Queen's funeral: Hundreds make coach trip from Yorkshire

Three coaches left Barnsley in the early hours of Monday morning

As many slept in the early hours of Monday morning, some people were already heading from Yorkshire to London to watch the Queen's funeral. I joined them on what was a historic day for the country.

Five o'clock in the morning and Barnsley Interchange is already full of life. A few minutes later a large blue coach emblazoned with the Yorkshire Rose Coaches company emblem pulls up to greet the waiting bleary-eyed travellers.

This is the first of six coaches carrying more than 300 people to the capital.

Debbie, Tyler and Sophie made the journey with flowers to lay in London

"I miss her so much," says eight-year-old Tyler before he boards. "She was the best Queen." He's travelling with his aunt Sophie and grandma Debbie.

"We've no idea where we will get to stand but we've heard there will be big screens," Debbie says as she makes the personal pilgrimage to London. "We just wanted to pay our respects, me and Sophie were really emotional when she passed away."

The phones hadn't stopped since funeral details were confirmed, the bus company said

The coaches leave promptly at 05:30 BST. Dave Mills, who runs the coach company, says the phones started ringing as soon as Her Majesty's funeral was announced, with vehicle after vehicle filling up.

He's already taken a group from Barnsley on Saturday to join the queue for her lying in state. It was literally a day out, lasting a full 24 hours. He said: "Having experienced that, I am not surprised how popular this is."

However, this chilly morning there is a sense of the unknown. How busy will London be? Where will these Yorkshire mourners be able to gather? Parking has been booked for the coaches but still - which roads will be closed and when?

The journey into London was quiet compared with normal trips to the capital

Ultimately, the journey into central London is the smoothest Dave has ever driven. From North Circular to parking in just 20 minutes. Soon, his passengers are walking across Hyde Park as it's apparent the Mall is out of the question unless we'd arrived days earlier.

The atmosphere has been jovial rather than sombre so far, but I'm suddenly struck that the capital is so quiet you can hear the birds singing. Gone is the traffic hum, and even the helicopters are distant and soon disappear. There are no planes either.

As we approach our chosen vantage point at the Albert Memorial a new sound builds - the tones of commentators, relayed over speakers quietly describing what's happening inside Westminster Abbey, a couple of miles to our east.

It's now a little after 10:00 and the crowds have already begun to gather. Tyler and his family chose the other side of the road by the Royal Albert Hall. We're standing with two veterans, Colin Ward and Steve Fretwell, along with his grandson Colby. It's clear how important the occasion is for them. For Colin, he's representing members of the Yorkshire Calvary who couldn't be there.

Veterans at the funeral procession

The crowd is hushed for the ceremony itself, a thousand smartphones pressed into service to watch the live stream of proceedings. The two-minute silence is impeccably held. Then a change. The atmosphere builds with verve and vigour as the noise of the funeral procession shakes the speakers and the gun rings out from Hyde Park.

Finally, at 13:45, some half an hour later than expected, the cortege glides past.

Steve and Colin snap to a salute. Applause reverberates and cheers break out for King Charles III. A wave of sound lasts long after the procession has passed. "She's done a sterling job with great integrity," Colin adds.

Some hours later the coach journey home is more subdued.

Hundreds of people made the journey from Yorkshire to the capital to see the funeral

The easy listening songs on the radio are broken bizarrely by snatches of bagpipes and hymns as people scroll through the television coverage on their phones, catching what they couldn't see in London. It has been a very long day of travelling and waiting, for the briefest of moments. There's disappointment it wasn't possible to get closer to the pageantry but at the same time, realisation a moment had been shared.

As the bus pulls in back home the interchange fills again, albeit briefly with more chatter; the sound of a story being retold and relived. Then the mourners disappear into the night, their sense of duty fulfilled.

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world," says Steve. "The ultimate farewell for the ultimate boss."

This was history - solemn, spectacular and intense

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