DID you read that there are plans to run a bus service from Birmingham to Pakistan?

A 12-day, 4,000-mile journey through seven countries at a cost of £130. Which is not much more than the price of a rail trip to London.

Hamza Waris, of Pak Travels in Birmingham, said: “It could be popular, especially with the young. It would be an experience, an adventure.”

When I was a teenager, all we had was Cliff Richard going on a Summer Holiday in a red double decker to Greece.

Ah yes, I thought, if only I was a couple of years younger – all right then, a couple of decades younger – I would be at the front of the queue for what could be an exciting trip.

Of course, there might be one or two problems. Like travelling through Iran and Afghanistan. Not the healthiest of countries for tourists. Or anyone, come to that. But particularly tourists burned pink by the sun and carrying British passports.

I’ve travelled the length of Pakistan from the Khyber to the coast and back by train and plane and automobile.

The plane bit was scary. The aircraft was small and I sat just behind the pilot.

There were no lockers above the seats, just a rack. When we took off, all the passenger luggage fell off the back.

I travelled alone and encountered only courtesy, helpfulness and friendship.

But that was 35 years ago and times have changed.

After Middle East wars and the present perception of the West, I’m not sure Pakistan would be a sensible tourist destination for any Western adventurer.

It might be safer to take a red double decker to Greece with Cliff.

And hope that the world settles down in the future so that backpackers can once again enjoy the experience of breathtaking Pakistan.