When I first started going to Wigan I had no car. Used to thumb it up from Gloucester, well Dursley really. Bus to Gloucester, then onto M5 slip road and the trip would start. Once a month if I made it to the Frankley services by 9pm could get a life with the driver of a Wagon Weels truck, up to Knutsford, then round the car park to get a lift with other heading to the Casino. The way back was another whole adventure. On one occasion, didn't get back until 7am monday morning. Got dropped of at the exit south of Wigan only to find you can't get back on the motorway again there. When we did get back on the Motorway, the next guy took all the way to Liverpool cuz we feel to sleep in the car. Then we got a lift back to Lymm intersection and thought it's just a mile to Knutsford from here so we'll walk, bloody long mile. Didn't get our last life back to Gloucester until 1am, arrived there at 3am and walked the last 15 miles home.

Happy days

Edited August 31, 200618 yr by Dave Thorley

Chris[my other half] says he used to get the train[there and back] up from Stafford to Wigan either 11.30pm or 12.30am. He says it was full of drunks though. So a lot easier journey than yours

I've always belived there was a guy at British Rail who was a closet soul boy. A train left Perth in central Scotland that arrived at Wigan at 12.30 - ideal. When I moved to the North of England my favoured route was to go to the Mecca and get the free bus 'back' to Wigan It was always full of jaked-up hen parties but it got you to Wigan for the queues flooding in.

When I first started going to Wigan I had no car. Used to thumb it up from Gloucester, well Dursley really. Bus to Gloucester, then onto M5 slip road and the trip would start. Once a month if I made it to the Frankley services by 9pm could get a life with the driver of a Wagon Weels truck, up to Knutsford, then round the car park to get a lift with other heading to the Casino. The way back was another whole adventure. On one occasion, didn't get back until 7am monday morning. Got dropped of at the exit south of Wigan only to find you can't get back on the motorway again there. When we did get back on the Motorway, the next guy took all the way to Liverpool cuz we feel to sleep in the car. Then we got a lift back to Lymm intersection and thought it's just a mile to Knutsford from here so we'll walk, bloody long mile. Didn't get our last life back to Gloucester until 1am, arrived there at 3am and walked the last 15 miles home.

Happy days

I used to get a lift with the 'big' lads. Mind you, we had TV and telephones in Dursley by the time I was going

Edited August 31, 200618 yr by in town Mikey

When I first started going to Wigan I had no car. Used to thumb it up from Gloucester, well Dursley really. Bus to Gloucester, then onto M5 slip road and the trip would start. Once a month if I made it to the Frankley services by 9pm could get a life with the driver of a Wagon Weels truck, up to Knutsford, then round the car park to get a lift with other heading to the Casino. The way back was another whole adventure. On one occasion, didn't get back until 7am monday morning. Got dropped of at the exit south of Wigan only to find you can't get back on the motorway again there. When we did get back on the Motorway, the next guy took all the way to Liverpool cuz we feel to sleep in the car. Then we got a lift back to Lymm intersection and thought it's just a mile to Knutsford from here so we'll walk, bloody long mile. Didn't get our last life back to Gloucester until 1am, arrived there at 3am and walked the last 15 miles home.

Happy days

Saturday was never a problem - scrounging lifts and/or British Rail. Sunday morning was always a mare though - and still is if your using Midland Mainline after the 100 Club

In the 70s - on my Raleigh Tomahawk.

Now - via Time Machine

When I first started going to Wigan I had no car. Used to thumb it up from Gloucester, well Dursley really. Bus to Gloucester, then onto M5 slip road and the trip would start. Once a month if I made it to the Frankley services by 9pm could get a life with the driver of a Wagon Weels truck, up to Knutsford, then round the car park to get a lift with other heading to the Casino. The way back was another whole adventure. On one occasion, didn't get back until 7am monday morning. Got dropped of at the exit south of Wigan only to find you can't get back on the motorway again there. When we did get back on the Motorway, the next guy took all the way to Liverpool cuz we feel to sleep in the car. Then we got a lift back to Lymm intersection and thought it's just a mile to Knutsford from here so we'll walk, bloody long mile. Didn't get our last life back to Gloucester until 1am, arrived there at 3am and walked the last 15 miles home.

