86247
Member
I'm loving these old bus trips. The Crosville ones are my personal favourites, but all are excellent.
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Trips by Bus and Coach: Your reports
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The latest report from TheSel is fantastic and memory provoking. Obviously the REs are wonderful but I also liked the Seddon Pennine RUs. I know they had a catastrophic design fault around the drive train but they were good looking vehicles and Ok to travel in. Not sure I would say the same about the Perkins LHs though. Great trip and good to see some of these long gone routes around Oswestry.
I have managed to find some pictures from a trip covering much of the same area, from April 2011, and unusually for me it does include two with buses in.
Starting in Oswestry I went to Llangynog, Llanrheadr-ym-Mochnant, Welshpool, Montgomery, Shrewsbury, Ellesmere and back to Oswestry. I have included photos of a tanat Valley Leyland Lynx at Llangynog and a Volvo B10B at Montgomery. I recall that my final bus from Ellesmere to Oswestry was a rare Neoplan but sadly I didn't take a picture.
Glorious scenery near Llanrheadr-ym-Mochnant
Tanat Valley Leyland Lynx at Llangynog
Llangynog
Llanrheadr-ym-Mochnant
Llanfyllin (passing through)
Welshpool
Tanat Valley Volvo B10B at Montgomery
Montgomery
Shrewsbury
Ellesmere
I have managed to find some pictures from a trip covering much of the same area, from April 2011, and unusually for me it does include two with buses in.
Starting in Oswestry I went to Llangynog, Llanrheadr-ym-Mochnant, Welshpool, Montgomery, Shrewsbury, Ellesmere and back to Oswestry. I have included photos of a tanat Valley Leyland Lynx at Llangynog and a Volvo B10B at Montgomery. I recall that my final bus from Ellesmere to Oswestry was a rare Neoplan but sadly I didn't take a picture.
Glorious scenery near Llanrheadr-ym-Mochnant
Tanat Valley Leyland Lynx at Llangynog
Llangynog
Llanrheadr-ym-Mochnant
Llanfyllin (passing through)
Welshpool
Tanat Valley Volvo B10B at Montgomery
Montgomery
Shrewsbury
Ellesmere
TheSel
Member
Fantastic stuff - really lovely photography, and such a glorious day. Nice to see the junction in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant where my shot of Crosville SRG89 was taken (looking the other way).
To compare and contrast with your Tanat Valley Lynx at Llangynog, please see below the vehicle that first took me to Llangynog - Saturday 24 April 1976 - one of your favourites, outside the other pub in the village!
Crosville ERG59 - UFM59F - ECW DP50F seated Bristol RELL6G - Llangynog, New Inn
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
On Friday, 4th February 2022, I did another trip, this time around South Oxfordshire riding the Thames Travel Connectors.
This day begins with Oxford Bus Company ADL Enviro400 MMC 604 (SU14 OXF) on my local route BrookesBus U5 to City Centre. Yeah, nothing exciting, so move along.
Had some nice muffins for breakfast from a Sainsbury's in Oxford City Centre, and after that, here we are on Thames Travel Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 224 (OF10 OXF) onboard the first of the many Connectors I ride on this trip: the X2 to Didcot! Not too bad as a route, quite like the section between Abingdon and Didcot. Bus wasn't too bad either, one of the better Scania E400s in the whole of Thames Travel fleet!
Welcome to Didcot. Not the most exciting place in Oxfordshire, in fact, nothing interesting at all, unless if you want to go trainspotting in Didcot Parkway.
And then, a nice surprise, considering I'm a big fan of Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini: ex-Go Ahead London Thames Travel 933 (LX06 EAG) on the X32 up to John Radcliffe Hospital, and then again back down, this time doing the full route to Wantage. X32 is a great route: I love the 15 minute non stop A34 dual carriegeway section between Oxford and Didcot (competition with the train, eh?), but the best section, in my opinion, is from Didcot to Wantage, with great scenic views of South Oxfordshire. One of the minority of dual door buses located outside of London, but driver didn't use them
Wantage - a lovely market town in the south of Oxfordshire, definitely worth visiting! Had some tasty Greggs sausage rolls too, very nice! After visiting Wantage, we then proceed to another lovely market town nearby, Faringdon, onboard Thames Travel routes 67 & 67C (apart from my bus ride from my university student accommodation to Oxford City Centre, the 67 and 67C were the only non Connector routes I rode on that day!). A Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini once again, but this time 934 (LX06 EAE). Not only is Faringdon lovely, but the route itself too is very nice! Driver once again didn't use the second door
After that, X1 to Oxford City Centre. Was planning to ride the whole route up to Headington but it was too dark after Abingdon, so I got off at City Centre. Another great scenic route, particularly between Wantage and Abingdon! And again, for the third time, Volvo B7TL Wright Gemini, on this journey being 942 (LX06 DZZ). However, unlike my other B7TL rides, at least the driver on 942 used the second door
Back to my student accomodation on yet again another ADL Enviro400 MMC Oxford Bus Company on BrookesBus U5, this time however we have 608 (RW64 OXF).
Was definetly great to ride the Thames Travel Connectors. Next up: a trip to North & West Oxfordshire riding Stagecoach S1, S2 & S3 and some Pulhams rural routes!
This day begins with Oxford Bus Company ADL Enviro400 MMC 604 (SU14 OXF) on my local route BrookesBus U5 to City Centre. Yeah, nothing exciting, so move along.
Had some nice muffins for breakfast from a Sainsbury's in Oxford City Centre, and after that, here we are on Thames Travel Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 224 (OF10 OXF) onboard the first of the many Connectors I ride on this trip: the X2 to Didcot! Not too bad as a route, quite like the section between Abingdon and Didcot. Bus wasn't too bad either, one of the better Scania E400s in the whole of Thames Travel fleet!
Welcome to Didcot. Not the most exciting place in Oxfordshire, in fact, nothing interesting at all, unless if you want to go trainspotting in Didcot Parkway.
And then, a nice surprise, considering I'm a big fan of Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini: ex-Go Ahead London Thames Travel 933 (LX06 EAG) on the X32 up to John Radcliffe Hospital, and then again back down, this time doing the full route to Wantage. X32 is a great route: I love the 15 minute non stop A34 dual carriegeway section between Oxford and Didcot (competition with the train, eh?), but the best section, in my opinion, is from Didcot to Wantage, with great scenic views of South Oxfordshire. One of the minority of dual door buses located outside of London, but driver didn't use them
Wantage - a lovely market town in the south of Oxfordshire, definitely worth visiting! Had some tasty Greggs sausage rolls too, very nice! After visiting Wantage, we then proceed to another lovely market town nearby, Faringdon, onboard Thames Travel routes 67 & 67C (apart from my bus ride from my university student accommodation to Oxford City Centre, the 67 and 67C were the only non Connector routes I rode on that day!). A Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini once again, but this time 934 (LX06 EAE). Not only is Faringdon lovely, but the route itself too is very nice! Driver once again didn't use the second door
After that, X1 to Oxford City Centre. Was planning to ride the whole route up to Headington but it was too dark after Abingdon, so I got off at City Centre. Another great scenic route, particularly between Wantage and Abingdon! And again, for the third time, Volvo B7TL Wright Gemini, on this journey being 942 (LX06 DZZ). However, unlike my other B7TL rides, at least the driver on 942 used the second door
Back to my student accomodation on yet again another ADL Enviro400 MMC Oxford Bus Company on BrookesBus U5, this time however we have 608 (RW64 OXF).
Was definetly great to ride the Thames Travel Connectors. Next up: a trip to North & West Oxfordshire riding Stagecoach S1, S2 & S3 and some Pulhams rural routes!
Rural stop hard standings are often tiny. You'd end up with passengers alighting onto grass ditches, hedgerows or needing to vault railings or Armco barriers!Driver once again didn't use the second door
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
Yeah these dual door B7TLs are of no use for the rural routes, as great these buses are. They suit Oxford city routes better imo, where dual door makes more sense.
2/2/22 – Greenline 702 bus #795 (SN66 WLK) ADL Enviro 400 City
Slough-Kensington High St.
Dear reader, I don't enjoy travelling on the Class 345's to London and back. I find the fixed longitudinal seats are a pain in the proverbial (they're HARD). Combined with the relentless on-board automated messages, TfL have drained nearly all the enjoyment from travelling on the inner suburban Great Western route to Paddington. So here I am, typing up a travel report on the 702 - my new favoured route into Central London. At £7 off-peak return (charged after midday), it's at least £3 cheaper than the cheapest equivalent train fare (Zone 2, via Ealing Broadway to Earls Court) that involves at least two changes of train for my specific journey.
