Gavin and Stacey Tour: Here’s What’s Occurring

The Short Answer: The official Gavin and Stacey tour is a 3½-hour coach trip around Barry’s filming locations on the original Dave’s Coach, including a visit inside Gwen and Stacey’s house. It’s best for fans, families & solo guests. It costs £35 per adult for the regular tour and £42.50 for the Knock Off Nessa tour. Book direct at Brit Movie Tours for the best price and cancellation terms.

Gavin and Stacey Tour: Quick Facts

• Operator: Brit Movie Tours; the tour is approved by co-creator Ruth Jones and the Vale of Glamorgan Council
• Duration: 3½ hours by coach
• When it runs: regular tours daily except Tuesdays, February to October; Nessa lookalike tours on select Fridays at 10:30am and 2:30pm, February to December
• Price (direct): regular tour £35 adult, £27.50 child (3–15); Nessa lookalike tour £42.50 adult, £35 child
• Meeting point: Station Approach Road bus stop
• Finishes: Marco’s Cafe on Barry Island
• Accessible? No; see below
• My rating: 9 out of 10

What Is The Official Gavin and Stacey Tour?

It’s a guided coach tour of Barry run by Brit Movie Tours. You travel on the original Dave’s coach used in the show, hear behind-the-scenes stories. It includes several locations from the show.

Why I Booked This Tour

My nephew and I watched all the Gavin and Stacey series together – it was one of our things so when I found out about this tour I knew it would be a great thing for us to do.

It was well worth the trip down from Inverness.

Booking the Tour

I booked the tour a long way in advance because we travelled down from Inverness to do the tour. The Knock Off Nessa tour dates are very popular so I would recommend booking early to secure your dates if that is your preferred option.

Book Direct at Brit Movie Tours

Getting There from Inverness

Inverness has good flight connections from Inverness to Bristol which meant we could do this tour with only one overnight stay. We combined doing this tour with visiting friends in the area which is why we needed a bit longer.

Knock Off Nessa does tours on Fridays so we flew down on the Thursday – the Easyjet flight that left around 1.15pm and arrived around 3pm which was perfect for our timing.

Getting Around

We hired a car at Bristol Airport. This involves taking a shuttle bus to the car hire centre. I had booked a Polestar but ended up with another electric car which wasn’t that great.

We headed out of the airport, which is to the south of Bristol, and straight into a terrible traffic jam. One of the Severn bridges was closed due to an accident and combined with rush hour traffic it meant we spent 1.5 hours in traffic.

Despite not travelling far the electric car was running low on charge meaning we had to find a charging point and wait for an hour for the car to charge up. We combined this with a visit to Sainsburys and got some food to eat in the hotel room.

The electric car was a pain actually – we also had to charge it before we took it back to the airport. Given we were there for 2 days and did less than 150 miles it was more hassle than it was worth.

Staying There

We stayed at the Copthorne Hotel in Cardiff. It’s not far from the M4 motorway and on the road that goes out to Barry Island.

We had a ground floor room which was quiet and spacious. The room cost around £60 for the two of us so it was good value.

Use the map below to find accommodation in the area that suits you best.

Getting to the Start of the Tour

We had some breakfast pastries with us so we headed down to Barry Island early to do a bit of trainspotting before the start of the tour.

The tour starting point is on Station Approach Road, the side nearest Nells Point car park.

We parked in the Nells Point car park, Barry CF62 5AH.

Taking the Tour and Tour Locations

I can’t tell you how great it was to see Dave’s coach come round the corner and then to get on it.

We had our tickets checked and then boarded the coach with the other guests – a mix of families, couples and groups of friends.

Knock Off Nessa did some introductions and explained how the tour would work.

She introduced the driver who was of course called Dave (probably Brian actually but answers to Dave!).

First Stop: The Dolphin (Tadross Hotel) Pub Stop

The first stop on the tour is the Dolphin, which is actually the Tadross Hotel. Knock Off Nessa gave us lots of insight into the scenes that were filmed there and also gave us suggestions of how to recreate some of the scenes for our own photos.

She also had face masks for people if they wanted to be the characters in their photos.

Then she headed behind the bar and started serving drinks. There were quite a few shots served!

After time to use the bathroom we headed back out.

Second Stop: The Church Where Nessa Nearly Married Dave

The Church itself is a bit of a drive out of Barry. We had to go up another big hill which required lots of clapping and cheering to make sure the coach got up there.

We also did a bit of singing on the coach which I absolutely loved, my nephew less so!

The Church itself is quite a long way out of Barry. Knock Off Nessa gave us some great insight into the behind the scenes aspects of Gavin and Stacey, including how little money they had when they started filming and the locations that said no to filming.

The Church is tiny and inside we sat in the pews while Knock Off Nessa explained how everything worked when they filmed in the Church.

