Trips by Bus and Coach: Your reports

[route101]

Sampled a Flixbus UK service last week. The McGills operated N10 from London Victoria. This service runs up the east side of England calling at Leicester Fosse Park, Sheffield Meadowhall Interchange, Sunderland, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. This service takes just over ten hours compared to going up the west side.

I arrived at London Victoria in good time ahead of departure at 11pm. Victoria Bus Station was its usual hive of activity in the evening, with people awaiting night or late services across the UK and Europe. Some fellow presented himself at one of the National Express gates with a rail ticket to Liverpool, last train to Liverpool had left and this wasn't Euston.

The waiting area for gate 8 does not feature any seating or very little of, so I sat further along at different gate. Not long after our green coach arrived with two drivers. This was a new coach for me, I think it was a Volvo. My ticket was scanned by one driver and luggage popped into the hold, quite an efficient process. The driver confirmed the seat I had selected, which was row 12 seats B and C. I had booked the seat next to me for an extra £3.25, which is a lifesaver on overnight runs.

The service was busy tonight, the service has only been running since last summer. I think everyone had an allocated seat but there was a few seat hoppers. A few people were just ignoring their seat reservation and going for more desirable seats only to be booted out again. We left Victoria on time and heading towards our first pick up at Finchley Road

Been a while since I have taken a coach North from London, up to Brent Cross then onto the M1. Good mix of passengers on todays run, I think a few have connected from Flixbus services from Europe. I didn't find this coach comfortable. The seats were thin and had not a lot width very much the same as a Irizar; glad I booked the extra seat. I didn't notice many others with seats free next to them. I was between a group of french speaking Moroccans, I was right in the middle of their conservations so to speak. As with overnight services you rarely see older couples as you see on daytime NX services.

I started dozing off when we pulled into our first stop at Asda on the outskirts of Leicester. Surprisingly a few people got on here. I started dozing off again before we pulled into Sheffield Meadowhall, few people got on and off. We continued up the M1 past Leeds and Wetherby, roads were quiet. Perhaps quieter on the east side? I awoke again to what I think was Thirsk and then again heading past Middlesbrough. So we must of went up the A19.

Again I dozed off only to woken as we heading into Sunderland, the first light was beginning to show at 430am. By the time we reached Newcastle, not long after it was light. Few people got on at Newcastle. I dozed off again before waking up to bright sunshine on the single carriageway section of the A1. At Edinburgh most people got off and surprisingly a few people got on at Edinburgh. Not sure why you use the Flixbus over the frequent 900 or train to Glasgow. We arrived at Glasgow Buchanan Bus Station at around 830am.

With stops every few hours it was hard to sleep for any length of time on this service. Was good to try out and I do like the option to book the seat next to you. I believe there is a second Flixbus daytime service that goes down the west side. I may try that at some point and some of the shorter runs.

 

[RELL6L]

I've not posted one of my 'On This Day in History' trips for a while, so here's one for you all from Saturday, 2 May 1987, so 35 years ago today. It's a bit of a 'cheat' in as much as not every journey was by bus - there was some car mileage involved or order to sample a selection of (mainly) rural routes which PMT had picked up from Crosville on tender at deregulation, hence the 'K' prefix route numbers.

However, I'm sure all you Bristol RE fans out there will forgive me. Oh, and there's an LH for @TheGrandWazoo to enjoy, too!


So, an early start to drive to Crewe for what turned out to be very much a day of sunshine and showers. First up - in pouring rain - the 0827 K32 from Crewe to Sandbach and back, in the hands of PMT 207 - PVT207L - an ECW bodied Bristol RESL6L.

View attachment 113953

View attachment 113954
Two photos above showing PMT 207 crossing the Trent and Mersey Canal near Elworth, using a temporary 'Bailey Bridge'.

Back to Crewe on this bus, then, and off in the car to nearby Nantwich to cover the 1005 K70 to Wrenbury and back, in the hands of PMT 220 - PVT220L, this time a Bristol RELL6L, with similar ECW bodywork.

View attachment 113955
PMT 220 at Wrenbury. The weather had improved a bit by this stage. No need to run, folks!

Back to Nantwich, and a trip on the same bus to cover the 1045 K47 Nantwich - Birchin Lane (return) local service, before we headed out into the countryside again to work the 1115 K63 Nantwich - Audlem and back.

View attachment 113956
PMT 220 at Hunsterson Cross Roads. Nice 'finger post'.

Car needed, now, to return to Crewe in time for the 1255 K54 Crewe - Occlestone (return) worked by 'sister' PMT 219 - PVT219L - another ECW bodied Bristol RELL6L.

View attachment 113957
PMT 219 at Occlestone

View attachment 113958
... and 219 again, this time posed outside Warmingham Church on the return journey.

Time for a change from the diet of Bristol REs, sampling the delights of PMT 310 - GTX760W - an ECW bodied Bristol LHS6L, working the 1355 K12 Crewe - Coppenhall (circular).

View attachment 113959
PMT 310 on Parkstone Drive (Crewe). The clouds are back, but the driver looks cheerful enough with their 'stick-box' steed!

Next up, and we're back to the diet of Bristol REs with PMT 215 - PVT215L - another ECW bodied Bristol RELL6L, this time on the 1425 K16 Crewe - Marshfield (return)

View attachment 113960
PMT 215 booms into Crewe Bus Station, with a nice collection of 1970s / 1980s car in the car park behind.

And now it's time for my final run of the day, the 1510 K39 Crewe - Walgherton (and return), being worked by yet another RE, this time PMT 218 - PVT218L - another ECW bodied Bristol RELL6L.

View attachment 113961
PMT 218 outside the Boar's Head at Walgherton.

Unlike many rural pubs, this one still survives, and the image below from Google Maps, dated May 2021, shows it has been significantly modernised.

View attachment 113962

More history tomorrow, if I can find time.

Another stunning selection of REs in great locations in the sunshine- thank you! I bet most of these routes have vanished without trace now, apart from Nantwich to Audlem.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Another stunning selection of REs in great locations in the sunshine- thank you! I bet most of these routes have vanished without trace now, apart from Nantwich to Audlem.

Thank you to @TheSel for a superb set of photos. Not just that they are of REs (and contrary to some, I think they suited the PMT livery) but also the locations/composition of them are brilliant. Love the one on the Bailey bridge and the ones at Warmingham and Walgherton are very nicely posed. Even the one on the run up to Crewe bus station with the range of cars in the background is a beauty. I do like to check the locations as a "then and now" and see if those trips are possible and good news for @RELL6L is that you can still do most of them with D&G albeit with no RELL6Ls; I assume elderly Solos and e200s are the likeliest machines.

I have kept back this recollection for "on this day" as it is my very first recorded Explorer trip, dating from 3rd May 1986. I'd travelled on many buses with my dad (who was the driver) or trips into town on my own but now I was trusted by my folks to go further afield. It was to an exhibition in Durham and a child Explorer ticket was the cheapest way to travel. I recall the day vividly though sadly, I didn't have the budget that @TheSel had; instead, I have used the flickr images of the late Mark Harrington https://www.flickr.com/photos/markh737 - no-one chronicled the local bus scene better than Mark. Where possible, I've tried to use suitably historic shots.

The day began with a trip to Darlington from Catterick. At that time, the main route had 4 vehicles allocated to it, with one from Darlington and three from Richmond depot. Despite Richmond depot having Almex machines and VRs, rather than electric Setrights and Olympians, the lack of familiarity of fares and route would often see Darlington boards run late but this was the first run on a quiet Saturday so Olympian 215 duly arrived



This was a 28B journey, the only one of the day that ran a different route into Darlington but it duly deposited me in the dark, miserable bus station. It was a short wait for next bus to take me to Durham. This was the famed 722/723, jointly operated from Darlington to Newcastle by both United and Northern. It was a Northern Metrobus II 3508, that would take me north to previous unknown places. After breaking free of Darlington, we would follow the A167 and divert via Newton Aycliffe, before rejoining and heading up the old A1. We went through Chilton and Ferryhill which, at that time, still boasted a bus station (of sorts) and then via Elvet into Durham. It was here that I broke my journey, and visited my exhibition before returning a couple of hours later to the bus station.

My next bus was unremarkable - a United National 3078 allocated to Peterlee depot. However, it was a portent of the impending deregulation as United were making changes in central Co Durham to routes in early 1986. The routes to Peterlee had been a leisurely ramble every 15 mins; the 241/2 would continue half hourly to Hartlepool whilst the 239/240 were removed in favour of a fast X40 every hour to Peterlee and Easington. The journey today on Arriva 22/24 would take 47 mins... this National was scheduled to take 27 and was marketed as the East Durham Sprinter!! We left the bus station and then blasted off across Co Durham, sliding around on brown vinyl whilst listening to the 510 engine whine and whince in equal measure on what was now a cold, clear day.



This was Peterlee before it gained a bus station so the bus stops on Burnhope Way (with a travel office/admin building) acted as such. They were a grim place to wait for a bus yet seemingly, I spent an hour in this spot. This was when Peterlee was predominantly United territory but with a fair number of Northern vehicles running in from Murton depot. Now United's successor, Arriva, has closed the local depot and largely exited save for a few interurban routes whilst Northern (Go North East) has primacy. Next up was a trip on part of the long cross country 214 service from Sunderland to Middlesbrough. Such an arduous route demands only the best so it was Peterlee's 12 year old Bristol LH 1644. This machine lasted another 9 years with United which is amazing as I recall it being distinctly ropey and absolutely freezing. It was a very basic trip across the former coalfields via places like Shotton Colliery and Trimdon. There were also glimpses of now lost features - the TMS depot in Trimdon, the coke works at Fishburn and then Winterton Hospital, the former asylum which was later closed and converted for housing.


Sedgefield was next; a town that had possessed two United depots until 1984 (both inherited with the purchase of Wilkinsons) when they were closed. One still stands in commercial use. Sedgefield, the former constituency of Tony Blair, is very much a Teesside dormitory and has a fine green in the centre where buses congregate. I decamped here and almost immediately got a 69 (no sniggering at the back) to Bishop Auckland. The service 69 was a jointly operated service with every 3rd bus being a TMS machine. However, mine was another United LH on marginally newer (and warmer) 1676. This route from Stockton to Bishop by Spennymoor, now lost thanks to Arriva cuts, runs from Sedgefield and Bishop Middleham back into Ferryhill (now Scarlet Band 113), before heading to Spennymoor and then to Bishop. Always one of my fave services back in the day.


Having enjoyed about 2 hours of Leyland 401 engines revving themselves to bits, it was good to have a rest. 25 mins to enjoy the scenic vista of Bishop Auckland bus station. It has changed a little over the years but not really. It is still the appalling, windy, desolate place now that it was then. In truth, I probably nipped to look at the OK depot about 2 mins away. I waited for my bus back to Darlington and it was, as I expected, one of the huge fleet of Nationals that were allocated to Bishop depot. They had had the first 9 Nationals delivered new to United; this was of the same batch but 3018 had been new to Blyth. In the late 70s/early 80s, the TGWU didn't like non-crew operated deckers whilst the NUR (union for the Northumberland depots) were more conducive so swaps saw VRs heading north whilst Nationals came south. Note: this photo is another Flickr friend of mine (John Carter) as Mark wasn't so keen on snapping Nationals!



It was another barrelling trip on the 1. We passed the United garage at Cabin Gate, headed up Busty Bank (again, stop sniggering) and into Shildon. The current service 1 heads into Shildon town centre and serves the Jubilee Estate but in these days (and historically) it really skirted the town though serving the Hippodrome - it was closed then, demolished in 1995, and yet still appears as a timing point on the X1! We passed the former rail wagon works that had closed two years previously with the loss of over 2500 jobs (later partly used to build CVE Omni minibus atrocities), and then hurtled via Redworth to Heighington (very nice village) and into Darlington. A journey I enjoyed, albeit on a Streetlite, about a year ago.

Last bus of the day was another LH - sorry @TheSel but REs were very thin on the ground by 1986! It was left to Richmond LH 1649 to take me back home, passing the United head office and central works on Grange Road (now a Sainsburys) and back across the border and into North Yorkshire.



I hope you've enjoyed the read. Also, glad that whilst I didn't have the resources to take any photos at that time, some people did and I would recommend checking out Mark and John's flickr pages.