After my brief train journey east to Slough Town Centre, I find that bus stop 'C' on Wellington Street, by the giant metallic slug of a bus station, has neither flag or shelter any more. The ground holes have been filled in with tarmac. No temporary dolly stop either, just a bus cage on the road and some seating slabs to denote that something was there. Poor stuff from Slough Borough Council. The 702 arrived on time, and thanks to the real time map on Bustimes.org I could track #795 on my phone – this specific bus (image below) has it's own lime and green marker, all the other Greenline 400MMC's have an emerald and green marker on Bustimes.org. Upon boarding, I headed for the top deck.
External picture of Greenline #795 by Steve Poole:
Reading Buses Greenline 795
Wearing it's (fairly) new greenline livery, 795 in Windsor with a 702 to Legoland.
www.flickr.com
There's been some interest in the sole ex-Milton Park ADL Enviro 400 City that's been assigned to the 702 and been given a smart Greenline livery by Best Impressions. It's still in the Milton Park themed three-tone blue and grey on the inside, with very comfy Lazzerini 'Transito Luxury' leather (or faux-leather) blue seats without seatbelts. Aisle seats have a bell push and an armrest on the aisle side. Each each 'airline' seatback features a flip down table, USB charger, coat hook and discreet LED reading light strip. The light switch is the stitched light symbol. There seem to be 4 sets of facing seat tables on the top deck, two in the middle and two at the rear. These tables are fitted with USB charging sockets.
Unlike the older ex-'Emerald routes' 400MMCs which have very rigid high back bus seats, these coach seat backs are top-heavy and shake in unison over bumps in the road. This was particularly noticeable over the undulations on the M4 Chiswick Flyover. The top-deck roof has long sky windows, perfect for sightseeing, especially during the Christmas lights period. Both ends of the top deck have a big curved window. There was also a LCD panel, this was stuck on the 'Hello' display as shown in the picture, so no real-time next stop information on this 702 journey. There was also Wi-Fi provided, but I had a 4G signal all the way, so I didn't use it.
There was no congestion on the way into London for the 40 minute journey to Hammersmith, passing through the Hammersmith gyratory four minutes earlier than timetabled. The driver was polite, friendly and a credit to the operator. TfL provide coach operators with stand-alone coach stops in Central London but these keep changing, so my old 2017 Greenline 702 pamphlet map isn't even useful for stop information, as some of the stops (e.g. on Kensington High Street and Olympia) have since been relocated with a new stop letter. So I had to play a game of 'find the coach stop' for my return trip home.
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Nice trip there around South Oxfordshire. Didcot is not the most exciting of places, you will notice the routes all interwork for the most part. The A34 is such a key route, does seem silly its not a motorway. I didn't note the 67 from Wantage to Farringdon. Is there a ticket that is valid on Stagecoach and Thames Travel/Oxford Buses?
Yesterday I had a trip of sorts.
National Express 032 Southampton to Victoria
Early start for me at 0630. 69 plate new shape levante which now dominate the route. Pretty busy service after our pick up at Southampton University, and one person joined at Winchester Park and Ride. Up the M3 as the sun was rising, not the most exciting of motorways.
The 032 can go two ways via the M25/M4 or M3/A316. We went via the former. Always enjoy the run via the A4 into London and then the slightly cramped Victoria arrivals.
I had an hour to kill, so had brekky.
National Express 007 Victoria to Dover
A 65 plate levante, which is usual for the route. Perhaps one of the older NX buses now. The 007 winds its way through SouthEast London and we picked up a fair few before we joined the A2. We lost some time at Lewisham due to roadworks. Did notice a mercedes citaro, thought these had lone gone from London.
We called at Hempsted Valley Sainsburys and then the outskirts of Whiststable. Canterbury is where most people got off before we went on a twisty A road down to Folkstone. We had a tight squeeze with a Moroccan registered lorry, ( First for me). After Folkestone it was just me and another lady for the final stretch to Dover. We arrived about 30 mins late into Dover.
Good to do one of the lower numbered NX routes, think only two run out to Kent!
Yesterday I had a trip of sorts.
National Express 032 Southampton to Victoria
Early start for me at 0630. 69 plate new shape levante which now dominate the route. Pretty busy service after our pick up at Southampton University, and one person joined at Winchester Park and Ride. Up the M3 as the sun was rising, not the most exciting of motorways.
The 032 can go two ways via the M25/M4 or M3/A316. We went via the former. Always enjoy the run via the A4 into London and then the slightly cramped Victoria arrivals.
I had an hour to kill, so had brekky.
National Express 007 Victoria to Dover
A 65 plate levante, which is usual for the route. Perhaps one of the older NX buses now. The 007 winds its way through SouthEast London and we picked up a fair few before we joined the A2. We lost some time at Lewisham due to roadworks. Did notice a mercedes citaro, thought these had lone gone from London.
We called at Hempsted Valley Sainsburys and then the outskirts of Whiststable. Canterbury is where most people got off before we went on a twisty A road down to Folkstone. We had a tight squeeze with a Moroccan registered lorry, ( First for me). After Folkestone it was just me and another lady for the final stretch to Dover. We arrived about 30 mins late into Dover.
Good to do one of the lower numbered NX routes, think only two run out to Kent!
SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
Only in the Oxford smartzone area (Oxford city boundary, plus Cumnor, Wheatley and Kidlington).
Interesting, I seen that E400city yesterday. I wondered about the fare on this service. As for Greenline I am planning to do the route from Heathrow to Harlow at some point, that's £12 single!2/2/22 – Greenline 702 bus #795 (SN66 WLK) ADL Enviro 400 City
Slough-Kensington High St.
View attachment 109830
Dear reader, I don't enjoy travelling on the Class 345's to London and back. I find the fixed longitudinal seats are a pain in the proverbial (they're HARD). Combined with the relentless on-board automated messages, TfL have drained nearly all the enjoyment from travelling on the inner suburban Great Western route to Paddington. So here I am, typing up a travel report on the 702 - my new favoured route into Central London. At £7 off-peak return (charged after midday), it's at least £3 cheaper than the cheapest equivalent train fare (Zone 2, via Ealing Broadway to Earls Court) that involves at least two changes of train for my specific journey.
After my brief train journey east to Slough Town Centre, I find that bus stop 'C' on Wellington Street, by the giant metallic slug of a bus station, has neither flag or shelter any more. The ground holes have been filled in with tarmac. No temporary dolly stop either, just a bus cage on the road and some seating slabs to denote that something was there. Poor stuff from Slough Borough Council. The 702 arrived on time, and thanks to the real time map on Bustimes.org I could track #795 on my phone – this specific bus (image below) has it's own lime and green marker, all the other Greenline 400MMC's have an emerald and green marker on Bustimes.org. Upon boarding, I headed for the top deck.
View attachment 109831
External picture of Greenline #795 by Steve Poole:
Reading Buses Greenline 795
Wearing it's (fairly) new greenline livery, 795 in Windsor with a 702 to Legoland.
There's been some interest in the sole ex-Milton Park ADL Enviro 400 City that's been assigned to the 702 and been given a smart Greenline livery by Best Impressions. It's still in the Milton Park themed three-tone blue and grey on the inside, with very comfy coach-spec leather (or faux-leather) blue seats without seatbelts. Aisle seats have a bell push and an armrest on the aisle side. Each each 'airline' seatback features a flip down table, usb charger, coat hook and discreet LED reading light strip. The light switch is the stitched light symbol. There seem to be 4 sets of facing seat tables on the top deck, two in the middle and two at the rear. These tables are fitted with usb charging sockets.
View attachment 109832
View attachment 109833
Unlike the older ex-'Emerald routes' 400MMCs which have very rigid high back bus seats, these coach seat backs are top-heavy and shake in unison over bumps in the road. This was particularly noticeable over the undulations on the M4 Chiswick Flyover. The top-deck roof has long sky windows, perfect for sightseeing, especially during the Christmas lights period. Both ends of the top deck have a big curved window. There was also a LCD panel, this was stuck on the 'Hello' display as shown in the picture, so no real-time next stop information on this 702 journey. There was also Wi-Fi provided, but I had a 4G signal all the way, so I didn't use it.
View attachment 109834
There was no congestion on the way into London for the 40 minute journey to Hammersmith, passing through the Hammersmith gyratory four minutes earlier than timetabled. The driver was polite, friendly and a credit to the operator. TfL provide coach operators with stand-alone coach stops in Central London but these keep changing, so my old 2017 Greenline 702 pamphlet map isn't even useful for stop information, as some of the stops (e.g. on Kensington High Street and Olympia) have since been relocated with a new stop letter. So I had to play a game of 'find the coach stop' for my return trip home.
Lovely. Yes, I realised it was the same location at Llanrheadr. There is a sheep there now, very likely added since your trip.Fantastic stuff - really lovely photography, and such a glorious day. Nice to see the junction in Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant where my shot of Crosville SRG89 was taken (looking the other way).
To compare and contrast with your Tanat Valley Lynx at Llangynog, please see below the vehicle that first took me to Llangynog - Saturday 24 April 1976 - one of your favourites, outside the other pub in the village!
