I went from Lands End to John O’Groats by bus – please don’t copy ‘crazy’ trip

A self-confessed “crazy” traveller went from Lands End to John O’Groats by bus.

Expert adventurer Scott Manson thought the coast-to-coast trip would be a breeze as he wasn’t behind the wheel.

He hopped on six buses for the 965-mile trek and was on the road for two nights and three days with hardly any sleep. And by the end of it he was totally wiped out.

Scott, from Paisley, said: “What kind of idiot would do this? It’s crazy. I would not recommend it.

“Promise me you’ll never do this journey.”

Scott went on the adventure so he could show it off on his Planes Trains and Everything blog.

He started by catching an Easyjet flight from Glasgow to Bristol and then a bus to Penzance.

From there he made his way to Lands End, where he caught the first of his six buses.

Throughout his journey he was hit with some long waits for the next coach, and had one overnight stay.

He said: “Some of the connections are quite leisurely. Some are quite tight.

“The tightest I think was 17 minutes. The longest was about five or six hours. 

“The reason for that is because coach companies don’t plan their timetables so people like me can go from Lands End to John O’Groats one bus after another after another. There are really quite big gaps sometimes.”

On the coach from Penzance to Birmingham Scott scored a seat with extra legroom.

But the CCTV at the front of the vehicle was like a strobe light in the dark and he struggled to get any kip.

And he was left reeling as it tackled some rural routes with winding and curving roads.

Scott said: “The first few hours of that journey was rough. I was feeling a bit queasy at one point.”

Scott’s route went from Lands End to Penzance, Penzance to Birmingham, Birmingham to Glasgow.

After that he caught coaches from Glasgow to Inverness, Inverness to Thurso and then the final leg to John O’Groats.

Scott has travelled the world and written a book about his adventures and likes to seek out quirky experiences and adventures.

We told how he spent the night in a signal box at Scotland’s most remote train station.

But he admitted that the Lands End to John O’Groats run was taxing, and he couldn’t wait to get some rest.

Scott said: “When I put this itinerary together I thought it would be quite easy. It’s just six buses and coaches. 

“I hadn’t realised how difficult it would be. When you travel difficult by coach and you’re going round beds you don’t realise it but you do tense up.

“After a few hours on a bus you really are quite fatigued. After a couple of days on a bus you are absolutely wrecked.”