Holiday Excursions for the Day-Tripper
Thomas Motors Excursions, first week of holiday fortnight
Thomas Motors Excursions, second week of the holiday fortnight
Holiday Makers wait at Newark Bus Station for their Motor Buses to depart
Travel Wright Excursions, Newark Holiday Fortnight
Railway excursions offered during the holiday fortnight
Passengers wait for trains to depart at Newark Northgate Station
A lot of Newarkers who were on holiday could not afford to get away for two weeks holiday but as today there were a lot of daily excursions on offer. On July 14th 1954 two firms had adverts in the Newark Advertiser detailing their daily excursions.
By Anne Coyne
The first Thomas Motor Tours had their HQ at North Muskham but also had an office on Cartergate which was open 5.30 to 7.30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Their advert “See Britain’s beauty in Coach Comfort” listed the following holiday excursions leaving from London Road Car Park.
All prices quoted are in £.s.d.
The other company that was advertising coach excursions was the familiar name of Travel Wright. Their tours departed from the Wharf and could be booked at either the Lincoln Road Garage or at their agents Brooks Motor Co, Castlegate, Newark. Passengers who wished to join the coach at the London Road Garage had to be there 15 minutes before the departure time.
Both companies were offering a variety of excursions, with the seaside destinations of Mablethorpe and Skegness being common to both. Thomas Motors went to Bridlington and Morecambe and Wright’s Travel destinations included Scarborough and Cleethorpes. Cleethorpes must have been particularly popular as it ran almost every day.
Both companies had countryside excursions on offer, with Cotswolds, Norfolk, Derbyshire and Bowness-on-Windomere being examples. Thomas Motors ran trips to AltonTowers, which I believe was then a more tranquil place than the highly exhilarating or frightening experience that it is today. The itinerary also included RudyardLakes and as this is a place I have never heard of before, if anyone knows what this destination was or is, the update would be most welcome.
The pricing of the excursions seems to have been quite sensible and based on the distance travelled with children receiving approximately one third discount off the adult fare. The companies both had their own niche in terms of destinations and where they had the same trip running the prices charged were the same.
How does this compare with today? Well you often see TV adverts for AltonTowers, LegoLand at Windsor, WarwickCastle, London Eye and other top visitor attractions. Travel Wright is still operating today and on Thursday 11th August 2011 trips were advertised to Derbyshire calling at Haddon Hall, York, London, Skegness, Melton Mowbray, Hunstanton and Sheringham, Twycross Zoo and Cleethorpes.
In 1954 British Railways were also advertising excursions by Rail and offered staggered prices depending on where you joined the train. Full details could be obtained from stations, offices and agencies.
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