Wullie has had some wonderful trips in Scotland using his bus pass. Here he will highlight some of the best of those.
“I got my National Entitlement Card (free bus pass) in 2013, aged 60, but only ever used it for shopping trips into East Kilbride from my home town, Strathaven. It wasn’t until 2019 that I decided to get more adventurous and travel further afield. I wish I’d done this earlier, as I was fitter at 60 to do the walks that some of the trips involved. Then, Covid arrived, and travel restrictions were imposed, but I’d now got the bug, and I resumed excursions as soon as the restrictions were lifted.”
“The ‘Bus Pass’ enables people over the age of 60, or under the age of 22, to travel free on buses throughout Scotland, and into Carlisle and Berwick-upon-Tweed. If you live in the old Strathclyde region, you can also get half price train travel within the region, which includes as far north as Oban. Journeys of less than 10 miles cost just £1, so that’s what it costs me to travel from Hamilton to Glasgow, but these concessions are only available off peak.”
“Living in Strathaven, 25 miles south of Buchanan bus station, isn’t ideal for bus pass rambling, but the different ways of travelling in to Glasgow get me into Buchanan bus station between 0750 and 0810, which is great, as it allows me to get a breakfast in the Buchanan bus station Gregg’s shop, before boarding. The main buses I use are:
0830 Oban arrive 1138
0845 Fort William arrive 1156
0810 Inverness arrive 1150
0910 Campbeltown arrive 1330
0845 St Andrews arrive 1130”
