Peterborough to Norwich with First Eastern Counties Excellent EXCEL Bus Service.
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- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
- I'd heard great things about this bus so I headed out to Peterborough to give it a go on the full length of the journey all the way to Norwich. Timetabled at 3 hours and 15 minutes exactly, it's a long one but I'll show you all there is to see from the top deck of the bus.
I'll tell you about the service, what it's like inside and, importantly, how much I paid. I think you'll agree it was a bit of a bargain! You'll also learn about tornados, folk singers and a little bit more about Alan Partridge (I'd promised myself I wouldn't mention it but I couldn't help it in the end!).
Thanks as always guys for taking the time to watch my videos. All likes, comments, subs are massively appreciated and it really encourages me to make more content for you all to enjoy.
Cheers for now.
Mark
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#letsmakeatrip #bus #excelbus #norfolk
📖Chapters
00:00 - Introduction
02:17 - Leaving Peterborough
02:55 - Interior seating & features
03:48 - Towards Wisbech
05:26 - About the Excel
06:50 - Kings Lynn to Swaffham
09:55 - Swaffham to Dereham
10:42 - Dereham to Norwich
13:25 - Summary
Link to First Eastern Counties Excel Leaflet
www.firstbus.co.uk/sites/defa...
Route map: OpenStreetMap (annotated)
www.openstreetmap.org/
I drive this route daily, nice to see some positive feedback for my colleagues and glad you had a good experience!
Cheers mate, I did - great bus and thanks very much for leaving a comment 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip They certainly are good buses, The good news is that we are now expectiong to keep them an additional 2 years so likely will be around till 2026 time.
Hope to see you about soon.
@@User66ish I wonder what the replacements will be...
Cheers Mark for taking us on a great journey.
I've always liked the Enviro 400 City. Seems like the operator of this bus has really put some effort into the customer experience with the good legroom, wireless and USB charging (when working/switched on), AC, WiFi and comfortable & stylish seats. Sure the train is faster but for £2 I'd take that journey if I needed to go between the 2 cities.
Customer experience Alex is a great way of putting it. Wish I’d thought of that in the video because that’s what it’s all about isn’t it. Not just the bus but the leaflet they’ve put together showcasing the service and the places of interest along the way. They’re doing their bit for local tourism as well as getting people on the bus. Cheers for the comment 😊👍
What exactly constitutes a ‘local’ bus service as far as being able to use a Freedom Pass on it is concerned?
I used to catch this bus to Great Yarmouth when it used to go all the way to Lowestoft from Peterborough. If you have the time (and a strong bladder!) it's unbeatable value for the distance covered.
Totally agree. There is an element of ‘prep work’ required before you board. But after that, sit back and enjoy the ride 😊👍
That really was a lovely bus! You have definitely won me over to buses.
Looks to me that bus route would be ideal for a London-Kings Lynn-Norwich-London kinda East Anglian round robin!
Keep em coming. I hope you are feeling better now 👍
Cheers mate, yep sounds feasible that. Plenty of ideas for future routes anyway. Not feeling too bad now, off on another trip tomorrow 😊👍
I like Norwich, King's Lynn and Peterborough
Along with Beccles, Bury St Edmunds, Clacton-On-Sea, Walton-On-The-Naze, Ely and Cambridge
Cheers Cazz, might try a few of those other places you mentioned one day 😊👍
I really wish we had the bus fare incentive here in Scotland, it's brilliant. Looked a clean, comfortable bus especially at the back! 😊
So do I Sheila, costs me loads more when I do a bus trip up there! It was very clean and that element certainly did stand out for me 👍
A few years back the route was Peterborough to Lowestoft. Just over 4 hours long.
Brutal! I’ve never been to a Lowestoft though so would’ve certainly been tempted!
I'd definitely use this to visit King's Lynn, which seems like an incredible town to explore!
It did look nice. Only passed through this time but yep, worth a stop I think.
That’s a bargain fare £2 for that distance and quality bus!
Cheers Simon, yes the England bus fare cap scheme doing its thing again. Total bargain 👍
You have such a flawless way of narrating your videos
This route was shown in railway timetables for many years as it provides the useful cross-country links to Wisbech, Swaffham and Dereham, being virtually a rail replacement. Travelled it some years ago and enjoyed the trip. I hopped off at Dereham and went on the Mid-Norfolk Railway to Wymondham.