 

[TheSel]

Very many thanks, @TheGrandWazoo, both for your kind comments, and more importantly for a cracking report of an area I used to visit periodically. Although I never knew it as well as you obviously did, I can well recall trips on several of those routes, as well as spending time in Bishop Auckland's bus station, and Peterlee's 'Burnhope Way' stands. I even did a trip by National Express between Christmas and New Year in 1985, specifically to record the ex Southern Vectis Leyland Nationals that United had placed at Peterlee. A 'Northern' Plaxton bodied Leyland Tiger from Liverpool to Darlington, then an Explorer ticket, covering Darlington - Crook (an LH), Crook to Durham (Leyland National), Durham to Peterlee (National 2), Peterlee to Wingate and back (an LH), then up to Newcastle on a Northern Highbridge VR, and a 'cardboard' (Willowbrook) Leopard on the X70 back to Darlington in time for the National Express service back to Liverpool. Perhaps more on that, with pictures, for an 'On This Day' report at the time?

Anyway, as promised, here's today's 'On This Day' - a report of Sunday, 3 May 1987 - the day following my 'Bristol RE fest' in Crewe (post #360), with a few pictures from the trip.

I met up with a couple of friends, and drove to Hazel Grove, where we each purchased a Peak Wayfarer ticket. Our first (and last) journeys of the day were actually by train, with a class 108 (Derby) set from Hazel Grove to Buxton.


Car 52049 leading, a class 108 'Derby' DMU arrives in Hazel Grove to form the 1126 service to Buxton, whilst a similar set leaves for Manchester Piccadilly.

This gave us half an hour or so in Buxton, before catching the 1234 252 'TransPeak' service to Bakewell, which turned up in the shape of Trent's 137 - BRC137T - a Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopard.


Trent 137 approaches a remarkably quiet Buxton Market Square. A nice Austin Maxi and a Ford Capri add to the period feel of the place.

Bakewell was always a popular lunch spot, and we each partook of a couple of pints in The Red Lion, which - at the time - served excelled Ruddles County beer.

Time now for some Bristol RE activity - but not one of the majority with ECW bodywork - rather an ex Burnley, Colne & Nelson vehicle - PHG806K, with a Pennine body, by now numbered 77 in the Silver Service fleet. This worked the 1355 service 181 back to Buxton, but by a much more scenic route than the Leopard above, via Tideswell, Derwent Dams, Castleton - and for this summer only, over Winnat's Pass - to Buxton.


Silver Service 77 - PHG806K - at Derwent Dams.

From Buxton, we returned to Castleton, on Silver Service 93 - EPM122V - a Duple bodied AEC Reliance, new to London Country as their RB122, where we encountered the most youthful bus of the day, South Yorkshire Transport 2478 - D478OWE - a coach seated Alexander bodied Dennis Dominator, on the 272 towards Sheffield. Little did I know it at the time, but within five years, I was to become very familiar with these vehicles following a move to Sheffield, where I lived for 24 very happy years.


Queueing for a Dominator! South Yorkshire Transport 2478 - D478OWE - loading in Castleton Bus Station.

This took us to Hathersage, where we alighted and made our way up to the station for a short trip on a Met-Cam DMU back as far as Bamford, to await a scenic gem - the 395 service over the Snake Pass back towards Manchester. I was particularly pleased that Mayne had won the tender for the service this year, and we were treated to one of their coach seated ECW bodied Bristol VRs - VJA666S - on the 1730 395 from Bamford Station to Glossop. Taking the phrase 'if you don't ask, you don't get' to heart, we requested a photo stop at the summit of the Snake Pass, and were rewarded with:


Mayne VR '16' - VJA666S - at the summit of the Snake Pass - probably the highest elevation at which I ever photographed a VR!

We then just had a few minutes to wait in Glossop for the E24 to take us to our 'evening meal break' pub in New Mills. Sure enough, at the appointed hour, Crosville ELL320 - YTU320S - showed up.


Crosville ELL320 - YTU320S - arrives in Glossop, pleasingly showing 'Crosville', rather than <blank> on the destination blind - 'Glossop' not being included on the printed blind as it was not a regular destination. It's amazing to see how quiet Glossop's main street was at 6:30 on this Sunday evening!

And so, the day's bus riding concluded with the 1830 E24 from Glossop to New Mills, worked by Crosville ELL320 - YTU320S - a Duple bodied Leyland Leopard.

On arrival at New Mills, we went to 'The Peaks' - another of our favourite watering holes, where the mixed grill was of massive proportions, and was excellent value, before sauntering down the hill to catch a train back to Hazel Grove, where we'd left the car. For the record, this was worked by the same DMU that we'd started out on - 52049 (Class 108 Derby), working the 2028 from New Mills Newtown to Hazel Grove.

Hope you've enjoyed these ramblings. More in a few days from my 'memory box'.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Very many thanks, @TheGrandWazoo, both for your kind comments, and more importantly for a cracking report of an area I used to visit periodically. Although I never knew it as well as you obviously did, I can well recall trips on several of those routes, as well as spending time in Bishop Auckland's bus station, and Peterlee's 'Burnhope Way' stands. I even did a trip by National Express between Christmas and New Year in 1985, specifically to record the ex Southern Vectis Leyland Nationals that United had placed at Peterlee. A 'Northern' Plaxton bodied Leyland Tiger from Liverpool to Darlington, then an Explorer ticket, covering Darlington - Crook (an LH), Crook to Durham (Leyland National), Durham to Peterlee (National 2), Peterlee to Wingate and back (an LH), then up to Newcastle on a Northern Highbridge VR, and a 'cardboard' (Willowbrook) Leopard on the X70 back to Darlington in time for the National Express service back to Liverpool. Perhaps more on that, with pictures, for an 'On This Day' report at the time?

Anyway, as promised, here's today's 'On This Day' - a report of Sunday, 3 May 1987 - the day following my 'Bristol RE fest' in Crewe (post #360), with a few pictures from the trip.

I met up with a couple of friends, and drove to Hazel Grove, where we each purchased a Peak Wayfarer ticket. Our first (and last) journeys of the day were actually by train, with a class 108 (Derby) set from Hazel Grove to Buxton.

View attachment 113989
Car 52049 leading, a class 108 'Derby' DMU arrives in Hazel Grove to form the 1126 service to Buxton, whilst a similar set leaves for Manchester Piccadilly.

This gave us half an hour or so in Buxton, before catching the 1234 252 'TransPeak' service to Bakewell, which turned up in the shape of Trent's 137 - BRC137T - a Plaxton bodied Leyland Leopard.

View attachment 113990
Trent 137 approaches a remarkably quiet Buxton Market Square. A nice Austin Maxi and a Ford Capri add to the period feel of the place.

Bakewell was always a popular lunch spot, and we each partook of a couple of pints in The Red Lion, which - at the time - served excelled Ruddles County beer.

Time now for some Bristol RE activity - but not one of the majority with ECW bodywork - rather an ex Burnley, Colne & Nelson vehicle - PHG806K, with a Pennine body, by now numbered 77 in the Silver Service fleet. This worked the 1355 service 181 back to Buxton, but by a much more scenic route than the Leopard above, via Tideswell, Derwent Dams, Castleton - and for this summer only, over Winnat's Pass - to Buxton.

View attachment 113992
Silver Service 77 - PHG806K - at Derwent Dams.

From Buxton, we returned to Castleton, on Silver Service 93 - EPM122V - a Duple bodied AEC Reliance, new to London Country as their RB122, where we encountered the most youthful bus of the day, South Yorkshire Transport 2478 - D478OWE - a coach seated Alexander bodied Dennis Dominator, on the 272 towards Sheffield. Little did I know it at the time, but within five years, I was to become very familiar with these vehicles following a move to Sheffield, where I lived for 24 very happy years.

View attachment 113993
Queueing for a Dominator! South Yorkshire Transport 2478 - D478OWE - loading in Castleton Bus Station.

This took us to Hathersage, where we alighted and made our way up to the station for a short trip on a Met-Cam DMU back as far as Bamford, to await a scenic gem - the 395 service over the Snake Pass back towards Manchester. I was particularly pleased that Mayne had won the tender for the service this year, and we were treated to one of their coach seated ECW bodied Bristol VRs - VJA666S - on the 1730 395 from Bamford Station to Glossop. Taking the phrase 'if you don't ask, you don't get' to heart, we requested a photo stop at the summit of the Snake Pass, and were rewarded with:

View attachment 113995
Mayne VR '16' - VJA666S - at the summit of the Snake Pass - probably the highest elevation at which I ever photographed a VR!

We then just had a few minutes to wait in Glossop for the E24 to take us to our 'evening meal break' pub in New Mills. Sure enough, at the appointed hour, Crosville ELL320 - YTU320S - showed up.

View attachment 113997
Crosville ELL320 - YTU320S - arrives in Glossop, pleasingly showing 'Crosville', rather than <blank> on the destination blind - 'Glossop' not being included on the printed blind as it was not a regular destination. It's amazing to see how quiet Glossop's main street was at 6:30 on this Sunday evening!

And so, the day's bus riding concluded with the 1830 E24 from Glossop to New Mills, worked by Crosville ELL320 - YTU320S - a Duple bodied Leyland Leopard.

On arrival at New Mills, we went to 'The Peaks' - another of our favourite watering holes, where the mixed grill was of massive proportions, and was excellent value, before sauntering down the hill to catch a train back to Hazel Grove, where we'd left the car. For the record, this was worked by the same DMU that we'd started out on - 52049 (Class 108 Derby), working the 2028 from New Mills Newtown to Hazel Grove.

Hope you've enjoyed these ramblings. More in a few days from my 'memory box'.

I'd look forward to seeing some of your North East captures. I remember those Southern Vectis Nationals well, seeing them repainted in Darlington works before they headed to Peterlee. Only the "keep the Island tidy" notices on the used tickets bin indicated their origin to the unaware. They did a turn at Richmond depot and so I did travel on them; excellent machines having been used sparingly on the IOW. I could even probably guess which cardboard Leopard you "enjoyed".

Thanks for the Derbyshire photos; an area that I hadn't visit for ages until late March. I remember those Dominators on the X78 - they were fantastically comfortable machines. I had thought East Bank depot had closed at dereg but your snap pointed otherwise and indeed, it didn't go until 1988 (and is now Olive Grove depot). The Trent Leopard looks a bit drab, not helped by losing some of its trim at the front. The Crosville one looks better but, of course, we know the body would be rapidly decaying underneath. I'd suggest that very few folks have snapped a VR at that altitude.

ps you mentioned the Maxi and Capri but there's a fine Reliant Scimitar there if I can see into the shadows
pps was never a fan of Ruddles County

 

[RELL6L]

Another pair of wonderful historical reports from @TheGrandWazoo and @TheSel suitably illustrated. I've been to some of the places in the North East fairly recently but I am pleased to say no screaming Leyland Nationals or bouncy Bristol LHs now. And more great reminiscence and photos from the Peak District. The VR on the Snake Pass is spectacular, I love the Dominator with all the walkers boarding at Castleton, a familiar spot and I really liked the noisy Rolls-Royce powered Dominators. The RE is wonderful - and what a route to sample it on - but the Pennine body does look boxy and ill-proportioned with the radiator grille looking like it was added after it overheated on delivery and the customer pointed out that the RE (unlike most competitors) had its radiator at the front! To me the Pennine body on the Seddon RU, by contrast, looked just right, shame about the driveline!

Keep them coming!

 

[TheSel]

Just a very brief historical report from my archives today. Saturday, 4 May 1985 - a Bank Holiday weekend - and the West Coast Main Line was closed north of Preston for engineering works, with services being diverted (anyone remember those days?!?) via the Settle and Carlisle route. As this route was still under threat of closure at the time, I decided to get a day return from Preston to Carlisle, cover the S&C, and do a few local bus runs.

For the record, the 0850 off Preston was double headed, with 47535 and 47447 doing the honours.


approaching Ribblehead Viaduct behind 47535 and 47447.

Alighting in Carlisle, I bought a Ribble 'Explorer' ticket, and covered the scenic and very infrequent:

1215 631 Carlisle - Penrith (via Kirkoswald) Ribble 1082 - PCW682P - Duple bodied Leopard


Ribble 1082 - PCW682P - in Kirkoswald.

