REVIEW: Barnes Coaches Day Trip to Weston Super Mare

Barnes Coaches is a family run coach operator based in Swindon, and after five very long months, they have been able to restart their day trips and holidays! You can’t beat a trip to the seaside, especially after a year of lockdowns, so we were delighted when the team asked us if we’d like to come along on one of their upcoming day trips.

The experience was a delight from start to finish. Our friendly driver Paul picked us up from our preferred location in Old Town Swindon (even though we were the only passengers getting on at that pick-up point). That’s the amazing thing about Barnes – wherever you live in or around Swindon, there will always be a pick-up point close or convenient to you.

Paul was so friendly and welcoming as soon as he saw us heading towards the bus, had a quick chat with us and let us know which seats were ours. All Barnes’ coaches are super modern and well equipped, with comfy seats, plenty of storage space, air conditioning, USB points and lots more. Upon stepping on the coach immediately I noticed the safety precautions they had implemented on board such as hand sanitiser, mask wearing, social distancing and limiting the coach capacity. Although it was a 60+ seater coach, they are currently limiting numbers to make coach travel as safe as possible. There were only fifteen of us on this particular trip so we managed to social distance perfectly! We were seated at least three rows away from anyone, so it felt really safe and covid secure.

Within minutes of sitting down in our seats, we were off to pick up other passengers from various locations around Swindon. Paul was so accommodating by helping elderly passengers on the coach with their belongings and ensuring they got to their seat safely. As we drove towards our destination, Paul spoke to the passengers through the speaker, informing us on the safety procedures and throwing a joke in now and again to make us all laugh!

One of my favourite things about the coach trip was the spectacular views – you forget how much higher up you are in a coach in comparison to your average car! Traveling down the M5 near Portishead and Clevedon was particularly impressive with all those countryside and sea views!

As we approached Weston Super Mare, Paul briefed us about where he would be dropping us off and picking us up, plus the timings so we were all aware. He dropped us all off right at the seafront by the pier – the perfect place to begin our day out in Weston Super Mare! When Paul pulled up, once again, he made sure everyone got off the coach safely and there was hand sanitiser for passengers to use. He assured us that he would be back to pick us up at 6pm, giving us plenty of time to explore the coastal town.

We had a fabulous day in Weston – the sun shone for us all day and we enjoyed walks up and down the beach, fish and chips on the seafront, fun on the pier and even an open top bus ride around the town. And no worries about parking! Many people are often put off by taking day trips to the coast, or to cities, because of the worry about parking. It’s not always easy to park in busy locations like this and it can be expensive, so Barnes Coaches offer the perfect solution for that.

By 5:45pm, all the passengers had returned to the coach pick-up point and it was time to return to Swindon. We hopped back on the coach and soon enough, we were back on the road. Our lovely driver had also taken the time to leave a little envelope on everyone’s seats for the return journey with a day trip brochure inside, which made fantastic reading for the journey home!

The coach travel was quicker than I expected, and we made it back to town in just over an hour. Paul made his way back to everyone’s drop off points and once again, couldn’t be more helpful with assisting those who needed it off the coach and fetching their luggage.

Overall, we had a fabulous and most importantly, safe day with Barnes Coaches and we will certainly be back. A huge thank you to Paul for being so welcoming and making the journey so fun, and to Barnes Coaches for inviting us to come along. It was certainly the day trip we needed after such a long time stuck at home!

Barnes Coaches run a whole range of coach trips from London, Canterbury and Birmingham to Weymouth, Brighton and Plymouth. To browse their online brochure, click here or call them directly on 01793 821303 to order a copy of the brochure.