Morning! welcome to the wonderful world of Gatwick North Terminal, Gate 55
it's early, it's the end of August
catching a flight, and also ... my friend Roger
is the right there, wave hi!
Hi Geoff!
Here's a plane montague
Thanks Chelsea! Off the plane
so at the title of the video suggests
Roger had this great idea
to go to the western most bus stop
in Britain, so we're gonna go to the pub here
have some breakfast
and he'll give you the details!
but you have been to the north, south and east bus stops
- i have which are where?
north is fairly easy, that's in the shetland islands
and it's in the most northern island
called Unst - Ok!
i'm gonna assume, i know this is a fact but
i would have assumed that the easterly one must be in Lowestoft - Well done
the easterly one is Lowestoft - and the southern one, want to have a go at that?
it's ... gonna be somewhere in cornwall or devon right?
ok, but where exactly
it's Lizard, Lizard point
i had a lovely trip to Shetland
and i thought, well it obviously makes sense to go to the most northern point
- yes it does!
and once you've gone to the most northenr point
the most nxt logical thing was to go to Lizard, the most southern point
and then, come on
but we should point out that this isn't the first time we've done this
because we tried to do this in September of last year
and we got all the way to Glasgow airport
and then due to bad weather, the local flight over to Barra
was ... - cancelled
so this is our second attempe!
a year on - a year later
you're going to tell us / show us on the map
where the westerly most bus stop is
it is actually ... here
at the southern tip of Barra
actually, on another island
called Vatisay which is connected by a causeway
and it's just at this junction here
at a village, it's called a village, Caolas
but we'll see when we get there i actually think
there's proabably nothing there at all, other than the bus stop!
So we're flying in
to the airport, which is famously on a beach
a beach landing
yeah, we're gonna get to that there's a whole section on that
it's a twin otter, and then we're getting the bus
to this westerley point - down here, to Caolas which is on the way
down to the Vattersay village
so it was at this point last time, that we ...
... discovered that the weather had turned and our flight was delayed
and delayed and delayed and cancelled
today the weather, is looking much better
and i think the flight is on!
- See you down there, 4/5 we are
oh. bathroom? - yeah
that might be our plane! that one ... ... that one there
i really want that to be our place. that might be our plane!
is that our plane?
i don't do planes
so we've come down to the gate area where we're
wariting for our place to board, and here's the thing
to tell you, if you don't already know
the cool thing, about flying to Barra
from Glasgow, is that you're on a Twin Otter De Havilland plane
but the airport at Barra
is the beach!
it's the only place that you can land
so Tom Scott
made a video on this a couple of years ago
i will link to it go watch that video for the full story 'cause our story
it about visiting the bus stop but i can't of course not
mention the fact that the plane we're about to get on
is subject to the tide times because obviously
you can only land a place on a beach
when the tide is out ... ... so we're about to get a plane
that lands, on the beach, at Barra
you go first! - no after you, go on, Go ooon
oh i see! it's quite compact in here
it's a small plane!
there is no door on the cockpit right, so we can just see right in
what's your name? - Laura
hello Laura, that's amazing
it's err ...
it's quite cozy - it is a bit isn't it
very cozy! - very nice
i'm gonna get a great view of the propellors
so you get the, the, we get the, what do they call it we get the whole rolling shutter effect
afternoon everyone! by your seatbelt you'll find a safety card
there's information there on the brace position and the location of the emergency exits
landed, how long did that take?
from Glasgow, fifty minutes
Fifty! Minutes ... flight
we are on the beach, at Barra
Amazing!
so apparantly, sometimes
if it's too windy, or too misty, they can't land on the beach
and after a couple of attempts, they have to go back to Glasgow because they can't land
and have you nip back to Glasgow - Nip back?
it's an hour, it's more than a nip!
Selfie with the pilot!
there go the crew
there's the plane
it looks like a bus shelter! it's not, it's a ...
repurposed as an airport baggage reclaim
it doubles up as a rusty ... bagged reclaim chute
is our bus on this timetable?
it is look, here it is it sould arrives at 14:11
it than has 9 minute layover, 'til 14:20
and that's what we're getting?
quite quiet for an airport really, isn't it?
