The majority of our holidays operate using interchanges. Clients are collected from their local joining point and taken by feeder coach to a central interchange. Here they transfer to their tour coach. The same procedure operates in reverse at the end of the holiday. For more information on interchanges, look at the area from which you intend to start your holiday.
Holidays from North West England, North Wales, West and South Yorkshire
During late 2006 we completed a new purpose built Coach Interchange at Burtonwood Services on the M62 near Warrington. This facility is part of the Welcome Break Motorway Service Area and clients are able to use all the facilities of the Motorway Service Area which has been extensively re-developed. The coach station is provided with dedicated coach bays, seating and shelter.
Approximate timings are as follows:
Outward: 10.00am - 10.45am
Return: 3.30pm - 4.15pm
For all destinations (except Scarborough and Tyne Tees Destinations) clients are conveyed by feeder services to Burtonwood to join their tour coach.
Special arrangements apply to tours to Scarborough, York, Harrogate, Tyne Tees and Scotland as follows:
For Scarborough, Harrogate, York and Tyne Tees Destinations All clients are conveyed to Burtonwood except for those joining in Huddersfield, Bradford, Pudsey and Leeds who join the tour coach directly.
For Scotland There is now a far wider range of joining points for Scottish tours as a result of the move to Burtonwood and clients from almost all points are conveyed to Burtonwood to join their tour coach. Rather than travel south before returning north again, clients from the Fylde and Southern Cumbria may join at Forton Services (M6 Motorway).
Special Note It is possible to get from all joining points to all destinations but some combinations are not advisable. Please consider the relative locations of your joining point, the interchange point and your eventual destination. For example, it is possible to go on the Northumbria and Beamish tour from Kendal, but to do this you would travel down to Burtonwood first which makes a very circuitous route to Newcastle.
Holidays from North East England
For all tours clients are conveyed by feeder services between their joining point and Durham Services at Bowburn on the A1(M).
Outward: 9.15am-9.30am
Return: 4.45pm-5.00pm
Different interchange times apply to certain tours which are dependent upon ferry times, e.g. those to Ireland and to the Continent via Hull - see tour descriptions.
Continental Tours Our Tourlink concept enables us to offer a huge range of Continental holidays from the North East. All of our 9 and 12 day Continental holidays make use of this facility which involves taking clients to Watford Gap Services to link with our Continental tours from North West England. You join the feeder service at your chosen point, are then conveyed to Bowburn to join the Tourlink coach which takes you on to the Midlands to join your tour coach. Pre-booked seats apply from Watford Gap onwards.
Holidays from the Midlands
Clients from all joining points are conveyed by feeder coach to a central interchange at Tamworth Services to join the tour coach.
Approximate interchange times at Tamworth Services are as follows:
Outward: 10.30am-11.15pm
Return: 4.00pm-4.45pm
Special Note for Clients from the Potteries: The Potteries are also served by our North West feeder system which provides a better service from that area to Northbound destinations. Please ask for our North West brochure if you are considering travelling from the Potteries to North Wales, Yorkshire, the Lake District, Ireland or Scotland.
Holidays from South and South East England
Clients from all joining points are conveyed by feeder coach to a central interchange at Reading Services in Berkshire to join the tour coach.
Approximate interchange times at Reading Services are as follows:
Outward (Westbound Services): 11.30am-12.15pm
Return (Eastbound Services): 3.00pm-3.45pm
Please note for all areas: Pick up times for all tours are finalised approximately 14 days prior to departure and will be indicated on your travel ticket. Clients booking less than 14 days prior to departure may be offered a restricted choice of pick up points.
Important Note: Always consider the relative locations of your starting point, the resort you would like to visit and the location of the Interchange. Though it is possible to go from almost any joining point to any destination available from a given catchment area, some journeys are not advisable.
To give an example from the South East catchment area: we would recommend that clients from Kent, Sussex, Suffolk and Essex do not consider holidays in Eastbourne, Folkestone or East Anglia since the feeder journey will take them West before returning East again. On the other hand, if clients from those areas are considering travelling West (for example to Devon or Cornwall), Reading is on direct line of route and makes a convenient coffee stop.