Cheers Ian, yes I’d probably do that next time - Dereham looked nice.
Hi they used to have coaches for First operating between Lowestoft to Peterborough all the way before then getting a batch of 58 plate volvo b9tl geminis to replace them and they all came with seatbelts. It wasn't a legal requirement to wear seatbelts though, it was optional. Then in 2013 we had a batch of brand new enviro 400 deckers that came without seatbelts, along with this they split the route so the XL did Norwich to Peterborough and X1/X11 did Norwich to Lowestoft section. This was due to driving hours and changes of drivers.
Cheers mate, I was quite tempted by the Lowestoft route when I was in Norwich. In the end I went up to Cromer and tbh, I think that was the wrong option. Next time though maybe 👍
Heres a recommended route to do, the 56 from Lincoln to Skegness operated by Stagecoach East Midlands.
Thank you for the recommendation 😊👍
you've managed to make an interesting video from what at first glance is a difficult subject. Well done.
Thanks Melvyn, glad you enjoyed it 😊👍
He could make a two stop journey interesting.
You should try the X46 from Hull to York operated by East Yorkshire.
I’ll add it to the list mate, cheers 👍
Fully agree the X46 is a belter
I have got got the Printed timetables for the X46 its runs with X47 not much between them about the same journey time
That's quite long but looked impressive. Definitely a new one to try. The longest regular bus journey in the UK I took was on the Arriva Sapphire X18 service between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed via Bamburgh, at over 4 hours
Quite a few have recommended this route now so I really should get up there and try it. 4 hours and 2 minutes would surely be the longest single bus route in England that.
@@LetsMakeaTrip It is also using an older Enviro 40 but sometimes uses single deck buses
Fantastic video Mark very much put together very informative
Cheers Jack, appreciate the comment and support mate 😊👍
The general rule for steatbelts on buses is if you're allowed to stand up on the bus, it doesn't need seatbelts.
Even on coaches now, there's seat belts but they only enforce it at the front where there's nothing to stop you flying forward.
Cheers Nick 👍
Lovely views, great commentary, quality music, thanks as always!
Cheers mate, thanks for watching and commenting as always - much appreciated 😊👍
Great video always enjoy watching them.
Thanks Pauline, glad you liked it 😊👍
A nice journey made better by having a clean bus that is comfortable and at the right price, pleasant scenery for the journey as well, till next time stay safe and well, cheers.
Cheers Simon, yes you can’t really go wrong for £2 can you. Surprised there weren’t more on it tbh 😊👍
Thanks for this lovely bus trip - so interesting to see how it looks from some of my favourite places! Yes, do try the Fen line up to Kings Lynn. I haven't been on it for a few years now but it used to be a pleasant quiet interesting journey and I always enjoyed it, from around Cambridge northwards. Thanks too for all your videos - having Covid and the moment I can't get out, and you're helping to keep me sane!!
Thank you! I hope you feel better soon and yes I’ll certainly return to Kings Lynn at some point - looked a very interesting place.
Great film. I do like that service, particularly the vehicles on it. At one time it extended beyond Norwich to Great Yarmouth and ended up in Lowestoft. I didn't do the complete end to end trip, as broke my journey to ride behind a locomotive hauled train from Liverpool Street, between Norwich and Yarmouth (another lost run).
Much improved. Good on you, mate!😊
Ty
Nice video, thanks for sharing have a good week
Cheers Kai, appreciate the comment as always 😊👍
Class video, couldn’t last 3 hours on a bus though 😂😂
You do need some ‘prep’ Jack with the lack of onboard toilets 😊
@@LetsMakeaTrip yes I know , them 6 minute stops may not be enough 😂😂😂
@@jackmaher9296 I would be like this: "Excuse me sir, we need to stop again"
*booing noises intensifies* along with deep sighes and loud muttering
Yea I know
@@jackmaher9296 plus rolling eyes and impatient stirring in benches 😇 (but okay I'm done now)
Hello my friend it's John thanks for the video lovely bus ride how much 2£ cheap as chips lol by the way my friend in Jersey has done a walk round st aubins take a look brings back memories all the best John 😊
Hi John, cheers mate. Yes you can’t go wrong for £2 and thanks for the heads-up on St Aubin 😊👍
I might have to give that one a go myself. I'd highly recommend the X17 from Wirksworth to Barnsley via Matlock, Chesterfield and Sheffield. It's very scenic in the Peak District. Well worth a try!