View attachment 109762
== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: ==
Good report and an interesting trip. Wantage is quite a delightful town and the 67 is a good run, surprised you had a decker on it as I thought it was largely run as a self-contained route now and would only justify a small bus. It used to be run as an extension of one of the other services into Wantage. When I last took it I stopped off for a while exploring Stanford-in-the Vale, which is quite a pleasant village in the middle of the route.On Friday, 4th February 2022, I did another trip, this time around South Oxfordshire riding the Thames Travel Connectors.
This day begins with Oxford Bus Company ADL Enviro400 MMC 604 (SU14 OXF) on my local route BrookesBus U5 to City Centre. Yeah, nothing exciting, so move along.
Had some nice muffins for breakfast from a Sainsbury's in Oxford City Centre, and after that, here we are on Thames Travel Scania N230UD ADL Enviro400 224 (OF10 OXF) onboard the first of the many Connectors I ride on this trip: the X2 to Didcot! Not too bad as a route, quite like the section between Abingdon and Didcot. Bus wasn't too bad either, one of the better Scania E400s in the whole of Thames Travel fleet!
Welcome to Didcot. Not the most exciting place in Oxfordshire, in fact, nothing interesting at all, unless if you want to go trainspotting in Didcot Parkway.
And then, a nice surprise, considering I'm a big fan of Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini: ex-Go Ahead London Thames Travel 933 (LX06 EAG) on the X32 up to John Radcliffe Hospital, and then again back down, this time doing the full route to Wantage. X32 is a great route: I love the 15 minute non stop A34 dual carriegeway section between Oxford and Didcot (competition with the train, eh?), but the best section, in my opinion, is from Didcot to Wantage, with great scenic views of South Oxfordshire. One of the minority of dual door buses located outside of London, but driver didn't use them
Wantage - a lovely market town in the south of Oxfordshire, definitely worth visiting! Had some tasty Greggs sausage rolls too, very nice! After visiting Wantage, we then proceed to another lovely market town nearby, Faringdon, onboard Thames Travel routes 67 & 67C (apart from my bus ride from my university student accommodation to Oxford City Centre, the 67 and 67C were the only non Connector routes I rode on that day!). A Volvo B7TL Wright Eclipse Gemini once again, but this time 934 (LX06 EAE). Not only is Faringdon lovely, but the route itself too is very nice! Driver once again didn't use the second door
After that, X1 to Oxford City Centre. Was planning to ride the whole route up to Headington but it was too dark after Abingdon, so I got off at City Centre. Another great scenic route, particularly between Wantage and Abingdon! And again, for the third time, Volvo B7TL Wright Gemini, on this journey being 942 (LX06 DZZ). However, unlike my other B7TL rides, at least the driver on 942 used the second door
Back to my student accomodation on yet again another ADL Enviro400 MMC Oxford Bus Company on BrookesBus U5, this time however we have 608 (RW64 OXF).
Was definetly great to ride the Thames Travel Connectors. Next up: a trip to North & West Oxfordshire riding Stagecoach S1, S2 & S3 and some Pulhams rural routes!
North West Oxfordshire is good and the X9 from Chipping Norton to Charlbury and Witney is good. I don't know exactly what you are planning but the S3 version to Charlbury is particularly scenic, the whole route is entirely run with deckers (as are the S1 and S2). A stop at Woodstock is worthwhile. Parts of Charlbury is one-way and the routes don't seem entirely logical but all buses, wherever they are going, stop at the same place in the middle of the village. If you are exploring Pulhams as well then you can also take their 19 via the scenic route from Witney to Carterton, or the 15 to Abingdon.
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SouthEastBuses
On Moderation
Funnily enough, I plan to do both branches of the S3! First with Charlbury then with Chipping Norton. Then after that, I plan to do the X9 to Witney, then the 19 to Carterton, S1 to Witney, S2 to Carterton, S1 to Oxford via Witney.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Some cracking photos from @RELL6L and @TheSel as we've come to expect from both of you. I remember cycling through places like Llanfyllin and Montgomery a good few years ago and it was delightful. An area that I don't know as well as others in Wales and an absolute delight. I've only ever travelled on the buses there once about 20 or so years ago and it involved the established trip of a D75 from Shrews to Welshpool (on a former Colchester Lynx), then to Oswestry on the D71 on a Q type Tiger, before a more mundane Dart back to Shrewsbury on the D70.
As an ex North Easterner, nice to see a UHN Lynx; that was the last one delivered new to United as 5018. Coincidentally, my D71 was one of the two ex United Tigers that Arriva reallocated to Midlands and then Wales.
I have delved into the archive and thought I might post details and a few photos from some trips I made in the current month some years earlier. I will submit to the discipline of no more than 10 photos per trip. Here is one from February 2018, which was a cracking month as I managed five trips that month. It was to the Wirral and started in Neston. I reached Neston when it was still dark and explored the waterfront area of Parkgate just as daylight was breaking through. I then parked in the middle of the main village and took a 487 to Bebington. From here I walked to Port Sunlight.
Everyone must visit Port Sunlight if you have any interest whatsoever in buildings, architecture, social history, the early 20th century... - it is a wonderful place. It is like a time warp in parts being preserved just as it was in the 1930s, although with modern cars of course but they don't seem to be a problem, all main roads go round the outside. I can't really do it justice with a couple of pictures but do visit. No buses go through the middle of it but lots go close. After that I took a 410 to Woodside for views across to Liverpool and then another bus into central Birkenhead. In the town centre there is some really good architecture and exploring this is well worth a few minutes, but the good bit doesn't extend vary far. From Birkenhead I took a 411 to New Brighton. This still has some trappings of a seaside resort and seemed to remain fairly well kept by the centre. More good views towards Liverpool including the cranes which are now very familiar on the Channel 4 between-programme links.
From New Brighton I took some short steps on the 413 and 414, stopping at Liscard, Wallasey Village and Moreton Cross before getting a Stagecoach 38 to Hoylake. Hoylake is famous for its golf course but also has a perfectly pleasant beach, although this was a bit of a walk from the town centre. At this time Avon Buses were still running the 22 which went from Chester round the top of the Wirral and finished, I think, at the hospital, although from some places it took such a long route you'd probably be a corpse by the time you got there. My records show I took a 22 from Hoylake to West Kirby.
West Kirby was a surprisingly nice place by the waterfront and not bad in the town centre either, definitely being more middle class than I expected. In the water there was a boardwalk running out which somehow made it look as if people were walking on the water - see the picture. It looked odd. I continued on an Avon 88 via an inland route to Heswall, which may be the way the 22 goes now, and then whizzed round via Heswall Lower Village on A2B bus route 174. Finally I took a 22 back to Neston. The day was constrained by the hours of daylight but I did have time to drive out to Parkgate again and take some pictures before sunset.
Twelve buses I think, mostly covered on the Merseyside Solo ticket except to Neston, which is in Cheshire. Most Arriva buses I took were Pulsars although I think the 410 might have been a decker. The 413/414 might have been Cadets. I think the Avon buses were Darts while the Stagecoach 38 was a decker.
Neston not long after sunrise
Port Sunlight
Port Sunlight
View of Liverpool, showing both cathedrals, from Birkenhead Woodside
Birkenhead from Woodside
Hamilton Square, Birkenhead
New Brighton, the cranes seen on Channel 4
People walking on water (!) at West Kirby
West Kirby
Parkgate (Neston)
Everyone must visit Port Sunlight if you have any interest whatsoever in buildings, architecture, social history, the early 20th century... - it is a wonderful place. It is like a time warp in parts being preserved just as it was in the 1930s, although with modern cars of course but they don't seem to be a problem, all main roads go round the outside. I can't really do it justice with a couple of pictures but do visit. No buses go through the middle of it but lots go close. After that I took a 410 to Woodside for views across to Liverpool and then another bus into central Birkenhead. In the town centre there is some really good architecture and exploring this is well worth a few minutes, but the good bit doesn't extend vary far. From Birkenhead I took a 411 to New Brighton. This still has some trappings of a seaside resort and seemed to remain fairly well kept by the centre. More good views towards Liverpool including the cranes which are now very familiar on the Channel 4 between-programme links.
From New Brighton I took some short steps on the 413 and 414, stopping at Liscard, Wallasey Village and Moreton Cross before getting a Stagecoach 38 to Hoylake. Hoylake is famous for its golf course but also has a perfectly pleasant beach, although this was a bit of a walk from the town centre. At this time Avon Buses were still running the 22 which went from Chester round the top of the Wirral and finished, I think, at the hospital, although from some places it took such a long route you'd probably be a corpse by the time you got there. My records show I took a 22 from Hoylake to West Kirby.
