A £10 mystery bus trip from Glasgow took passengers to three surprise destinations—Helensburgh, Luss, and Loch Lomond Shores—despite torrential rain from Storm Boelo. Nicola Croal, Trends, Showbiz and Lifestyle Writer for the Daily Record, booked the trip for herself and her mum, and the coach departed from Buchanan Bus Station as scheduled on Monday morning (Oct 26).
Storm Boelo Doesn't Stop the Coach
After Storm Boelo hit Scotland over the weekend, a quarter of those who had booked the experience did not show up due to the weather. Loch Lomond Travel, the Glasgow-based company running the trip, decided to continue as planned. The company offers mystery day trips starting from £10 per person, with pickups at locations including Hamilton, Glasgow, and Paisley.
Croal had previously booked a similar journey through Caledonian Travel, which offers a more expensive version at £22 each. That earlier trip ended at Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District on a sunny spring day in March. For this trip, the only information given at booking was that passengers would return to the bus station by around 5pm.
Three Mystery Stops in Argyll and Bute
The coach picked up passengers at Buchanan Bus Station at 9:30am, made a final pickup in Paisley, and then set off. After departure, the driver informed passengers they would visit three mystery locations. The first stop was Helensburgh, a historic Victorian seaside resort town in Argyll and Bute, where passengers had an hour and a half. The rain was heavy, and seaside views were non-existent, so Croal passed time in local shops and a café called The Ginger Bread Man.
The second stop, about 40 minutes away, was the village of Luss, where passengers had an hour and 15 minutes. A power cut had hit much of the village, leaving the only shop and café shut, but a pub was open. The third and final stop was Loch Lomond Shores, a short ten-minute drive from Luss, where passengers had more indoor shelter options and spent time browsing in Fraser's.
Weather Woes but Good Value
On the way home, the driver lamented that passengers could not 'have picked a worse day' to do a mystery bus trip. Despite the weather, Croal described the trip as fun and said it would not put her off doing it again.
