’s Bay Coaches depot, the location of my rare Duple 425 test drive back in June 2019.

To my amazement, the building was in its final day of being demolished! Something to do with a compulsory purchase order as the railway lines that pass right next to it. But the ghost of Mount’s Bay Coaches wasn’t going to leave just like that as there was a rare Vehixel-bodied Iveco school bus belonging to the company parked in the usual spot in the lay-by where the depot once stood. Checking the legal lettering, it was good to see the firm had moved to a nearby industrial estate.

Integrated travel

Arriving at the car park next to the bus station, which is normally fairly quiet, I found it was nearly full, and a number of the foreign registered cars had joined me in trying to find a space. Once parked up I ventured over to the bus station. One of the great things about this bus station is that the railway station is directly next to it; not being a train enthusiast, I was quite surprised to find a Great Western InterCity 125 boarding passengers!

The main benefit for First South West is that Penzance bus station really makes for a good selling point for tourists arriving by train and car. A well-stocked information centre is located in view of those departing the station and the car park, with First’s Adventures by Bus brand dominating the the inside walls, and with printed timetables for all routes and a large network map. As we found out in the last feature, the information centre staff are fully informed about what services the brand operates, fare options and so on.

To Land’s End, or not to Land’s End

The Land’s End Coaster operates hourly in two directions; on the hour from 0800 to 1700hrs it departures Penzance for St Ives, then onwards to Land’s End before arriving back in Penzance three hours and 45 minutes later. Departures in the opposite direction start at 0830hrs and run until 1630hrs, with a short trip to St Just at 1750hrs.

My original plan was to take the 1000hrs departure for Lands End, but the traffic in Penzance and trying to find a parking space put paid to that. I had 10 minutes until the next departure at 1030hrs towards St Ives, however I had not anticipated such high demand and by the time I had boarded the bus from the back of the queue there were only two seats left, and they were on the lower deck, so I decided to wait for a later departure as it would have been impossible to film our YouTube video with such crowds of people on board.

Of note whilst in the queue though was the excellent customer service being given as passengers boarded, who were by all accounts out of area tourists or didn’t speak much English.

My visit fell on the summer where Cornwall Council was trialling reduced-price day tickets, which seemed amazing value, especially since the Adventures by Bus brand was taking part. Boarding passengers couldn’t believe they were only paying £5 each per adult, or even better, £10 per family. One family group that was just ahead of me in the queue was over the moon when the driver advised them that it was only £10 all day for the two adults plus the six kids they had in tow!

Having seen the former First London Plaxton President-bodied Volvo B7TL depart, I started planning my next move. Looking through the glossy, fold out brochure I found the next departure was at 1100hrs towards Land’s End… but what was this approaching?

First South West has recently invested in a number of 59-plate Wrightbus Gemini 2-bodied Volvo B9TLs, introduced in mid-May. The smart half-top conversions, completed by EnsignBus, were yet to gain Lands End Coaster vinyls when I visited. I couldn’t turn down such newness and headed for 37796, at this point only knowing that it was heading for Pendeen. A quick check of the brochure revealed it was the late-running 1005hrs departure on the Tin Coaster route.

This newly introduced route offers a quicker route to Geevor Tin Mine or Pendeen, with connections to the Land’s End Coaster route at St Just bus station, meaning that you could potentially travel from Penzance to St Ives and then continue on the same bus round to St Just before changing to a Tin Coaster to take you directly back to Penzance.

The driver apologised for the delay, which was caused by traffic and a vehicle fault, and we departed the bus station with just myself and a small family on board.

Tin Coaster

The Tin Coaster follows the sea front out of Penzance before turning right onto the A3071, a long rural road that links the Penzance area to St Just. Sat on the upper deck, I was enjoying the cooling breeze on this scorching day. EnsignBus had done a great job on the conversion of this once London bus, with comfortable seats and any conversion work looking like it was meant to be. The Volvo B9TL is also a comfortable ride with a smooth engine that demonstrated plenty of power on the hilly Cornish terrain.

The A3071, whilst quite rural, passes a number of old tin mining sites, many of which were long closed but still feature mine stacks. Also on this road is a large satellite receiving dish that dominates the landscape. The driver had done well to catch up time and we arrived in the town of St Just about 24 minutes late, despite departing Penzance 40 minutes down. My initial thought at this point was to change here to the Lands End-bound Gemini 2, but that was pulling out as we pulled in, 10mins late and carrying a full seated load.

The driver then pulled up to the stop and turned off the engine whilst talking to some prospective passengers; on restarting, and after five minutes of trying, 37796 refused to go into gear.

Luckily a St Ives-bound Atlantic Coaster Plaxton President-Volvo B7TL pulled into the bus station a few minutes later; this was lightly loaded and the driver advised that switching services was probably the best bet to get moving.