West Kirby was a surprisingly nice place by the waterfront and not bad in the town centre either, definitely being more middle class than I expected. In the water there was a boardwalk running out which somehow made it look as if people were walking on the water - see the picture. It looked odd. I continued on an Avon 88 via an inland route to Heswall, which may be the way the 22 goes now, and then whizzed round via Heswall Lower Village on A2B bus route 174. Finally I took a 22 back to Neston. The day was constrained by the hours of daylight but I did have time to drive out to Parkgate again and take some pictures before sunset.
Twelve buses I think, mostly covered on the Merseyside Solo ticket except to Neston, which is in Cheshire. Most Arriva buses I took were Pulsars although I think the 410 might have been a decker. The 413/414 might have been Cadets. I think the Avon buses were Darts while the Stagecoach 38 was a decker.
Neston not long after sunrise
Port Sunlight
Port Sunlight
View of Liverpool, showing both cathedrals, from Birkenhead Woodside
Birkenhead from Woodside
Hamilton Square, Birkenhead
New Brighton, the cranes seen on Channel 4
People walking on water (!) at West Kirby
West Kirby
Parkgate (Neston)
TheSel
Member
Superb!!!
Can't respond fully at the moment - I'm on the bus from ... er ... West Kirby to Liverpool via Birkenhead!
Great pics. Many thanks for posting.
Great pics, I have been to Birkenhead but not really anywhere else on the Wirral.
Two journeys on Sunday for the me.
Bluetstar 7 and U6C. Southampton
7 runs up to Shirley and Millbrook before terminating at the hospital. Bus was pretty quiet and only runs hourly on a sunday.
U6C runs from Hospital to City Centre. Runs up Winchester Road A35 before calling into the uni. Then runs down through Portswood. Both this routes are probably about the longest you could do in Southampton and Southampton is pretty small. I thought the U6C could do with being half hourly as we picked up a fair few students between the uni and Portswood.
Two journeys on Sunday for the me.
Bluetstar 7 and U6C. Southampton
7 runs up to Shirley and Millbrook before terminating at the hospital. Bus was pretty quiet and only runs hourly on a sunday.
U6C runs from Hospital to City Centre. Runs up Winchester Road A35 before calling into the uni. Then runs down through Portswood. Both this routes are probably about the longest you could do in Southampton and Southampton is pretty small. I thought the U6C could do with being half hourly as we picked up a fair few students between the uni and Portswood.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Great pictures - do you only ever go out in bright sunshine and blue skies??
You certainly found the nicest bits of the Wirral. Can't say I've explored the area much apart from a trip a few years ago to take in Wallasey, New Brighton and Birkenhead - your views were certainly better than mine!!
I only go out if the forecast is for bright sunshine and blue skies. Slight distinction, so I occasionally get some cloud, but generally yes, sunshine and blue skies!
Port Sunlight is an absolute must to visit. I was pleased to have seen the rest of the Wirral, previously I had just been through on what was the 2 from Chester to Liverpool up the main road, but no urgent need to go again.
TheSel
Member
Like I said (briefly) yesterday - a great report, and many thanks for posting it.
It is indeed a shame no buses pass through the middle of Port Sunlight village, but knowing your liking of Bristol REs, I thought you might like the pictures below.
Firstly, preserved former Crosville 'CRG106' - AFM106G, and secondly, an even older preserved Crosville bus - ECW bodied Bristol LWL6B 'KW229' - LFM810, both taken outside the Art Gallery in the heart of Port Sunlight village. The occasion was a Merseyside Bus Club tour, on 28 November 1992.
Wonderful pictures - thank you!
Another staged photo, this was in 2011 of CRG103 just after pickup from repaint with a quick run around where it used to be based on the Wirral and a couple of passengers recommended visiting Port Sunlight.
TheSel
Member
Fantastic machines, and a lovely spot for photography. Many thanks for sharing.
That's a lovely shot.
Crosville had lots of REs of many different shapes and configurations. I remember going on one with a manual gearbox, I think from Mold, which was very old and looked more like an MW than an RE.
My favourites were the newest coaches though, especially the ones with the later ECW coach body. I think at least some of these had Leyland engines. I was in Oxford in the late 1970s and there was an overnight coach service from Liverpool which went to London via Chester, Wrexham, Whitchurch, the A41 to Birmingham then the A34 to Oxford for a rest halt around 3am at Oxford Services, now called Pear Tree. Three times I got that home after long Saturday trips away, once I booked it from Liverpool but the other times I just turned up. At Liverpool it started at the old coach station, the second time there were two coaches, I booked a ticket at the office and was directed to a Leopard, but instead I got onto the duplicate, an RE - didn't seem to be a problem. My final time was from Wrexham where again I hoped it would have capacity and paid the driver. It was very late, past midnight I reckon, and the bus station was then pretty Godforsaken at that time. Mind you I knew it was coming and was an RE long before I saw it! At Oxford I would get off at the services and walk home, it took about as long as the break and it would overtake me just about as I got home, but I would have had almost as long a walk from Gloucester Green, the Oxford bus station.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Hi all - thought I'd share my experience of travelling in the cold North as opposed to all these Southern orientated posts of late. I hope you find it interesting.
I am originally from the North East and so it was a welcome opportunity to reacquaint myself with places from my distant youth. I began the day from my luxury accommodation at Wideopen. I paid just over a tenner for my Explorer North East; considerably more that the £3.10 they were when in my youth but with more availability in the North East. My first bus was one of the reasonable batch of e400mmc that Arriva purchased for Ashington depot in 2017 in one of the last vestiges of investment in the area. These were early arrivals in the new Sapphire livery albeit with the old style fleetname on the headrests. These are decent vehicles and we made our way through the Northumberland countryside as the sun barely began to impinge on the day.
I could've stayed on my X21 but I alighted at Ashington to soak in the atmosphere of the town. To be honest, this is one of those places that has been left behind over the last 36 years since I first visited and needs levelling up. The closure of the last mine and the aluminium smelter saw lots of well paid jobs disappear and the town has a depressed feel to it. The bus station does it no favours, being the third incarnation I can recall in that time and all being a motley collection of stands. The relocation of the depot to a nearby industrial estate has seen some redevelopment but the area is cold and bleak!
I had chance for a short explore before I travelled to Newbiggin by the Sea. Now, I've been here twice before and can remember neither experience. It's actually not a bad little place and the coastal views are now beginning to attract new people in new homes.
The town is served by two services, the X21 and 35 that both link Newbiggin to Ashington before heading to Newcastle and Morpeth respectively. It also had a bleak set of bus shelters but the sea front was pleasant enough but was definitely "bracing". I wandered back to grab a coffee and head back to Ashington. Unlike the two Sapphire mmcs I'd already had, this was on of a pair of ALX B7TLs that Arriva bought for the last days of the 723 in Durham. It had the pistachio interior albeit with new moquette and it wasn't a bad old machine to take me to Ashington, where I decamped and headed off to the nearby Cooplands for a bacon roll.
I did contemplate staying on my ALX to Morpeth but I fancied a change of operator and Go North East now visit Ashington which was once previously solely Arriva except the odd independent. Go Ahead now have a tendered route and the 19 that runs from Wallsend. This duly arrived for an uneventful trip to Cramlington on a dull Solo. For the uninitiated, Cramlington is one of five new towns in the north east. I've visited a few down south recently (e.g. Basildon, Harlow, Stevenage) and they have much more character, good or bad, than Cramlington. I had a quick explore but disappointed, I had a short hop to Dudley (not that one) on an aging Arriva Sapphire e400 on the 43 that was showing all its 14 years and had definitely lost its Sparkle! Dudley wouldn't be a natural interchange but it meant I could get the GNE 42A, a Solo that duly arrived wearing its Little Coasters livery; certainly this corner of Northumberland that was almost exclusively Arriva is much more varied. A few passengers were on board but they soon thinned out as we bounded across open countryside and approached Newcastle Airport.
The Solo continued on its way to Kingston Park whilst I made my way through the terminal building to catch the Metro. I've travelled on the network a bit in the past but can't recall ever going to the Airport on it so this was a new experience. It was probably a last day that I will travel on the old Metrocars as they are due for replacement. Having passed Kingston Park (and seeing my earlier Solo), we passed the metro depot at Heaton and the new facility being built for the new trains. They've had a hard life and reliability is now such that their time has more than come.
