1. So starting off in the Lake District. During the mid-1980s the then fledgling Guide Friday company was established from a base at Stratford-on-Avon in Warwickshire. By the end of the 1980s though it had expanded to other parts of the United Kingdom and indeed one such operation was set in motion in the Lake District. This ran every 20-minutes between Bowness and Ambleside alongside the eastern shores of Windermere. One of the buses in regular use was a former Birmingham & Midland Motor Omnibus Daimler Fleetline (6182), built in 1969 and illustrated here at Windermere Railway Station.

2. By 1990 the service was in the hands of the Cumberland Motor Services subsidiary of the Stagecoach Group. With a serious makeover to the livery, the service was marketed as the “Lakeland Experience” and by May 1995 the service had been extended northwards from the Ambleside terminus passed Rydal Water to the village of Grasmere and its own water feature. Far away from its origins was this handsome looking MCW bodied Leyland Atlantean, the early years spent serving the inhabitants of Portsmouth and Southsea within the local corporation’s transport department. By now assigned fleet number 1928 the bus paused for the photographer as it began another trip southwards to Bowness.

3. Then for many years the route was operated by a fleet of Bristol VRs in what some described as a pseudo “Southdown” livery. But eventually the VR’s reign was history, and the Leyland Olympian took on the task. In time these were joined by a fleet of Leyland Titans formerly operated by Stagecoach’s East London subsidiary. So after eighteen years trudging around the mean streets of London, several examples escaped from the Metropolis and after some serious work that included removal of their roofs along with the exit doorway. They were also adorned with a revised ‘Lakeland Experience’ livery. With a registration that disguised the vehicle’s age to the inexperienced eye, 975 (B110 WUV, T 1110 as was), approached the northern end of the route on a dampish day in May 2002 with the impressive Helvellyn range behind.

4. However, by 2007 matters had taken a different course. Gone were localised fleet numbers, replaced by a nationwide numbering scheme instigated by Stagecoach. But not only were the numbers different though, more striking was the lack of the aesthetically area-friendly green colours replaced by the standard nationwide stripy livery of the company. Fortunately the powers that be had maybe decided that the ‘green’ livery was rather nice and pleasant, and by 2009 this had made a welcome return to the buses albeit in a revised format. However, further development saw the step-entrance London Titans replaced by low-floor Dennis Trident Alexander bodied ALX400s. Several of the type were transferred to the north west, and amongst them a small number of these buses received the attention of the support staff, who once again removed the roofs and exit doorways. The livery was completed and the ‘Lakeland Experience’ brand made a welcome return as illustrated on 17015 in the centre of Grasmere Village. Another feature of these buses was the introduction of the electronic destination in place of the roller blind type. Furthermore inclement weather would no longer hamper those who wished to take a turn up top, the first ten seats now under cover of a partial roof facility.

5-6. As well as route 599 in the Central Lakes region, another open-top service has operated in the Northern Lakes area. This has been run under the number 79 for many years from Keswick alongside Derwentwater and down through Borrowdale to Seatoller at the base of the Honister Pass. For many years like the 599, this too was firmly in the hands of the reliable former Southdown Bristol VRs with Eastern Coachworks (ECW) bodywork. Illustrated is number 2076 that had just departed from the Keswick bus station with a healthy loading of passengers, as it set out on a September jaunt down to Seatoller. The sharp-eyed observer will note that the branding between the decks showed that the supposed route served points north of Keswick to the Winlatter Forestry Centre. I stand to be corrected, but do not recall that this location was ever served by the open-toppers. Had this been the case then the route would have been almost doubled in length and furthermore may have been a teeny bit difficult as getting to the location would have been along some roads heavily overhung by trees. Anyhow, on arrival at the hamlet of Seatoller it was necessary for the bus to reverse onto the terminus and a rear aspect illustrated the bike rack that had been affixed to the rear panels. As already indicated the bus was one of several that were purpose-built as convertible open-toppers for the originating Southdown company, but by now were operated at all times without their roofs.

