ONO 49 on the 53 route

Jack Willis

The Eastern National  route 53 bus ” Tilbury Ferry to Colchester”  Can anyone remember how long it took?

Comments about this page

Add your own comment

  • I can remember the full journey on a number 53 single decker Easter National bus. We lived in Tilbury and holidayed in Clacton every year for 6 years. I do not remember how long it took to get to Colchester. The whole journey took 4 hours 15 minutes.

    By John Murrell (16/06/2023)
  • I remember this well. My folks lived at Great Clacton, and I was at Bata Technica lCollege, East Tilbury, between 1960 and 1963 so I often made the return journey over a weekend. The whole journey took four hours, and it was very drafty. I think the return fare was around seven shillings. I don’t recall the Harwich leg…that would have been before or after my time.

    By Clive Richardson (09/05/2021)
  • The 53 route went beyond Colchester alternately to Clacton and Harwich.  The route served Little Thurrock, Grays (Argent Street Garage), Socketts Heath, Horndon on the Hill, Laindon, Billericay, Chelmsford, Witham (where crews were exchanged), Colchester and then either Clacton or Harwich.  The Harwich service was used by ship’s pilots to get them back to their starting point.  The route Tilbury-Harwich was 85 miles and the longest bus route in the country at the time. I believe the journey time to Harwich was about 5 hours

    By Duncan Grant (18/02/2016)

Add a comment about this page

Your email address will not be published.