I decamped into central Newcastle via Monument Metro. There was the usual protest group by the Monument, this week being in support of Cuba and Socialism. Makes a change from the Peruvian folk band and the Pan Pipes that always used to be there. I had a very short explore, wandering round to see the yawning gap on Market Street where the Odeon used to stand, but sadly the rain had begun to make a real impression. I made a short trip now onto the Crusader 27 which is now a DD operated service (though no one seems to know why as passenger figures don't justify that) with some smartly refurbished B9s that I fancied having a look at. It was just a short hop to Gateshead with a quick change onto the 25, operated by a former Lothian B9. This had been retrimmed but was still recognisable. The 25 is a real hidden gem of a route, as it leaves via Low Fell but then drops down to Allerdene before climbing up into the hills to Wrekenton. This affords views across the area as we made our past the remnants of the Bowes Incline (a former coal railway) and then down through the outskirts of Birtley like Vigo and Portobello (appropriate for an ex Lothian bus) before we rejoined the A167 into Chester le Street. I continued on as the 25 left Chester le Street and again climbed up in the drizzle towards Edmondsley and Sacriston, a pit village that I can recall having a colliery albeit by then closed and ready for redevelopment - you'd struggle to spot where it was now. We continued on, by now in tandem with the Citaro that would be my next bus. Not confident of my geography and the local routes, I bailed at Witton Gilbert to await the Citaro as it would return back from its final stop of Langley Park. It duly arrived as the rain got worse!
It was operating the X20 via Durham to Sunderland. It was a perfectly respectable journey in the rain though I never quite get the excitement that some gricers have with Citaros. They're heavyweight but they're nothing particularly exceptional. We splashed our way through to the Arnison Centre, a retail park on the outskirts of Durham with a delay as we encountered a queue to get through the McDonalds drive thru! We then made our way past County Hall (due for demolition) and into Durham City. Now Durham bus station has long been a dive of a place despite several refurbishments since its 1977 construction but it has now been swept away and a new facility will be built. In the meantime, buses are relegated to North Road and Milburngate and it's a bit of a bun fight as these were stops already used by local services. It was a bit of a mosh pit with pedestrians, passengers and drivers milling about and barely enough room for buses to layover. My next trip was an unapologetic double run to Brandon for no other reason but to see that level of competition on that route; Arriva used to operate every 10 mins but now its every 15 whilst Go Ahead have extended two of their 21s to run there from Newcastle. Only myself and one other enjoyed the Go Ahead Streetdeck as it made its way on the short trip to Brandon, a large estate on the edge of the city where a colliery once existed. One observation was the random level of vehicle allocations that Arriva Durham were experiencing. My return journey was on a former London e200. A long wheelbase version, it had received an interior upgrade of leather seats and plug sockets. It was an absolute shed compared with my Streetdeck as we clattered out of Brandon and back to Durham. I don't know if there's enough trade for Go Ahead though.
Back to Durham and a service I'd not experienced for years. Back then, it was the 154 to Seaham but its now the 65; a former Arriva service number for a route that goes through an area in Belmont that was once Arriva but is now exclusively Go Ahead. It was a Streetlite, one of a number bought in the mid 2010s. To be honest, it wasn't that bad and even the emergency door handle didn't rattle. After leaving Belmont and Carrville, it was another climb and a last view of the Durham countryside as the light fade and we made our way to one of the North East's most bizarre bus stations. In the village of Hetton le Hole, they have a fairly substantial bus interchange...bigger than in many busier towns. I've been there before but I still haven't worked out why it has a bus station! I left my Streetlite behind and waited for my connection, the 55 to Sunderland. It was another Citaro and was perfectly fine to take me to Sunderland.
Now Tyne and Wear PTE (Nexus) has a patchy with bus stations. The Newcastle ones are iffy, and whilst South Shields looks very impressive at night, they built it without welfare facilities for drivers! The worst is Sunderland, a draughty windswept hellhole that is peripheral from the city centre. It is terrible. I walked through the streets to find my Stagecoach E2 to South Shields.... a bad move as having got on my e300, it was evident that traffic would be appalling through Whitburn and Roker and denying the driver to chance to give the e200 some oomph; to be honest, that's a route that looks like it could do with some investment even if the machine wasn't too bade. We ground our way to reach Shields where I then caught the Metro back to Newcastle (perhaps my last trip on a Metrocar?) and finally, another decent Arriva Streetlite to Wideopen.
My observations... the usual Arriva observations in that the operations are crying out for some TLC. The operations in Northumberland were noticeably better but the way in which the network has withered over the last 20 years is quite something. Go Ahead have been the main beneficiaries and they are clearly on the front foot. However, they have their own challenges and they are doing some odd things; the competition is one thing but some of the investments they have made have been a little odd. As for Stagecoach, they keep on plodding along. The levelling up agenda proposed by the government had clearly resonated with red wall seats and when you go to hitherto hard core Labour areas that are desperately in need of investment, you can see why people voted as they did. Irrespective of your political allegiances, they need inward investment in jobs and infrastructure.
I hope this is of interest. The photos aren't as scenic as @RELL6L nor as historic as @carlberry or @TheSel but hope they illustrate a lovely day in the drizzly, damp but fantastic North East. And all for under £11.
I am originally from the North East and so it was a welcome opportunity to reacquaint myself with places from my distant youth. I began the day from my luxury accommodation at Wideopen. I paid just over a tenner for my Explorer North East; considerably more that the £3.10 they were when in my youth but with more availability in the North East. My first bus was one of the reasonable batch of e400mmc that Arriva purchased for Ashington depot in 2017 in one of the last vestiges of investment in the area. These were early arrivals in the new Sapphire livery albeit with the old style fleetname on the headrests. These are decent vehicles and we made our way through the Northumberland countryside as the sun barely began to impinge on the day.
I could've stayed on my X21 but I alighted at Ashington to soak in the atmosphere of the town. To be honest, this is one of those places that has been left behind over the last 36 years since I first visited and needs levelling up. The closure of the last mine and the aluminium smelter saw lots of well paid jobs disappear and the town has a depressed feel to it. The bus station does it no favours, being the third incarnation I can recall in that time and all being a motley collection of stands. The relocation of the depot to a nearby industrial estate has seen some redevelopment but the area is cold and bleak!
I had chance for a short explore before I travelled to Newbiggin by the Sea. Now, I've been here twice before and can remember neither experience. It's actually not a bad little place and the coastal views are now beginning to attract new people in new homes.
The town is served by two services, the X21 and 35 that both link Newbiggin to Ashington before heading to Newcastle and Morpeth respectively. It also had a bleak set of bus shelters but the sea front was pleasant enough but was definitely "bracing". I wandered back to grab a coffee and head back to Ashington. Unlike the two Sapphire mmcs I'd already had, this was on of a pair of ALX B7TLs that Arriva bought for the last days of the 723 in Durham. It had the pistachio interior albeit with new moquette and it wasn't a bad old machine to take me to Ashington, where I decamped and headed off to the nearby Cooplands for a bacon roll.
I did contemplate staying on my ALX to Morpeth but I fancied a change of operator and Go North East now visit Ashington which was once previously solely Arriva except the odd independent. Go Ahead now have a tendered route and the 19 that runs from Wallsend. This duly arrived for an uneventful trip to Cramlington on a dull Solo. For the uninitiated, Cramlington is one of five new towns in the north east. I've visited a few down south recently (e.g. Basildon, Harlow, Stevenage) and they have much more character, good or bad, than Cramlington. I had a quick explore but disappointed, I had a short hop to Dudley (not that one) on an aging Arriva Sapphire e400 on the 43 that was showing all its 14 years and had definitely lost its Sparkle! Dudley wouldn't be a natural interchange but it meant I could get the GNE 42A, a Solo that duly arrived wearing its Little Coasters livery; certainly this corner of Northumberland that was almost exclusively Arriva is much more varied. A few passengers were on board but they soon thinned out as we bounded across open countryside and approached Newcastle Airport.
The Solo continued on its way to Kingston Park whilst I made my way through the terminal building to catch the Metro. I've travelled on the network a bit in the past but can't recall ever going to the Airport on it so this was a new experience. It was probably a last day that I will travel on the old Metrocars as they are due for replacement. Having passed Kingston Park (and seeing my earlier Solo), we passed the metro depot at Heaton and the new facility being built for the new trains. They've had a hard life and reliability is now such that their time has more than come.
I decamped into central Newcastle via Monument Metro. There was the usual protest group by the Monument, this week being in support of Cuba and Socialism. Makes a change from the Peruvian folk band and the Pan Pipes that always used to be there. I had a very short explore, wandering round to see the yawning gap on Market Street where the Odeon used to stand, but sadly the rain had begun to make a real impression. I made a short trip now onto the Crusader 27 which is now a DD operated service (though no one seems to know why as passenger figures don't justify that) with some smartly refurbished B9s that I fancied having a look at. It was just a short hop to Gateshead with a quick change onto the 25, operated by a former Lothian B9. This had been retrimmed but was still recognisable. The 25 is a real hidden gem of a route, as it leaves via Low Fell but then drops down to Allerdene before climbing up into the hills to Wrekenton. This affords views across the area as we made our past the remnants of the Bowes Incline (a former coal railway) and then down through the outskirts of Birtley like Vigo and Portobello (appropriate for an ex Lothian bus) before we rejoined the A167 into Chester le Street. I continued on as the 25 left Chester le Street and again climbed up in the drizzle towards Edmondsley and Sacriston, a pit village that I can recall having a colliery albeit by then closed and ready for redevelopment - you'd struggle to spot where it was now. We continued on, by now in tandem with the Citaro that would be my next bus. Not confident of my geography and the local routes, I bailed at Witton Gilbert to await the Citaro as it would return back from its final stop of Langley Park. It duly arrived as the rain got worse!