... returning north up the main road (A6) on similar, but slighly older

1400 615 Penrith - Carlisle (direct) Ribble 1033 - XTF807L - Duple bodied Leopard


Ribble 1033 - XTF807L - at High Hesket, with the A6 in the background.

Next up, one of my favourites - and by now becoming scarce with Ribble,

1455 640 Carlisle - Dalston Ribble 359 - OCK359K - ECW bodied Bristol RESL6L


Ribble 359 - OCK359K - at Carlisle. Although displaying 'Bridge End', this vehicle only worked as far as Dalston, at which point passengers (self included) were decanted onto:

1527 643 Dalston - Bridge End Ribble 1140 - WCK140V - Duple bodied Leopard


Ribble 1140 - WCK140V - at Bridge End. Such a shame the RE didn't work through - it would have looked nice against the 'dills!

... returning to Carlisle on the same vehicle:

1532 643 Bridge End - Carlisle Ribble 1140 - WCK140V - Duple bodied Leopard

... in time for my train back to Preston - again diverted via the S&C, Hellifield and Clitheroe

1631 CARLISLE - PRESTON 47492

My diary records I then " ... went to Carol's Wedding Reception ...". Sadly, I can't for the life of me remember which Carol - I've known at least four over the years. I suspect it was one from the office where I then worked. Obviously not a very memorable evening! Sorry, Carol, whoever you are!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Just a very brief historical report from my archives today. Saturday, 4 May 1985 - a Bank Holiday weekend - and the West Coast Main Line was closed north of Preston for engineering works, with services being diverted (anyone remember those days?!?) via the Settle and Carlisle route. As this route was still under threat of closure at the time, I decided to get a day return from Preston to Carlisle, cover the S&C, and do a few local bus runs.

For the record, the 0850 off Preston was double headed, with 47535 and 47447 doing the honours.

View attachment 114053
approaching Ribblehead Viaduct behind 47535 and 47447.

Alighting in Carlisle, I bought a Ribble 'Explorer' ticket, and covered the scenic and very infrequent:

1215 631 Carlisle - Penrith (via Kirkoswald) Ribble 1082 - PCW682P - Duple bodied Leopard

View attachment 114054
Ribble 1082 - PCW682P - in Kirkoswald.

... returning north up the main road (A6) on similar, but slighly older

1400 615 Penrith - Carlisle (direct) Ribble 1033 - XTF807L - Duple bodied Leopard

View attachment 114058
Ribble 1033 - XTF807L - at High Hesket, with the A6 in the background.

Next up, one of my favourites - and by now becoming scarce with Ribble,

1455 640 Carlisle - Dalston Ribble 359 - OCK359K - ECW bodied Bristol RESL6L

View attachment 114059
Ribble 359 - OCK359K - at Carlisle. Although displaying 'Bridge End', this vehicle only worked as far as Dalston, at which point passengers (self included) were decanted onto:

1527 643 Dalston - Bridge End Ribble 1140 - WCK140V - Duple bodied Leopard

View attachment 114060
Ribble 1140 - WCK140V - at Bridge End. Such a shame the RE didn't work through - it would have looked nice against the 'dills!

... returning to Carlisle on the same vehicle:

1532 643 Bridge End - Carlisle Ribble 1140 - WCK140V - Duple bodied Leopard

... in time for my train back to Preston - again diverted via the S&C, Hellifield and Clitheroe

1631 CARLISLE - PRESTON 47492

My diary records I then " ... went to Carol's Wedding Reception ...". Sadly, I can't for the life of me remember which Carol - I've known at least four over the years. I suspect it was one from the office where I then worked. Obviously not a very memorable evening! Sorry, Carol, whoever you are!

A very low RE quotient there from @TheSel but engaging nonetheless. It's a strange affair to swap passengers at Dalston which is nearly at Bridge End anyway. Checked out Bridge End and it still gets a couple of buses per day courtesy of Reays and a Stagecoach on a Saturday.

As for the Leopards, the older two examples look very careworn especially the one in National white which was a downgraded coach judging by the destination box and single plug door. Definitely rather tired. I guess that they may have been working out of the outbase at Kirkoswald? The P reg, it appears, was not destined to be around much longer and was one of the small fleet of North East Bus Services that tried to compete with Northern in 1987 when not that old.

However, I noticed the newer one and the reg plate seemed familiar (yes, tragic) and indeed the records show, I travelled on it the following year. By which time, it was a Cumberland vehicle and had received their smart red and brown livery, and was working from Newcastle to Hexham on the 685 looking a lot smarter.

 

[RELL6L]

I am jotting down a historic trip as I don’t think I am likely to be doing any real ones for a while due to work and holiday plans. Five years ago, on 4 and 5 May 2017, I did a two day trip from Doncaster including an overnight stop in Scarborough, the only time I have done a trip carrying a change of clothes and overnight provisions on my back. What follows is mostly from memory and photos – distilling these down to 10 is extremely difficult!

I parked in a car park near Doncaster station that allowed me to park for two days and briefly looked around the town centre but it was very early. Going to the bus station I then took the first journey on the Arriva 405 north to Selby. This was a double decker on what was largely a school run with lots of children headed for a school in Askern, then a fairly light run on to Selby and a quick bite and stroll around the town. From Selby it was on to York on an Arriva DB300/Wright on the frequent 415 service which was quite scenic. This was my first time visiting York on a trip (I have been three times since including last month) and I had an hour to explore several areas, the river, the Shambles, the cathedral and slightly towards the station but there were other areas (eg the castle) I left for another time.

From York it was on the Transdev Coastliner 840 heading east. As I mentioned on my recent trip report I did not stop in Malton and only last month was I able to visit there, but I did take a scheduled hour in Pickering. I think by then we were pretty late but I still had plenty of time to explore including to the North York Moors station area. Then another 840, both double deckers – probably the current 66-reg B5TLs – on through the scenic North York Moors to Whitby. This has recently been voted the most scenic bus trip and one can see why, the section through the moors is glorious and then Goathland and on to Whitby is pretty good too. Whitby is a favourite place of mine and I spent at least an hour there too with time to climb up and explore the areas both west and east of the estuary as well as the central and harbour areas. A wonderful town.

On from Whitby on the Arriva X93, already mostly double deckers by this time with a half-hourly service south from Whitby, I stopped off at Robin Hood’s Bay for half an hour and walked down into the glorious centre of the village. A lovely step back in time in a former smuggling centre which has retained its charm, at least when not over-run by tourists. A steep way down and good exercise striding back up so as not to miss the bus on. Then on to Scarborough where I was staying for the night at the faded glory of the Grand Hotel – a little basic but cheap. I think it has declined further since 2017. It was still some time before sunset so I wandered down to the seafront and harbour – rather sunnier than when I was there last month – a glorious evening.

I was up really bright and early the next morning for another stroll down to the harbour to see the same places with a completely different perspective with morning sunlight. I even had time for a burger from McDonalds before catching the first bus south to Filey. I can’t remember whether this was a 12 or one of the shorter routes to Filey, but I had half an hour there to go down to the seafront, quiet but pleasant. Then back to the bus station and on to Bridlington. Both legs were double deckers and relatively empty as it was still pretty early.

My first visit to Bridlington – I visited a second time this March – and I loved the town. On this occasion I stayed around the town centre, sea front and harbour but I found this a lovely place. On the way in I spotted Bridlington Old Town as somewhere I wanted to visit another time – a curiosity satisfied in March this year. I had a good hour here, maybe longer, before proceeding south on the 121 – another decker – as far as Beverley. Another new place for me, I didn’t have that long but did get around the town centre – notable for white phone boxes as it comes within the Kingston Communications area. I saw the Beverley bar once used by specially designed lowbridge buses. Subsequently I have visited again and been around the Minster, more of a walk from the bus station. Then I continued to Hull on one of the other routes making up the 15-minute frequency between Beverley and Hull, quite possibly the X46 as I am sure it was a decker.

My first visit to Hull too and I really liked the place. I headed straight for the harbour area and sea (river?) front and then round part of the historic city centre, it seemed to have a really good buzz and atmosphere as well as being decently looked after. From here I took the 350 across the Humber Bridge to Scunthorpe, my bus being an East Yorkshire E200 I think, the other journeys all then being Stagecoach MANs. I spent a short while in Scunthorpe before taking the train back to Doncaster. I have since taken the bus between Doncaster and Scunthorpe, including an hour in the delightful village of Owston Ferry on what was one of the hottest days this century, but on this occasion I needed to get back more quickly than that would allow and the train journey was quick and reasonably pleasant.

A fantastic two day trip – as I say I have never done one like this since although I have done different trips on consecutive days a few times. It really worked for this occasion, allowing me to get a good deal further than I would otherwise have done.

Some photos – I could have used my allowance of 10 picture a dozen times over here!


York


Pickering


North York Moors


Whitby


Robin Hoods Bay


Scarborough


Filey


Bridlington


Beverley


Hull

 

[asb]

I managed to get out and about again last week, this time using a well established ticket, the Derbyshire Wayfarer. I started in Ashbourne. Some of my comments have a sense of de ja vu about them, as I think someone else has recently made similar observations!

High Peak 114 - Ashbourne to Derby - 292 YJ66 AOG Optare Solo

The driver was slightly surprised at being asked for a Wayfarer - he obviously hadn't had to issue one for a fair while! It was found on the ticket machine without too much aggro though, and myself and one other passenger with a big suitcase set off for the "back road" route to Derby. This is a very pleasant run, albeit one with scarce passengers - we didn't pick anyone up until Quarndon. We also had to detour through Allestree estate due to roadworks closing a road in Kedleston. There were plenty of passengers waiting for the Allestree service, and our driver could have got most of them on board if he was so minded as they certainly showed interest in our bus, but he didn't stop unless they showed a determined signal for him to do so.



I alighted outside the Bus Station, and had a look around it for the first time. It was generally OK. I liked the big Co-op inside it, and the fact that there were manned enquiry offices from both Arriva (without timetables) and Trent Barton (with timetables). Even Hawks Coaches still had their office, relocated from the Eagle Centre. I was impressed (in a bad way) at how they had managed to make it feel so gloomy though. The balance of tinted glass to stop it greenhousing in summer and natural light not having been satisfactorily struck, in my opinion.

I had some time to kill, so in the interests of trying to travel on lots of different operators, I did some short hops.

Kinchbus SKYLINE - Derby Bus Station to Railway Station - YX20 OHE/F Enviro 200 MMC

The driver obviously frustrated by a passenger that took about four minutes to buy their ticket, but I'm not sure what the delay was. A lovely vehicle though, top spec interior.



Arriva 1 - Rail Station to Bus Station - 4221 FJ58 KXV B9TL Eclipse Gemini

A decent enough vehicle, always going to feel a let down after the Kinchbus example. Arriva generally in Derby looked to be on top of things, compared to some other places.



TrentBarton Mickleover - Bus Station to Wardwick - 101 WX66 WLK Enviro 200 MMC

Another top notch spec from this sister Wellglade company



Notts & Derby U1 - Outside Bus Station to Rail Station - 12 LK58 KGO Enviro 400

A twin door example. The bus stops all still referred to its old service number (6) rather than U1 and U1X. This route goes via London Road to get to the station, I guess due to the way the stops at the rail station have been altered in recent years precluding turning left into the City-bound stop.



I then caught a train to Chesterfield, a Meridian from EMR. It was very disappointing, with filthy moquette and seats with inadequate filling meaning my thighs were pressed against the seat frame for the journey. I would be disgusted paying Intercity prices for that travelling experience. Thankfully, the journey is short, and I had a brisk walk across the Town Centre, calling in to buy a (very tasty) sandwich on the way from a local shop.

TM Travel 48 - Chesterfield to North Wingfield - 1197 YJ08 PFN Optare Solo

This route is one of my personal favourites from years gone by, with lovely views, especially around the Sutton Scarsdale area. The bus was a solid performer, and we had a smattering of passengers on the journey. I was slightly surprised at the choice of via point on the destination though, bearing in mind the route only started at the Morrisons up the road. via Heath or Sutton Scarsdale would have been much more appropriate.



I had a bit of time to kill in North Wingfield, so took the Stagecoach 56A via Alma Estate to where The Alma used to be, and the 56 back again along the main road. Both were Enviro 400s, one with green moquette and stop/start engine, the other more conventional.