7. But that is not quite the end of this part. By 2010 and the Borrowdale service had been renumbered as the 78 and was firmly in the hands of the step-entrance Alexander bodied Volvo Olympian. Halfway along the route with the high season 30-minute service in full swing, the two buses assigned met and 16393 is observed from sister 16329 both previously operated by the Greater Manchester South subsidiary from 1996. So summing this all up, if one has not had the opportunity, try and make time to experience this wonderful part of our British Isles from the top deck of a bus.

8. So we move on to some of the other inland open-top operations. Chester in the summer of 1995 and a couple of the city transport’s Northern Counties bodied Leyland Fleetlines had been converted and were in use on the sightseeing tour. Here number 95 called in at the bus station as it carried a reasonable number of passengers around the city’s sights on a beautiful July day in 1999.

9-10. May 1998 and in Manchester city centre open-topped double-deck sightseeing tour buses were unable to be used owing to height restrictions in respect of the overhead associated with the Metrolink tram system. Unperturbed by this restriction local operator Ashalls Coaches acquired this Leyland Leopard coach. And as can be observed the original lines of the Duple Dominant bodywork had received the attention of the 'man with an axe', transforming it into this form. This had been one of ten such chassis and mechanics originally supplied to Scottish operator Alexander (Midland), five with bodywork supplied by Duple and five by Alexander. The tour was not a raging success as the service only appeared to operate in this form for a short period of time.

11. Sometime around the early to mid-1970s there had been an earlier initiative to tempt punters onto the top deck of an open-topper to view the sights and sounds of the Manchester city centre and the immediate surroundings. This was attempted with a former Stockport Corporation all-Leyland Titan PD2 half-cab illustrated here in Piccadilly (Photographer unknown)

12-13. And now as they say, for something completely different. Few minibuses have graced these shores as open-toppers, but just such a vehicle was found during the late 1990s, operated by the Yorkshire-based TJ Walsh company. Proclaiming itself then to be “Britain’s Only Open-Top Minibus”, this Ford Transit with Carlyle bodywork built in 1985, was found transporting customers around the delights of Halifax in 1997. The company had by then become well-known for the collection of Ford Transit type minibuses used on local stage services that it had acquired from various sources around the United Kingdom. However, identification was difficult as most were re-registered.

14-15. Like the Bristol VRs already mentioned that were originally supplied to the Southdown company, the Western National were supplied with eleven convertible versions during 1977 and 1978. All were named and had replaced a fleet of similarly constructed earlier convertible Leyland Atlanteans. Here what had been their number 940 named Invincible (an apt name for a VR), was found in 2007 operated by the York Pullman company in the Yorkshire city of that name. Taken as it dived beneath the city walls, one can observe where the front nearside upper deck seating has been adjusted for the live guide.
The battle for the tourist is hot in York as illustrated by the Summer 2009 picture, with the two protagonists vying for custom on the city’s streets. Former London Routemaster RM 783 passed near to the War Memorial Gardens and proclaimed to be a ‘fully guided’ tour, hotly pursued by another former London bus this time a more youthful MCW Metrobus, operated by Transdev on a City Sightseeing franchise.

16. Thirty-seven Volvo B10M with East Lancs double-decker bodywork were supplied in 1990 and 1991 to the then growing London & Country company. Growing because it was involved in the contracted network of routes within the Greater London Area along with many other within the northern part of Surrey county. As number 648 back then it would have operated on normal stage services in and out of south London, but by 2004 had swapped such arduous duties for more leisurely pursuits in ‘Shakespeare’ country at Stratford-upon-Avon. Whether it operated on route 2B (or not 2B), that is the question?

17. Nearby in the South Midlands area some years previous and some miles to the south east lay the charming Oxfordshire town of Bicester. The company nameplate on the structure behind indicates that the picture was taken during the era of the National Bus Company (NBC) from 1969-1985. The former London Daimler Fleetline was one of a number acquired by various subsidiaries of the NBC and put to less arduous duties in the provinces, on this occasion a tour from Oxford city centre to Woodstock and Blenheim Palace in the Cotswolds.

