Greys Coach Travel Blog - Coach Travel Hampshire

I have found out how to copy and paste! You can now read about our Bulbfield Cruise in April.


Monday 19th April 2010

Here we go again!
For all of those who follow my blog and have told me off for not writing much over the last few months I apologise.
It is not as if there hasn’t been anything to write either!
Brian and Wendy had a lovely Christmas tour and Brian took a full coach to Norwich for our Mystery Weekend in February.
Again Brian was away in March this time to Chester for a four day break.
In amongst all of this we had the snow! Seems a while ago now the sun is out but it definitely was there.
We only operate a handful of excursions in January mostly to see the Holiday on Ice production in Brighton. Of the five proposed trips, two happened in the week of the snow. There was no way we could either expect people to come out in such adverse conditions nor would it have been possible to get the coach to some of the pick-up points. So we had to cancel.
As the Ice show went ahead we lost all of our ticket money. Not something you want at a very quiet time of the year.
Still, as I said the sun is out now and all is well!

So here I am getting ready to go away on tour for the first time this year, and if I’m honest not a little excited!
I’m up at 04:30 and sort myself out to arrive at the yard by 05:30. I should have woken up half an hour earlier as I’m in a bit of a rush but never mind.
I only have two pick-up points, Petersfield and Liphook, and arrive in Petersfield at 06:00 ready to leave at 06:30.
Most of the passengers are already there!
I say most as we have lost four people this morning due to illness, and all very last minute as I only find out from Maggie, the taxi driver, who has been to their houses to pick them up.
One of the ladies who has cancelled is a new customer to Greys and she had called me on Saturday to ask if we are cancelling the Holland tour.
“Why?”
“It is not safe with all of this ash around!”
Talking of the Icelandic volcano I had a call from a friend of mine who works at a large coach company in the south and he was looking for coaches to go abroad and bring stranded passengers home. They required about 200 vehicles! We can’t help at the moment but I told him if it is still erupting in ten days time I’m your man!!

We depart Petersfield slightly depleted and head on to Liphook where all of the passengers were waiting for me. And they were all here, a hardy lot these Liphook guys!
We are away from Liphook before seven and soon lose twenty minutes queuing at Hindhead. I have allowed plenty of time for the journey to Dover as I know it can be busy at this time of the morning and I’m glad I did. We hit the M25 with signs saying long delays between junctions 7 & 8 and I am not sure whether to stick or twist! Do I chance it and maybe wait an hour or more (or less!) or make a diversion that will take longer but we should keep moving.
I divert through Dorking, Reigate and Redhill to rejoin the motorway at Godstone. I don’t know if it saved any time on the queue but we have lost half an hour.

Our ferry sails at 10:45 and we arrive at Dover just before 10:00.
On the radio all morning the news has said that there are extra trains running through the tunnel and the ferries are running to time but there are only a few spaces remaining. I was expecting chaos and queues with people trying to get home but there is nothing!
Only two check in desks open with very short queues and all that is loaded onto the ferry are about twenty coaches, two lines of cars and a few trucks! Unusually quiet. This is all good news for us though as the sailing will be very comfortable with plenty of seats available and no waiting for food. And the sun is out on a glorious day, what more could one want?
A fat boys breakfast, that’s what!
I’ve finished my breakfast by the time the ferry departs nearly half an hour late and we all enjoy a lovely smooth and quiet crossing.
Calais is busier than Dover with lots of coaches queuing but I would expect this on a Monday afternoon. There are no signs of people stranded trying to get home.

I only have about an hour and twenty minutes drive to Bruges and then that is that for the day!
This journey is normally incident free but today we encounter roadwork’s near Dunkirk and also take a while to get into Bruges, both unusual hold ups that do not cause too many problems.

We arrive at our hotel, Martin’s Brugge, by 15:30 and it doesn’t take long to unload people and luggage.
This hotel has a perfect location directly behind the Belfry and is only a few steps from the main Market Square.
We are staying on a bed and breakfast basis which will allow the passengers choose their own restaurant for dinner, one of the pleasures of staying Bruges.
I drive the coach to the coach park and walk back to the hotel. It is still sunny and I take a leisurely stroll through the old streets of this gorgeous city taking more pictures that may end up in one of our brochures one day.