Stagecoach Yorkshire 56 - North Wingfield to Alfreton - 37182 YY64 GSU Enviro 200

This was the last week of operation for Stagecoach on this route. A solid performing vehicle with a reasonable number of passengers. If I had been more aware with my timetables, I could have changed at Tibshelf and caught my next bus from there as it ran the 149 from Sutton (albeit showing 150) to Alfreton, but it wasn't to be. At least I got the chance to have a quick look around Alfreton.



Littles 150 - Alfreton to Matlock - KX59 GKV Enviro 200

It may have been the same type of bus, but it was a much more uncomfortable example then the Stagecoach one. This is the direct route to Matlock, as opposed to the 142 which goes via the likes of Crich. It is still very pretty though, especially the section through Brackenfield which got very narrow in places. It also featured a double run to Tansley Village Green, a practice that seems to be getting more and more rare.



I didn't have the enthusiasm to go exploring around Matlock too much, so instead I caught one of the town routes for a quick circuit.

Stagecoach M4 - Bakewell Road to Bakewell Road via Hurst Rise - 47726 YN10 AGX Optare Solo

A bracing sprint around the parked-car-congested housing estate. Lovely views of Riber Hall are available at certain points though. As the bus continues to Sainsbury's when it gets back to town, it serves the stygian depths of the old Bus Station. Presumably in an effort to avoid it being called the "worst bus station in Britain", the Council don't call it a bus station, and instead pretend they are two stands related to the main road outside (the actual official Bus Interchange now being on the other side of the river by the rail station), which is creative labelling if nothing else. I don't remember it being this bad when I was younger though - was the lighting brighter, or was the shop open or was there just more buses using it so it was always busy? Whatever it was, it is now definitely grim. The only plus point is there is also a taxi rank at one of the bays.



Hulleys 110 - Matlock to Ashbourne - LK58 CRZ Enviro 200

A surprising sight for my final bus, an ex London dual door single deck, still with the remains of the roundel visible, and no obvious sign of it belonging to Hulleys, who are normally quite fastidious with their presentation. It was, however, nicely retrimmed inside with comfortable seats and an engine that was totally up to the task of ascending the many, many hills on this glorious route. Strangely, we did leave three minutes early which I thought was poor form. All the passengers we had at Matlock had alighted by Cromford, so I was thinking it was going to be just me, but a bus full of schoolkids got on at two successive stops in Wirksworth, so at least it wasn't a wasted bus! I thoroughly recommend travelling on this route at some point if you are in Derbyshire. We did have some drama as we had to reverse a fair distance at one point to allow a horse trailer to get past us at a narrow bit. It didn't affect our arrival into Ashbourne too much though.




A lovely day out, with the worst bit being the train! If I hadn't wanted to spend time looking round the bus station or racking up different operators I could have caught the Comet instead, but it didn't work this time. Also, even though I clocked up a fair number of different operators, the vehicle variety was definitely lacking. You don't have to be in the Peak District "proper" to get nice scenery. Operator wise, I ticked off most of them, leaving just the ones in the extremes of the County (Midland Classic, D&G, First South Yorkshire) and Ashbourne Community Transport, who are quite tricky to integrate into a day like this.



As an aside, I was up in Whitehaven for the Leyland National 50 event last weekend, and managed to get in a few regular services whilst I was there. They were:

60 Maryport to Silloth (Ellenvale). A very nice run along the coast to a town that felt like it had seen better days. £7 for the 30 minute ride felt expensive though.
400 Silloth to Wigton (Stagecoach). Surprisingly busy for a late afternoon departure heading into town on a Saturday. Had a quick look around Wigton, which was plenty.
300 Wigton to Maryport (Stagecoach). Pleasant for what is essentially a main road trunk route.

77 Keswick to Seatoller via Buttermere (Stagecoach). Gets my vote for most scenic bus ride in the country. It has it all really - narrow twisty roads, forests, water, steep hills, sheep, slate.
78 Seatoller to Keswick (Stagecoach). Although the 77 continued to Keswick, I stepped back 10 minutes to catch the open topper instead. A fabulous descent past Derwentwater.

If you have a couple of hours to spare in Keswick, I really do recommend this circuit.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I managed to get out and about again last week, this time using a well established ticket, the Derbyshire Wayfarer. I started in Ashbourne. Some of my comments have a sense of de ja vu about them, as I think someone else has recently made similar observations!

High Peak 114 - Ashbourne to Derby - 292 YJ66 AOG Optare Solo

The driver was slightly surprised at being asked for a Wayfarer - he obviously hadn't had to issue one for a fair while! It was found on the ticket machine without too much aggro though, and myself and one other passenger with a big suitcase set off for the "back road" route to Derby. This is a very pleasant run, albeit one with scarce passengers - we didn't pick anyone up until Quarndon. We also had to detour through Allestree estate due to roadworks closing a road in Kedleston. There were plenty of passengers waiting for the Allestree service, and our driver could have got most of them on board if he was so minded as they certainly showed interest in our bus, but he didn't stop unless they showed a determined signal for him to do so.

View attachment 114160

I alighted outside the Bus Station, and had a look around it for the first time. It was generally OK. I liked the big Co-op inside it, and the fact that there were manned enquiry offices from both Arriva (without timetables) and Trent Barton (with timetables). Even Hawks Coaches still had their office, relocated from the Eagle Centre. I was impressed (in a bad way) at how they had managed to make it feel so gloomy though. The balance of tinted glass to stop it greenhousing in summer and natural light not having been satisfactorily struck, in my opinion.

I had some time to kill, so in the interests of trying to travel on lots of different operators, I did some short hops.

Kinchbus SKYLINE - Derby Bus Station to Railway Station - YX20 OHE/F Enviro 200 MMC

The driver obviously frustrated by a passenger that took about four minutes to buy their ticket, but I'm not sure what the delay was. A lovely vehicle though, top spec interior.

View attachment 114161

Arriva 1 - Rail Station to Bus Station - 4221 FJ58 KXV B9TL Eclipse Gemini

A decent enough vehicle, always going to feel a let down after the Kinchbus example. Arriva generally in Derby looked to be on top of things, compared to some other places.

View attachment 114162

TrentBarton Mickleover - Bus Station to Wardwick - 101 WX66 WLK Enviro 200 MMC

Another top notch spec from this sister Wellglade company

View attachment 114163

Notts & Derby U1 - Outside Bus Station to Rail Station - 12 LK58 KGO Enviro 400

A twin door example. The bus stops all still referred to its old service number (6) rather than U1 and U1X. This route goes via London Road to get to the station, I guess due to the way the stops at the rail station have been altered in recent years precluding turning left into the City-bound stop.

View attachment 114164

I then caught a train to Chesterfield, a Meridian from EMR. It was very disappointing, with filthy moquette and seats with inadequate filling meaning my thighs were pressed against the seat frame for the journey. I would be disgusted paying Intercity prices for that travelling experience. Thankfully, the journey is short, and I had a brisk walk across the Town Centre, calling in to buy a (very tasty) sandwich on the way from a local shop.

TM Travel 48 - Chesterfield to North Wingfield - 1197 YJ08 PFN Optare Solo

This route is one of my personal favourites from years gone by, with lovely views, especially around the Sutton Scarsdale area. The bus was a solid performer, and we had a smattering of passengers on the journey. I was slightly surprised at the choice of via point on the destination though, bearing in mind the route only started at the Morrisons up the road. via Heath or Sutton Scarsdale would have been much more appropriate.

View attachment 114165

I had a bit of time to kill in North Wingfield, so took the Stagecoach 56A via Alma Estate to where The Alma used to be, and the 56 back again along the main road. Both were Enviro 400s, one with green moquette and stop/start engine, the other more conventional.

Stagecoach Yorkshire 56 - North Wingfield to Alfreton - 37182 YY64 GSU Enviro 200

This was the last week of operation for Stagecoach on this route. A solid performing vehicle with a reasonable number of passengers. If I had been more aware with my timetables, I could have changed at Tibshelf and caught my next bus from there as it ran the 149 from Sutton (albeit showing 150) to Alfreton, but it wasn't to be. At least I got the chance to have a quick look around Alfreton.

View attachment 114166

Littles 150 - Alfreton to Matlock - KX59 GKV Enviro 200

It may have been the same type of bus, but it was a much more uncomfortable example then the Stagecoach one. This is the direct route to Matlock, as opposed to the 142 which goes via the likes of Crich. It is still very pretty though, especially the section through Brackenfield which got very narrow in places. It also featured a double run to Tansley Village Green, a practice that seems to be getting more and more rare.

View attachment 114167

I didn't have the enthusiasm to go exploring around Matlock too much, so instead I caught one of the town routes for a quick circuit.

Stagecoach M4 - Bakewell Road to Bakewell Road via Hurst Rise - 47726 YN10 AGX Optare Solo

A bracing sprint around the parked-car-congested housing estate. Lovely views of Riber Hall are available at certain points though. As the bus continues to Sainsbury's when it gets back to town, it serves the stygian depths of the old Bus Station. Presumably in an effort to avoid it being called the "worst bus station in Britain", the Council don't call it a bus station, and instead pretend they are two stands related to the main road outside (the actual official Bus Interchange now being on the other side of the river by the rail station), which is creative labelling if nothing else. I don't remember it being this bad when I was younger though - was the lighting brighter, or was the shop open or was there just more buses using it so it was always busy? Whatever it was, it is now definitely grim. The only plus point is there is also a taxi rank at one of the bays.

View attachment 114168

Hulleys 110 - Matlock to Ashbourne - LK58 CRZ Enviro 200

A surprising sight for my final bus, an ex London dual door single deck, still with the remains of the roundel visible, and no obvious sign of it belonging to Hulleys, who are normally quite fastidious with their presentation. It was, however, nicely retrimmed inside with comfortable seats and an engine that was totally up to the task of ascending the many, many hills on this glorious route. Strangely, we did leave three minutes early which I thought was poor form. All the passengers we had at Matlock had alighted by Cromford, so I was thinking it was going to be just me, but a bus full of schoolkids got on at two successive stops in Wirksworth, so at least it wasn't a wasted bus! I thoroughly recommend travelling on this route at some point if you are in Derbyshire. We did have some drama as we had to reverse a fair distance at one point to allow a horse trailer to get past us at a narrow bit. It didn't affect our arrival into Ashbourne too much though.

View attachment 114169


A lovely day out, with the worst bit being the train! If I hadn't wanted to spend time looking round the bus station or racking up different operators I could have caught the Comet instead, but it didn't work this time. Also, even though I clocked up a fair number of different operators, the vehicle variety was definitely lacking. You don't have to be in the Peak District "proper" to get nice scenery. Operator wise, I ticked off most of them, leaving just the ones in the extremes of the County (Midland Classic, D&G, First South Yorkshire) and Ashbourne Community Transport, who are quite tricky to integrate into a day like this.



As an aside, I was up in Whitehaven for the Leyland National 50 event last weekend, and managed to get in a few regular services whilst I was there. They were:

60 Maryport to Silloth (Ellenvale). A very nice run along the coast to a town that felt like it had seen better days. £7 for the 30 minute ride felt expensive though.
400 Silloth to Wigton (Stagecoach). Surprisingly busy for a late afternoon departure heading into town on a Saturday. Had a quick look around Wigton, which was plenty.
300 Wigton to Maryport (Stagecoach). Pleasant for what is essentially a main road trunk route.

77 Keswick to Seatoller via Buttermere (Stagecoach). Gets my vote for most scenic bus ride in the country. It has it all really - narrow twisty roads, forests, water, steep hills, sheep, slate.
78 Seatoller to Keswick (Stagecoach). Although the 77 continued to Keswick, I stepped back 10 minutes to catch the open topper instead. A fabulous descent past Derwentwater.

If you have a couple of hours to spare in Keswick, I really do recommend this circuit.

Thanks for sharing those photos and experiences. Having been on a similar trip relatively recently, I was interested to get your views.

I think Hulleys are going through a bit of a fleet change at the moment - they had an all white Dart (ex Stagecoach Devon) when I was in Bakewell a few weeks back which has now received a tribute livery (using the white as a base). That spot in Matlock always was the bus station so interesting it's had a rebrand. It's a dive though not certain it's the worst in the country; there's a few in neighbouring Staffs to compete for that accolade.