That sounds great Matthew. Added it to my list 😊👍
Lovely looking bus. The USB ports only work if the little light is on underneath or around the USB port. If the engine is off they won't work, it's not in control of the driver. First always seem on point with timetables and branding.
Cheers mate and thanks for the info 😊👍
you should visit Donegal airport it was voted most scenic landing in the world in 2017 although it only has two flights a day to Dublin on a good day the views form landing are spectacular
Hi Thomas, yes I have heard about this and have been meaning to try it. It’s on the list mate 😊👍
Another two routes to try are the London line 702 and possibly the flight line 703. 702 is Legoland to London Victoria, although early morning journeys can start at Reading. The 703 is Bracknell to Heathrow. Brand new buses similar to these but ADL Enviro 400 city buses, with a nice interior. Ran by Reading Buses
Thanks very much for the idea. Probably be next year now but I’ll add them to the list 😊👍
Bargain, top video Mark
Cheers Mark 😊👍
Hi Mark how you doing mate? Great video as always well edited with perfect background music added to the road scenes the bus that you went on is a really nice modern smart double decker bus indeed very good for a 4 year old one, £2 for a single ticket from Peterborough all the way to Norwich is a bargain for a 3 hour and 15 minutes journey indeed, those seats look really comftable to sit on for a number of hours plus the nice sized table you could easily put a laptop on top of it, bugger the driver kept turning off the engine every time he stopped at a bus station which switched off the air conditoner which was 100% needed for the journey due to the very hot heat also a bugger that the USB sockets on the infront of the front seats didnt work at all they must have been switched off by the driver very modern for there to be wireless charging docks on the seat which also didnt work again must of been the driver turned the feature off, kind of good that the WIFI onboard did kinda work for a little bit before it gave you that error which is a bugger hit and miss indeed looked like you enjoyed the journey as a whole anyways i hope your having a good afternoon so far and keep up the great content on the channel as always as its so entertaining plus enjoyable to watch 👍
Hi FG, thanks mate for taking the time to comment once again and yep, a good summary of my experience. All-in-all, a great bus, well looked after and one I’d definitely try again- maybe a stop in Dereham next time which looked quite nice. Cheers 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip Its ok Mark its always great to comment on your videos as there are so good yep the bus was a great one well looked after indeed good to hear you would try it again too hope your having a good afternoon so far Mark 👍
Thanks for this great video in your usual very watchable style. Of course you can travel from Peterborough to Norwich in two hours by rail or car, but the point of this excellent bus is the service it gives to the places in between. I've heard bus operator excuses for not running express buses ("the regular buses would hold them up", "we'd have to cut some regular buses" etc.), but First seem to have done the job pretty well, apart from a few areas; re the USB sockets, at about 8:00, just after you touch one of the sockets, it appears to light up - maybe you have to press them?
It's good that at present you can use these buses for £2, but it would be better generally if tickets were integrated with rail, so that Wisbech, Swaffham and Dereham were on a rail/express bus network, and you could buy through tickets from ticket machines, websites, stations and bus drivers - or conductors: even one-coach trains have a conductor who will sell you tickets to anywhere. But the reason they don't appears to be a squabble over money! In the latest 'Modern Railways' magazine there is an article celebrating GWR's recent ventures into bus-rail integration, but 'It is better ... to keep the bus fare separate' - the subtext being that even if through-ticketing brought in extra passengers, if the money is taken by the rail company, they won't hand any of it over to the bus company - and that applied even when the buses and trains were both part of First group! The stupidity of this is when you compare the ticket price for a rail only journey to another of equal distance where part was by bus - which would almost certainly be more expensive with separate ticketing.
There are probably hundreds of towns, large villages, and suburban centres which would benefit from express buses like this, particularly if integrated with rail, and a huge market nationally - and at a time when we need (climate, air-quality, congestion etc.) to encourage people out of cars. Is it just stupid rail managment? - or un-enterprising bus management? - or both, plus unimaginative politicians?