She then chose 2 volunteers to help recreate the almost wedding scene between Dave and Nessa.

After that there was plenty of time for photos, again with tips about recreating scenes for your own photos and then it was back on the bus.

Third Stop: Stacey’s House, Trinity Street

Trinity Street is a steep street in Barry, so steep infact that Dave the driver spent the whole time we were there sitting in the coach with his foot on the brake!

Stacey’s House is owned by a lovely lady called Glenda – someone that Knock Off Nessa knows well. She still lives in the house. She waved to us when we arrived but she stays in her room when people visit the house.

The house is very small and the lounge is chock full of Gavin and Stacey memrobilia and items including some taps on the central table. There really is a lot to see.

The kitchen is just down the steps of course and there is an omelette pan out for taking the perfect photo.

There is a tiny staircase and upstairs there is Staceys room with a condom on the bed apparently.

We didn’t go upstairs as the house felt quite crowded when everyone piled in.

My suggestion to improve this tour would be organise people rather than letting them organise themselves -for example the front half of the bus goes upstairs first. That would help to minimise congestion in what is a tiny house anyway.

It was fantastic to be able to go in. While we were outside we got a photo at Doris’s house and also at Uncle Bryns across the road.

Fourth and Final Stop: Barry Island Seafront, Marco’s Café and Nessa’s Slots

The tour finishes at a different location from the starting point. It finishes down in Barry Island by the Promenade right beside Marco’s cafe.

This meant that you could take as much time as you wanted to visit these places.

We had very limited time here because we were heading off to see our friends and then back to the airport for our flight back to Inverness.

I would recommend allowing time to visit the seafront area yourselves before or after the tour.

Here’s the exact the location the tour finished when we did it.

What Is It Like on Dave’s Coach?

Travelling on Dave’s coach was great fun. The seats are quite small and there is no storage space so take as little as possible.

There is no storage space for prams, walkers or anything like that.

Is the Gavin and Stacey Tour Worth the Money?

This tour is absolutely worth the money. There is so much to learn about the show and to have Knock Off Nessa as the guide and go on Dave’s coach was amazing.

What I liked: Learning all the insider information from Knock Off Nessa, seeing the places that felt so familiar from the TV series and singing on the bus.
What could be better: As mentioned a little organisation at Stacey’s house would help it feel less crowded. It would be good if they offered a lift back to the starting point when the tour finished, particularly if it is raining.

Can you get to the Gavin and Stacey tour by train?

Yes, easily. Barry Island station is a short walk from the meeting point at Station Approach Road.

Tips before you book the Gavin and Stacey tour

• Book direct: Third-party sites charge more; Tripadvisor lists it from £45 per adult against £35 direct.
• Flexibility: There is free cancellation up to 24 hours before, and unlimited rescheduling when you book direct.
• Morning or afternoon? One reviewer found Marco’s and the arcade closed when their 2:30pm tour finished at 6pm, so see them first if you book an afternoon slot.
• Souvenirs: One guest found Nessa’s Slots charged roughly double nearby shops for the same items.
• No buggies or luggage: there’s no storage on the coach for prams, scooters or cases, and dogs aren’t allowed.
• Allow extra time before or after the tour to visit Barry Island itself.

Who Is the Gavin and Stacey Tour Best For?

Obviously it is great for fans, but the explanation of the filming and stories from the series mean it is equally accessible to people who are just along for the ride too.

Gavin and Stacey Tour FAQs

How long is the Gavin and Stacey tour? About 3½ hours.
How much does it cost? £35 per adult and £27.50 per child booked direct; the Nessa lookalike tour is £42.50 per adult.
Can you go inside Stacey’s house? Yes, the owner welcomes tour guests inside.
Where does the tour start? Station Approach Road bus stop, Barry Island.
Where can I park? Nell’s Point (CF62 5TJ) is the closest.
Is the tour wheelchair accessible? No, due to uneven surfaces on the route and lack of wheelchair access on the bus and storage for the wheelchair.
Does it run in winter? Regular tours run February to October; Nessa lookalike tours run until December.
Is it suitable for children? Yes, if accompanied by an adult.

My Verdict

This was such a fun trip. We laughed for 3.5 hours pretty much. Knock Off Nessa was a fantastic tour guide and a complete oracle about all aspects of the show, the characters and the filming.

Fancy Going?

Book direct with Brit Movie Tours, and if you want Nessa herself, pick one of the select Friday lookalike tours.” Nessa lookalike tours run on select Fridays at 10:30am and 2:30pm, February to December.

• Book the tour: Official Gavin and Stacey Tour – Brit Movie Tours
• Follow the guide: Knock Off Nessa on Instagram | Facebook
• Plan your visit: Gavin and Stacey Tour – Visit Wales
• More honest travel reviews: Join Mel’s Travel Club
• Want a trip planned for you: Guided Travels