Great Western Coffee Shop

I understand from the Melksham Tourist Information Centre that the National Express Coach to London is doing a roaring trade at the moment, with nearly every seat booked well in advance.

As it happens, I read this having just booked a coach journey for the next strike day!

The fare didn't leave me thinking it's so much cheaper than rail, but I assume that's because the bargain fares have long since been snapped up.

My experience so far gives me the vibe that rail remains much less hassle* for long-distance journeys (where a service exists, of course) but it will be interesting to see how things compare when I've actually made the journey. One plus point is that it was nice to be able to pick a seat from a plan – I opted for a reservation purely because I had the opportunity to pick a window seat. (Not impossible with rail booking engines, but requires a bit of messing around.)

* Obviously a bias here – first time booking vs years of experience means some of rail's hassle is less visible to me...!

I am also told that on strike days the price has risen from £20 to £120 a seat. If true, that's not nice.

There are still seats available Wednesday 5th October on Berry's Coaches Frome and Warminster to London 21 pounds single.

I am, though, told that nearly 20 have been seen boarding it, where it was just 2 or 3 before the strike.