Happy days

Southerners experiences ref late 70s all niters are very different to northerners as you can see in Moniques comments.

A saturday all nighter at Wigan often involved writing off the best part of 48 hours.

Not that I have too many regrets......

In the 70s - on my Raleigh Tomahawk.

Luxury.

You lucky git, all we had where 'tracker' bikes made from spare parts at the dump & knocked out by some geezer called Stig.

By hook or by crook!!!

We traveled from Shrewsbury, by any means we could, sometimes in luxury of a rover car ,sometimes on an organised coach, sometimes on the train and run the gauntlet when you arrived in Wigan. The train was always a pain 'cos in those days coming back on Sunday you'd have to wait 2 hours in Crewe or Wolverhampton for your connection.

Travelled to Yate once with 23 of us in a 14 seater mini bus, needless to say the thing broke down halfway home the next day.

Looking forward to the 4 hour train journey to the next Frankfurt tho'

Cheers Paul

By hook or by crook!!!

We traveled from Shrewsbury, by any means we could, sometimes in luxury of a rover car ,sometimes on an organised coach, sometimes on the train and run the gauntlet when you arrived in Wigan. The train was always a pain 'cos in those days coming back on Sunday you'd have to wait 2 hours in Crewe or Wolverhampton for your connection.

Travelled to Yate once with 23 of us in a 14 seater mini bus, needless to say the thing broke down halfway home the next day.

Looking forward to the 4 hour train journey to the next Frankfurt tho'

Cheers Paul

AND OUR ABORTED ATTEMPT TO HITCH..PACO..REMEMBER THAT

Southerners experiences ref late 70s all niters are very different to northerners as you can see in Moniques comments.

A saturday all nighter at Wigan often involved writing off the best part of 48 hours.

Not that I have too many regrets......

None of us had cars so we went by train everywhere. Persil tickets etc. Fortunately the journey to Wigan was not too tortuous. But getting back was - as Col says realistically we'd get back to Kent mid Sunday afternoon!

Trains, mini-buses, hitching, stolen cars, anything! No-one had cars then. I remember when Helen from York got a car for her birthday, a green Hilman Minx it was, her dad bought her it. Three days later, she loads up the car with folk, including her then new boyfriend, Swish. Off they set for Cleethorpes. on the way, in the middle of no-where, the car breaks down. They get out and start puzzling over the cause. Someone says "I can smell petrol" so Swish looks under the car. Being dark, Swish decides to light a match........ Next morning in our mini-bus, we pas the burned out shell of Helens pride and joy!

Train - coach or mini bus, quite lucky really

Would never hitch a lift, even back in those day's - though guess being female has a lot to do with it

Karen

Edited September 1, 200618 yr by sanquine

. Persil tickets etc. Fortunately the journey to Wigan was not too tortuous. But getting back was - as Col says realistically we'd get back to Kent mid Sunday afternoon!

Persil tickets, remember them, I had all my family people at work everywhere collecting the vouchers, to get I think half price train!!

Sometimes nostalgia drives me mad but other times, like that memory, it gives you a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

Mostly trains for us, unless lucky to get bus organised. couple of hours getting there, but about 2 days getting back, Sure we returned to Scotland via Blackburn one day!!

Jock

Persil tickets, remember them, I had all my family people at work everywhere collecting the vouchers, to get I think half price train!!

Sometimes nostalgia drives me mad but other times, like that memory, it gives you a nice warm fuzzy feeling.

Mostly trains for us, unless lucky to get bus organised. couple of hours getting there, but about 2 days getting back, Sure we returned to Scotland via Blackburn one day!!

Jock

There were 5 of us, all into Northern, and we had after school jobs stacking shelves at Kwiksave.

