I was thinking, if there was enough interest from enthusiasts on here (and guests, to add to that), would anyone be interested if I organised a day trip out to somewhere? Possibly get the cheapest prices I can get, with a nice operator, and see what vehicle types are available. I imagine the teacher(s) - (who I hear are all quite hard to please!) would see such a big event with the commitment put into it as a sign of a will to learn in the subject area.
A few ideas I've gathered together are below (with a few ideas, feel free to give suggestions):
Option 1: Lakes District
Ride around a few areas of the Lakes District. Double deck vehicle (assuming they are available [and if people are willing to pay a bit extra for the possible added cost] - an Olympian of some sort) driving through the countryside. Pick up at Newcastle Central railway station early in the morning, motorway it down to Durham (railway station) then the motorway to the Lakes. Bit of a ride around Kendal, Keswick, then head up to Carlisle before using the motorway back to the north east. Return to Newcastle Central, then Durham railway station towards six or seven o'clock.
Option 2: Yorkshire
Similar to the Lakes District idea, but travelling through some of the beautiful scenery surrounding the Dales and Moors of Yorkshire. Perhaps; pick up Newcastle Central, Durham railway station, then motorway down to Whitby. Perhaps book a table for a meal in one of their nicest restaurants [last time I went, I visited Magpie's] for our lunch, then straight back on the bus/coach for a ride around the surrounding countryside for a short while. Head back up towards the end of the day, and get back to Durham railway station first, then Newcastle Central between five and six.
Option 3: Tour of an Independent's Garage
Seen quite a few organised trips to the likes of Stagecarriage, Weardale, etc, so I was thinking as another option (and to be fair - least stressful for a teenager like me to be organising for a school project) we could visit a local independent operator's main base of operations. Any suggestions?
I'll work out prices, options, operators, etc later the time.
Anybody interested? Assuming it's part of the curriculum next year, I'll be more than happy to try and arrange something like this anyway.
Marcus