"britain's quietest airport"
least used airport! in Britain
oh somebody do that ... please!
right, that's the plane done
better get the bus
out W32 bus is here
we're gonna go to castle bay - this is all on Roger now
this is all, we're in bus terriroty - what type of bus is this?
oh, i don't know, don't ask, i don't know about vehicles
It's a Mercedes Sprinter
any type of model number? just a Mercedes Sprinter
i think it's a 220 - we think it's a 220
bus people like to know these things - yeah!
is that is? we're off. how long's our journey?
well it's about 20 minutes to Castlebay - 20 minutes to Castlebay, and then?
a further 5/10, five minutes - to get down
so we go over the causeway, or?
so we do go over the causeway
quite a lof of single track road
not a lot of ... our driver's telling us
with lots of passing points, right?
you're very kindly giving, cars behind you, priority to overtake you
'cause your going slower than they are
that's a nice touch
Can see the shelter! it's exciting ...
big moment! - let's go!
are you ready? - i'm ready
that's Graham, thanks Graham! - no worries, see you later
thanks Graham - bye!
legend! thank you!!
cheers mate you have ...
arrived! you've done all four Roger
that's all. Uist, Lizard and Lowestoft
and now ... all four compass points
tick! done. Is that it? TICK!
no, it's the other way round isn't it?
there we go - i don't know anymore!
i don't do that anymore!
Wonderful, look there's even a postbox as well
there's a seat!
there's a place for timetables
but there isn't a timetable
and there#s no dot matrix
it's a sort of summer, open-air shelter
that's how ... wonderful, wonderful
* crunching of footsteps on gravel *
there's not a lot here, is there?
it's so beautiful, i love Scotland, i love the Scottish islands
this is just gorgeous
it's kind of, it's crying out for a drone shot, isn't it?
Yeah go for it - it would be rude not to get a drone shot at this point
alright *laughs* there's nothing here!
there's a bus stop, bus shelter *laughs* that's it!
while we're here, we've made a joke about
it's so remote, but as a seasoned ... bus expert
there is validity in these service, because they do
play an important role in serving
we need buses, right? even in remote locations
- absolutely, even moreso in remote locations
because what else can people do if they're living there
to travel, if they don't have access to a car
which many people don't, and we don't want everyone to travel by car
with global warming, climate change and everything
tell quickly, what was, give us one highlight from each of the other
'cause you put it on your blog, i'll do a link to your blog
- thank you! Roger's twitter on screen now
Lizard is very much a tourist route, in the summer in particular
because it's right down at Lizard point
which is a beautiful part of the country
Shetland was more for local people who live in that area
no that, local people for local, that's ...
is that Fast Show?
and then Lowestoft was, actually there was a bit of controversy
at Lowestoft, which was the most easterly bus stop
but i think i got to the right one
and that was just a typical bus stop, in a typical midsized town, in East Anglia
nothing much to shout home about there were out of date notices on it, that sort of thing
but this is just something else
the peace, and the quiet here
and as you say though it provides a lifeline of transport
to the people who do live in this area particularly the young children getting to school
but you showed me at the airport this morning there was a bit on the timetable
that was all ... R R R
request, request, request ...
there's a bit where the bus doesn't
run unless you call in advance
two hours in advance?
- two hours in advance "book the bus"
that's almost like a DRT
well i mean, it is, it is DRT
faffing around with a silly app
ring the driver, and he'll come pick you up
we're staying the night in ... - Castlebay
and the reason why it's called that
is because there's a castle
a little one, in the bay!
so it would be - again - irresponsible
if i didn't end the video with a dramatic shot - i think you should
of the drone, fly-
forget, foget bus stops - forget bus stops!
completely, flying out is a red herring
we came, because of the beach landing
and the little castle in the bay
that's what it's all about
it's all those things! we ticked many boxes
and it's been great, thank you very much
just a bit worried, the bus hasn't come back - i know!
it went down to the end of Vatersay
with six kids on, and hasn't come back
how far is the walk back to Castlebay?
err about, not far couple of miles
we can knock that off in half an hour!
we can walk, shall we? - we'll walk it back
here's the dramatic shot, of the drone
and the castle, in Castlebay
wave goodbye to the internet - byyyee! bye!