BY the time we had completed our return coach trip to Newquay in Cornwall we had covered 1,000 miles or so. It was all very comfortable and pleasant -- a journey without the hassle of driving writes Alan Calvert

This, of course, is one of the reasons people go on this type of holiday and I enjoyed what was a new experience for me.

Our five-day break was with Shearings Holidays -- a Wigan-based business with roots going back to 1919 -- which styles itself as Britain's largest independent coach holiday operator.

It carries 550,000 passengers a year on a fleet of 259 coaches and works hard at appealing to the over-55s market.

The system, if you live in Bolton, involves you turning up at Moor Lane bus station for a feeder coach which takes you -- via other towns such as Leigh and Atherton -- to the central departure point in Stretton, Warrington.

Unfortunately, our coach -- due at 8.22 am on a Monday morning -- was half an hour late and there was then some inevitable hanging around at Stretton before we set off for Newquay at 10.50 am.

We arrived at the Beresford Hotel -- overlooking surfers on Tolcarne Beach -- at 6.15 pm after a smooth journey on a brand new £200,000 coach which Roy the driver said was making its maiden trip.

The hotel is owned by Shearings and it was evident that there is a well-tried system for booking-in, transferring suitcases to your room and organising meals for large numbers of people -- we were one of three coach parties there at the time.

Our break included dinner, room and breakfast and two full day excursions -- one to the Eden Project and Mevagissey, the other to Looe and Polperro.

My wife and I chose not to go on an optional trip to Padstow and had a great day exploring the Newquay area on foot, taking in lunch in a surfers' cafe on Fistral Bay and a look round the impressive Blue Reef Aquarium.

It struck us that you can take as much or as little as you want from the organised element of the holiday.

We found ourselves sitting at mealtimes with a young couple from Yorkshire who were in their early 20s and -- apart from the Eden Project -- not interested in spending the week on a coach.

They went their own way happily and found younger attractions in the evenings rather than joining in the entertainment sessions which included bingo, quizzes and singer/guitarists.

This sort of thing does not suit everybody -- we arrived late one night and left early when the "turn" launched into "We're All Going On A Shearings Holiday" -- but most of our fellow travellers seemed happy enough.

The main attraction of the trip was the visit to the amazing Eden Project -- a magnet for visitors to the area since it opened in March, 2001.

Dutch-born Tim Smit, who was educated in the UK and worked as an archaeologist and record producer/composer, had the remarkable vision which has transformed a disused china clay pit into "the living theatre of plants and people".

I had heard mixed reports from people who had

been there not long after it opened -- not everybody was impressed with the two "biomes" -- the world's largest conservatories.

All I can say is that they should perhaps pay another visit now that the project is more established and the plants have grown enormously.

The Humid Tropics Biome -- complete with misters and waterfalls -- provides convincing evidence of what life must be like in the rainforests of the Tropical Islands, Malaysia, West Africa and tropical South America.

Not surprisingly, the atmosphere is less oppressive in the Warm Temperate Biome which looks at conservation and cultivation in an area which includes the Mediterranean Basin.

I was particularly taken with the work of Cornwall-based sculptor Tim Shaw, who continues to create "Rites of Dionysus".

Its involves the Greek god of the vines, Dionysus, presiding over his followers, the maenads, as they dance ecstatically through the vines.

The Eden Project gives much food for thought -- I even enjoyed the Cornish pasty I bought in the restaurant.

Newquay, like other seaside resorts, has had problems with young people behaving badly.

But there are signs that entrepreneurs are planning up-market ventures.

Celebrity chef Rick Stein -- the well-known seafood connoisseur who has a famous restaurant in Padstow -- is planning a £5.5 million hotel and restaurant which is due to open near the Beresford next spring.

Shearings are offering Bolton Evening News readers an exclusive £30 off discount on their tour to Newquay on departures in May, June, July and August. The holiday includes three free excursions including a full day to the Eden Project. Book before May 17 at any St Andrew's Travel branch or by ringing 01204 397367. See the advert on this page for further details.

FACT FILE:

ALAN Calvert travelled with Shearings Holidays on a five day break to Newquay which included trips to the Eden Project, Mevagissey, Looe and Polperro.

The holiday just before Easter cost £163 per person plus £10 for a room with a sea view.

Shearings Holidays -- 01942 824824 or www.shearingsholidays.com

Eden Project -- 01726 811911 or www.edenproject.com

Bluereef Aquarium, Newquay -- 01637 878134 or www.bluereefaquarium.co.uk

Contact your local ABTA travel agent for more information on holidays in the UK