In my room between the pillows is a teddy bear dressed in a bath robe and slippers!
This evening I go for a walk and stop and have a beer in one of the many bars. Sitting there it is amusing to watch everybody walking by trying to decide which restaurant to eat in, Bruges must have some of the most read menu’s in Europe! All of the restaurants look enticing but if you look closely all of the menu’s are very similar in content and price.
I am enjoying my beer immensely as it is the first for a week! I have been a little poorly last week but am now feeling a whole lot better!
I pick an Italian restaurant for my fillet steak and chips that was absolutely delicious and the steak was twice the size you get in England, mind you so was the price!

Tuesday 20th April 2010

Breakfast is a nice relaxing affair and this morning I only have a bowl of cereal. I sit with Anne and Ted and take my time as we are not leaving until 11:00 o’clock.
We are blessed with another sunny day as I walk to the coach through a city in the process of waking up. This is my favourite time of the day being in a city as it slowly comes to life for another day.
The Belgian Police/Ministry are in the coach park checking drivers and vehicles. I am here for about an hour before leaving but they don’t seem interested in me.
Just before I leave I check my paperwork and realise I haven’t an address or map of where the ship is docked in Amsterdam!
A few frantic calls to Asiya at Albatross and I have the address. The ship is departing from a different place than last time but is somewhere I know so I can relax again.
We are away from the hotel just after 11:00 and everybody seems well and all have enjoyed Bruges.
The journey time is only about three hours today and the boat departs at 17:00.
This is definitely the way to do it as last time we drove straight from England to Amsterdam, arriving with ten minutes to spare, and we had been a bit lucky with traffic. It was a rush and not something I wanted to do again so we decided this time to stay in Bruges overnight and it has worked well.
We have a little hold up at Antwerp which is nothing out of the ordinary before stopping at the first service area inside the Dutch border. I haven’t stopped here for about ten years and in that time the improvement has been great. What a lovely place to stop.
The Dutch Police/Ministry are here checking drivers and vehicles but again I’m left alone!
Many years ago I stopped here and the Dutch Police came to check my coach and tachograph for my driving hours. The policeman asked to see my tacho and I gladly opened the tachograph to show him my disc that had recorded my driving hours. Imagine my horror to find I hadn’t put a disc in!
He took me to his van that had a table inside, sat me down and explained that I could be fined anything between £100 and £1000! I was frightened as this is a serious offence but I had made a genuine mistake.
He fined me the minimum of£100 because he saw the look on my face and said I had to be telling the truth!

We arrive in Amsterdam at 15:30 but the ship is not quite ready for us so we wait for half an hour before they start loading cases. In the meantime another coach has pulled up behind me, David Palmer Coaches from Yorkshire. Wow, and what a coach it is to, a 14.5 metre Van Hool on an 09 plate. I am very envious!
Most of the ship’s crew appear and within a couple of minutes all of the luggage has been taken away.
The third coach hasn’t turned up yet.
Soon all of the people have been taken away as well and we are ready to drive to Zandam to meet the ship.
The David Palmer coach goes off ahead and I shortly follow.
From Amsterdam to Zandam is an easy journey that should only take about 20/30 minutes. I drive out of the city and onto the motorway and then look for the Zandam turn off. No problem.
I approach my junction with the big motorway sign saying Zandam and nothing else and then I am driving past it! What’s happened here! I must have had a lapse in concentration as there is no reason why I should miss the turning! What a plank!
And as soon as I come off at the next junction I meet a traffic jam and then when I’m back on the right road the traffic is very busy into Zandam! At least I remember the way from the motorway. The David Palmer driver wonders where I have been! The ship is not in yet and he has double checked whether he is in the correct place as I’m obviously somewhere else!
The ship, Esmeralda, arrives at 17:00 but there is still no sign of the other coach.
Dinner should be at 18:30 but has been put back to 20:15 due to the late arrival of the other coach, Johnson’s Coaches, which is coming from Birmingham.
While we are waiting I have a drink in the bar with the other driver from David Palmer whose name is Andy. It transpires that he is the boss as well and has also chosen to do this trip as it is not too strenuous and the boat is very relaxing.
It is 19:30 and the Johnson’s coach has arrived! The passengers, driver and courier all look worn out and if they have travelled from Birmingham today then they have every right to be tired.

