Copyright Max Davidson - Daily Telegraph

1 Penzance to Land's End, Cornwall
BUS: 1 or 1A, First Devon and Cornwall (www.firstgroup.com; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 50 mins

It's usually a double-decker, so sit on the top to enjoy the views over the Penwith peninsula's ancient hedgerows. Look out for the Merry Maidens, a dramatic stone circle. Bus number 1 goes via Sennen (1A via Porthcurno) and few places can match the Beach Restaurant at Sennen Cove for a coffee-and-croissant stop.

2 Keswick to Kendall, Cumbria
BUS: 555, Stagecoach in Cumbria (www.stagecoachbus.com; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 90 mins

It is a long haul from big-city Newcastle to the ancient border town of Berwick, but the rugged Northumberland scenery, some of the most dramatic in the country, makes it unforgettable. Pride of place has to go to Bamburgh Castle, a 12th-century fortress overlooking the sea. Just to see it shimmering in the distance makes the pulse quicken.

4 Hunstanton to Sheringham, Norfolk
BUS: CHOP, Norfolk Green (01553 776980)
TIME: 90 mins

Some people regard the north Norfolk coast as the prettiest in the whole of England, and you get your fill of it on this trip. As well as the bracing sea views and the colourful fishing boats in Wells-next-the-Sea, you will get a flavour of super-trendy villages such as Burnham Market.

5 Cheltenham to Oxford
BUS: 853, Swanbrook, (www.swanbrook.co.uk; 01452 712386)
TIME: 90 mins

A lovely meandering route through the Cotswolds, particularly in spring, when lambs gambol in the fields. Highlights include the ancient wool town of Northleach, antiques-crazy Burford, and the market town of Witney (David Cameron's constituency). The route terminates just next to the famous Eagle and Child pub, where Tolkien drank with CS Lewis.

6 Bridgnorth to Ludlow, Shropshire
BUS: 141, R & B Travel (01584 890770)
TIME: 1 hr

Shropshire, immortalised by AE Housman, is a quintessentially English county. Taste its sleepy charm on this route, part of which runs beside the River Severn. If time and money permit, lunching in Ludlow, famed for its Michelin-starred restaurants, is a treat.

7 Gloucester to Ross-on-Wye
BUS: 33, Stagecoach (www.stagecoachbus.com; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 50 mins

Gloucester may have less to offer than neighbouring Cheltenham, but some of the surrounding scenery is glorious, particularly the winding uphill road to Ross-on-Wye, on the fringes of the Forest of Dean. The market town of Ross, on the banks of the Wye, is perfect for a pub lunch and a saunter through Georgian streets.

8 Brighton to Eastbourne
BUS: 13, Brighton and Hove Bus Company (01273 886200)
TIME: 55 mins

This Sundays-only service follows a favourite stretch of English coastline between Brighton and Eastbourne via Beachy Head. Look out for the forbidding Victorian façade of Roedean School on the left as you head out of Brighton, then sit back and enjoy the sea views.

9 Dover to Ramsgate, Kent
BUS: 88, Stagecoach in East Kent (08702 433711; www.stagecoachbus.com)
TIME: 75 mins

Most of us just whizz through Dover en route to the Channel ferries, but the coastline to the north has a lovely, unspoilt charm. Highlights on the route to Ramsgate include the Cinque Ports of Deal and Sandwich, where St George's golf club is situated. A James Bond novel, Moonraker, was set around here.

10 Cambridge to Ely
BUS: X9, Stagecoach in Cambridge (01223 423578; www.stagecoachbus.com)
TIME: 50 mins

The train is quicker and the landscape lies flat as pancake, but the Fens are wonderfully atmospheric, particularly on a misty day. Ely cathedral can be seen from miles around and, once you have pottered around this massive edifice and grabbed a bite, there is time to head back for Cambridge's bookshops.