It was operating the X20 via Durham to Sunderland. It was a perfectly respectable journey in the rain though I never quite get the excitement that some gricers have with Citaros. They're heavyweight but they're nothing particularly exceptional. We splashed our way through to the Arnison Centre, a retail park on the outskirts of Durham with a delay as we encountered a queue to get through the McDonalds drive thru! We then made our way past County Hall (due for demolition) and into Durham City. Now Durham bus station has long been a dive of a place despite several refurbishments since its 1977 construction but it has now been swept away and a new facility will be built. In the meantime, buses are relegated to North Road and Milburngate and it's a bit of a bun fight as these were stops already used by local services. It was a bit of a mosh pit with pedestrians, passengers and drivers milling about and barely enough room for buses to layover. My next trip was an unapologetic double run to Brandon for no other reason but to see that level of competition on that route; Arriva used to operate every 10 mins but now its every 15 whilst Go Ahead have extended two of their 21s to run there from Newcastle. Only myself and one other enjoyed the Go Ahead Streetdeck as it made its way on the short trip to Brandon, a large estate on the edge of the city where a colliery once existed. One observation was the random level of vehicle allocations that Arriva Durham were experiencing. My return journey was on a former London e200. A long wheelbase version, it had received an interior upgrade of leather seats and plug sockets. It was an absolute shed compared with my Streetdeck as we clattered out of Brandon and back to Durham. I don't know if there's enough trade for Go Ahead though.
Back to Durham and a service I'd not experienced for years. Back then, it was the 154 to Seaham but its now the 65; a former Arriva service number for a route that goes through an area in Belmont that was once Arriva but is now exclusively Go Ahead. It was a Streetlite, one of a number bought in the mid 2010s. To be honest, it wasn't that bad and even the emergency door handle didn't rattle. After leaving Belmont and Carrville, it was another climb and a last view of the Durham countryside as the light fade and we made our way to one of the North East's most bizarre bus stations. In the village of Hetton le Hole, they have a fairly substantial bus interchange...bigger than in many busier towns. I've been there before but I still haven't worked out why it has a bus station! I left my Streetlite behind and waited for my connection, the 55 to Sunderland. It was another Citaro and was perfectly fine to take me to Sunderland.
Now Tyne and Wear PTE (Nexus) has a patchy with bus stations. The Newcastle ones are iffy, and whilst South Shields looks very impressive at night, they built it without welfare facilities for drivers! The worst is Sunderland, a draughty windswept hellhole that is peripheral from the city centre. It is terrible. I walked through the streets to find my Stagecoach E2 to South Shields.... a bad move as having got on my e300, it was evident that traffic would be appalling through Whitburn and Roker and denying the driver to chance to give the e200 some oomph; to be honest, that's a route that looks like it could do with some investment even if the machine wasn't too bade. We ground our way to reach Shields where I then caught the Metro back to Newcastle (perhaps my last trip on a Metrocar?) and finally, another decent Arriva Streetlite to Wideopen.
My observations... the usual Arriva observations in that the operations are crying out for some TLC. The operations in Northumberland were noticeably better but the way in which the network has withered over the last 20 years is quite something. Go Ahead have been the main beneficiaries and they are clearly on the front foot. However, they have their own challenges and they are doing some odd things; the competition is one thing but some of the investments they have made have been a little odd. As for Stagecoach, they keep on plodding along. The levelling up agenda proposed by the government had clearly resonated with red wall seats and when you go to hitherto hard core Labour areas that are desperately in need of investment, you can see why people voted as they did. Irrespective of your political allegiances, they need inward investment in jobs and infrastructure.
I hope this is of interest. The photos aren't as scenic as @RELL6L nor as historic as @carlberry or @TheSel but hope they illustrate a lovely day in the drizzly, damp but fantastic North East. And all for under £11.
Thanks for a great report, very interesting, particularly to hear from someone who knows the area well.
I went to much of this area last September, including Ashington, Newbiggin-by-Sea and Cramlington, also Durham and Newcastle. On a sunny day Newbiggin-by-Sea seemed very pleasant, although I agree it takes more than sunshine to say the same for Ashington. The 35 to Morpeth seems to be a home for some pretty old kit, the more modern deckers being used on the Newcastle services. I took the Go North East tendered route from there, the 434, this was a good experience of the industrial coast round North Blyth on a virtually empty Scania Omnidekka. Also been to Sunderland and South Shields and between them on the E1 back in 2018. I am pretty sure that the Go North East X1 goes through Wrekenton and past the Bowes Railway, I went that way last autumn too but in fading light. I haven't done or even noted the 25 though, that sounds like an interesting run, mental note for another time. The area of Sacriston and Brandon is also one I have never done. I agree that Durham without the bus station is quite shambolic, I was there in the morning rush hour and it was not very organised.
I had hoped to get out today but in the end the weather wasn't up to it, I'll perhaps post another old report or two next week.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
I was thinking about the 434 but the timings just didn't fit. You're right about the X1 although it goes a different route into Wrekenton; the 25 from Newcastle to Langley Park is really quite the route if you fancy looking at former coal mining heritage. I wouldn't say there's much to recommend about the 49 to Brandon though!
Whilst I do know the area well, I confess that in my youth, I missed out on some of the more esoteric offerings of Northumbria and Go Ahead (and you couldn't use an Explorer on Busways at all). I never did get the chance to ride on a Sherpa, Metrorider or LH to places like Scots Gap, but there are still plenty of places that are still left to explore.
Hopefully, the weather can improve and you can get out next week.
Yesterday was finally a decent chance for me to get out and about - a gap in my university classes coinciding with a day of reasonably decent weather. So I decided to make the most of it and explore an area I've rarely visited before - in the heart of North Yorkshire. It wasn't really a trip centred on buses (I expected the main part to be a 10 mile walk), and I certainly didn't expect there to be much material for a report... but there were quite a few surprises and mishaps which I thought deserved a little write up.
To start with, I headed into Gateshead and boarded the X10 service to head south. This flagship route, connecting Tyneside and Teesside, was operated using coaches the last time I used it, but last month the decision was made to revert back to double deckers, taken from the X84 and X85 routes. As with all of the X Lines routes, the buses are to a very high specification, and the change doesn't feel like much of a downgrade. Being in the morning peak, the service was fairly busy, with a fairly even split between passengers making end-to-end journeys and those using travelling to or from intermediate destinations like Dalton Park or Peterlee. And even though the route now serves all stops (no longer alternating between skipping Dalton Park/Billingham and Peterlee/Stockton), it still feels very fast - particularly the section between Peterlee and Billingham.
I decided to get off the bus at Stockton, giving me time to stretch my legs, get a coffee, and walk to Thornaby, where I boarded the direct train to Thirsk. I then walked from Thirsk station to Ripon - that's the ten mile walk I mentioned at the start of the post. I won't dwell on it because it's outwith the scope of this thread, but needless to say it was a very enjoyable saunter through some lovely country in the Vale of York. Crucially though, I made good time, arriving at Ripon fully half an hour earlier than planned.
This was where the fun began. Frequencies in this part of North Yorkshire are pretty poor, and in particular the timings on the 70 which runs from Ripon to Thirsk station (and Northallerton) are unhelpful, with no departures between 13:40 and 17:35 (presumably the bus which operates on the 70 does a school run around this time). However, I was aware that North Yorkshire were trialling a DRT scheme called YorBus in the area to the north of the city, and Bedale and Northallerton were connected by a relatively frequent service, so I had planned to use YorBus to Bedale and then head to Northallerton station. While booking the service in advance was not possible, I felt confident that this plan would work: in the days before my trip I'd used the app as if I were making a booking, to see the options which were presented. And they always seemed reasonable - typically involving about 30 minutes waiting in Ripon and then about 30 minutes travelling to Bedale - though of course I never actually booked them.
As soon as I arrived at Ripon, I opened the app and tried to book a journey... and the two options involved a 52 or 48 minute wait. I wasn't too upset - I was ahead of schedule, and I'd planned to spend the wait looking around the centre anyway - but it certainly made me nervous. About a quarter of an hour before the initial planned pick up time, I walked to the bus station, and checked the app again to be promptly told the bus had been delayed and it was now due in 20 minutes. Before long, it became clear that even this revised estimate was too optimistic, with the bus spending several minutes at the same location in the outskirts of Ripon - perhaps a passenger was booked to board the bus there, but didn't turn up? Whatever the reason, I felt increasingly concerned, but the YorBus finally arrived just as I was about to make contingency plans. It turned up at 15:50 - fifteen minutes later than I initially expected and nearly seventy minutes later than I had made my booking. Still, provided we made decent time, I would easily make my 16:35 connection at Bedale... right?