As regards the quality of the operators, Stagecoach is typical Stagecoach; not as good as was but not so bad. You're right that Arriva Derby is probably one of the better Arriva operations going. However, you travel on TrentBarton and it's still a better experience than on >90% of buses in the country. I'm guessing the Little's e200 is a former Dawsons Rentals machine and so the seats were especially budget! I'm guessing Urban 90s...

 

[asb]

Thanks for sharing those photos and experiences. Having been on a similar trip relatively recently, I was interested to get your views.

I think Hulleys are going through a bit of a fleet change at the moment - they had an all white Dart (ex Stagecoach Devon) when I was in Bakewell a few weeks back which has now received a tribute livery (using the white as a base). That spot in Matlock always was the bus station so interesting it's had a rebrand. It's a dive though not certain it's the worst in the country; there's a few in neighbouring Staffs to compete for that accolade.

As regards the quality of the operators, Stagecoach is typical Stagecoach; not as good as was but not so bad. You're right that Arriva Derby is probably one of the better Arriva operations going. However, you travel on TrentBarton and it's still a better experience than on >90% of buses in the country. I'm guessing the Little's e200 is a former Dawsons Rentals machine and so the seats were especially budget! I'm guessing Urban 90s...

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner!

 

[Lostin Transit]

Matlock bus station has always been one of the gloomiest most depressing places to catch a bus I can think of and I’ve been to Corby and Northampton.
By Staffordshire I guess you mean Leek which is at least outdoors which helps dispel the herbal aromas.

Anyway this is a bus trip thread not rubbish bus station thread so I’ll take a moment to say I’m loving these trip reports both old and new and it’s making me want to head out and explore. I mean Newark, Mansfield, Worksop and Lincoln have all got newish bus stations since I last visited. It's a pity that Notts doesn’t have a multi operator ticket though.

Keep up the good work guys.

 

[route101]

Great reports. Yet to do a Derbyshire ticket. Bit awkward price wise on train to the midlands and north from the South. Got a free day tomorrow and undecided where to go.

 

[RELL6L]

I managed to get out and about again last week, this time using a well established ticket, the Derbyshire Wayfarer. I started in Ashbourne. Some of my comments have a sense of de ja vu about them, as I think someone else has recently made similar observations!

High Peak 114 - Ashbourne to Derby - 292 YJ66 AOG Optare Solo

The driver was slightly surprised at being asked for a Wayfarer - he obviously hadn't had to issue one for a fair while! It was found on the ticket machine without too much aggro though, and myself and one other passenger with a big suitcase set off for the "back road" route to Derby. This is a very pleasant run, albeit one with scarce passengers - we didn't pick anyone up until Quarndon. We also had to detour through Allestree estate due to roadworks closing a road in Kedleston. There were plenty of passengers waiting for the Allestree service, and our driver could have got most of them on board if he was so minded as they certainly showed interest in our bus, but he didn't stop unless they showed a determined signal for him to do so.

View attachment 114160

I alighted outside the Bus Station, and had a look around it for the first time. It was generally OK. I liked the big Co-op inside it, and the fact that there were manned enquiry offices from both Arriva (without timetables) and Trent Barton (with timetables). Even Hawks Coaches still had their office, relocated from the Eagle Centre. I was impressed (in a bad way) at how they had managed to make it feel so gloomy though. The balance of tinted glass to stop it greenhousing in summer and natural light not having been satisfactorily struck, in my opinion.

I had some time to kill, so in the interests of trying to travel on lots of different operators, I did some short hops.

Kinchbus SKYLINE - Derby Bus Station to Railway Station - YX20 OHE/F Enviro 200 MMC

The driver obviously frustrated by a passenger that took about four minutes to buy their ticket, but I'm not sure what the delay was. A lovely vehicle though, top spec interior.

View attachment 114161

Arriva 1 - Rail Station to Bus Station - 4221 FJ58 KXV B9TL Eclipse Gemini

A decent enough vehicle, always going to feel a let down after the Kinchbus example. Arriva generally in Derby looked to be on top of things, compared to some other places.

View attachment 114162

TrentBarton Mickleover - Bus Station to Wardwick - 101 WX66 WLK Enviro 200 MMC

Another top notch spec from this sister Wellglade company

View attachment 114163

Notts & Derby U1 - Outside Bus Station to Rail Station - 12 LK58 KGO Enviro 400

A twin door example. The bus stops all still referred to its old service number (6) rather than U1 and U1X. This route goes via London Road to get to the station, I guess due to the way the stops at the rail station have been altered in recent years precluding turning left into the City-bound stop.

View attachment 114164

I then caught a train to Chesterfield, a Meridian from EMR. It was very disappointing, with filthy moquette and seats with inadequate filling meaning my thighs were pressed against the seat frame for the journey. I would be disgusted paying Intercity prices for that travelling experience. Thankfully, the journey is short, and I had a brisk walk across the Town Centre, calling in to buy a (very tasty) sandwich on the way from a local shop.

TM Travel 48 - Chesterfield to North Wingfield - 1197 YJ08 PFN Optare Solo

This route is one of my personal favourites from years gone by, with lovely views, especially around the Sutton Scarsdale area. The bus was a solid performer, and we had a smattering of passengers on the journey. I was slightly surprised at the choice of via point on the destination though, bearing in mind the route only started at the Morrisons up the road. via Heath or Sutton Scarsdale would have been much more appropriate.

View attachment 114165

I had a bit of time to kill in North Wingfield, so took the Stagecoach 56A via Alma Estate to where The Alma used to be, and the 56 back again along the main road. Both were Enviro 400s, one with green moquette and stop/start engine, the other more conventional.

Stagecoach Yorkshire 56 - North Wingfield to Alfreton - 37182 YY64 GSU Enviro 200

This was the last week of operation for Stagecoach on this route. A solid performing vehicle with a reasonable number of passengers. If I had been more aware with my timetables, I could have changed at Tibshelf and caught my next bus from there as it ran the 149 from Sutton (albeit showing 150) to Alfreton, but it wasn't to be. At least I got the chance to have a quick look around Alfreton.

View attachment 114166

Littles 150 - Alfreton to Matlock - KX59 GKV Enviro 200

It may have been the same type of bus, but it was a much more uncomfortable example then the Stagecoach one. This is the direct route to Matlock, as opposed to the 142 which goes via the likes of Crich. It is still very pretty though, especially the section through Brackenfield which got very narrow in places. It also featured a double run to Tansley Village Green, a practice that seems to be getting more and more rare.

View attachment 114167

I didn't have the enthusiasm to go exploring around Matlock too much, so instead I caught one of the town routes for a quick circuit.

Stagecoach M4 - Bakewell Road to Bakewell Road via Hurst Rise - 47726 YN10 AGX Optare Solo

A bracing sprint around the parked-car-congested housing estate. Lovely views of Riber Hall are available at certain points though. As the bus continues to Sainsbury's when it gets back to town, it serves the stygian depths of the old Bus Station. Presumably in an effort to avoid it being called the "worst bus station in Britain", the Council don't call it a bus station, and instead pretend they are two stands related to the main road outside (the actual official Bus Interchange now being on the other side of the river by the rail station), which is creative labelling if nothing else. I don't remember it being this bad when I was younger though - was the lighting brighter, or was the shop open or was there just more buses using it so it was always busy? Whatever it was, it is now definitely grim. The only plus point is there is also a taxi rank at one of the bays.

View attachment 114168

Hulleys 110 - Matlock to Ashbourne - LK58 CRZ Enviro 200

A surprising sight for my final bus, an ex London dual door single deck, still with the remains of the roundel visible, and no obvious sign of it belonging to Hulleys, who are normally quite fastidious with their presentation. It was, however, nicely retrimmed inside with comfortable seats and an engine that was totally up to the task of ascending the many, many hills on this glorious route. Strangely, we did leave three minutes early which I thought was poor form. All the passengers we had at Matlock had alighted by Cromford, so I was thinking it was going to be just me, but a bus full of schoolkids got on at two successive stops in Wirksworth, so at least it wasn't a wasted bus! I thoroughly recommend travelling on this route at some point if you are in Derbyshire. We did have some drama as we had to reverse a fair distance at one point to allow a horse trailer to get past us at a narrow bit. It didn't affect our arrival into Ashbourne too much though.

View attachment 114169


A lovely day out, with the worst bit being the train! If I hadn't wanted to spend time looking round the bus station or racking up different operators I could have caught the Comet instead, but it didn't work this time. Also, even though I clocked up a fair number of different operators, the vehicle variety was definitely lacking. You don't have to be in the Peak District "proper" to get nice scenery. Operator wise, I ticked off most of them, leaving just the ones in the extremes of the County (Midland Classic, D&G, First South Yorkshire) and Ashbourne Community Transport, who are quite tricky to integrate into a day like this.



As an aside, I was up in Whitehaven for the Leyland National 50 event last weekend, and managed to get in a few regular services whilst I was there. They were:

60 Maryport to Silloth (Ellenvale). A very nice run along the coast to a town that felt like it had seen better days. £7 for the 30 minute ride felt expensive though.
400 Silloth to Wigton (Stagecoach). Surprisingly busy for a late afternoon departure heading into town on a Saturday. Had a quick look around Wigton, which was plenty.
300 Wigton to Maryport (Stagecoach). Pleasant for what is essentially a main road trunk route.

77 Keswick to Seatoller via Buttermere (Stagecoach). Gets my vote for most scenic bus ride in the country. It has it all really - narrow twisty roads, forests, water, steep hills, sheep, slate.
78 Seatoller to Keswick (Stagecoach). Although the 77 continued to Keswick, I stepped back 10 minutes to catch the open topper instead. A fabulous descent past Derwentwater.

If you have a couple of hours to spare in Keswick, I really do recommend this circuit.

Fabulous reports, the Derbyshire Peak District and edges is a wonderful area. Except Matlock bus station of course, gloomy in the extreme without the charm of Belper’s offering. Done much of this but not the 48, mental note made!

In Cumbria the Maryport-Silloth-Wigton circuit is one I did last year and is fabulous. Maryport and Silloth are delightful towns and the coastal run between them with the mountains of Dumfries and Galloway in the background is brilliant. I also love the 78 open topper to Seatoller, especially on a glorious day, not done the 77 circuit on a bus but familiar with it in a car- on the list!

Love all the reports even if I don’t respond- keep them coming!

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Did my first ever Buses of Somerset trip today.

The day starts with me arriving in Taunton. Quite nice, worth a visit, but not the most exciting town.

After that, I get the first bus of the day - the Quantock Line 28 to Minehead. A nice and scenic route (best bit is from Williton to Minehead, you get to see South Wales as well!), and the bus I had (ADL Enviro300 67702 SN60EAF) was quite good, but did not see the need for such large luggage racks which are hardly ever used. Unusually for a UK bus, it also has air conditioning!

A brief stop in Minehead and then time to ride the lovely and scenic Exmoor Coaster to Lynmouth and back, onboard an ex Lothian Buses Scania OmniCity DD (I had 36082 SN57 DCE, previous number 989 I think). So much beautiful scenery, you get to see a lot of South Wales, and, what made the journey even more interesting, so many 25% gradient hill climbs! One hell of an experience.

Back in Minehead we are. I wanted to try and do the full Exmoor Coaster to Watchet, but unfortunately only two journeys a day continue to Watchet. So onboard Enviro300 67704 back to Taunton.

And so this was my first ever Buses of Somerset trip. I loved it, and I want to come back to this territory again, at somepoint!

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Did my first ever Buses of Somerset trip today.

The day starts with me arriving in Taunton. Quite nice, worth a visit, but not the most exciting town.

After that, I get the first bus of the day - the Quantock Line 28 to Minehead. A nice and scenic route (best bit is from Williton to Minehead, you get to see South Wales as well!), and the bus I had (ADL Enviro300 67702 SN60EAF) was quite good, but did not see the need for such large luggage racks which are hardly ever used. Unusually for a UK bus, it also has air conditioning!

A brief stop in Minehead and then time to ride the lovely and scenic Exmoor Coaster to Lynmouth and back, onboard an ex Lothian Buses Scania OmniCity DD (I had 36082 SN57 DCE, previous number 989 I think). So much beautiful scenery, you get to see a lot of South Wales, and, what made the journey even more interesting, so many 25% gradient hill climbs! One hell of an experience.