At 20:00 Michael, the ship’s manager, gives a little speech about the meal times and service and also some safety instructions. This is all done with a glass of fizzy wine mixed with something fruity.
Michael is obviously not a great communicator as he seems to have confused people with his speech and the way he relays instructions.
I am glad I have done this tour before as I would not be too impressed with the organisation so far.

Dinner is a three course affair tonight with the soup being salt soup I think! Maybe a secret ploy to get you drinking in the bar later! I did eat it but it was slightly over seasoned!
The chicken main dish was very nice

After dinner Andy and I had a drink with the Johnson’s driver Nina. She seemed in need of a beer after such a long day. They were booked on the 10:45 ferry from Dover to Calais and then expected to be in Amsterdam before the ship’s 17:00 departure. Impossible.
It is very cold in the lounge area and because of this most people have gone back to their cabins and a heater that works! Those braving it are sitting in their jumpers and coats. We all have a moan to Michael and the bar staff and are told that they will switch off the air conditioning. Turning on the heating would be a better idea.


Wednesday 21st April

We have a nice easy excursion this morning to Zaans Schans. Located about twenty minutes from Zandam, Zaans Schans is a wooden village built in the old style of Dutch architecture with working windmills (mustard, oil, sawmill), a cheese maker, clog maker and the obligatory tourist shops. If you get past the hordes of Japanese in a hurry then this is a lovely spot to visit, a place I enjoy bringing people to.
All three coaches are going there today.
We depart at 09:30 and are there within twenty minutes.
I have a chat with Andy on his lovely coach, do a little work that I don’t have the enthusiasm for and go for a walk before returning to the Esmeralda two hours later.
The Esmeralda sails to Alkmaar at 12:30 without the three drivers! We drive our coaches to Volendam where we manage to park for the next couple of days.
We catch a bus to Amsterdam’s Central Station where we purchase a railway ticket to Alkmaar and catch the 14:57 double deck train north.
Arriving in Alkmaar by 15:30 we wander down to the centre of the city and have a well deserved beer (well we thin well deserved!).
The Esmeralda is due in at 17:00, we still have some time to kill, so the sensible thing to do would be to have another drink sat in the open square.
I receive a call from Colin on the boat who informs me that they are stuck at a bridge and will not be in Alkmaar until 18:00.
Now that’s a shame what are we going to do?!
Try the bar next door, that’s what! We don’t stay here for long as the large beer is a small beer and the small beer is a midget beer!
Still no boat so we try one more place and here we are given a plate of cheese with our drinks.
Colin calls again and the boat has now docked which is 25 minutes earlier than he said but still 35 minutes late!
By the time we return to the ship the gangway has just been put down and some of the passengers are straining at the leash to disembark for the shops!

I had a couple of complaints about the dinner tonight which I thought was ok but not as good as previous trips. The service is slower as there are not as many staff but most of the passengers seem satisfied.
The one main complaint is that the plates are cold. Joan, the courier with Johnson’s, has spoken to Michael and he has said that the plate warmer is not working.

After dinner Andy, myself, Nina and Joan all walk into town for a drink. It is always nice being able to have a beer when you know you are not driving the next day.
We sit inside one of the places we had visited earlier at a big tall table with big tall chairs, probably the norm for the big strong Dutch people.
We just sat there talking for a few hours before getting back to the boat after midnight.