11 Exeter to Bournemouth
BUS: X53, First Dorset (0845 6001420; www.firstgroup.com)
TIME: 5 hours

It is an epic journey and time passes so slowly that you feel like a Thomas Hardy character on horseback, but the route along the Jurassic coast, between two contrasting towns, offers a splendid mix of sea views and rolling Wessex hills. If you can arrange to break your journey in Lyme Regis, so much the better.

12 Middlesborough to Scarborough, North Yorkshire
BUS: X56, Arriva North East (www.arrivabus.co.uk; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 2 hrs 40 mins

The North Sea to your left, the North Yorkshire moors to your right. What's not to like? This route follows a gloriously unkempt stretch of coastline, with Whitby Bay as the highlight. Fish and chips on the seafront at Scarborough to finish. Keep your fingers crossed for a sunny day.

13 Stratford-upon-Avon to Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
BUS: 18, Stagecoach in Warwickshire (www.stagecoachbus.com; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 45 mins

Some of the scenery may be much ado about nothing, particularly around the M40 corridor, but Shakespeare's Warwickshire has its own leafy charm. What a lovely way to travel between two delightful English towns. And you can break the journey at Warwick Castle.

14 Bristol to Glastonbury, Somerset
BUS: 376, First Somerset and Avon (0845 6064446; www.firstgroup.com)
TIME: 1 hr 40 mins

With Glastonbury Tor to finish and the cathedral town of Wells en route, this meandering journey through Somerset has an air of pilgrimage. The Mendips are delicious in any weather. Note: you may have some muddy companions during the Glastonbury festival.

15 Matlock to Buxton, Derbyshire
BUS: Transpeak (www.trentbarton.co.uk; 01773 712265)
TIME: 50 mins

The slow, winding roads of the Peak District are perfectly suited to a no-rush bus journey. You get great views whichever side of the bus you sit. The spa town of Buxton is a bracing setting for a light lunch and, if you want to break your journey, where better than Bakewell, home of the celebrated tarts?

16 Nottingham to Lincoln
BUS: 205, Bellamy Coaches (0115 928 8833)
TIME: 80 mins

Not, alas, as verdant a part of England as when Robin Hood and his Merry Men hung out in Sherwood Forest. But the route does pass through some pretty landscapes and, beckoning at lunchtime, arguably the most beautiful cathedral city in England.

17 Minehead, Somerset, to Lynmouth, Devon
BUS: 300, Quantock Motor Services (www.quantockmotorservices.co.uk; 01823 251140)
TIME: 50 mins

Open-top double-deckers give a jaunty feel to this journey along the Exmoor coastal route, fabled for its sea views. Tivington, Selworthy, Dunster Steep, Malmsmead - the very names of the villages are redolent of the West Country at its bucolic best. Lunch in the fishing village of Lynmouth is always a pleasure.

18 Norwich to Great Yarmouth
BUS: X1, First Eastern Counties Buses (www.firstgroup.com;; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 40 mins

A bit touristy in summer, when the hordes descend on the Norfolk Broads, but it is fun to leave the cathedral city of Norwich behind and head sea-wards. Great Yarmouth has probably seen better days, but is still a lovely place for lunch, a wander and a spot of shopping.

19 Carlisle to Newcastle upon Tyne
BUS: 685, Stagecoach (www.stagecoachbus.com; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 2 hrs 10 mins There is a real air of adventure to this route as you travel west to east across the breadth of England. The busy metropolis of Newcastle beckons at journey's end, but there is plenty to enjoy before you get there - from the pretty market town of Brampton to dramatic views of Hadrian's Wall.

20 Manchester to Glossop, Derbyshire
BUS: 236 or 237, Stagecoach (www.stagecoachbus.com; 0871 200 2233)
TIME: 90 mins

History and geography combine in this route from the heart of modern Manchester to Glossop in Derbyshire, part unspoilt 17th-century village, part Victorian cotton-mill town. It makes a great destination for a day-trip and, with the beauties of the Peak District beyond, the scenery is not bad either.

Copyright Max Davidson - Daily Telegraph