Back in Minehead we are. I wanted to try and do the full Exmoor Coaster to Watchet, but unfortunately only two journeys a day continue to Watchet. So onboard Enviro300 67704 back to Taunton.

And so this was my first ever Buses of Somerset trip. I loved it, and I want to come back to this territory again, at somepoint!

Glad you enjoyed my adopted county. The Exmoor Coaster is a superb journey so glad you enjoyed it and the stunning views across to South Wales. The skill of the BoS drivers is quite something as they ascend and descend Porlock and Countisbury Hills. The Omnicities are excellent machines on what is a demanding route.

For clarity on the 28, the e300s were formally allocated to the Glasgow Airport service until displaced in 2016. That's where the AC and the luggage racks originate. However, you might think the luggage racks are superfluous. However, the large Butlins camp in Minehead does attract people wielding large cases, etc in summer and especially on the change day (which might be Monday?) so they are needed.

 

[asb]

You get decent amounts of luggage on Mondays and Fridays which are Butlins changeover days

 

[SouthEastBuses]

Glad you enjoyed my adopted county. The Exmoor Coaster is a superb journey so glad you enjoyed it and the stunning views across to South Wales. The skill of the BoS drivers is quite something as they ascend and descend Porlock and Countisbury Hills. The Omnicities are excellent machines on what is a demanding route.

For clarity on the 28, the e300s were formally allocated to the Glasgow Airport service until displaced in 2016. That's where the AC and the luggage racks originate. However, you might think the luggage racks are superfluous. However, the large Butlins camp in Minehead does attract people wielding large cases, etc in summer and especially on the change day (which might be Monday?) so they are needed.

Ahh I see. The OmniCity I had was good, but also was hoovering (cooling fan). I want to do another Buses of Somerset trip one day, but this time ride on routes 21, 22, 25, 29, 30, 54, 75 and 77.

In addition, I also did a trip to Bristol in March. On that day, after arriving into Bristol Temple Meads, I went on a 73 to Cribbs Causeway (39465 YN20CDK - Scania N280UD ADL Enviro400 City). The route was quite good - I also loved the constant use of kickdowns on this bus.

Just had some lunch in the very American-style mall Cribbs Causeway shopping centre. And after that I went on the m1 to Hengrove Park onboard 2918 YN68DXP. I really liked Bristol metrobus - not just for dual doors which make city bus journey times quicker, but also because of off board ticketing, also making journeys quicker! Personally I think Bristol metrobus is an excellent example of how UK city buses can be great and efficient, and should be replicated on the busiest city bus routes in other UK cities (for example the 192 in Manchester or the 50 in Birmingham). One problem however is that the iPoints don't accept cash, which means someone who doesn't have a bank account is effectively forced to first go on a non metrobus bus to buy a ticket before riding on a metrobus. So in future, consider accepting cash on ticket machines at bus stops such as iPoints.

After the m1 I then walked to Hengrove Park bus depot and went on a 93 back to City Centre (now withdrawn and replaced by the 71) onboard a Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 37342 WX57HLC. These B9TLs are good buses, and the 93 was practically empty, with me basically being the only passenger on the entire journey. No wonder why - it's a pointless route where you already have the m1 covering almost all of the route.

A bit of visiting around Bristol and then back to Temple Meads station by riding the X39 for a couple stops onboard Scania N250UD ADL Enviro400 MMC 36806 YT67XJY. Good buses these are, and, unusually for an out of town bus route in the UK, they also have dual doors!

I would definetly like to go to Bristol again.

 

[TheSel]

Good Afternoon, folks.

I tend to post 'historical' reports on here, but for a change, here's a report on yesterday. Yes - I suppose that's history too, now!

Merseyrail via Liverpool Central to Chester, to purchase a '1bws' ticket for a day's rural route riding and rural pub crawl, buying the (extremely good value) ticket on

0949 1 Chester Station to Wrexham. Arriva Cymru 1010 - CX17BXN - ADL Enviro 400 City.

These machines are now almost five years old, but still ride well, and the leather seats and tables give a welcoming and confortable air to proceedings. The glazed roof and staircase also contribute to an impressive air of quality. To be critical, the 'next stop' annoucements - whilst welcomed by some - do tend to 'go on' a bit, particularly as they are bilingual. The route is mostly 'main road', other then serving Chester Business Park, generally following the old A483 through Pulford, Rossett and Gresford. A nice feeling of nostalgia for me, as I recalled the late 1970s into 1980, when I lived in nearby Llay, and - for a short while - in Gresford itself.

Wrexham Bus Station may lack character, but is a vast improvement over the open, windswept affair that served in those days on the same site.


Arriva Cymru 1010 - CX17BXN - leaving Wrexham Bus Station on its way back to Chester.

Next up, a scenic treat. During my 'Wrexham' years, the service to Llandegla and Ruthin was almost non-existant. In these post-covid times, it is running two-hourly (it was hourly until Covid) - mainly with older 'Sapphire' standard double deckers. Today's offering from Rhyl depot was:

1050 X51 Wrexham to Ruthin. Arriva Cymru 4555 - CX14AZO - ADL Enviro 400.

Again, to your average passenger, a high quality operation. Leather seating, in '2 + 1' style upstairs - the '1' on the offside. Great for social distancing! The route leaves Wrexham past CroesNewydd Signal Box, the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, and the Arriva depot, before climbing through Southsea (not that one!) and joining the A525 at Coedpoeth. After Four Crosses, the route is extremely rural, with cracking views in all directions. A short 'double run' from the A525/A5104 junction takes us to the school in Llandegla, where a reversing manoeuvre is required before we retrace our steps to the A525, and continue through twisty, wooded roads, down to Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and Ruthin, diverting only briefly from the main road once more in order to serve Llysfasi College of Agriculture. Perhaps a dozen passengers were carried - some, like me, leaving the bus at Ruthin, others continuing towards Denbigh, or even Rhyl.


Seemingly wanting us to remember that the pandemic is not yet over, Arriva Cymru 4555 - CX14AZO is 'wearing a face mask' in Ruthin yesterday.

Time now for a beer, so I wandered up to The Castle Hotel (Wetherspoons). Yes, I know, there are better pubs around, but it was not yet noon, and at least they were open! So, a pint here, followed by a very palatable sausage roll from a local bakery before heading out 'into the wilds', on:

1250 76 Ruthin to Llangwynhafal (service continues to Denbigh). M&H Coaches - YJ21FBB - Optare Solo SR.

One of a pair of Optare Solo SRs taken into the fleet last summer, the bus was well presented, and fitted with seatbelts (not that any of the six passengers were wearing them). I remember this route from Crosville days, when it was a bastion of Bristol MW, RE and LH operation, so this seemed 'small' in comparision. However, at least it runs, unlike many more services of similar ilk. The service leaves Ruthin along the A494 (towards Mold), but turns left at Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd (of which more later), and initially follows the B5429 before leaving even this, and takes us along unclassified roads into deepest Clwyd. All bar two of the handful of passengers had alighted by Hendrerwydd, and when I alighted at Llangynhafal just the one remained to keep the driver company. I alighted outside The Golden Lion, and checked with the driver that he would form the 1445 service back from Denbigh. 'Yes', he replied in a friendly manner, so I told him of my plan, and said I would meet him again by the crossroads near the White Horse Inn at Hendrerwydd later.

Speaking of horses, the scene that greeted me on arrival at Llangwynhafal was one of pure rural charm.


Gentleman with horse, outside the Golden Lion at Llangwynhafal - bus stop timetable case visible on the fingerpost behind his left shoulder.

After a very enjoyable pint of Facer's 'Golden Lion' in this most traditional of wet-led pubs (whether this beer was a 'special' for the pub, or merely one of their standard brews 'rebadged', I don't know) - I made my way back along the single track road that the Solo had traversed, to Hendrerwydd, in order to sample the wares of The White Horse. This was a more upmarket, food-oriented establishment, but despite my only wanting a drink, I was warmly welcomed by the pleasant barmaid, and enjoyed the best part of an hour sat chatting and consuming a pint of Cwrw Llyn brewery's 'Brenin Enlli'.

All too soon it was time to leave the pub, and walk the 50 yards or so back to the crossroads to await the same M&H Solo SR.


M&H Coaches Optare Solo SR - YJ21FBB - coming down the lane from Llangwynhafal to Hendrerwydd.

Just a short trip, this, as:

1512 76 Hendrerwydd to Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd (service continues to Ruthin). M&H Coaches - YJ21FBB - Optare Solo SR.

The ten minute trip, along the same narrow lanes, with views of the Clwydian Hills, passed very quickly. With no-one else aboard, the driver was keen to learn of my adventure, and to ask whether I did this kind of thing often. He seemed impressed when I told him of my first trip along these roads, way back in 1976, when I should have been revising for my A levels!

I alighted outside St Peter's church, and crossed the A494 before the bus emerged, in order to get shot with the attractive place of worship in the background:


M&H Coaches Optare Solo SR - YJ21FBB again - emerging onto the A494 by St Peter's Church at Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd.

Time now for a swift half in The Griffin. This pub has been closed for a long time, but has been refurbished, reopened, and serves up to four real ales. However, yesterday had been a very busy day - seemingly lots of bikers have made this a 'destination pub' (there were a dozen or so still there) - and only one ale was available - Purple Moose 'Elderflower Ale'. Not my favourite - a bit on the light side for me - but it was in good condition.

Leaving the pub, I crossed the road to await a bus in order to start heading home. This turned up spot on time in the shape of:

1545 1 Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd to Cadole (service continues to Mold). M&H Coaches - SK18TKD - Wright Streetlite WF.

One of a pair of wheel forward Streetlites bought by M&H shortly after they won the contract for the [Chester] - Mold - Ruthin services, this still seemed to be in decent nick, despite having had quite a hard life up and down these roads, at quite a pace, in order to maintain the schedule. I was the only passenger. There are a number of route variations between Ruthin and Mold - this one made short work of the long climb from Llanbedr up the A494 to The Clwyd Gate (a pub I used to take girlfriends to back in the day ...), before turning right for a couple of miles to serve the pretty village of Llanarmon-yn-Ial. We passed the village pub (The Raven) that will be the subject of a further trip out in this area one day soon - but timetables are such that you really can't visit all the pubs in the same day. After the day's second reversal, the bus returned to the A494, and headed off towards Mold at great pace. I could have stayed on to Mold, but I had in mind one more rural pub, so shortly after passing The Three Loggerheads, I moved forward and requested the driver stop at Cadole, which he duly did. I'd have liked a photo of the bus, but the sun could not have been in a worse place. No matter, there's a few people waiting on the other side of the road, and two minutes later, it's twin sister - SK18TKE - came the other way.


M&H Coaches WF Streetlite SK18TKE in Cadole.

A short walk took me to one of the area's outstanding pubs - The Colomendy Arms. Here, a pint of Snowdon Craft 'IPA' proved to be the best beer of the day - in a very attractive old pub - one, indeed, recognised by CaMRA as having an interior of special historic interest. After a good half hour or so, I left the pub, and returned to the stop where the Streetlite had left me an hour earlier, and very shortly its twin sister, photographed above on its outward journey - collected me for the three mile or so journey along the A494 into Mold.

1649 1 Cadole to Mold. M&H Coaches - SK18TKE - Wright Streetlite WF.

And so, all too soon, it was time to return to England, using:

1700 5 Mold to Ellesmere Port. Arriva Cymru 2528 - DK55FXR - DAF SB120 / Wright Cadet.


Arriva Cymru 2528 - DK55FXR - DAF SB120 / Wright Cadet - in Mold Bus Station, about to work the 1700 '5' service to Ellesmere Port.

It's fair to say this bus has seen better days, but hey - it was one of a dwindling number of Cadets in Arriva's fleet, so 'scored points' on the spotters' scale (!) and although somewhat 'tired' inside, it was acceptably clean, and certainly from the driver's point of view, it sped along seemingly without issue. The route is mostly along main roads, including some very high speed running on the A494 and A5117, before turning close to Cheshire Oaks Shopping centre and serving a couple of housing estates on the approach to Ellesmere Port.

And so, all that was left after this highly enjoyable day's rural riding and supping was to walk to the station, and return home by Merseyrail.


508139 at Ellesmere Port, waiting to form the 1812 to Liverpool Central yesterday. Note the semaphore signals in the background. I believe this is the only place on the Merseyrail network where semaphores can still be seen?