Thursday 22nd April

No driving today so I can have a lie in. The boat’s engines start up and we leave our moorings at 06:00 and I leave my lie in! Am awake so have to get up. I am glad I did as it is a glorious morning and there are lots of fields with carpets of brightly coloured bulbs.
I spend the morning either writing this blog or up on deck watching the scenery. It really is a great way to travel and a wonderful way to see Holland. The beauty of the canals are that they are narrow which allows you to see the houses and fields on both sides of the boat.
I think this type of travel is the most relaxing I have done and would do a river cruise as a holiday for myself.
I leave my room before lunch with the intention of spending a few minutes outside on the sun deck.
As I walk out of my room I am confronted by policemen, paramedics , the Captain and Michael the ship’s manager. I have a pretty good idea who is ill as well, Mrs Broadfoot. Her husband said this morning that she wasn’t well and he thought she had pneumonia.
She has been having some breathing problems and Bert (Mr Broadfoot) thought it best to call an ambulance.
Michael made an announcement about lunch being delayed due to a passenger being taken ill but he never switched the speakers on in the rooms. I didn’t know, and wouldn’t have known if I had not come out early.
Mrs Broadfoot is put onto a wheelchair and wheeled to the reception area where a fancy stretcher is waiting for her to be loaded onto. She does look poorly and seems to have accepted she is going to a hospital.
The two paramedics gingerly wheel her off the ship onto a very narrow walkway that stretches for a couple of hundred yards to where the ambulance is parked. A policeman follows to his motorbike which is parked close by.
Bringing up the rear are Bert, myself a policeman and policewoman. It is not an easy path to walk down and I heard Bert wobble a couple of times.
The motorcycle cop has ridden off and the paramedics have put Mrs Broadfoot into the rear of the ambulance and her husband in the front seat.
I look at the policeman and woman and ask if I can ride in their car.
“No we are not going to Hoorn” I am told. Apparently this is where the hospital is.
“What happens to me then?” I reply pointing at the Esmeralda as it is disappearing into the distance.
We are in the middle of nowhere and I don’t fancy being stranded here!
In the end I am put in the rear of the ambulance with Mrs Broadfoot and a paramedic for the twenty minute ride to Hoorn hospital.
Once there the nurses start all of the necessary tests while Bert wants to know where the canteen is!
We are shown a trolley with cheese, pate and jams and brown and white bread. Tea and coffee are in flasks and we are allowed to help ourselves. I make myself a cheese sandwich while Bert makes do with a slice of cheese. He wants to know where he can get steak and chips! And a whisky!
He can’t stop telling jokes and taking the mickey out of anyone in earshot.
A very nice doctor approaches us and asks if we know what medication Mrs Broadfoot is on,
“Arsenic” replies Bert
The doctor looks perplexed, “What is this arsenic” he asks
“Poison” I tell him and he laughs
“I’ve been married three times” says Bert
“Oh”
“My first wife died eating poisonous mushrooms!”
“Oh” and there’s a pause
“I strangled my second wife...........because she wouldn’t eat the mushrooms!”
After be x-rayed we are told Mrs Broadfoot has a touch of pneumonia and will have to stay in hospital for at least tonight and maybe longer. Not really what she wanted to hear but they know what they are doing. The doctor said that if she had been 25/30 years old he would release her with some antibiotics.
Once the decision to keep her in has been taken she is moved onto the ward on the fourth floor and in room 61.
Although disappointed at having to stay in hospital she seems a lot brighter and happier than a couple of hours ago.
We say our goodbyes and make our way to reception where we can order a taxi to take us to the Esmeralda, which is due to leave Hoorn at 16:00
This all works well until we reach the harbour and the boat is not there!
I frantically call the Esmeralda only to be told they will be there at 16:30! I had made a mistake in thinking it left at 16:00 when in fact it arrives at 16:00! And doesn’t leave until 18:00.
There is not much for us to do so we sit and wait in a pub.
The boat duly arrives and we meet lots of the group as they are coming ashore to explore Hoorn.
“How is she?” everybody seems to ask
“It’s twins” replies Bert to anyone who has asked!

I retrieve my camera from the cabin and have a walk around Hoorn. What a lovely place that has a lot more here than I realised. The old buildings around the harbour are all twisted and look as though they are holding one another up.
I meet up with Andy and Nina and after Andy has bought some bits and pieces from the fancy dress/party shop we have a drink in the pub before going back to the ship.
All of our watches say a different time but then in walks the captain for his tea so we know that as long as we leave at the same time as the skipper we shall be ok!
He obviously doesn’t like the food on board either as he is tucking into something tasty looking at the bar.
We depart at 18:00 but Michael has no idea if everybody is on board as there was no checking or handing in of keys. I hope we are all here!

