Purbeck Breezers v Jurassic Coasters (gallery)
- DorsetSCC
- Jun 9, 2016
- 5 min read
No, we're not talking about sports or even new cocktails, we're wondering - which is the best bus route in Dorset?
Well, that's rather like asking whether east, west, north or south Dorset is best and as it's all so beautiful, it's down to each individual's personal preference really, but our double-decker coastal bus services really are something, especially the open-top ones!
Here's what makes them SO special:
The buses go through many of Dorset's most beautiful Great Places.
You'll see LOTS more over the hedgerows, such as wild deer and cute farm animals.
The vantage point from the top deck along the coast is unbeatable, being around 4m/14ft high.
Altogether, we probably DO have the prettiest bus journeys in the whole of the land, after all, the Jurassic Coast is England's only Natural World Heritage Site, Poole Harbour is of prettiest Europe's natural harbours and it's the largest too, plus most of Dorset is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
You ride across Poole Harbour in a ferry if you're taking the PB50, or you can hire a riverboat, book a fast RIB ride or book a relaxing boat trip right along the coast and then rejoin the bus elsewhere.
If boats don't appeal, you can hop on a traditional steam engine train from Swanage to Wareham for a short leg of the journey and capture yet more stunning snaps to add to your holiday collection!
You can try out new activity on your day out: from Abseiling to Zorbing, you're definitely in the right place as Dorset is a great sporting destination, and not just for watersports.
Lunch can simply roll on for hours - just allow the seaside sounds, smells and atmosphere work their full magic, without worrying about driving back.
You can beach-hop and follow the sun all day: start from snazzy and bustling East Dorset for sunrise, through Corfe Castle and onto Durdle Door or Lulworth Cove, then onto Weymouth Sands, leaving Portland until the evening and Chesil Beach and the sleepy West Dorset coast until last to watch the sunset from Burton Bradstock, West Bay, Eype or Lyme Regis.
Splash out, book a room and then relax and watch the sunset and the moon slowly rise over the sea, even if you are fairly local...
Or stay out all night until dawn at one of Bournemouth & Weymouth's many nightclubs and late bars. We seriously do not close early so choose your hotel location wisely!
If it's rainy, you can still do some amazing sightseeing through all the pretty Dorset towns & villages without getting too wet. Or just get soaked by booking a coasteering session, a RIB ride or by hiring a Sedgway for a couple of hours.
The drivers are friendly, as are the passengers, being a mixture of families and South West Coast Path hikers, along with a healthy sprinkling of OAPs making full use of their free bus passes by having a natter and even a cheeky nibble from their well-prepared picnic hampers as they enjoy the ride along our glorious winding country lanes!
Rodden Row in Abbotsbury is reputed to be one of the tightest bends in Britain, so do expect to watch bewildered drivers attempt to make way somehow for a double decker or even two to pass through. Do alight right there then and explore Abbotsbury Swannery and its Tropical Gardens or walk up to St Catherine's Chapel. It's unlocked during the day and it's just so peaceful and beautiful there, looking over the Fleet and Chesil beach.
Going uphill towards Burton Bradstock, you will again wonder if the bus is going to quite make it as the coastline rises up sharply, but don't worry, you will and boy, WHAT A VIEW!
West Bay is another place where you must hop off - the cliffs are stunning and rather like a natural cathedral, especially as the sun sets and the cliffs become golden (which is what inspired the main colour of the Dorset flag) and then rose-gold... and the sea birds come home to their individual caves carved into the rocks, heavy and satiated after swiping your blinking lovely chips!
Searching for fascinating fossils, rockpooling, geocaching, foraging and even beach litter-picking are all popular, fun and educational activities which don't cost a penny.
The Jurassic Coaster takes 2 hours to travel just one leg of the journey from Weymouth to Lyme, hugging the coastline all the way. It's not fast but it's an amazing experience in itself, simply put, it's all about the marvellous jaw-dropping natural views that you you can admire as you explore Dorset by bus.
There's lots to see & do and drink & eat here, so do discover Dorset with our fab guide: www.southcoastconnections.co.uk
Our favourite open-top bus journeys in Dorset are:
Jurassic Coaster X53: Weymouth - Abbotsbury - West Bay - Lyme Regis - guided tour available, just search for the free Jurassic Coaster app on your mobile device!
Purbeck Breezer 50: Swanage - Studland - Sandbanks (including ferry) - Bournemouth
Purbeck Breezer 40:
Poole - Wareham - Corfe Castle - Swanage
Jurassic Coaster X55: Weymouth - Osmington - Lulworth Cove - Durdle Door - NEW!
The 501: Weymouth to Portland Bill via Portland Castle
Please click to vote in our Twitter poll:
Bus timetables can be found here:
Dorset journey planner: http://mapping.dorsetforyou.com/TravelDorset
Free bus checker app: www.buschecker.com/app/UK
Plus, these lovely chaps also offer to help with queries about transport in Dorset:
The above photos are promo material but the ones below were taken by SCC on a recent bus trip on the Jurassic Coaster X53 in May 2016 from Weymouth to Lyme Regis.
...and that's only some of the photos from our fabulous trip! Please subscribe to our free newsletter or follow us via social media for updates - just search for @DorsetSCC
The red double-decker buses in London have become a national symbol of England and United Kingdom but the first double-decker bus was actually invented in Paris in 1853. It was a horse-drawn omnibus and the upper floor was cheaper and often uncovered.
The first double-decker motor bus in Paris, Schneider Brillié P2, appeared in 1906. It was designed to allow more passengers and to replace the horse-drawn double-decker omnibus. Just like trams and omnibuses, double-decker motor buses included two classes of tickets: first class was inside the car and second class was on the deck outdoors but this type of vehicle disappeared in 1911 because one overturned.
Following this incident the P2s lost their upper deck and were renamed as P3 and it's not until 1966 that the RATP tried to operate double-decker buses within Paris again but traffic problems made it definitively abandon the project in 1977, because this type of bus is poorly suited to the structure of the Paris network, the stops being too close to each other, which prevented people from going upstairs.
Hence, there are no Parisian mass transit lines using double-decker buses, whereas double-decker buses are very common throughout the United Kingdom and across the world too now, having been favoured over articulated buses by many operators because of their shorter length and larger amount of seating capacity, which makes them safer to operate through old narrow streets and tight corners.
Double-deckers are primarily used for commuter transport in the UK but open-top models are used as sight-seeing buses for tourists. William Gladstone, speaking of London's original double-deck horse-drawn omnibuses once observed that "the best way to see London is from the top of a bus", and we certainly agree!
Comments