So - @TheSel does still do contemporary spotting - not just historic reports! Thanks for reading.

 

[43055]

Burton to Uttoxeter 401 Midland Classic Irizar 3

Decided on the 401 via Tutbury as my next move. I noticed there was 3 services at least to Uttoxeter and picked the next one going. The type of bus was an Irizar 3, never seen one of these before. Must say there is very little ventilation in these weird buses. The ride out passed the backstreets of Burton and the hospital. Tutbury seemed a pleasant town with a castle, before making our way west towards alongside the A50. I got off at the bus station in Uttoxeter, if you can call it a bus station.

At first I did find the Irizar a bit different but I have gown to like them now. I believe there are only 15 of them in the UK which Midland Classic now have 12 of them.

Thanks for posting. The Knot ticket has attracted a few trips to Staffordshire. Not been on an Irizar 3, they sound like a strange cross between a bus and a coach. If you go to Lichfield again it’s worth finding half an hour to walk through the shopping area to the part round the cathedral, it’s attractive- certainly more so than the bus station! The 401 feels like it should have deckers, going way back to Stephensons route 1 it always did. You are right about Uttoxeter, not many other choices, Stafford or Derby via Ashbourne which does take you towards the Peak District. Stafford is confusing with buses stopping in several different places but I think the town centre is OK. Still not been to Cannock but not desperate to. In my day the last leg was so often the X50 from Birmingham at 21.20, invariably a VR. Keep travelling and reporting!

I think the 401 was indeed a decker route with Stevensons but the difference is that it was hourly whilst the 402 was only a few infrequent runs out from Burton and not all of those went to Uttoxeter. Now its half hourly between Burton and Tutbury so hence why singles tend to suffice.
When doing my farewell Arriva part of a Knot ticket 18 months ago, I travelled from Stafford to Cannock to Rugeley to Lichfield - aside from the latter, you ain't missing much!

The Uttoxeter routes still get deckers but these are now mostly based around school runs on schooldays but the school holidays and very occasionally Saturdays can produce one for most of the day. When the 401 was the 1 with Arriva there was a point when a pair of B9TL's were branded 'the one' but I don't think it lasted long.

 

[RELL6L]

Did my first ever Buses of Somerset trip today.

The day starts with me arriving in Taunton. Quite nice, worth a visit, but not the most exciting town.

After that, I get the first bus of the day - the Quantock Line 28 to Minehead. A nice and scenic route (best bit is from Williton to Minehead, you get to see South Wales as well!), and the bus I had (ADL Enviro300 67702 SN60EAF) was quite good, but did not see the need for such large luggage racks which are hardly ever used. Unusually for a UK bus, it also has air conditioning!

A brief stop in Minehead and then time to ride the lovely and scenic Exmoor Coaster to Lynmouth and back, onboard an ex Lothian Buses Scania OmniCity DD (I had 36082 SN57 DCE, previous number 989 I think). So much beautiful scenery, you get to see a lot of South Wales, and, what made the journey even more interesting, so many 25% gradient hill climbs! One hell of an experience.

Back in Minehead we are. I wanted to try and do the full Exmoor Coaster to Watchet, but unfortunately only two journeys a day continue to Watchet. So onboard Enviro300 67704 back to Taunton.

And so this was my first ever Buses of Somerset trip. I loved it, and I want to come back to this territory again, at somepoint!

Great trip and report. Certainly the Exmoor Coaster is fabulous scenery and it is great to see it seemingly thriving at the moment. You can go on from Lynmouth to Barnstaple but most journeys only go to Lynton- walkable but rather easier to walk to Lynmouth as it is steep! That can set you up for a circuit via Tiverton and maybe back to/from Minehead via Dulverton - not very frequent though.

Good Afternoon, folks.

I tend to post 'historical' reports on here, but for a change, here's a report on yesterday. Yes - I suppose that's history too, now!

Merseyrail via Liverpool Central to Chester, to purchase a '1bws' ticket for a day's rural route riding and rural pub crawl, buying the (extremely good value) ticket on

0949 1 Chester Station to Wrexham. Arriva Cymru 1010 - CX17BXN - ADL Enviro 400 City.

These machines are now almost five years old, but still ride well, and the leather seats and tables give a welcoming and confortable air to proceedings. The glazed roof and staircase also contribute to an impressive air of quality. To be critical, the 'next stop' annoucements - whilst welcomed by some - do tend to 'go on' a bit, particularly as they are bilingual. The route is mostly 'main road', other then serving Chester Business Park, generally following the old A483 through Pulford, Rossett and Gresford. A nice feeling of nostalgia for me, as I recalled the late 1970s into 1980, when I lived in nearby Llay, and - for a short while - in Gresford itself.

Wrexham Bus Station may lack character, but is a vast improvement over the open, windswept affair that served in those days on the same site.

View attachment 114272
Arriva Cymru 1010 - CX17BXN - leaving Wrexham Bus Station on its way back to Chester.

Next up, a scenic treat. During my 'Wrexham' years, the service to Llandegla and Ruthin was almost non-existant. In these post-covid times, it is running two-hourly (it was hourly until Covid) - mainly with older 'Sapphire' standard double deckers. Today's offering from Rhyl depot was:

1050 X51 Wrexham to Ruthin. Arriva Cymru 4555 - CX14AZO - ADL Enviro 400.

Again, to your average passenger, a high quality operation. Leather seating, in '2 + 1' style upstairs - the '1' on the offside. Great for social distancing! The route leaves Wrexham past CroesNewydd Signal Box, the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, and the Arriva depot, before climbing through Southsea (not that one!) and joining the A525 at Coedpoeth. After Four Crosses, the route is extremely rural, with cracking views in all directions. A short 'double run' from the A525/A5104 junction takes us to the school in Llandegla, where a reversing manoeuvre is required before we retrace our steps to the A525, and continue through twisty, wooded roads, down to Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and Ruthin, diverting only briefly from the main road once more in order to serve Llysfasi College of Agriculture. Perhaps a dozen passengers were carried - some, like me, leaving the bus at Ruthin, others continuing towards Denbigh, or even Rhyl.

View attachment 114273
Seemingly wanting us to remember that the pandemic is not yet over, Arriva Cymru 4555 - CX14AZO is 'wearing a face mask' in Ruthin yesterday.

Time now for a beer, so I wandered up to The Castle Hotel (Wetherspoons). Yes, I know, there are better pubs around, but it was not yet noon, and at least they were open! So, a pint here, followed by a very palatable sausage roll from a local bakery before heading out 'into the wilds', on:

1250 76 Ruthin to Llangwynhafal (service continues to Denbigh). M&H Coaches - YJ21FBB - Optare Solo SR.

One of a pair of Optare Solo SRs taken into the fleet last summer, the bus was well presented, and fitted with seatbelts (not that any of the six passengers were wearing them). I remember this route from Crosville days, when it was a bastion of Bristol MW, RE and LH operation, so this seemed 'small' in comparision. However, at least it runs, unlike many more services of similar ilk. The service leaves Ruthin along the A494 (towards Mold), but turns left at Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd (of which more later), and initially follows the B5429 before leaving even this, and takes us along unclassified roads into deepest Clwyd. All bar two of the handful of passengers had alighted by Hendrerwydd, and when I alighted at Llangynhafal just the one remained to keep the driver company. I alighted outside The Golden Lion, and checked with the driver that he would form the 1445 service back from Denbigh. 'Yes', he replied in a friendly manner, so I told him of my plan, and said I would meet him again by the crossroads near the White Horse Inn at Hendrerwydd later.

Speaking of horses, the scene that greeted me on arrival at Llangwynhafal was one of pure rural charm.

View attachment 114274
Gentleman with horse, outside the Golden Lion at Llangwynhafal - bus stop timetable case visible on the fingerpost behind his left shoulder.

After a very enjoyable pint of Facer's 'Golden Lion' in this most traditional of wet-led pubs (whether this beer was a 'special' for the pub, or merely one of their standard brews 'rebadged', I don't know) - I made my way back along the single track road that the Solo had traversed, to Hendrerwydd, in order to sample the wares of The White Horse. This was a more upmarket, food-oriented establishment, but despite my only wanting a drink, I was warmly welcomed by the pleasant barmaid, and enjoyed the best part of an hour sat chatting and consuming a pint of Cwrw Llyn brewery's 'Brenin Enlli'.

All too soon it was time to leave the pub, and walk the 50 yards or so back to the crossroads to await the same M&H Solo SR.

View attachment 114281
M&H Coaches Optare Solo SR - YJ21FBB - coming down the lane from Llangwynhafal to Hendrerwydd.

Just a short trip, this, as:

1512 76 Hendrerwydd to Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd (service continues to Ruthin). M&H Coaches - YJ21FBB - Optare Solo SR.

The ten minute trip, along the same narrow lanes, with views of the Clwydian Hills, passed very quickly. With no-one else aboard, the driver was keen to learn of my adventure, and to ask whether I did this kind of thing often. He seemed impressed when I told him of my first trip along these roads, way back in 1976, when I should have been revising for my A levels!

I alighted outside St Peter's church, and crossed the A494 before the bus emerged, in order to get shot with the attractive place of worship in the background:

View attachment 114284
M&H Coaches Optare Solo SR - YJ21FBB again - emerging onto the A494 by St Peter's Church at Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd.

Time now for a swift half in The Griffin. This pub has been closed for a long time, but has been refurbished, reopened, and serves up to four real ales. However, yesterday had been a very busy day - seemingly lots of bikers have made this a 'destination pub' (there were a dozen or so still there) - and only one ale was available - Purple Moose 'Elderflower Ale'. Not my favourite - a bit on the light side for me - but it was in good condition.

Leaving the pub, I crossed the road to await a bus in order to start heading home. This turned up spot on time in the shape of:

1545 1 Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd to Cadole (service continues to Mold). M&H Coaches - SK18TKD - Wright Streetlite WF.

One of a pair of wheel forward Streetlites bought by M&H shortly after they won the contract for the [Chester] - Mold - Ruthin services, this still seemed to be in decent nick, despite having had quite a hard life up and down these roads, at quite a pace, in order to maintain the schedule. I was the only passenger. There are a number of route variations between Ruthin and Mold - this one made short work of the long climb from Llanbedr up the A494 to The Clwyd Gate (a pub I used to take girlfriends to back in the day ...), before turning right for a couple of miles to serve the pretty village of Llanarmon-yn-Ial. We passed the village pub (The Raven) that will be the subject of a further trip out in this area one day soon - but timetables are such that you really can't visit all the pubs in the same day. After the day's second reversal, the bus returned to the A494, and headed off towards Mold at great pace. I could have stayed on to Mold, but I had in mind one more rural pub, so shortly after passing The Three Loggerheads, I moved forward and requested the driver stop at Cadole, which he duly did. I'd have liked a photo of the bus, but the sun could not have been in a worse place. No matter, there's a few people waiting on the other side of the road, and two minutes later, it's twin sister - SK18TKE - came the other way.

View attachment 114287
M&H Coaches WF Streetlite SK18TKE in Cadole.

A short walk took me to one of the area's outstanding pubs - The Colomendy Arms. Here, a pint of Snowdon Craft 'IPA' proved to be the best beer of the day - in a very attractive old pub - one, indeed, recognised by CaMRA as having an interior of special historic interest. After a good half hour or so, I left the pub, and returned to the stop where the Streetlite had left me an hour earlier, and very shortly its twin sister, photographed above on its outward journey - collected me for the three mile or so journey along the A494 into Mold.

1649 1 Cadole to Mold. M&H Coaches - SK18TKE - Wright Streetlite WF.

And so, all too soon, it was time to return to England, using:

1700 5 Mold to Ellesmere Port. Arriva Cymru 2528 - DK55FXR - DAF SB120 / Wright Cadet.

View attachment 114289
Arriva Cymru 2528 - DK55FXR - DAF SB120 / Wright Cadet - in Mold Bus Station, about to work the 1700 '5' service to Ellesmere Port.

It's fair to say this bus has seen better days, but hey - it was one of a dwindling number of Cadets in Arriva's fleet, so 'scored points' on the spotters' scale (!) and although somewhat 'tired' inside, it was acceptably clean, and certainly from the driver's point of view, it sped along seemingly without issue. The route is mostly along main roads, including some very high speed running on the A494 and A5117, before turning close to Cheshire Oaks Shopping centre and serving a couple of housing estates on the approach to Ellesmere Port.

