Derby bus man completes a three-day trip to Poland

A man completed his 1,148-mile (1,847-kilometer) journey to Poland in three days using only coaches and coaches.

Andrew Coyle, 47, walked out of his home in Derby on Wednesday morning.

He boarded seven buses and two international coaches before arriving in Krakow at around 19:00 GMT on Friday.

Coyle had previously found fame completing a series of trips around England using the government’s £2 maximum coach fare scheme.

He admitted that the trip to Poland was not a practical way to travel long distances but it was a “fun trip” that highlighted more environmentally friendly transport options.

Coyle said it was the first time he had ever traveled by European long-distance bus.

“I enjoyed my trip, it was fun,” he said.

“I’m someone who thoroughly enjoys looking out the window and seeing how the landscape has changed and just looking at what’s out there.

“We went through Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic before arriving in Poland, so it was interesting to see the different countries.”

Coyle took seven buses from his home in Derby to central London.

Then took a coach to Paris followed by another bus ride of about 22 hours to Krakow.

He said the ride was smooth but he may have been a little ambitious with the distance.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever make a trip so long again,” he said.

“I didn’t get much sleep but I wasn’t expecting it, so I wasn’t disappointed.

“I was thinking of shorter trips where you might have flown or maybe rented a car before.”

He said a better public transport network is needed to make it easier and more attractive to commuters.

However, he hoped his trip would inspire others to try alternative travel options.

“It proves that we still have this kind of public transport network, and it’s worth using it and remembering that it’s there, even if you don’t use it to cool off in the extreme way that I have,” he said.