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The sights and sounds of the swinging ‘60s will come alive on the roads of Tavistock next weekend.

Authentic vintage buses will recreate the town’s bus services from around 50 years ago on July 14 and passengers can ride free of charge.

Local people and visitors from across the country will enjoy ‘A Day Out in the late-1960s’, with free rides given by 15 vintage buses and coaches across a network of eleven routes, including those to Princetown, Yelverton, Calstock, Gunnislake and Lydford.

There will also be express coach trips to Okehampton and Callington, plus a mystery tour by luxury coach.

Each of the fully–restored vintage buses has been specially selected for participation, representing types used in Tavistock during the late-1960s. Once familiar green Western National buses will dominate as they did at the time, faithfully recreating some of the company’s routes across Dartmoor, West Devon and into East Cornwall.

The event is organised by the Thames Valley & Great Western Omnibus Trust, a charity committed to educating the public in the road transport history of the South and South West.

Trustee David Sheppard, organiser of the event, said: “We’re delighted to be bringing another timewarp to Tavistock and its surrounding towns and villages.

"We enjoyed a tremendous response to last year’s event, which was intended to be a one-off, and local people have been lobbying us ever since to bring the vintage buses back again. As well as the nostalgia of riding buses from a bygone age and reliving all those familiar sights, sounds and smells, passengers will enjoy a unique way to view this wonderful part of Mid-Devon.”

Visitors will be able to ride free of charge between 10am and 5pm, with services radiating from Tavistock Bus Station, itself a survivor from the Western National era.

Mr Sheppard continued: “There’s no better way of learning about the past than sampling it first hand. We’ve carefully tried to recreate the local scene from the late 1960s as faithfully as we can, both in the selection of vehicles and the routes we plan to run. By doing this we’re sure to bring back memories for those who were here at the time, and for others we’ll give a truly authentic experience of how bus travel around Tavistock used to be.”

Visitors will be able to enjoy a souvenir programme, featuring timetables for the day and illustrated histories of bus operations in the area. These are available in advance via the organisers’ website (www.tvagwot.org.uk) , from Wendy’s Kiosk in Tavistock Bus Station, or on the day.