Myself and the other passengers joined the upper open deck of the President and set off on time at 1115hrs for St Ives. By this time, I had given up on the idea of heading for Land’s End and decided a visit to St Ives in the other direction was going to be the way that fate was sending me!

Mining country

In my head I was thinking that St Just to St Ives was going to be leisurely 30 minute or so ride. Wrong! Checking the map within the brochure, it is quite a trip. It is timetabled for 55 minutes and the route hugs the coastline as much as possible.

As we made our way up the coast, we took in many of the villages before pulling up at Trewellard stop, outside a petrol station that time had forgot. It still sports a 1980s or ‘90s garage sign with an old, faded logo. This section of the route is known as the St Just Mining District.

Mineral mining began 4,000 years ago in the area, and by the 19th century Cornwall had become the world’s leading supplier of copper. By 1860 tin was Cornwall’s most important metal export and this continued though much of the 20th century.

Such is the interest in the area of the Cornwall, a website and mobile app have been developed to guide visitors around the area and advise on walks and the best places to visit – it can be found at tincoast.co.uk and the mobile app is XplorTINCOAST. Geevor Tin Mine was the last mine to work in the area and has a visitor centre with plenty to do for a day. The bus stops nearby in Pendeen, with the Tin Coaster offering the closest stop.

As we continued on, the route is pretty much single track road and approaching the Trevowhan area we met a Gemini 2 heading towards Land’s End. Our driver waited for the oncoming bus to find somewhere to pull in before continuing. The answer now makes sense to me from when I asked a controller at Penzance bus station why the frequency is not every 30 minutes!

Despite celebrating its 20th birthday this year, 32211, which was new to First London and then spent time at Eastern Counties, still had plenty of power left in its seven-litre Volvo engine, powering up steep hills before catching up with a Transport for Cornwall Alexander Dennis Enviro200MMC on route 16A. The route features some tight turns as you see the Gunnards Head public house in the distance, and head through Zennor before dropping down into St Ives.

I had been here before, back when First was still operating Bristol VRTs, but recalled that the town was very tight and the local authorities preferred visitors to catch the park & ride bus in. Of course, not everyone takes that advice and the bus crawled into town.

The driver on this trip had done a sterling job of keeping us on time and we arrived at St Ives bus station only a few minutes down.

St Ives and ice cream

The bus station at St Ives has an amazing backdrop and a quirky little waiting room that has seen recent refurbishment. Two First South West staff were on hand at the bus station to watch drivers reverse and keep the area clear of pedestrians, at which they were doing a great job considering that many buses approach from the opposite direction to the Land’s End Coaster and have to reverse into the bus station prior to pulling up on the stop outside.

By this time is was 1215hrs and nearly 30 degrees Centigrade, so after an hour and 30 minutes on the road it was time to seek refreshment in the form of an ice cream and an ice-cold soft drink. The nearest beach and facilities are a five minute walk down hill (luckily!).

The next bus was due to arrive at 1310hrs, so I had enough time to have a walk around the area prior to climbing the hill back up to the bus station, and with the aid of the rapidly melting whippy ice cream I made it. Another ride on a President took the form of 32209 which was my steed for a lightly loaded trip back to Penzance. Whilst waiting the seven minutes for the bus to depart I got chatting to a middle-aged couple sitting near me. It turned out they had moved to Cornwall from Manchester and had a day off, so had decided for try the £5 unlimited travel offer to enjoy a day in St Ives.

The run back to Penzance takes just under an hour and calls at a nearby holiday park on the way. After seeing so much great scenery you might think that was your lot, but the Atlantic Coaster has one more treat in store, and that is the diversion via the beautiful village of Marazion with views of St Michael’s Mount across the bay, accessible from the beach when the tide is out.

The run back into Penzance from here underlines the fact you are back in First Group country as you pass the First-operated Great Western train depot on the left and the First Bus depot on the right before arriving back at the bus station.

Not just for the summer

The good news is you don’t have to wait until next summer to sample the Land’s End Coaster, as it also runs during the winter season to a reduced timetable with a mix of closed- and open-top vehicles. In addition, Adventures by Bus also operated a Dark Skies special on 25 November where participants could join astronomer Jo Richardson on an open-top bus from Penzance to Botallack and back for an evening of astro-facts and star gazing. The special service was bookable in advance and departed Penzance at 1800hrs and returned for 2200hrs. Details of the winter service and can be found at the brand’s dedicated website.

Whenever you visit, it is certainly worth taking the bus rather than using the car, you will be amazed by scenery on offer…

firstbus.co.uk/adventures-bus
Part one appeared in issue 1539

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