Skills Coach Tours

[Robbie 39]

When l was very young l remember my gran would get the sudden urge to go on a coach trip, so off we would go from Bilborough by bus to Skills on Wollaton Road. And there she would study on where to go which could be a stately home, the seaside or a mystery tour but no matter what she picked she loved it.

She was a regular on these trips which was obviously a bit of a social thing for her meeting the same people time and time again.

The downside of these trips out for me was l always ended up having to collect any tips for the driver, often the money l collected in a brown paper bag or a flat cap.

I should be grateful really my parents couldn't afford to take me out on these excursions.

[Michael Booth 7,364]

I once went on a Skills coach trip but when I found that Brendan Sheerin wasn't there I never went again.

[banjo48 928]

When I was fairly young and mum was feeling fed up, she would get me up early and we'd toddle off down to Huntingdon st bus station, and head for the East coast or wherever was on offer that day.

We didn't have much money so must have been cheap, usually got an ice cream and fish & chips for lunch then the trip home.

[TBI 2,351]

Skills always evoke memories of holidays when I was a kid. In the fifties and sixties, we always had our fortnight away to the seaside in the summer. I only ever remember going on a train once, we always went by bus and usually Skills. The coaches always seemed very posh compared to the corporation buses I usually rode on. The bus station as I remember was quite small, on Wollaton St.

[Ivor Thirst 120]

I used to go for a Shippos or two with Nigel Skills 40 odd years ago. That prompted me to Google him and pleased to see he's the boss now and the business still doing well.

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

The bus station as I remember was quite small, on Wollaton St.

Where exactly on Wollaton Street? I can't place it.

[StephenFord 866]

Funnily enough, I don't ever remember going on a Skills tour - we didn't do coach tours much (with dad working for the railway). But occasionally we would go on a Derbyshire tour by Bartons or Trent. I remember going to Ilam and Dovedale around 1953, and there was the longest tailback of traffic going down the hill from Thorpe village.

In fact, the only time I remember travelling on Skills at all was a trip out to Radcliffe on the ordinary bus service that they ran jointly with Trent to Shelford and East Bridgford.

[TBI 2,351]

Where exactly on Wollaton Street? I can't place it.

It was on a slope up Hanley St to Talbot St, Cliff.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

My mother and I often used to go on Skill's excursions in the late 1960s/early 1970s, often to places quite far afield such as Brighton, and I also remember one to Guildford to see the new cathedral. The photo below is on a rainy day at Bournemouth:

 

 

The photo below is at Huntingdon Street:



And if I remember right they had two double deckers for use on their East Bridgeford service from Huntingdon St., one of which is seen here:

[Robbie 39]

Cliff Ton,

Before the land was eventually built on it became an open space car park which l think was solely used by the City Council staff from Lawrence House which was on the corner of Clarendon Street/Talbot Street

[BilboroughShirley 1,120]

I remember Skills tours in the late 50s and early 60s. My mum called them Skills for thrills as sometimes the drivers would decide to go a different way and we would end up down little lanes in Derbyshire. One time my dad and some of the other passengers had to get out to hold tree branches up for the bus to pass. They ran trips to London Airport so you could watch the planes!

[DaveN 1,118]

Didn't Skills have a place at the bottom of Derby Road almost opposite The Albert Hotel? I think at one side of the area was the magic shop "Sign of Four"

[Karlton 582]

I remember netherfield luxery coaches, and Dunn Line. and i think there was a coach firm Black and Whites Clarks i think.

[NickA 13]

See this DaveN: http://nottstalgia.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8345

Mention of that shop has brought back a few distant memories. I don't think I ever dared go in! Maybe it had gone by the time I was old enough to be going shopping on my own!

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

On 15/04/2015 at 7:43 AM, DaveN said:

Didn't Skills have a place at the bottom of Derby Road almost opposite The Albert Hotel? I think at one side of the area was the magic shop "Sign of Four"

I think it was maybe some kind of general bus / coach parking area. NickA has found one of the relevant photos; here's a couple more. On both, the signs on the walls include Barton, Skills, and Hall Bros.

 

[Blondie 1,392]

I once went on a Skills coach trip but when I found that Brendan Sheerin wasn't there I never went again.

WHO ?......

[Blondie 1,392]

I can remember day trips and mystery trips and even weekly holidays driven by Skills from Hucknall Market Place back in the 50's and 60's - the mystery trips were mostly on a Sunday Evening in the summer and Matlcock Illuminations in the Autumn..........The day trips were Saturday and Sundays......The weekly holidays buses where Saturday mornings to Skegness and area also Bridlington and areas, even day trips to London or weekend trips to Blackpool.......The family would meet up, cousins, aunts, uncles, grandma and grandad, sometimes friends and neighbours............Started off well, but mostly ended up with someone arguing or getting a clout - I can remember when I was a kid losing one of my new shoes on Skeggy beach, got a clout for that.................great days.......

[BilboroughShirley 1,120]

#13 Karlton, I remember Black and White coaches. In 1969 they used to run from Coventry to Nottingham. Also there was Halls Coaches that ran from Coventry to South Shields via Nottingham.

[Guest]

Went to Corpo school courtesy of a fine coaching supplier- with livery to match - Rosetta buses!!

[Guest]

Saw the stones at Wembley +coach £25

all in and the Skills driver dropped me off at Moorebridge.

[LizzieM 9,507]

I've only seen the Stones once, a few years ago at Twickenham. Ticket price £150 !!!

[Merthyr Imp 729]

#18 - I think the reference to 'a coach firm Black and Whites Clarks' in #13 is to Clark's of Epperstone, who had a black and white livery.

It was Black & White of Cheltenham who ran express services to Huntingdon Street.

[Cliff Ton 10,464]

And also #18, I think Halls mentioned was Hall Brothers, who were based in South Shields and taken over by Barton in the mid 60s.

[LizzieM 9,507]

I went on the Black & White coach to Devon in the 60s, we had to change at Cheltenham but don't remember if the same company went all the way to Devon. It was an overnight service, arriving in Ilfracombe at about 8 am.

[Merthyr Imp 729]

Lizzie - looking at my old copy of the ABC Coach & Bus Guide for 1966 suggests the following possible details:

There was a Black & White departure from Huntingdon Street at 930pm on Fridays only. It called at various places, including Leicester, to Coventry where arrival was due at 1159pm. Then it was non-stop to Cheltenham, arrival due at 2.00am Saturday morning.

Then there was a departure from Cheltenham at 2.30am (probably a Royal Blue coach< which called at Bristol for refreshments at about 4.15am then called at South Molton at 7.34, and Barnstaple at 8am. Arrival at Ilfracombe was due at 8.30am on the Saturday morning.