BLANDS  OF  COTTESMORE

Operating from England's smallest county  -  Rutland  -  into Lincolnshire and Leicestershire

 

Based in the Rutland village of Cottesmore, alongside the RAF station of the same name, well known coach operator Blands operated several local bus services as well, stretching from their home county of Rutland into the nearby market towns of Lincolnshire and Leicestershire.  The company used the name 'Pride of Rutland and was founded in 1929 by Reginald H Bland, nine years before the RAF base opened in 1938.  From early days Cottesmore was linked to Melton Mowbray on Tuesdays and Sundays, whilst another service linked Oakham and Cottesmore to Melton on Saturdays.  Fridays saw a market bus from Market Overton and Cottesmore to Stamford.

Reginald's son Tony (A R Bland) joined the firm in 1953 and ran it until 1997.  As well as the services shown in the timetable illustrations below from 1987 there were also routes at that time between Melton Mowbray, Cottesmore, Oakham and Uppingham which were included in a seprate leaflet.  Operations ceased from Cottesmore in 1997 with the bus routes passing to Lincolnshire Road Car and Midland Fox. Spanning three generations Mark Bland Travel, of Ryhall near Stamford, has been established in the area for some years now.  Mark is Tony's son, and the grandson of Reginald Bland.  Local bus services in and around Stamford are in operation, as well as private hire and tour work.




                                                                                      

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