Persil had lots of breakages when they were doing the train offers.

I was lucky as I was working for British Rail so had acces to free passes, but even I couldnt get round some of the convuluted joutneys getting back to Reading on a Sunday morning. All I'll say is Crewe is the coldest f*****g station in the country bar none. Thank god for the woolly lining in my black harrington. It was even better when I discovered the Locarno All Dayers so I just stayed away all weekend and went back to work on Monday morning somewhat knackered. The joys of youth !!! Cheers, Dave

AND OUR ABORTED ATTEMPT TO HITCH..PACO..REMEMBER THAT

Only too well mate, a Saterday nighter after a Friday oldies. Back from Wigan 11ish straight to the pub 'till closing at 3, back home for a wash 'n' brush up then back in the pub for opening time. No room in Pips car at closing time so of course its off to the A49 with our thumbs out. We were definately still "in the mood"

Cheers Paco

Only too well mate, a Saterday nighter after a Friday oldies. Back from Wigan 11ish straight to the pub 'till closing at 3, back home for a wash 'n' brush up then back in the pub for opening time. No room in Pips car at closing time so of course its off to the A49 with our thumbs out. We were definately still "in the mood"

Cheers Paco

AND ARMED TO THE TEETH WITH COMBUSTIBLES...USUALLY THE OTHER WAY ROUND..OH WELL...HAPPY DAYS,,,,,,NOT

AND ARMED TO THE TEETH WITH COMBUSTIBLES...USUALLY THE OTHER WAY ROUND..OH WELL...HAPPY DAYS,,,,,,NOT

i got the greenline from wgc to hemel...bennets end...then a coach to station road via knutsford services....where i got a few bits of vinyl and the rest got bags of slimming tablets......

I was lucky as I was working for British Rail so had acces to free passes, but even I couldnt get round some of the convuluted joutneys getting back to Reading on a Sunday morning. All I'll say is Crewe is the coldest f*****g station in the country bar none. Thank god for the woolly lining in my black harrington. It was even better when I discovered the Locarno All Dayers so I just stayed away all weekend and went back to work on Monday morning somewhat knackered. The joys of youth !!! Cheers, Dave

Or Stafford TOTW Dayers...........alternate weekends.

Jumped trains, hitched, coach, ended up in stolen cars, someone robbed a gas station on the way to Yate, whilst I sat naively in the car wondering why they were all running across the forecourt with armfuls of cigarettes etc.

Once ended up in a car wreck whilst hitching to the 100 Club in the early days, from Plymouth. Also once got a taxi to the 100 Club from Eastleigh, missed the last train or it was cancelled, cant remember now, but when I got there, had no money, so Ady kindly bailed me out from the petty cash !!!!!.

Happy day's

Russ

Another for the Persil tickets, used to be £7.00 return to Wigan from Sheffield without them.

Then after a while it was pure luxury in my £50 Cortina mk2

Edited September 2, 200618 yr by Awake 502

Used to go to most places by train or bus. Then a mate of mine, who had a Saturday job on a book stall in the local market happened to mention to the stallholder that he was going to an all-nighter in Cleethorpes . This guy had an Escort Estate and said he'd take us for a small fee. Can't remember how much he charged but there must have been 7 of in there plus him. Got stopped once at a roadblock, couldn't believe we didn't get done for overloading but I guess they were too busy looking for other things.

He'd sleep in the car and take us home the next day. One morning he came in for the last hour - hated it. Said he much preferred listening to his Status Quo

Kev

Another for the Persil tickets, used to be £7.00 return to Wigan from Sheffield without them.

Then after a while it was pure luxury in my £50 Cortina mk2

£7 ?? What year was that then? or did the train go via Aberdeen?

When I used to go to Wigan ('73 to '74) it was £1.10 return, Sheffield to Manchester, then straight to the Rowntree Sound pub near Victoria Station for a couple of hours, then train to Wigan for about 40P.