Wrong. The flexible aspect of the service, where the route can vary dramatically depending on demand, put paid to that. The bus headed almost all the way to the westernmost point of the zone, making a drop off near Masham, before heading east towards Bedale. The driver certainly did his best along the narrow country lanes, but we arrived at Bedale at 16:38 - by which time the bus I planned to get had left. I made good use of the hour and a half in Bedale, having dinner and a couple of pints at a very nice pub in town, but it did force me to change my plans and I had to book a train north from Northallerton. I could have returned the way I had came, but it would have meant long waits at Northallerton and Middlesbrough, and a very late arrival back into Gateshead!
By the time I was on the 73 from Bedale to Northallerton, it was completely dark outside. I was surprised at how busy the bus was - and almost all fare paying passengers. The fare was £3.05: a very awkward sum considering Dales and District only accept cash. Fortunately I'd checked the price beforehand using the government's open fare data (which is now surprisingly comprehensive), but I imagine drivers have to give 95p in change quite often. The service dropped me right at Northallerton station, which was very convenient for me to catch my train home.
So overall, it was a much more eventful day than planned. In hindsight, I was probably wrong to trust YorBus as much as I did - even with quite a wide margin for error, DRT services just aren't predictable. There's also the issue of financial sustainability - I only paid £1.20 for my single which is a great bargain, but that means breaking even would require huge numbers of passengers. While YorBus was much busier than other DRT services I've used in the past or read reports of, it's still hard to see how it can cover its costs. On a brighter note, it was good to see decent loadings on all of the services I used today - hopefully this is sign passengers are returning to normal!
To start with, I headed into Gateshead and boarded the X10 service to head south. This flagship route, connecting Tyneside and Teesside, was operated using coaches the last time I used it, but last month the decision was made to revert back to double deckers, taken from the X84 and X85 routes. As with all of the X Lines routes, the buses are to a very high specification, and the change doesn't feel like much of a downgrade. Being in the morning peak, the service was fairly busy, with a fairly even split between passengers making end-to-end journeys and those using travelling to or from intermediate destinations like Dalton Park or Peterlee. And even though the route now serves all stops (no longer alternating between skipping Dalton Park/Billingham and Peterlee/Stockton), it still feels very fast - particularly the section between Peterlee and Billingham.
I decided to get off the bus at Stockton, giving me time to stretch my legs, get a coffee, and walk to Thornaby, where I boarded the direct train to Thirsk. I then walked from Thirsk station to Ripon - that's the ten mile walk I mentioned at the start of the post. I won't dwell on it because it's outwith the scope of this thread, but needless to say it was a very enjoyable saunter through some lovely country in the Vale of York. Crucially though, I made good time, arriving at Ripon fully half an hour earlier than planned.
This was where the fun began. Frequencies in this part of North Yorkshire are pretty poor, and in particular the timings on the 70 which runs from Ripon to Thirsk station (and Northallerton) are unhelpful, with no departures between 13:40 and 17:35 (presumably the bus which operates on the 70 does a school run around this time). However, I was aware that North Yorkshire were trialling a DRT scheme called YorBus in the area to the north of the city, and Bedale and Northallerton were connected by a relatively frequent service, so I had planned to use YorBus to Bedale and then head to Northallerton station. While booking the service in advance was not possible, I felt confident that this plan would work: in the days before my trip I'd used the app as if I were making a booking, to see the options which were presented. And they always seemed reasonable - typically involving about 30 minutes waiting in Ripon and then about 30 minutes travelling to Bedale - though of course I never actually booked them.
As soon as I arrived at Ripon, I opened the app and tried to book a journey... and the two options involved a 52 or 48 minute wait. I wasn't too upset - I was ahead of schedule, and I'd planned to spend the wait looking around the centre anyway - but it certainly made me nervous. About a quarter of an hour before the initial planned pick up time, I walked to the bus station, and checked the app again to be promptly told the bus had been delayed and it was now due in 20 minutes. Before long, it became clear that even this revised estimate was too optimistic, with the bus spending several minutes at the same location in the outskirts of Ripon - perhaps a passenger was booked to board the bus there, but didn't turn up? Whatever the reason, I felt increasingly concerned, but the YorBus finally arrived just as I was about to make contingency plans. It turned up at 15:50 - fifteen minutes later than I initially expected and nearly seventy minutes later than I had made my booking. Still, provided we made decent time, I would easily make my 16:35 connection at Bedale... right?
Wrong. The flexible aspect of the service, where the route can vary dramatically depending on demand, put paid to that. The bus headed almost all the way to the westernmost point of the zone, making a drop off near Masham, before heading east towards Bedale. The driver certainly did his best along the narrow country lanes, but we arrived at Bedale at 16:38 - by which time the bus I planned to get had left. I made good use of the hour and a half in Bedale, having dinner and a couple of pints at a very nice pub in town, but it did force me to change my plans and I had to book a train north from Northallerton. I could have returned the way I had came, but it would have meant long waits at Northallerton and Middlesbrough, and a very late arrival back into Gateshead!
By the time I was on the 73 from Bedale to Northallerton, it was completely dark outside. I was surprised at how busy the bus was - and almost all fare paying passengers. The fare was £3.05: a very awkward sum considering Dales and District only accept cash. Fortunately I'd checked the price beforehand using the government's open fare data (which is now surprisingly comprehensive), but I imagine drivers have to give 95p in change quite often. The service dropped me right at Northallerton station, which was very convenient for me to catch my train home.
So overall, it was a much more eventful day than planned. In hindsight, I was probably wrong to trust YorBus as much as I did - even with quite a wide margin for error, DRT services just aren't predictable. There's also the issue of financial sustainability - I only paid £1.20 for my single which is a great bargain, but that means breaking even would require huge numbers of passengers. While YorBus was much busier than other DRT services I've used in the past or read reports of, it's still hard to see how it can cover its costs. On a brighter note, it was good to see decent loadings on all of the services I used today - hopefully this is sign passengers are returning to normal!
peterblue
Member
Here is a recent trip I did to Shropshire/ Herefordshire.
I was inspired to make this excursion for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to witness how Hereford has performed since the recent withdrawal from city routes by Yeomans. Commercially operated city routes in Hereford were mostly withdrawn by Yeomans in December. Sargeants had expanded slightly since then to cover some new areas. Second, this trip is (mostly) courtesy of Herefordshire County Council due to their current scheme of offering free weekend bus travel within the county.
Starting at Shrewsbury at 1130 to 1244, I caught the 435 by Minsterley Motors to Ludlow. I was aiming to catch the 0930 but, they're one of the few bus operators not accepting contact less payments. That's my fault - I'm normally prepared with cash everytime I am out, especially if I am using smaller bus companies, but not today! It was operated by an unbranded plain white Optare versa - though most vehicles in their fleet do contain basic route info and branding at the top. This was a fairly pleasant journey with an average load.
I had 30 mins break in Ludlow, so I had a wander around the town and saw the castle. Ludlow, like Shrewsbury is a historical town and is a lovely place to visit.
Next bus of the day is at 1315 to 1354, then 1400 to 1443, from Ludlow to Leominster and Hereford. This is operated by Lugg Valley as the 490/492 and the same bus operates through. This was operated by an optare solo, as are most (all?) buses by Lugg Valley and the sister company Yeomans. I paid for a single to the Herefordshire border, then travel beyond there was free. The first part of the route was very quiet, I was the only one on board for most of the way, but it got substantially busier on the 492 towards Hereford. There was about 12 on board at the end.
My original plan would have got into Hereford 2 hours earlier - and my schedule thereafter would have been to sample some of the Hereford City local services before heading back to Shrewsbury by train. I decided to instead do something different , after about 90 min break in Hereford, I will head to Knighton via Kington and catch the train to Shrewsbury from there instead. Hereford itself was busy and energetic today, not only was there a market on, there was also a band in town playing a hodgepodge of 80s music.
I got to see a collection of local buses while I was in Hereford. Yeomans and Lugg Valley both look and feel very basic. They have a very drab cream-coloured livery which I do not find particularly eye-catching. My impression is they're a company cutting as many of the costs as possible when providing a service and running a business. They were functional during my trip down from Ludlow to Hereford, but certainly nothing impressive. The passenger numbers I witnessed on city routes also reflect this. The minimalistic attitudes by some bus companies, unfortunately, do very little to encourage any new bus users. It tends to be those who -have- to use the bus rather than those who -want- to.
I caught the 461 by Sargeants to Kington at 1600 to 1710. This was by far the busiest bus I had with around 30 on board, about half getting off at Weobley and half getting off at Kington. The bus continues to Llandrindod Wells - but at Kington the driver said those going further must change. I'm unsure if this was the norm or not. This was also probably the nicest and most varied route of the day with its scenery. I arrived into Kington around 10 mins early.