We arrive in Volendam half an hour early and Nina, Andy and I decided to eat out tonight.
Volendam is a very busy place during the day but at night it is very quiet.
We end up in a small cafe for our dinner (chips and something!) and are joined by Joan who has eaten on the ship but joins us for a drink.
It was a bit awkward getting off the ship as we are moored against two other vessels. We cross over onto the one next door and then climb the steps to walk through the sun deck and across a gangway onto the next ship where we descend some more stairs to come out on the quayside! Some of the passengers will struggle with this. During the evening another one arrives so we are now moored four abreast! Why can’t they use some of the other mooring points?
And we are the wrong side of the harbour entrance for the coach park meaning that everyone will have to walk around the harbour to reach the coach in the morning, all this after negotiating a couple of ships as well!
On our way back tonight we walk onto the first ship and along with the stairs there is an electric seat that is for people who can’t walk the stairs.
Andy sits on it and Nina presses the button that moves the seat up. I come along and press the button bringing him back down again.
From around the corner one of the ship’s crew appear shouting at us that it is not a plaything! I feel like a naughty boy!



Friday 23rd April

I’m one of the first in today for breakfast at 07:30 so I don’t get caught up in the rush as two of the groups are going out today at 08:30. Myself and the Johnson’s coach are going to the Keukenhof Gardens while Andy’s group stay on board and visit the gardens tomorrow.
We move the coaches from one coach park to another and then wait as the passengers slowly make their way from the boat.
I wish I had warned everybody about walking around the harbour but until we went ashore last night I didn’t know we were the wrong side of the harbour entrance.
As expected we do not leave until 08:50 but this is not a problem as we are not in a rush today.
I drive past some of the fields where they grow the bulbs and there are a few strips of bright colours to see.
We arrive at the Keukenhof at 10:10 and after buying the tickets the passengers are let loose for four hours of delight in these magnificent gardens. The weather is being kind to us as well with the sun shining and very little wind to keep it mild.
I have a walk around which I always enjoy and although they seem to have topped a lot of the bulbs already there are still plenty of lovely colours and smells to keep everyone happy.
I call the hospital and manage to speak with Mrs Broadfoot who seems in good spirits despite being told she will probably be kept in one more night. I tell her that if she is released on Saturday I will be able to pick her up at 07:30, before we begin our journey home.
The four hours here pass very quickly and everybody has enjoyed their day. What a difference a sunny day makes.
We are back in Amsterdam in an hour and I offer to drop people off in the centre and then return to pick them up at a pre-arranged time later.
As we near the centre the traffic slows to a stop. In the centre of Amsterdam they are constructing an underground system that will run from north to south when it is eventually finished. The building has been going on for a few years now and I know they had to stop work last year due to problems that nobody would take the blame for. It really is an ugly mess at the moment.
And why do they need a metro system when they have an excellent tram and bus service.
It is a pain in the arse today!
I decide to make a slight detour that will show the passengers some of the sights as we approach the centre from another road.
At Dam Square there is the Dam Monument and Royal Palace and also today a fun fair. How they fit so many big rides onto a small square I don’t know but it does look impressive. The big wheel is spinning at a fair rate of knots while the height of the revolving swings makes my tummy feel funny just looking at it.
I manage to get to the drop off point opposite Central Station expecting most of the passengers to enjoy the next hour and a half in Amsterdam. Four get off! I explain that I will be back at 17:15 to pick them up but if they are not there then I presume they have done their own thing and returned to the boat at their leisure.
I take everybody else back to the boat and wait to pick the others up. It seems a bit silly going back for four but I did say I would. If I could get under the bridge close to the boat then it would only be a two minute journey but because of the low railway bridges I will have to drive around.
I leave early in the vain hope one of the coach bays is free and I will be able to wait until 17:15. No such luck! No problem though, I will drive round the block and be back in time. No such luck! It takes me an hour to drive a couple of miles due to all of the congestion and I arrive back at the pick up point half an hour late. Nobody is there!
By the time I am back at the boat I am about fit to bite my own arse!
With hindsight (a wonderful thing) I should have walked back to meet anybody who wanted to return to the boat.
Four of the group had stayed behind this morning and on arriving in Amsterdam had joined in with Andy’s group when he took them for a walk into the centre.
Amongst other things, they visited the sex museum on the Damrak and were astounded to see a picture of a Petersfield lady near the entrance! Erica Roe, who famously streaked at Twickenham many years ago, has her famous picture hanging there.
One of the group, Colin, finds all of this highly amusing and has the pictures to prove it!
Dinner was a normal four course meal tonight when it was billed as the Captain’s Gala dinner. This was pointed out to me afterwards by people who had travelled before and I could only agree that this was no gala dinner!
After dinner Andy would like to walk into town to see Wakefield play rugby. I agree to join him although I have never seen a rugby league match in my life. He supplies the team coach and has his logo on their sponsored shorts. He is a massive rugby fan.
Now I know what it is like to drag people out to watch Chelsea when they are not really interested!
We wander through the red light area, where some of the sights make your eyes pop out, and to the sports bar where the rugby is on. I actually enjoy the game, which we watch until half time, before taking the scenic route back to the boat!