Hi Rick, many thanks for the comment (and detailed points wrt rail/bus integration). Well you would think it possible if both modes of transport were owned by the same company wouldn’t you!? Probably separate budget owners I suspect. And compare this to how things operate in Europe.
About the usb socket, These are pretty standard on buses and trains and the blue light is normally always on. I’m intrigued now though, so next time I see one i’m definitely going to try pressing it!
Cheers mate 😊👍
I did Norfolk recently, I think it's best to stay in Kings Lynn otherwise this bus journey is quite long! We got stuck on the 47 when the East Of England show was on. First really could do with an Excel route via Fakenham to Cromer (hint, hint!). If you want charging, make sure the blue light on the USB socket is on. Cheers!
Cheers Lee, I’m not that familiar with the area tbh but did enjoy the bus and the towns along the way. None of the usb sockets had their blue lights on unfortunately though the one under the table did flicker into life for a sec but I’m not sure if that was intentional or not!?!
Fully agree, this year my wife and I have tahen the excel from Peterborough to Kings Lynn and from Lynn to Norwich a great service with friendly drivers especially good as my wife uses a wheelchair. Two further suggested routes, Bath to Wells and Berwick to Edinburgh. Route numbers escape me at mo.
Cheers Iain, Bath to Wells is a new one, thanks. The Berwick one is on my list, just finding the time to get to it atm! 😊👍
Just earned yourself a new subscriber, you should try Ensignbus' X80 southbound across the River Thames, however it could be a very long journey across the Dartford Crossing!
Cheers mate and that’s a great suggestion. Added to the list 😊👍
Great video, kings lynn is a lovely town to explore ,as is Ely.
Cheers! Hadn’t been to a kings Lynn before but I did have my graduation at Ely Cathedral and I agree - it is lovely 👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip ☺️
Great travel video again Mark. Inspired me to do the same trip. Just wondered what timetable or app you use to get times etc
Cheers mate. I just googled First Excel and you can download the route timetable from there. Use my link in the description too 👍
That must feature in one of England's longest service bus journeys. I once remember travelling from Newcastle (upon Tyne) and Sea Houses. I remember the bus being Newcastle to Morpeth, with a connecting service to Berwick. To our surprise it was the same bus, driver and we even stayed on it. Puzzled by it, i did ask the driver about the Morpeth thing and she told us was a technicality to remain a service bus, and to qualify for concessionary carriage terms. That was a while ago, and longer service bus journeys have become more common, so i think it may no longer apply.
Cheers Andrew. I reckon anything over 3 hours is pretty long and there are a few of them yes. It’d be good to do them all (like Munro bagging 😂) but I’m not sure there’s a list? I haven’t done the Berwick route but I believe it’s really nice and it is on my list for the future 😊👍
It once ran Peterborough Wisbech Kings Lynn Swaffham, Dereham Norwich Great Yarmouth Lowestoft, sadly only reaches Norwich using the fleet of 20 buses and no replacements of these...
Hi Mark. Another cheery video. I wonder who designs these buildings. All that glass at the bus station and I wouldn't want the job of cleaning them. Take care
True David, would keep a window cleaner busy that lot for sure. Cheers mate 😊👍
Excel is a lovely route i was priviledged to be a driver on it, Your lucky it's 3.2hours now since it split several years known as "X1" back then it was much longer when it extended to Great Yarmouth - Gorleston and Lowerstoft making a single journey time to 5hrs 42mins. I'm pretty sure i'm right in saying it was the longest bus route in the UK?
Nearly six hours is long - even by my standards! Really enjoyed the Excel though, a great bus and that helps with the journey time immensely. Cheers Carl 😊👍
I use to drive this route when I worked for Norwich its a great run
Cheers Davey, some lovely looking towns en route and no hills. Bet it was a lovely drive 😊
@LetsMakeaTrip it really was also coz of the distance you might not have noticed but the drivers change over at King's Lynn as the route is not tachoed
Much better than First Bus Manchester who thankfully are mostly on the way out. I guess this service does not quite have the great scenery of the North York Moors but the bus looked great and the subsidised fare cannot be beat. I have been on EMT and a charter train to Norwich which seemed a nice city. It certainly beats being at an Arriva single decker for over 3 hours from Harlow to Heathrow.