When the Casino first started, me and the rest of the Sheffield crowd had a mini-bus, driven by an old bloke who used to kip in the bus while we went inside the nighter - till one week when we gave him some gear and he came in with us. He loved it !!

Them were the days!!

Cheers, Chris

York mini-bus to Cleethorpes!

Edited September 2, 200618 yr by Trevski

York mini-bus to Cleethorpes!

What a great photo!!

Happy days eh Trevski?

Mand

There always seemed to be someone organising various coach trips around our way.

Went in the back of a van sometimes, not very comfortable with 5 or 6 in the back of a Ford Escort van

Rember the first time i went with some lads in the van, me & my mate were the only 2 not partaking of any naughty substances. About 20 miles down the motorway on the way back i say " Right, where are we stoping for a fry up ! ". I nearly got chucked out of the back of the van !!

York mini-bus to Cleethorpes!

Blimey Trev you did have hair once then

See you friday

We had the luxury of Jethro's coach, with all amenities provided usually, this however eventually became oldies night only, but by then some of the lads could drive..Planty...Paul Twin..Waggsy

First trip to Yate was me Azza Dave Shaw Ste Slater driven by Little Ron who had 5 mins instrucyion on the pub car park in an Anglia he paid £5 for at to finally leave it at Strenshan sun on way to Locarno met Tim Toad for the first time that night he'd gone by bus from Coventry calling at Nott'ham first at record fair.

Dave do you remember giving me the twins n Waggsy a lift to Bham on your coach the morning after your spot at casino, we had the coach in uproar due to general mammallisation.

So many great memorieS locking smokey and the lads in the refrigerated van with the freezer on while i went in the pub for a pint n blast

Me marc chackett gaz n dave allcock talking 'bout watch with nother noggin the nog etc to realise we'ed been there hours and nearly missing 100 club

Going in a red van from Whillenhall with a load of lads who were straight and doing their heads in...there was a horse box another night

Me n Phil Shelton thumbing to Stafford set off four hors early got lift there in 15 mins and had to spend hours with nogger hiding from pissed everton fans who had got off the special after losing cup final to man u...and of course neil had his united shirt on

What times eh! bet we.ve all got loads of 'em to talk about...hope youv'e enjoyed just a few of mine.

See youb at Burslem...Harpo

Edited September 17, 200618 yr by harpo1

We used to get the train from Halifax to Manchester telling the ticket man single to Sowerby Bridge which was the next stop stay on the train change at Manchester get to Wigan telling the ticket man single from Ince,and the same on the way home until one time we got back to Halifax and at the station was the police yep we all got busted off our heads and off to the station what a come down that was

Anyway eventually got a car and there was never a shortage of people asking for a lift..

Them wut days....

Malc

My first all nighter, Last bus from Dursley to Yate, then hanging around avoiding all the street rucks cos i was too young to get in the pub. Then Vince Ayrs's mum giving me a clip round the ear and threatening to call my parents and telling them im not on an Army Cadet camp.

Walked in to Epitome of sound, thin end of a very very big wedge.

We had the luxury of Jethro's coach, with all amenities provided usually, this however eventually became oldies night only, but by then some of the lads could drive..Planty...Paul Twin..Waggsy

First trip to Yate was me Azza Dave Shaw Ste Slater driven by Little Ron who had 5 mins instrucyion on the pub car park in an Anglia he paid £5 for at to finally leave it at Strenshan sun on way to Locarno met Tim Toad for the first time that night he'd gone by bus from Coventry calling at Nott'ham first at record fair.

Dave do you remember giving me the twins n Waggsy a lift to Bham on your coach the morning after your spot at casino, we had the coach in uproar due to general mammallisation.

