Coach from Newcastle to Manchester?

[MimiThePink]

I need to make this journey on Sunday and the trains are looking like 4h30 - 5hrs (assuming no delays...) with 3-4 changes 🙄 would the coach (National Express) be a bad idea? I'd have my earbuds and a lot of snacks, and I least I wouldn't have to get up and change 3 times!

I've done the journey in reverse - Manchester to Newcastle and it was actually much more pleasant than I'd thought. Under 4 hours and pretty cheap for the distance.

Thank you - I do like the thought of not having to get up much once I've sat down! (Although I'm presuming it stops at least once?)

Did you take it on a Sunday, and was it quiet?

Which route are you looking at? I used to do the train route regularly a while back and it was approx 3 hours from piccadily to Newcastle with no changes. Have you looked at the Transpennine express route?

Transpennine Express now goes into Victoria, which is much less helpful for me, and on a Sunday the best option is 3 changes ( I need to take one more train from Piccadilly to get home) 🙄 I don't know if that's all Sundays but the last time I did the same route, a couple of years ago, it was the same!

I’ve done the coach Manchester to London which is a longer journey. Plug your ear buds in take some snacks and you’ll be fine. I think you get less space in your seat than on a train and the coach I was on had lots of people talking quite loudly on their phones but it’s also much cheaper. FlixBus might be an option as well.

Ugh, people talking loudly on their phones is my least fave thing 😳 but if I have to take four trains I'm bound to run into the same issue somewhere I guess!

Yes. Went to Newcastle on the Friday and came back to Manchester on the Sunday. It was fine. Try it and if you don't like it then you know for next time.

Where are you looking.

Here it says one change, mostly under 4 hours and some trains do go into Victoria

https://www.buytickets.scotrail.co.uk/book/results?journeySearchType=single&origin=19e32edb37ce246aaf2c3224d549a93b&destination=93583656327762b2e1831bdac48db2eb&outwardDateType=departAfter&outwardDate=2026-03-08T09%3A30%3A00&passengers%5B%5D=1996-03-03&directSearch=false&selectedCarrierFilterTab=ALL_TRAINS&bookingToken=&splitSave=true&referrer=MKT&selectedOutward=XQ18sn%2F0%2Bbk%3D%3AqtfGp%2BVMqHk%3D&temporalDirection=next&transitDefinitionDirection=outward&paginationPriceDisplayed=false&searchId=c509773e-076b-485a-8be7-c216abc614ce

(Scotrail sell tickets for all of GB at least, offer split ticketing and don't charge a booking fee so better than other platforms).

The coach will probably be fine and could be cheaper, but you appear to be working off duff info.

Thanks both.

@Bjorkdidit Thanks for that info, I haven't used ScotRail before (although it looks like it's the same platform as Trainline, which also does Splitsave and doesn't charge a booking fee).

Victoria isn't helpful for me I'm afraid - would be better to come into Piccadilly as I have to go on from there. Whilst there are some options showing via that link for under 4hrs to Manchester, I still have to get another train after that and the ones showing don't actually have availability for standard class, very frustrating! Thanks anyway.

this Sunday? there's several options from Piccadilly changing at York or Carlisle and also from Victoria going via York. You could always get the tram across town to Victoria if that's a quicker / cheaper route. I think there's engineering works hence why there's no direct trains.

Thanks @MiddleAgedDread - yes this Sunday but I need to travel early afternoon ideally. There are a few options to Piccadilly but they all involve 3+ trains (as I need to go on after Manchester) and some of them don't have standard tickets available now.

There's a 14:04 newcastle to Picaddily train changing once at Carlisle. I'd take that slower route over a coach journey any day! £44.90 single Also check split ticketing website.

Thank you - that was my preferred option but it doesn't fit well with my onward train from Pic, so my overall train journey time would be slower than my overall coach+train (for the last leg) journey time! I'll review options again.