There’s a stretch of the year, roughly from the first cold snap in October through to the last Christmas market closing its stalls in December, when West Yorkshire is at its best for a coach trip. The nights draw in, the market towns light up, and there’s always somewhere worth being driven to. At Ross Travel Group, this is genuinely our favourite run of the calendar, and this year’s programme, from October half term through to our biggest ever Christmas Markets Day Trips 2026, is built around exactly that.
If you’ve travelled with us before, some of this will be familiar. If you’re new to Ross Travel, this is a good place to start: a look at what’s coming up, and a reminder of just how much a family-run coach operator based in Featherstone has going on.
Autumn in West Yorkshire Doesn’t Have to Mean Staying In
October and November get written off too easily. The summer excursions are done, the Christmas markets haven’t started yet, and it’s tempting to think there’s a gap. There isn’t. Autumn is arguably the easiest season to plan a group day out for, because the destinations that get overrun in July are calm, golden and genuinely pleasant to walk around in October.
October Half Term
For families and community groups, half term is a natural moment for a coach trip. Somewhere with a bit of history and a decent café does more work in autumn than it ever does in August, when everywhere is heaving. If your group is weighing up options, our earlier piece on what makes a great day trip still holds up as a good starting point for thinking through pace, distance and what actually keeps a coach full of people happy for the day.
Bonfire Night and the Run-Up to Winter
Early November is also when a lot of clubs, choirs and social groups start asking us about private hire for bonfire night events, carol services and Christmas fayres of their own. If that’s you, our Complete Guide to Coach Hire with Ross Travel Group walks through how private hire actually works, from quote to pick-up, and is worth a read before you call.
Then the Christmas Markets Arrive
By the middle of November, autumn quietly hands over to the main event. Our Christmas Markets Day Trips 2026programme is the biggest we’ve run: fifteen departures across six weekends, from Saturday 14th November through to Saturday 19th December, with adult fares from £15.
The full line-up covers Bakewell, Manchester, Nottingham, Llandudno, Birmingham, Bury, Scarborough, Chester, Liverpool, Skipton, Knaresborough, Halifax, Beverley and York, plus a two-night Manchester Christmas Weekender with an overnight stay at the four-star Maldron Hotel. Pick-ups run from Wakefield, Pontefract, Castleford, Featherstone, Normanton, Altofts and Knottingley, so however you read this, there’s a stop near you.
A few pointers worth knowing before you book:
- Best value: Halifax Piece Hall on Saturday 12th December, at £15 for adults, and it departs an hour later than our other trips, so no early alarm.
- Best for families: Nottingham’s Winter Wonderland, with its ice rink and Sky Skate, or Beverley’s Festival of Christmas, with Santa’s parade and real reindeer.
- Best for serious shoppers: Bury Market for volume and value, or Birmingham paired with the world’s largest Primark.
- Best for a proper occasion: the Manchester Christmas Weekender, which sells out earliest every year.
For the complete list of dates, prices and all four Fast Track pick-up points, the Christmas Markets Day Trips 2026 page has everything, including a full FAQ section. Worth bookmarking rather than trying to remember it all here.
It’s Not Just Day Trips
Autumn and Christmas are also when we see the most enquiries for group and private hire that has nothing to do with a market at all. A few of the conversations we’re having most this season:
Weddings. Late autumn and Christmas weddings have their own transport headache, mostly around guests who don’t want to drive on dark, icy roads after the reception. Our guide to Wedding Coach Hire in West Yorkshire covers how to sort guest transport without it becoming another thing on the list.
Corporate events. Office Christmas parties, end-of-year conferences and away days all tend to land in this window too. If you’re weighing up coach hire against a fleet of taxis, our piece on why West Yorkshire businesses are choosing private coach hire sets out the case plainly.
Community and club trips. Choirs, sports clubs and social groups regularly hire a coach outright for their own Christmas outings, rather than joining one of our scheduled trips. If that’s more your group’s style, take a look at our Coach & Minibus Hire page, or go straight to Luxury Coach Hire and Minibus Hire depending on group size.
Accessible travel. Whatever the trip, we operate wheelchair-accessible PSVAR coaches. If that’s a requirement for your group, our Disabled Access Coach Hire page explains what’s available, and it’s worth mentioning when you book so we can allocate the right vehicle.
Looking Back Before We Look Ahead
It’s been a busy 2026 on the coaches, and a few of this year’s trips are worth revisiting if you missed them the first time round. Our Local Guide to Group Travel is a good primer on why coach travel makes sense across Pontefract, Dewsbury, Leeds and Wakefield. Earlier in the year we covered private coach hire for summer events in a five-step planning guide, and back in January we ran a lovely Day Excursion to Goathland & Whitby that’s a good example of the kind of scenic day trip we run outside the festive season. If you’re booking coach hire for the first time, our Private Coach Hire in Wakefield guide answers most of the questions we get asked before a first trip.
And if last year’s markets left an impression, our Discover the Magic of Christmas 2025 post is a fair snapshot of why people book the same trip again the following year.
Planning Further Ahead
If autumn and Christmas are sorted and you’re already thinking about next year, our 2026 Holiday Brochure and 2026 Day Trips Brochure are both available to download from the UK Coach Holidays page, covering everything from coastal short breaks to UK and Europe coach tours.
How to Book
Christmas market seats go quickly, especially the December weekends and the Manchester Weekender, so if there’s a trip on your list, don’t leave it too late. Call our team on 01977 791738 for private hire enquiries, or 01977 792106 to book a seat on any of the Christmas market trips. You can also get in touch through our Contact Us page, or take a look at our Vehicle Fleet to see what you’ll be travelling in.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do the Christmas market trips start in 2026? Saturday 14th November, running through to Saturday 19th December, across six weekends.
Do I need to book in advance? Yes. Seats sell on a first-come basis and the December weekends sell out earliest.
Can Ross Travel Group provide a coach for a private autumn or Christmas event? Yes. We run private hire for weddings, corporate events, club outings and community groups throughout autumn and winter. Get in touch via our Coach & Minibus Hire page for a quote.
Are your coaches wheelchair accessible? Yes, we operate PSVAR wheelchair-accessible coaches. Let us know when you book so we can allocate the right vehicle.
Where do your coaches pick up from? Wakefield, Pontefract, Castleford, Featherstone, Normanton, Altofts and Knottingley, depending on the trip.
Ross Travel Group is a family-run coach and minibus operator based in Featherstone, West Yorkshire, with over 50 years of experience in day excursions, coach holidays, private hire and local bus services.
0 Comments