Magic bus routes

Good evening. In the gloom caused by the loss of many rural bus services and Rishi Sunak’s shameful rollback of environmental pledges, there has been one gleam of (green) light. The bus fare cap, now set at £2.50 across England, will run until 30 November 2024. The cap doesn’t apply to buses in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, but there are still some reasonable fares to be had. This week, our public transport-roving reporter Phoebe Taplin has crisscrossed these isles to bring us the most scenic bus and rail routes in the UK. There’s the 555 bus from Kendal to Keswick, which offers a 90-minute cinematic journey through the Lake District; or the 402 from Coleraine to Ballycastle skirting one of the most dramatic coastlines in the world, not to mention the chance of a snifter at Bushmills distillery; and the number 5 in north Wales whose journey encompasses mountains, moors and sandy beaches all for the bargain price of £5.90 for a day ticket. On the rails, the Far North line offers a four-hour Scottish epic past shifting vistas of estuaries, lochs and mountains; while the Hope Valley line from Manchester to Sheffield runs right through the Peak District past gritstone cliffs, reservoirs and viaducts. So next time you fancy a day out, ditch the car and bag yourself a window seat.