So many great memorieS locking smokey and the lads in the refrigerated van with the freezer on while i went in the pub for a pint n blast

Me marc chackett gaz n dave allcock talking 'bout watch with nother noggin the nog etc to realise we'ed been there hours and nearly missing 100 club

Going in a red van from Whillenhall with a load of lads who were straight and doing their heads in...there was a horse box another night

Me n Phil Shelton thumbing to Stafford set off four hors early got lift there in 15 mins and had to spend hours with nogger hiding from pissed everton fans who had got off the special after losing cup final to man u...and of course neil had his united shirt on

What times eh! bet we.ve all got loads of 'em to talk about...hope youv'e enjoyed just a few of mine.

See youb at Burslem...Harpo

Hi Mate

Hope all is well, hope to see you at the Villa in november, Mark, Gary and the rest are coming.

Dave

Stolen cars. Tina Fulford from Wycombe had a bunch of keys which fitted Escorts and Cortinas.

We used to get 11.00pm train from Chester, which was usually packed by the time it got to us mainly with the north Wales crowd, the crack was brilliant.Untill one Saturday night when we decided to at the last minute, but had missed the last train and couldnt get a lift, so I decided to borrow old Mr. DAvies Austin 1100 from across the road. I sort of new his movements so we would make sure we got it back by 9.30am on Sunday, and make the petrol level was about the same, cos he went for his paper at 10.00am.He never did find out, we would watch go for his paper out of my bedroom window, scratching his head on a frosty morning as his car would have no ice on the windows and would still be warm inside. Naughty lads, still no harm done. Sid

we were lucky really hving a choice of pete higsons dads moggy traveller or my dads triumph toledo, ido recall one summer when both parents were on holiday i nicked the fir m i worked fors bedford bugger van , we wanted to go to the mecca and wigan as usuall by seven 0 clock there was about seven of us including a16 year old guy hennigan shirley ann tattersall pete higson big dave thomas sue riley , well the girls were dressed to kill as usuall the cassete player hadnew batteries (no ice then matey) and alarge pot of honey spillt allover the van .pete was supposed to clean this up but never bothered (TOP MAN IN HIS DAY) well there was some serious moaning from everyone in the back of the van ,but we got there ok to hear the all important sounds freddie jones ,larue george blackwell,etc,,awesome great memmories great people ,,,

Stolen cars. Tina Fulford from Wycombe had a bunch of keys which fitted Escorts and Cortinas.

Always a dodgy crowd from Wycombe - no-one like that from Reading!!!!!

Alan

Used to jump trains every where,then i got a railcard,so only jumped trains half as much,buses loads of em,i was still getting on em`as a child till i was about 32..........used be 6p,on the bus from manchester to wigan,2p all over sth/yrks.....plus the odd lift,back of steely`s(barnsley) van.

Stolen cars. Tina Fulford from Wycombe had a bunch of keys which fitted Escorts and Cortinas.

Used to jump trains every where,then i got a railcard,so only jumped trains half as much,buses loads of em,i was still getting on em`as a child till i was about 32..........used be 6p,on the bus from manchester to wigan,2p all over sth/yrks.....plus the odd lift,back of steely`s(barnsley) van.

Time's don't change much Ken.

Got a lift in't back of Russ's van a couple of weeks ago.

1st nighter was just the same as you, on a South Yorks bus paying a 2p childs fare to Sheffields KGB & it wasn't long before we were all getting to Wigan on platform tickets.

Time's don't change much Ken.

Got a lift in't back of Russ's van a couple of weeks ago.

1st nighter was just the same as you, on a South Yorks bus paying a 2p childs fare to Sheffields KGB & it wasn't long before we were all getting to Wigan on platform tickets.

Wont be the same van,his brothers!!,little Escort van(white)..........that long ago,it probberly had a hole in the front bumper,so you could crank(wind it up)start it?.

Edited September 18, 200618 yr by ken

My first ever trip to Wigan in Pete emery's mums Hillman Imp...slept all the way there( I'd just finished a mobile booking), woke up just as we pulled into Station road. Great! Only problem was the next morning, as we pulled onto the M6 the gear lever came off in Pete's hand and we had to drive all the way back to Chelt. in second gear! got home about 4pm.

last time I went to Wigan for Steve Whittles wedding do a couple of years ago, stayed overnight, problem was hanging around half the morning waiting for a rail replacement coach..got home about 4pm.

plus ca change or something!

