Yorkshire Coastliner

Yorkshire Coastliner has been running services in my area (Whitby, North Yorkshire) for quite a few years now (not sure exactly when they first started coming here)....... running services directly to York (via Malton), then on to Leeds.

Their Buses are considerable more comfortable than them Arriva things I ranted about elsewhere on this site, and the drivers actually bother to get off their Backsides before starting a journey from ...
...- Sleights Road (along the Yorkshire River Esk), and joins the A169 road to Pickering......... along the way taking de-tours through Goathland (you've probably seen it in that "HEARTBEAT" series on ITV + also the first "HARRY POTTER" movie).... where you go over a bridge with a perfect view of the Railway station of the NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY, with at least 1 Steam loco waiting at the station.
After Goathland, it ... more

Yorkshire Coastliner has been running services in my area (Whitby, North Yorkshire) for quite a few years now (not sure exactly when they first started coming here)....... running services directly to York (via Malton), then on to Leeds.

Their Buses are considerable more comfortable than them Arriva things I ranted about elsewhere on this site, and the drivers actually bother to get off their Backsides before starting a journey from Whitby to ensure there isn't any junk laying around on the Bus before everyone gets on for journey the other way.

The service from Whitby is the 840 which is usually a Single-Decker, and in the summer time-table months there's also a council funded X40 running alongside with a couple of slight route differences.
They also apparently (according to their time-table booklet) do services from Bridlington, Scarborough & Filey to York & Leeds (via Malton Bus station, where they also keep their Buses).

I first started using them a couple of years (c. 2002) ago to go do a computer course in Malton at the premises of the useless gits in charge of running NEW DEAL round these parts.
Then last Summer I also used them for a couple of Day trips, having previously put it off by assuming the time tabling mean't I wouldn't be able to spend much time where I wanted to go......... the first Bus from Whitby doesn't come through my village until about 10:51am and reaches York sometime around 12:46 - 12:51pm...... and if you wanna be home in time for dinner you have to catch a Bus from York around 3:20pm which reaches my village around 5:35 - 5:45pm.
Eventually I said sod it, and gave it a go anyway........ and it turned out it's possible to fit in much more than I thought would be possible.

The 840 is a fairly scenic route, having left Whitby it goes along the B1416 Ruswarp - Sleights Road (along the Yorkshire River Esk), and joins the A169 road to Pickering......... along the way taking de-tours through Goathland (you've probably seen it in that "HEARTBEAT" series on ITV + also the first "HARRY POTTER" movie).... where you go over a bridge with a perfect view of the Railway station of the NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY, with at least 1 Steam loco waiting at the station.
After Goathland, it then goes past RAF Fylingdales radar station then past the legendary "Saltersgate Inn" and the "Hole of Horcum" (stick the bits in " " marks in the Image search on Google to see what I'm talking about).
Next it loops along a country lane barely wider than the Bus for the villages of Lockton & Levisham...... it's usually advisable to stay alert along here, as more often than not the bus has to come to a sudden halt to negotiate something coming the other way (either another vehicle, or a herd of Cows being moved between fields).
After that, it reaches the village of "Thornton Le Dale" (well worth a visit....... especially on a sunny summer day, with the sun reflecting off the stream that runs through the village)..... then on to the town of "Pickering" (remember to include "North Yorkshire" if searching for it on Google)..... after that it takes another de-tour up a country lane and loops round a round-about to drop people off at "Flamingoland Theme Park & Zoo"...... then on to Malton, where the bus stops around 5 - 10minutes to Change drivers.

Once the bus is underway again, it joins to the A64 to York...... and enters the City via "Stockton on the Forest".
Once in York, it stops off at "The Stonebow" (a couple minutes walk to "The Shambles".... just watch out for a branch of "Marks & Spencers" if you're having trouble finding it)........ onto "Rougier Street"........ then York Railway Station...... then after that it goes to Leeds via Tadcaster.
The X40 is pretty much the same, except it skips the B1416 by joining A169 via part of the A171 to Middlesbrough (roughly where the first German Aircraft shot down by us Brits in World War2 crash landed)........ and it also gives Goathland a miss to avoid a low flying railway Bridge that the Double-Deckers can't get under.

Fares aren't too bad...... on my trips to York last summer I bought a £10 "Coastliner Freedom Ticket" which allows you to travel anywhere you like on the "Yorkshire Coastliner" network all day, getting on & off as often as you like...... though that ticket went up to £10.50 when they switched to the current Winter Timetable.
Also last Summer I did an Afternoon trip to "Thornton Le Dale", with the return ticket (Ruswarp to Thornton Le Dale) costing about £4.90 (also probably gone up)...... which I suppose isn't too bad for a 18 - 20mile Bus trip (York's about 45miles).
Apparently "National Express" tickets are valid on this service too.

As I think I already said, the Buses are more comfortable than the Arriva buses of similar size...... though after the 2hour ride to York I usually end up walking a bit funny for the next 10 - 15mins after getting off while my back loosens up again.

The main problem is the timing.... with the earliest one from Whitby / Ruswarp not coming through until 10:45 - 10:51am.... could do with one about an hour earlier..... but I think the first one goes down to Leeds from Malton first, then back to Malton & up to Whitby........ when could do with one going to Whitby and one going to Leeds.

Overall it's pretty good. 

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