Crikey! Not sure I’d fancy that Harlow - Heathrow bus either tbh! Yes scenery-wise, not the best - too flat for me. But the bus, yep, close second atm to the X43 Witchway 👍
Peterborough to Norwich by coach isn’t really that long journey. And that’s if there aren’t any hold ups on the A47.
I was on that service a few weeks ago. They changed drivers at Kings Lynn at the bus stop just through that arch, which seemed odd when the bus station is just down the road.
Yeh, but I guess there’s a reason. That arch btw, I’d have loved to see the bus squeeze through from the other side. Must be quite tight!
The Kings Lynn First Bus depot is near Southgates bus stop so drivers can swap with other drivers there.
I think that was above and beyond the call of duty, the train would have been faster, albeit more expensive and a risk of overcrowding on a 2car 158. We stayed at the same Travelodge when visiting the North & Mid Norfolk railways a couple of years ago and used the Excel to/from Dereham, short journeys yes but 3 hours.... Keep up the trips, always good to compare your thoughts with ours.
Cheers Kevin. If the bus was rubbish, I’d tend to agree with you but I thought it was great and for £2. Plus you get to see a lot more of the towns along the way I think. 😊👍
Yh it is mark
👍
First Bus WIFI only lets you use it for a small amount of time, after which it just disconnects you and says 'an error has occurred' I'm not sure how long it worked for you, but on First Manchester buses it only lasts a few minutes
Nice bus. But what about that fabulous house and garden in Swaffham.
It was lovely - exclusive views over the wall from one of these buses too 👍
Welcome to Norwich, a Fine City! Glad to see the journey, but you're right that there's no spectacular scenery. Heading eastwards you get to see rivers and broads (lakes). Hope you had a good evening 😜 By the way, what do you think about the pedestrianisation of Norwich city centre? To be honest, I'm dead against it...
I did have a good night mate, in very good company! Probably had one too many ladyboys though 😂😂
@@LetsMakeaTrip 🤣
With working as a bus driver for Stagecoach in Manchester, my staff pass gets me free travel on about 80% of bus routes in GB....what I am still wanting to do is Manchester to Thurso using regular service buses & coaches (non Megabus/Scottish Citylink services as me staff pass not valid on them). A route I want to do is the 35 from Aberdeen to Elgin. Will get round to it one day
Cheers Mike. One day I’ll do the JOGLE challenge on buses, one day. I did start planning it but need more time than I have atm unfortunately. Good luck with Manchester to Thurso because, when you get there it feels like a real sense of achievement. I hope you make it 😊
There used to be a first excel in Bristol however they rebranded it to badgerline
Cheers Fred. Bristol is somewhere I intend to try one or two buses at some point so I’ll look forward to getting down there at some point. 😊👍
What is coming up in tomorrow video
Welcome to East anglia buddy from Alan in Lowestoft buddy 😊
Cheers Alan 😊👍
So they've replaced and upgraded this route then? Cause I use to get the X1 from Norwich to King's Lynn to do my nursing placements at the Queen Elizabeth. Even late at night it was safe. Then i started driving and it was great.
Although the upstairs didn't have table seats.
Im not that familiar with the area tbh but going by your comments it certainly looks like it 👍
@LetsMakeaTrip yep. I had to dig through my archives and from Norwich to Kings Lynn was £6 one way. Nice upgrade. Would have like to have visited Peterborough
We've done that trip between King's Lynn & Norwich..which I get for free as my Stagecoach staff pass allows free travel on First Eastern Countries services .
Counties*
Kings Lynn looked a nice place Mike - full of history. I’d like to go back there one day certainly 👍
Smart looking bus. It's a pity that all bus services don't offer the same.
Yes Gareth, though I’m increasingly surprised by how many buses do have similar features these days.
You should try the 12 from Brighton to Eastbourne
It’s on my list Jack, just haven’t gotten around to it yet 😊
@@LetsMakeaTrip awesome :)
Hi! How does this compare to train from PBoro to Norwich?