Hippo.

Me and Dave Warr and various other individuals used to make the trip up to Wigan from the depths of Cornwall in a variety of cars,hired,borrowed or.......Anyway,we used to stop and syphon petrol a lot as my brothers 3 litre Capri when borrowed was costly on the fuel even in those days.Leaving Cornwall on a Friday mid afternoon it would take best part of 10 hours to get there(this is before the motorway went to Exeter and there was no dual carraigeways and by-passes like now).We would arrive at Wigan to run the gauntlet of pissed locals and the "DS", do the Oldies night then hang out in Manchester or Bolton on the Saturday ,then back into The Casino for the sat night session,out of there sometimes to Blackpool for a drinking session on Sun luchtime then back to The Ritz for the all-dayer,finally leaving there late at night to get back to Cornwall in time to go to work Mon morning.(Got the sack from a job once as I was so exhausted from the weekend I fell asleep standing up and nearly fell into an industrial oven)That was about 1,000 miles in a weekend with all the zipping about,oh what fun we had ..........Happy Days!

Stolen cars. Tina Fulford from Wycombe had a bunch of keys which fitted Escorts and Cortinas.

Oh, my goodness Mark!! Can you remember the skeleton keys were off Tina's dodgy Dad who ran a garage - and then went mental with everyone when one of the cars went missing off his forecourt? I was only telling someone the other day about the hapless car nicking escapades. Lovely to see you're still alive and well!

Tried every way known to man in getting up to the casino, jumped the train , hitched lifts , allowed myself to be carried in cars that had been "borrowed" was always a nightmare hitchin but remember the " wagon wheel man " very well, last resort was jethros coach , even then always tried to get away without paying..Jenko old soulie..P.s wonder if Harpo has worked out who i am yet , havnt seen him in years

Me and Dave Warr and various other individuals used to make the trip up to Wigan from the depths of Cornwall in a variety of cars,hired,borrowed or.......Anyway,we used to stop and syphon petrol a lot as my brothers 3 litre Capri when borrowed was costly on the fuel even in those days.Leaving Cornwall on a Friday mid afternoon it would take best part of 10 hours to get there(this is before the motorway went to Exeter and there was no dual carraigeways and by-passes like now).We would arrive at Wigan to run the gauntlet of pissed locals and the "DS", do the Oldies night then hang out in Manchester or Bolton on the Saturday ,then back into The Casino for the sat night session,out of there sometimes to Blackpool for a drinking session on Sun luchtime then back to The Ritz for the all-dayer,finally leaving there late at night to get back to Cornwall in time to go to work Mon morning.(Got the sack from a job once as I was so exhausted from the weekend I fell asleep standing up and nearly fell into an industrial oven)That was about 1,000 miles in a weekend with all the zipping about,oh what fun we had ..........Happy Days!

Ha yeah and you used to do all the driving Chico...i still don't know how the f*** you managed to do it even with the aid of those silver paper envelopes from Solihull..god that fucking petrol ...i always managed to get a mouthful.Great days indeed Chico sometimes in the company of Mark "the little man with the big voice" Heaney from Plymouth ..remember our holiday in the industrial North East (didnt we stop in Worcester on the way up there...that was at Macs place wasnt it...with Paul 'i get sick if i sit in the back' Middleton with his Sta-Creased strides and

sleeping in that fucking car in Knutsford services...thank god for Tuinal is all can say...i could go on for hours ...Happy Times mate !!

Ha yeah and you used to do all the driving Chico...i still don't know how the f*** you managed to do it even with the aid of those silver paper envelopes from Solihull..god that fucking petrol ...i always managed to get a mouthful.Great days indeed Chico sometimes in the company of Mark "the little man with the big voice" Heaney from Plymouth ..remember our holiday in the industrial North East (didnt we stop in Worcester on the way up there...that was at Macs place wasnt it...with Paul 'i get sick if i sit in the back' Middleton with his Sta-Creased strides and

sleeping in that fucking car in Knutsford services...thank god for Tuinal is all can say...i could go on for hours ...Happy Times mate !!

