A MAN challenged himself to see how far he could travel from London in 24 hours – but he was only able to use bus routes.

Jo Kibble, a council worker from London, shared his experience on Twitter as he journeyed from the country's capital to the county of Lancashire. 

The 39-year-old predicted the furthest he could get in one day would be Morecambe.

During the travel experiment, Kibble passed through a variety of locations including Lancashire, Bolton and more.  

In total, the journey took him 21 hours with many adventures and stories along the way.

Kibble wasn’t alone either and was accompanied by a crocheted turtle on his 14 bus rides.

At the start of his Twitter thread, Kibble wrote: “Things no-one else is crazy enough to be doing right now: final prep for a trip to answer one of the great unanswered questions: just how far can you travel by bus from London in 24hrs?

“I *think* I know on paper, but in practice…? Follow along from 3am as I slowly go mad.”

 

 

His first stop was at Charing Cross which he jumped on at 3am on 20 August.

He wrote: “I’m at Charing Cross, the point from which all distances from London are measured, and the aim is to get as far a possible from here in 24 hours.

“And here’s my first bus, London’s fourth longest route. Start the clock!”

By 9am he had “ticked off” all three of the ‘big’ bus operators - First, Stagecoach and Arriva.

He added: “First and Arriva are winning so far, because their buses have given me tasty, tasty electricity.”

By the time Kibble reaches the North West it looks like darkness is falling.

Jo commented that he is “definitely in the North” after overhearing a fellow passenger on the bus.

He added: “I can hear a man downstairs on the 125 regaling total strangers with clearly ludicrous claims as to his batting prowess in his younger days.”

In the Twitter thread he wrote: “An increasingly sleepy Slow Travel Turtle isn’t really taking in the views of Lancashire as we climb the Chorley Old Road.”

 

 

Commenters were encouraging Kibble to pay a visit to Preston Bus Station and he did just that.

Commenting on the station, he wrote: “So, Preston bus station. Bloody awful. They should knock it down. JOKE.

 

 

“If a municipal building can be as stunning as this on a damp Friday night, it is a miracle.

“Shame the top floors are a car park, and it isn’t simply a temple to public transport, but that’s picky.”

He added: “For a journey that included the horror that is Aylesbury bus station, this is a very fitting place to catch the final bus from.

“Even if it is locked up at 10pm and the late night buses go from the open coach stands outside.”

Kibble’s last bus was at 23:15 and it was heading to Morecambe.

He said: “So, quite a few people had managed to work out what the last bus would be.

“Here it is, the number 40 from Preston bus station at 23:15. Those of you who didn’t work out we were heading to Morecambe will just have to be Wise after the event (oh, please yourselves).”

Finally, Jo reached his goal destination of Morecambe Bus Station which was the furthest point he could travel to by bus in 24 hours.

Posting to social media, he explained “00:29 - 6 minutes early after 21hrs and 24mins.

"I think I’ve reached the furthest point you can get to by bus from Charing Cross in a 24hr window.

“Morecambe Bus Station, 339.44km from Charing Cross as the crow flies.”

He added: “Perhaps more appropriately: as the gannet flies, as the most distinctive feature of Morecambe Bus Station is a pair of metal gannets in the middle of a roundabout.

“Makes a change from the equestrian statue in a roundabout I started by. And gannets don’t start civil wars.”

Jo did the maths and calculated that this entire journey came to a grand total of £56.95.

He added: "For comparison, a walk-up train fare is £73.50. With advance booking a week ahead and some ticket splitting, the train home is costing me £40.90."

He finished the thread by thanking his followers and those who joined him for the challenge.

He said: “I am amazed and really pleased that so many people have had so much fun.

"Anyway, probably time to wrap up this thread for now before I thread my entire life into it. Thanks so much for all the engagement, fun and support!”

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