Brethertons Gold Line Tours
About Us
About Us
About Bretherton’s
We are a small family company, established in 1987 offering quality coach holidays, day excursions, private hire and services to schools, colleges and universities.
Based within the heart of the Forest of Bowland, our company is within its 3rd generation of the family.
Our drivers and office staff are hand picked from the local community and hold CRB clearance. They undertake driver training.
From the first contact of our friendly office team through to the delivery of our services, we aim to provide a quality service with award winning immaculate, well-maintained vehicles to make your travel experience memorable.
About Us
A Proud Third-Generation Family Business
 Brethertons are now in the third generation of the family and are proud of what has been achieved over the years. None of this would have been possible without the professionalism, dedication and hard work of our drivers and office staff.
Leadership
Managing Director: J Bretherton
Director & Engineer: J.P Bretherton
Office Tour Personnel
Caroline Bretherton
Alexandra Braithwaite
Helen Blundell
Drivers
Christopher Bretherton
Ben Rutherford
Alyn Frankell
David Urie
Tony Mclaughlin
Ray Comber
Company History
From humble beginnings in 1987 to a third-generation family business with modern facilities opening in 2026, our journey has always been built on quality, courtesy and care.
The Beginning
1987 saw the beginning of our company, when we first purchased a Ford Transit 12-seater mini bus and a 7-seater Peugeot car from F&J Marsden of Chipping, who were retiring after operating just two small school contracts.
Our First Coach
The introduction of our first coach, a Duple Dominant 1 53-seater, acquired for a school contract for Lancashire County Council operating between Chipping and Longridge. It was also used for private hire and the introduction of a small excursion programme. It also completed our first ever private hire tour of 5 days to Butlins at Bognor Regis.
Expanding Our Holiday Programme
A 20-seater mini bus and another coach were purchased for our small holiday programme, which at that time operated around six holidays in England and Scotland.
A Big Step Forward
We acquired our first executive touring coach equipped with coffee maker, toilet, fridge and video. It had double glazing, reclining seats and air suspension, introducing much more comfortable longer journeys and allowing us to extend our tour programme into Europe, travelling to Germany, Austria, Italy and Ireland.
Growth & New Premises
New vehicles were acquired to replace older ones, together with the purchase of Chipping Garage. This was a huge step forward, giving us a new operational centre.
Luxury Touring
With our emphasis on quality and coaches becoming even more luxurious, we purchased a Neoplan Starliner. Without doubt, one of the most stunning and comfortable coaches of all time, it allowed us to venture further than ever before into Europe and Scandinavia, with an onboard kitchen and just 44 luxurious reclining seats. Service on board became our speciality, escorting all of our European holidays as well as some in the UK.
Modern Fleet & New Facilities
New coaches were purchased during this period, based on and built by VOLVO to a very high standard and to our own specification, together with new 8-seater vehicles for our door-to-door service covering the whole of Lancashire.
Another exciting project is our new garage, workshop and offices, designed to the highest standard, with our garage and workshop featuring brand new equipment necessary for all in-house vehicle maintenance. This will open fully in Summer 2026.
Thank You
We would also like to thank all drivers past, present and part-time for their valuable contribution to our company.
— John Bretherton