I’ve never tried the train between the two cities so not really sure tbh. I would expect the bus to be cheaper though!
@@LetsMakeaTrip Fastest Trains Norwich Peterborough just under one and a half hours. Via Thetford Ely and March, done it many many times.
£2.00 is a good price for a 80 mile journey , however you can do the journey by car in 90 mins , not 3 hrs.
Oh yes Alan, not doubting the car is much quicker but I suppose not everyone has one and for me, some of these longer distances are as much of a day out as anything else 😊
I do not know if you have already done this, but try TM Travel's 218 Sheffield to Bakewell, but beware the buses have horrible legroom
I haven’t but Bakewell keeps cropping up in recommendations so I’ll certainly try and get up there at some point 😊👍
@@LetsMakeaTrip Quick update, They have now got newer buses, with better legroom, but is basically the lottery as to which you get.
Is Swaffham where all of the locals have the same DNA?
Defo was a good bus and try and do X5 Bedford to Oxford
Cheers mate. Sell it to me…….😊
Try some buses in dorset
Which ones Dylan?
@@LetsMakeaTrip more bus wimborne to Poole
Comfortable but no toilets. Twice I got "caught out" on this bus and had to jump off at Kings Lynn, lol.
That is an issue with these kind of bus lengths I agree. Must put some people off.
@@LetsMakeaTrip Exactly, and especially with older people. The funny thing is 20 years ago, the old excel route ran with single deck coaches, and they had toilets. I would have thought some law would make them put toilets but clearly not.
I wonder if the driver went all the way to Norwich
I’m pretty sure it was a different guy tbh.
Nice video but did you change your hiar stile recently 😅
Always changing mate 😂
It's a shame that even with the £2 fare there doesn't seem to be many people using the bus.
Yes I did think that. With it being a Sunday, I thought there’d be a few more day trippers onboard.
People really do use that bus. Especially from Dereham into Norwich
Nice trip. A long trip on a bus with no toilet? I am guessing your pensioner's bus pass wasn't valid on this type of trunk service but £2.00!! was good value.
Haha, not quite there yet with the bus pass 😂 as always with these trips, take plenty of water but make sure you go before getting on!
😂you have to be over 66 to get a bus pass, Monty.
@@Zomerset Well I don't know how old he is. I assumed he was retired.
I think that they should at least put seat belts in those front seats...Thanks for the trip.
Yes, I was expecting that but I’m sure someone will advise and it’s probably down to it being a bus service.
You do punish yourself! There again, 3h 15 mins isn't a bad journey time for such a long journey via all those places. The rival train journey is tediously long as well!
Haha, I know! Honestly the time really does fly on some of these bus journeys. I ought to do some stop-offs really as particularly for this journey, the towns and villages looked much more interesting than the countryside.
I have taken those buses several times and the POWER sockets NEVER work.
If you've taken those buses you'd ought to know that they don't know power sockets, just USB sockets as do newer vehicles.
Disappointing if that’s often the case.
@@kentbustravels101 I am talking about the USB power sockets
@@jtshark9283 If they aren't flashing blue, it means they aren't turned on.
No its not a legal requirement on services buses to have seat belts
You wouldn't need seatbelts on a standard everyday bus
Cheers Darren, thought the same 👍
Whilst it seems excellent value of course, I'm unsure why a journey of 80 miles takes 3 and a quarter hours. Good looking buses though, shame about the USB points
Cheers Daz, it certainly doesn’t rush along though we arrived early I suspect there’s more traffic in the week. I agree, the bus was great, not quite the best I’ve been on. The title is still held by the Witchway 👍
Route timings will be determined by the operator, where the bus stops and the communities it serves, traffic and other authorities, plus road types. EG, if it was a motorway throughout, it would be a lot quicker.
@ 8.51 what's wrong with people.
I know!
😀😀😀😀🥰🥰🥰🥰
Cheers mate 😊😊😊😊🫶🫶🫶🚍🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🚌🏬🏰🛣️🛣️🛣️🛣️🛣️
The Fenland Route (train) is just serving Ely, and do stop at Thetford. It’s nothing special, Kings Lynn, last visit it was run down. If anything Ely would be far better. I can’t honestly think of any other bus route.