A Manifesto for Slow Travel

X53 Coastlinx at Beer in Dorset (Photo: © Paul Kirby)

When Nicky Gardner published her Manifesto for Slow Travel back in 2009 she put slow travel firmly on the tourism agenda. For her, slow travel is about deceleration rather than speed, slowing up makes all the difference:

"The journey becomes a moment to relax, rather than a stressful interlude imposed between home and destination… And slow travel also replaces our relationship with places encouraging and allowing us to engage more intimately with the communities through which we travel." (Gardner, 2009, p11)

If slow travel is all about putting the experience back into travel, then the bus is one sure way to sit back and enjoy the passing scenery. Open top rides, in particular, come to mind for there's nothing better than the breeze on your face as the bus makes its way through the landscape at a pace that allows reflection. The Bournemouth to Swanage bus has to be near the top of the list as it boards the Sandbanks ferry for a short crossing to Studland Bay en route to the seaside town of Swanage. Another gem is the Breeze up the Downs bus to Devil's Dyke, the seat of ancient tribes that once roamed the South Downs, from nearby Brighton. There are, of course, many more routes to go for including hop-on/hop-off buses in many of our historic cities that provide an introduction to a city's heritage.

Nidderdale Branch Bus 24 at Pateley Bridge (Photo: © Paul Kirby)

The country bus is also a key item when it comes to slow travel and market towns. There are bespoke rural networks such as Dales Bus, allowing you to get to grips with great attractions such as Bolton Abbey or northwards to some of the remotest corners of the Yorkshire Dales National Park. Beacons Bus is another long-standing winner, a summer Sunday network in the Brecon Beacons, designed with the slow traveller in mind. But for many, it is the humbler country bus plying between village and market town that brings you much closer to local people going about their everyday business, to the market stalls and local cafes serving tasty slow food that makes you stay awhile longer. They're still there across the UK; for example, buses travelling across the Somerset Levels into Taunton every day or the Norfolk Green's Coasthopper bus between King's Lynn, Cromer and Norwich.

Travel writers are also getting on board with slow travel too. Some pieces are wrapped around themes or journeys, such as Gareth Wheatley's On an Offa Bus and others, for example Colin Speakman's Green Networks in The Dales, focus on buses and classic walks. There's also a new series in the making with Hilary Bradt's Slow Devon & Exmoor; more of a traditional tourist guide but providing deeper insights about place and laced with tips for travel by sustainable means including the local bus. There's also a title Bus Pass Britain just recently published.

Another one to look out for is A Guide to Slow Travel in the Marches by Les Lumsdon (2011), a superbly crafted guidebook which illustrates how to get around the borderland between Chirk near Wrexham and Chepstow on the Wye. The guide is based on eight towns with railheads: Oswestry (Gobowen), Welshpool, Shrewsbury, Church Stretton, Ludlow, Llandrindod Wells, Hereford and Abergavenny and describes how to enjoy the best of each town. It also includes outings from these 'hubs' to many other places by bus, train, walking or cycling with additional information on horse-riding and canoeing too! The beauty of the guide is that it is updated on an accompanying website www.slowtraveluk.com