Brian has gone away this morning with a gardening club to Hereford and the Wye Valley, and is away until Monday. I took this group away last year and they are a nice crowd so I’m sure he will have a good four days.

Saturday 24th April

Am up at 05:00 but wishing I could stay in bed for another couple of hours.
Myself and Nina are leaving at 09:00 and Andy at 09:30. I am up so early because Mrs Broadfoot is being released from hospital at 07:30 this morning and I have offered to pick her up. It is a bit inconvenient but I am happy to drive to Hoorn to bring her home as I think today is not strenuous and she can relax on the coach all day. If she had stayed in hospital it becomes very complicated and everything would be in the hands of the insurance company. Anyway, the hospital wouldn’t release her if they thought she was too ill to travel home.
After loading my cases on the coach and checking my map, Bert and I are soon burning up the asphalt to Hoorn and a hospital I don’t have a map for!
It is a forty minute drive to Hoorn and the hospital is well signposted from the motorway. I was hoping this would be the case as it is a new hospital and they are normally built on the outskirts of a town with good access.
Parking the coach at the entrance Bert and I wander up to the fourth floor and room 61. Mrs Broadfoot is sat on the bed waiting for us and seems very pleased to see us. I leave them for a few minutes so Mrs Broadfoot could dress in some privacy.
Once dressed we all say goodbye to the man sharing her room and a nurse wheels her down to the coach. We are away by 07:30.
We are back at the boat forty minutes later allowing me just enough time to load the cases and grab a quick coffee and roll.
Before I know it I am driving out of Amsterdam and we are on our way to Calais.
Before I left we managed to say our goodbyes before going our separate ways.
We are booked on the 16:10 ferry, as is Nina and Joan, and we have a lovely ride to Calais with no hold ups at all. The docks were very quiet as well and we managed to catch the 15:25 ferry.
We had stopped for lunch on the motorway in Belgium at the same place as Nina and Joan but they never caught the early ferry so I didn’t see them again.
At the docks we saw Martin, Jim and Barbara Spiers who had been on a pilgrimage to Jim’s brothers war grave in Germany. It is 65 years since he died and I am sure they had a very emotional time.
I find stories like this fascinating and extremely interesting and it is all a part of our history.
The ferry sails on time, I have a bit of a kip and we arrive on time.
The journey in England is as uneventful as the rest of the day has been and I am finished by 19:30.

I have enjoyed this tour but the Esmeralda was not up to the standards of previous trips.
I don’t know if it is down to Michael but both Andy and I agreed that corners had been cut and it was detriment to the tour.
A cold lounge area on the first night, no hot plates, lack of information given out, less staff, small meals that were not as good as before, no gala dinner and a general feel that they were trying to save money at the passengers expense.
I love these cruises but feel we may have to change cruise company to reach the standard I think we should have. I feel a little bit let down by Michael and his staff.

As well as the cruise it was lovely to make some new friends during the week. I would like to thank Andy, Joan and Nina for their company and very much look forward to meeting up again on another tour.