Didn't Paul Middleton live down by St. Erth? Remember staying over there after an all-dayer at the Penventon (we'd driven down overnight in Mac's van). If I remember rightly we were supposed to have a barbecue on the beach at Portreath (not that I had any appetite... ) but it started raining and we went, with records, to the Blue Lagoon in Newquay...then some record shop in Falmouth on Sunday morning, footie on the beach, back home to Cheltenham late Sunday evening absolutely shattered!

Hippo.

Didn't Paul Middleton live down by St. Erth? Remember staying over there after an all-dayer at the Penventon (we'd driven down overnight in Mac's van). If I remember rightly we were supposed to have a barbecue on the beach at Portreath (not that I had any appetite... ) but it started raining and we went, with records, to the Blue Lagoon in Newquay...then some record shop in Falmouth on Sunday morning, footie on the beach, back home to Cheltenham late Sunday evening absolutely shattered!

Hippo.

Do you know that Paul Middleton's claim to fame is that he helped nail down the floorboards at The Torch....Lying twat....He's a Doctor now,!And the record shop in Falmouth has burnt down recently.

Edited October 2, 200618 yr by Billy Anorak

THREE SOMETIMES FOUR BUSES TO WIGAN FROM THE NORTH EAST.I WAS A REGULAR ON THE DARLINGTON BUS ,WHCH HAD ANGELS COMPARED TO THE NEWCASTLE AND BORO BUSES. REGULAR BUSES FROM THE NEWTON AYCLIFFE AREA ALSO.

ALWAYS STOPPED AT KIRBY STEPHEN UNTILL THE LOCAL POLICE BARRED US FOR MANY CRIMES INCLUDING INVADING THE LOCAL PUB AND STEALING ALL OF THE SHEEPSKINCOATS,WELLIES AND BEANSTALKERS,WE ALL WALKED ABOUT THE CASINO THAT NIGHT DRESSED AS FARMERS.

THE NORTH EAST WAS ALWAYS WELL REPRESENTED AT THE CASINO AND THE BUSES WERE [AND THIS IS NO UNDERSTATEMENT FULL OF ABSOLUTE NUTTERS].

GOOD TIMES

BAZ A.

Nutters you say Baz? You have to have been on a Gloucester/cheltenham coach to a niter to fully understand the phrase...come in Steve Smith...

Hippo.

I used to run a coach from Bedford to Wigan, we used to turn heads when we drove up the hill.....by some strange coincidence, the local coach company we used (the only ones who would take us up in reality) where called ' SOUL BROS '

Back to cars, and one of the trips that always sticks in my mind is coming home from St. Ives one morning in Steve Reuters Triumph Stag - class...but I'm still trying to work out how me and Paul O'Brien (neither of whom are exactly small) managed to fit in the back seat of a sports car. Nevertheless we did, and flying back across the Cotswolds in an open top car is a good way to keep yourself awake!

Mind you, not all our journeys were that classy...

Hippo.

Great days indeed Chico sometimes in the company of Mark "the little man with the big voice" Heaney from Plymouth ..remember our holiday in the industrial North East (didnt we stop in Worcester on the way up there...that was at Macs place wasnt it...with Paul 'i get sick if i sit in the back' Middleton with his Sta-Creased strides and

sleeping in that fucking car in Knutsford services...thank god for Tuinal is all can say...i could go on for hours ...Happy Times mate !!

Dave, Chico, I mentioned this thread to Karen (ex Cornwall now Hull) at Smokin' Tees in Stroud last night...funny how she came up with many of the same stories that you've mentioned! Then another ex-Yater, Tim Abbott, mentioned that he'd spent some (ahem) enforced time with Graham Bickford, and that set us all off on another 30 minutes of racy tales...