CAIRNGORMS, LOCH LOMOND & THE TROSSACHS
His ninth and final rides around the national parks* took former Arriva regional managing director BOB HIND into Scotland last summer to explore two wild areas designated as recently as 2002 and 2003, aboard conveyances ranging from double-deckers to a demand responsive eight-seater
My tour of the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond & The Trossachs national parks has proved a nightmare to schedule. Last night, my plans for the third day collapsed after a local authority thwarted three prior attempts, so I spent much of my 7hr journey from Liverpool to Aberdeen figuring out how to reach Loch Lomond. Union Square bus station, next to Aberdeen railway station, is bustling in the June sunshine as I prepare for a 118mile round trip to Braemar, the farthest any bus goes into the Cairngorms national park and the only way in from the east.
I am pleasantly surprised when a Stagecoach Alexander Dennis Enviro400 double-decker draws up for the 13.45 service 201. I thought the route was normally coach operated, but this will provide a top deck view of the Cairngorms. I am slightly taken aback when my driver politely asks me to part with £15.50 for the return fare but, given t…