I also changed buses here, to catch the 41 1730 to 1805 Kington to Knighton, also by Sargeants. It was starting to get dark now, so I didn't get to see much on this route, but it was quick and covered the 10 miles or so in half an hour.
All in all, I had an interesting trip. Compared to Yeomans and Lugg Valley, Sargeants appear to be more ambitious. They have expanded in Hereford City to cover the recent cutbacks by Yeomans. Their fleet presentation is also, in my opinion, more aesthetically pleasant compared to the other company. Their buses are red. They now operate city routes A and B, and 88, running one-way only loops of suburbs, as well as hourly routes from Hereford to Credenhill and Kington. Yeomans local routes are now mostly confined to South of the city, whereas Sargeants have a bit more geographic coverage now.
Hope this was an interesting read.
I was inspired to make this excursion for two reasons. Firstly, I wanted to witness how Hereford has performed since the recent withdrawal from city routes by Yeomans. Commercially operated city routes in Hereford were mostly withdrawn by Yeomans in December. Sargeants had expanded slightly since then to cover some new areas. Second, this trip is (mostly) courtesy of Herefordshire County Council due to their current scheme of offering free weekend bus travel within the county.
Starting at Shrewsbury at 1130 to 1244, I caught the 435 by Minsterley Motors to Ludlow. I was aiming to catch the 0930 but, they're one of the few bus operators not accepting contact less payments. That's my fault - I'm normally prepared with cash everytime I am out, especially if I am using smaller bus companies, but not today! It was operated by an unbranded plain white Optare versa - though most vehicles in their fleet do contain basic route info and branding at the top. This was a fairly pleasant journey with an average load.
I had 30 mins break in Ludlow, so I had a wander around the town and saw the castle. Ludlow, like Shrewsbury is a historical town and is a lovely place to visit.
Next bus of the day is at 1315 to 1354, then 1400 to 1443, from Ludlow to Leominster and Hereford. This is operated by Lugg Valley as the 490/492 and the same bus operates through. This was operated by an optare solo, as are most (all?) buses by Lugg Valley and the sister company Yeomans. I paid for a single to the Herefordshire border, then travel beyond there was free. The first part of the route was very quiet, I was the only one on board for most of the way, but it got substantially busier on the 492 towards Hereford. There was about 12 on board at the end.
My original plan would have got into Hereford 2 hours earlier - and my schedule thereafter would have been to sample some of the Hereford City local services before heading back to Shrewsbury by train. I decided to instead do something different , after about 90 min break in Hereford, I will head to Knighton via Kington and catch the train to Shrewsbury from there instead. Hereford itself was busy and energetic today, not only was there a market on, there was also a band in town playing a hodgepodge of 80s music.
I got to see a collection of local buses while I was in Hereford. Yeomans and Lugg Valley both look and feel very basic. They have a very drab cream-coloured livery which I do not find particularly eye-catching. My impression is they're a company cutting as many of the costs as possible when providing a service and running a business. They were functional during my trip down from Ludlow to Hereford, but certainly nothing impressive. The passenger numbers I witnessed on city routes also reflect this. The minimalistic attitudes by some bus companies, unfortunately, do very little to encourage any new bus users. It tends to be those who -have- to use the bus rather than those who -want- to.
I caught the 461 by Sargeants to Kington at 1600 to 1710. This was by far the busiest bus I had with around 30 on board, about half getting off at Weobley and half getting off at Kington. The bus continues to Llandrindod Wells - but at Kington the driver said those going further must change. I'm unsure if this was the norm or not. This was also probably the nicest and most varied route of the day with its scenery. I arrived into Kington around 10 mins early.
I also changed buses here, to catch the 41 1730 to 1805 Kington to Knighton, also by Sargeants. It was starting to get dark now, so I didn't get to see much on this route, but it was quick and covered the 10 miles or so in half an hour.
All in all, I had an interesting trip. Compared to Yeomans and Lugg Valley, Sargeants appear to be more ambitious. They have expanded in Hereford City to cover the recent cutbacks by Yeomans. Their fleet presentation is also, in my opinion, more aesthetically pleasant compared to the other company. Their buses are red. They now operate city routes A and B, and 88, running one-way only loops of suburbs, as well as hourly routes from Hereford to Credenhill and Kington. Yeomans local routes are now mostly confined to South of the city, whereas Sargeants have a bit more geographic coverage now.
Hope this was an interesting read.
Last edited:
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Really interesting to hear your views. Not an area I know that well and in the past, I only experienced Midland Red West or Stagecoach (either from Wales or Forest of Dean). Yeomans are one of those types of long established indies that enthusiasts usually point to as being better than the corporates.
Always fancied to one of the Sargeants runs up to Knighton or Llandod
As the weather wasn't looking too pretty out West I heading East to cobble up a day out. This time East to Sussex.
The day started early with a Southern service to Brighton. At Worthing I quickly changed trains to a diverted Gatwick Express branded 387 that would get me to Brighton quicker, I had a short connection at Brighton.
At Brighton I took the next Southern service to Hastings. At £11.55 return a Southampton to Hastings off peak day return with railcard discount is great value. The line beyond Lewes was new for me, so new line bonus!
From Hastings my rough idea was work back towards Brighton by bus. I had no concrete plans after that. I had a discovery ticket.
Stagecoach 99 Hastings to Eastbourne E300
A 58 plate E300 showed up for the 99 to Eastbourne, one of them uncomfortable ones with low back seats, it seemed every other 99 was a decker! A busy bus heading out of Hastings, nice view of the rough English Channel. Perhaps I will be back to do the 98 route which runs inland.
Brighton and Hove 12X Eastbourne to Brighton Gemini
After a short pitstop in Eastbourne time to head West again. The Eastbourne to Seaford section was new to me and very impressive, will have to come back to visit beachy head. After Seaford we ran in convey with two other 12 variants. I had my sights on a connection to the Metrobus 271 at the Old Steine.
Stagecoach 17 Brighton to Horsham E300
I decided to catch a late running service 17 to Horsham, a pleasant run through rural Sussex. At Horsham I toyed of the idea of getting the bus to Crawley but I settled for the train.
Metrobus 98 Horsham to Horsham station E200
Decided to take the lazy option up to Horsham station which was a well presented E200. From Horsham Railway station I took the next Southern service to Crawley. I had lunch Crawley and a break of just over an hour
Metrobus 271 Crawley to Brighton via Haywards Heath Double Decker unsure of type 09 plate.
Decided to take the 271 as I have already travelled on the 273 via Hickstead, still to do the 272 and 270. This route gives sweeping views across Sussex before a tootle through Haywards Heath. I jumped off on London Road in Brighton before catching a busy Southern service back along the coast.
Hope to explore further the Metrobus network, such as the routes to Epsom, Dorking and Leatherhead. In addition head further East from Hastings using buses and trains.
The day started early with a Southern service to Brighton. At Worthing I quickly changed trains to a diverted Gatwick Express branded 387 that would get me to Brighton quicker, I had a short connection at Brighton.
At Brighton I took the next Southern service to Hastings. At £11.55 return a Southampton to Hastings off peak day return with railcard discount is great value. The line beyond Lewes was new for me, so new line bonus!
From Hastings my rough idea was work back towards Brighton by bus. I had no concrete plans after that. I had a discovery ticket.
Stagecoach 99 Hastings to Eastbourne E300
A 58 plate E300 showed up for the 99 to Eastbourne, one of them uncomfortable ones with low back seats, it seemed every other 99 was a decker! A busy bus heading out of Hastings, nice view of the rough English Channel. Perhaps I will be back to do the 98 route which runs inland.
Brighton and Hove 12X Eastbourne to Brighton Gemini
After a short pitstop in Eastbourne time to head West again. The Eastbourne to Seaford section was new to me and very impressive, will have to come back to visit beachy head. After Seaford we ran in convey with two other 12 variants. I had my sights on a connection to the Metrobus 271 at the Old Steine.
Stagecoach 17 Brighton to Horsham E300
I decided to catch a late running service 17 to Horsham, a pleasant run through rural Sussex. At Horsham I toyed of the idea of getting the bus to Crawley but I settled for the train.
Metrobus 98 Horsham to Horsham station E200
Decided to take the lazy option up to Horsham station which was a well presented E200. From Horsham Railway station I took the next Southern service to Crawley. I had lunch Crawley and a break of just over an hour
Metrobus 271 Crawley to Brighton via Haywards Heath Double Decker unsure of type 09 plate.
Decided to take the 271 as I have already travelled on the 273 via Hickstead, still to do the 272 and 270. This route gives sweeping views across Sussex before a tootle through Haywards Heath. I jumped off on London Road in Brighton before catching a busy Southern service back along the coast.
Hope to explore further the Metrobus network, such as the routes to Epsom, Dorking and Leatherhead. In addition head further East from Hastings using buses and trains.