Please see below for a message from our new Coach Trip Organiser, Colin Tiernan.
The price for each of the 4 coach day trips during 2026 is £25/person. Each place will be confirmed as secured only after receipt of payment. 28 days prior to each coach departure date, all remaining vacant coach seats will be opened to bookings by non-members including members’ friends and family members. Each 2026 coach day trip must secure at least 41 paying-passengers for the 4 trips, as a whole, to break even and cover their total costs.
Please read and note the information detailed below so that you know what to do if you want the club to continue offering coach day trips after 2026.
In 2025, the club failed to cover its coach day trips’ costs by a total of £850: the club charged £23/paying-passenger but the number of passengers was lower than budgeted, and the actual cost for the average 41 paying-passengers/trip was over £27/paying passenger.
Our usual coach supplier has increased its prices to give an equivalent 2026 price of £28/paying-passenger. Rather than, without reasonable warning, increase the price for 2026 from £23 to £28 to cover our fixed coach costs, the club has decided to explain the situation to its members and, for 2026 only, to increase the price to £25/passenger and to subsidise any loss by using the club’s “reserves”. However, please note that it is unsustainable for the club to repeat this subsidy after 2026.
Consequently, to ensure the club has secured both the best coach prices possible for 2026’s day trips, whilst retaining our essential terms of business (i.e. maintaining both the previous service performance and our credit terms whereby we pay neither the industry-standard non-returnable 25% deposit nor any monies until a week prior to each coach departure), we are trialling a new coach supplier for 2026’s 4 day trips. We therefore need everyone’s support in signing up to these coach trips to make this a success and allow us to continue offering coach day trips in the future.
Please note that if each 2026 coach trip fails to secure at least 41 paying-passengers, we will be unable to either afford or offer coach day trips after 2026. These day trips are relatively rare opportunities for all members to spend time together; and were there to be no more trips, it would be an extremely sad loss to the club’s offering.
Please also consider the substantial time, effort and expense put in by club members, all at their own cost and without reimbursement, to both organise the coach trips and to plan and reconnoitre in person the 3 walks that are laid on for everyone at each trip’s destination.
If you want to see the club continue to provide coach day trips after 2026, then please reciprocate this commitment by playing your part and purchasing your tickets for each coach trip as soon as possible and thereby demonstrating visibly the commitment and support that we all must show if we want the club to be able to continue offering coach day trips beyond 2026.
Best Regards,
Colin Tiernan.