18. Cambridgeshire and the on east side of the main A1 trunk road in 1999 lay Peterborough. Corporate operation had moved on from the days of the NBC appearing with privatised operations such as Stagecoach. Passing through sylvan setting near to Water Orton the then Viscount subsidiary operated this Bristol FLF with ECW bodywork, on a seasonal service that linked several leisure sites including the Nene Valley Railway, with the city centre.

19. Colchester Borough Transport’s fleet number 55 was one of six ECW bodied Leyland Atlanteans supplied in 1975 for ordinary revenue-earning service. However, by 1996 some 21-odd years later it had served the location well and was assigned to other duties, but not before the bus had received the attentions of the ‘man with a hacksaw’. With roof removed it was returned to service on the tourist trail and featured signwriting that proclaimed ‘Camulodunum’, Colchester the site of the oldest recorded township.

20. Back to something of a much older design in the shape of a 1941-vintage Bristol K with ECW body. During the 1993 Summer season it was found on the Bath sightseeing tour operated by Badgerline in association with Guide Friday. The vehicle was run with a crew of three, as illustrated by a driver, conductor on the rear platform and a courier/guide on the top deck at the front.

21. However, there was a competitor vying for custom on the sightseeing tour around the city of Bath. This was in the shape of the Ryan company operating as City Tour using a number of quite different double-deckers such as this Northern Counties bodied Leyland Atlantean. This had been one of a large batch of 125 such buses supplied in 1983 to the Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive. The Ryan company had a variety of second-hand converted open-toppers, but this was the only Atlantean type, the others being mostly Bristol VR or Daimler Fleetline.

22. Another Daimler Fleetline is illustrated here, but another from the large batch of such vehicles supplied to London Transport during the early 1970s. As the Windsorian name suggested it was operated by the Berkshire-company in and around the Royal county on a sightseeing tour that took in Windsor and the public school famed town on the other side of the River Thames at Eton. These buses were provided with bodywork from both Park Royal and Metro-Cammell. Here what was DMS 1304 passed by the west wing of the Castle in April 1980 with a suitably converted body by the latter.

23. To the south of London and during the early 1990s the local county council along with the Surrey Hills Visitor Project supported a number of leisure services that were marketed under the "Surrey Hills Leisure Buses" label. This was quite a wide network of services operated in the main by a selection of vintage buses. The network included circular route 448 based on the county town of Guildford. The additional appeal of this particular route was the operation by the London & Country company with an open-top Weymann bodied AEC Reliance. The registration here disguised the vehicle's origins which lay as 325 NKT in the Maidstone & District company many years earlier. OT 1 waited time at Guildford railway station prior to an afternoon journey in June 1993.

24. Reference was made earlier as regards some convertible Bristol VRs operated by the Western National company and the vehicles which they replaced. These were a fleet of old ‘Sea Dog’-named Devon General Leyland Atlanteans. Here one of these subsequently swapped the Devon and Cornish coastlines for the highways and byways of Surrey in 1993. The original fleet number DL 925 stayed with the vehicle but the registration was removed at some stage. It was used on another service in the "Surrey Hills" network and operated here by Crawley-based Leisurelink who provided buses on seasonal route 88 between Gatwick Airport and the preserved Bluebell Railway line at Horsted Keynes.

25. This feature began with references to the Southdown Motor Services company, and perhaps it is fitting that it is ended in a similar vein. The Leisurelink operation also ran this former Southdown Northern Counties bodied Leyland Titan PD3 on another of these leisure services, route 439 which also ran from Gatwick Airport. This time though the route ran to another leisure facility at Bocket Farm near Leatherhead. The bus is shown here as it kicked up dust on departure from the farm in May 1993 complete with driver and conductor as the latter leant through the front lower nearside window over the enclosed bonnet area.