And so, all that was left after this highly enjoyable day's rural riding and supping was to walk to the station, and return home by Merseyrail.

View attachment 114290
508139 at Ellesmere Port, waiting to form the 1812 to Liverpool Central yesterday. Note the semaphore signals in the background. I believe this is the only place on the Merseyrail network where semaphores can still be seen?

So - @TheSel does still do contemporary spotting - not just historic reports! Thanks for reading.

Another great report and good to see your slightly different approach stopping off for a pint in smaller villages. X51 is great, I did this in GHA days but would like to travel it on a decker, as you say in the 1970s / 1980s this route really didn’t exist.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Good Afternoon, folks.

I tend to post 'historical' reports on here, but for a change, here's a report on yesterday. Yes - I suppose that's history too, now!

Merseyrail via Liverpool Central to Chester, to purchase a '1bws' ticket for a day's rural route riding and rural pub crawl, buying the (extremely good value) ticket on

0949 1 Chester Station to Wrexham. Arriva Cymru 1010 - CX17BXN - ADL Enviro 400 City.

These machines are now almost five years old, but still ride well, and the leather seats and tables give a welcoming and confortable air to proceedings. The glazed roof and staircase also contribute to an impressive air of quality. To be critical, the 'next stop' annoucements - whilst welcomed by some - do tend to 'go on' a bit, particularly as they are bilingual. The route is mostly 'main road', other then serving Chester Business Park, generally following the old A483 through Pulford, Rossett and Gresford. A nice feeling of nostalgia for me, as I recalled the late 1970s into 1980, when I lived in nearby Llay, and - for a short while - in Gresford itself.

Wrexham Bus Station may lack character, but is a vast improvement over the open, windswept affair that served in those days on the same site.

View attachment 114272
Arriva Cymru 1010 - CX17BXN - leaving Wrexham Bus Station on its way back to Chester.

Next up, a scenic treat. During my 'Wrexham' years, the service to Llandegla and Ruthin was almost non-existant. In these post-covid times, it is running two-hourly (it was hourly until Covid) - mainly with older 'Sapphire' standard double deckers. Today's offering from Rhyl depot was:

1050 X51 Wrexham to Ruthin. Arriva Cymru 4555 - CX14AZO - ADL Enviro 400.

Again, to your average passenger, a high quality operation. Leather seating, in '2 + 1' style upstairs - the '1' on the offside. Great for social distancing! The route leaves Wrexham past CroesNewydd Signal Box, the Wrexham Maelor Hospital, and the Arriva depot, before climbing through Southsea (not that one!) and joining the A525 at Coedpoeth. After Four Crosses, the route is extremely rural, with cracking views in all directions. A short 'double run' from the A525/A5104 junction takes us to the school in Llandegla, where a reversing manoeuvre is required before we retrace our steps to the A525, and continue through twisty, wooded roads, down to Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd and Ruthin, diverting only briefly from the main road once more in order to serve Llysfasi College of Agriculture. Perhaps a dozen passengers were carried - some, like me, leaving the bus at Ruthin, others continuing towards Denbigh, or even Rhyl.

View attachment 114273
Seemingly wanting us to remember that the pandemic is not yet over, Arriva Cymru 4555 - CX14AZO is 'wearing a face mask' in Ruthin yesterday.

Time now for a beer, so I wandered up to The Castle Hotel (Wetherspoons). Yes, I know, there are better pubs around, but it was not yet noon, and at least they were open! So, a pint here, followed by a very palatable sausage roll from a local bakery before heading out 'into the wilds', on:

1250 76 Ruthin to Llangwynhafal (service continues to Denbigh). M&H Coaches - YJ21FBB - Optare Solo SR.

One of a pair of Optare Solo SRs taken into the fleet last summer, the bus was well presented, and fitted with seatbelts (not that any of the six passengers were wearing them). I remember this route from Crosville days, when it was a bastion of Bristol MW, RE and LH operation, so this seemed 'small' in comparision. However, at least it runs, unlike many more services of similar ilk. The service leaves Ruthin along the A494 (towards Mold), but turns left at Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd (of which more later), and initially follows the B5429 before leaving even this, and takes us along unclassified roads into deepest Clwyd. All bar two of the handful of passengers had alighted by Hendrerwydd, and when I alighted at Llangynhafal just the one remained to keep the driver company. I alighted outside The Golden Lion, and checked with the driver that he would form the 1445 service back from Denbigh. 'Yes', he replied in a friendly manner, so I told him of my plan, and said I would meet him again by the crossroads near the White Horse Inn at Hendrerwydd later.

Speaking of horses, the scene that greeted me on arrival at Llangwynhafal was one of pure rural charm.

View attachment 114274
Gentleman with horse, outside the Golden Lion at Llangwynhafal - bus stop timetable case visible on the fingerpost behind his left shoulder.

After a very enjoyable pint of Facer's 'Golden Lion' in this most traditional of wet-led pubs (whether this beer was a 'special' for the pub, or merely one of their standard brews 'rebadged', I don't know) - I made my way back along the single track road that the Solo had traversed, to Hendrerwydd, in order to sample the wares of The White Horse. This was a more upmarket, food-oriented establishment, but despite my only wanting a drink, I was warmly welcomed by the pleasant barmaid, and enjoyed the best part of an hour sat chatting and consuming a pint of Cwrw Llyn brewery's 'Brenin Enlli'.

All too soon it was time to leave the pub, and walk the 50 yards or so back to the crossroads to await the same M&H Solo SR.

View attachment 114281
M&H Coaches Optare Solo SR - YJ21FBB - coming down the lane from Llangwynhafal to Hendrerwydd.

Just a short trip, this, as:

1512 76 Hendrerwydd to Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd (service continues to Ruthin). M&H Coaches - YJ21FBB - Optare Solo SR.

The ten minute trip, along the same narrow lanes, with views of the Clwydian Hills, passed very quickly. With no-one else aboard, the driver was keen to learn of my adventure, and to ask whether I did this kind of thing often. He seemed impressed when I told him of my first trip along these roads, way back in 1976, when I should have been revising for my A levels!

I alighted outside St Peter's church, and crossed the A494 before the bus emerged, in order to get shot with the attractive place of worship in the background:

View attachment 114284
M&H Coaches Optare Solo SR - YJ21FBB again - emerging onto the A494 by St Peter's Church at Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd.

Time now for a swift half in The Griffin. This pub has been closed for a long time, but has been refurbished, reopened, and serves up to four real ales. However, yesterday had been a very busy day - seemingly lots of bikers have made this a 'destination pub' (there were a dozen or so still there) - and only one ale was available - Purple Moose 'Elderflower Ale'. Not my favourite - a bit on the light side for me - but it was in good condition.

Leaving the pub, I crossed the road to await a bus in order to start heading home. This turned up spot on time in the shape of:

1545 1 Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd to Cadole (service continues to Mold). M&H Coaches - SK18TKD - Wright Streetlite WF.

One of a pair of wheel forward Streetlites bought by M&H shortly after they won the contract for the [Chester] - Mold - Ruthin services, this still seemed to be in decent nick, despite having had quite a hard life up and down these roads, at quite a pace, in order to maintain the schedule. I was the only passenger. There are a number of route variations between Ruthin and Mold - this one made short work of the long climb from Llanbedr up the A494 to The Clwyd Gate (a pub I used to take girlfriends to back in the day ...), before turning right for a couple of miles to serve the pretty village of Llanarmon-yn-Ial. We passed the village pub (The Raven) that will be the subject of a further trip out in this area one day soon - but timetables are such that you really can't visit all the pubs in the same day. After the day's second reversal, the bus returned to the A494, and headed off towards Mold at great pace. I could have stayed on to Mold, but I had in mind one more rural pub, so shortly after passing The Three Loggerheads, I moved forward and requested the driver stop at Cadole, which he duly did. I'd have liked a photo of the bus, but the sun could not have been in a worse place. No matter, there's a few people waiting on the other side of the road, and two minutes later, it's twin sister - SK18TKE - came the other way.

View attachment 114287
M&H Coaches WF Streetlite SK18TKE in Cadole.

A short walk took me to one of the area's outstanding pubs - The Colomendy Arms. Here, a pint of Snowdon Craft 'IPA' proved to be the best beer of the day - in a very attractive old pub - one, indeed, recognised by CaMRA as having an interior of special historic interest. After a good half hour or so, I left the pub, and returned to the stop where the Streetlite had left me an hour earlier, and very shortly its twin sister, photographed above on its outward journey - collected me for the three mile or so journey along the A494 into Mold.

1649 1 Cadole to Mold. M&H Coaches - SK18TKE - Wright Streetlite WF.

And so, all too soon, it was time to return to England, using:

1700 5 Mold to Ellesmere Port. Arriva Cymru 2528 - DK55FXR - DAF SB120 / Wright Cadet.

View attachment 114289
Arriva Cymru 2528 - DK55FXR - DAF SB120 / Wright Cadet - in Mold Bus Station, about to work the 1700 '5' service to Ellesmere Port.

It's fair to say this bus has seen better days, but hey - it was one of a dwindling number of Cadets in Arriva's fleet, so 'scored points' on the spotters' scale (!) and although somewhat 'tired' inside, it was acceptably clean, and certainly from the driver's point of view, it sped along seemingly without issue. The route is mostly along main roads, including some very high speed running on the A494 and A5117, before turning close to Cheshire Oaks Shopping centre and serving a couple of housing estates on the approach to Ellesmere Port.

And so, all that was left after this highly enjoyable day's rural riding and supping was to walk to the station, and return home by Merseyrail.

View attachment 114290
508139 at Ellesmere Port, waiting to form the 1812 to Liverpool Central yesterday. Note the semaphore signals in the background. I believe this is the only place on the Merseyrail network where semaphores can still be seen?

So - @TheSel does still do contemporary spotting - not just historic reports! Thanks for reading.

Great report and fantastic photos. Love the Cambrian Cowboy!!

It does read like you were on a pub crawl though Funnily enough, last time I travelled in the area was last year, and I too had a trip on 2528 from Mold on that route, though I dived out at Queensferry; agree with your assessment of it.

The Uttoxeter routes still get deckers but these are now mostly based around school runs on schooldays but the school holidays and very occasionally Saturdays can produce one for most of the day. When the 401 was the 1 with Arriva there was a point when a pair of B9TL's were branded 'the one' but I don't think it lasted long.

I remember when they brought up some ex Grey Green Scania N112s.... rather spartan internally but they were damn quick!

 

[TheSel]

It does read like you were on a pub crawl though

There's a reason for that!

Cheers, @TheSel

 

[route101]

Did my first ever Buses of Somerset trip today.

The day starts with me arriving in Taunton. Quite nice, worth a visit, but not the most exciting town.

After that, I get the first bus of the day - the Quantock Line 28 to Minehead. A nice and scenic route (best bit is from Williton to Minehead, you get to see South Wales as well!), and the bus I had (ADL Enviro300 67702 SN60EAF) was quite good, but did not see the need for such large luggage racks which are hardly ever used. Unusually for a UK bus, it also has air conditioning!

A brief stop in Minehead and then time to ride the lovely and scenic Exmoor Coaster to Lynmouth and back, onboard an ex Lothian Buses Scania OmniCity DD (I had 36082 SN57 DCE, previous number 989 I think). So much beautiful scenery, you get to see a lot of South Wales, and, what made the journey even more interesting, so many 25% gradient hill climbs! One hell of an experience.

Back in Minehead we are. I wanted to try and do the full Exmoor Coaster to Watchet, but unfortunately only two journeys a day continue to Watchet. So onboard Enviro300 67704 back to Taunton.

And so this was my first ever Buses of Somerset trip. I loved it, and I want to come back to this territory again, at somepoint!

I have made it to Taunton but not Minehead. Hoping to do the coaster routes. The E300 SN60 plated ones I think are ex First Glasgow airport buses.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I have made it to Taunton but not Minehead. Hoping to do the coaster routes. The E300 SN60 plated ones I think are ex First Glasgow airport buses.

As I mentioned earlier....

For clarity on the 28, the e300s were formally allocated to the Glasgow Airport service until displaced in 2016. That's where the AC and the luggage racks originate. However, you might think the luggage racks are superfluous. However, the large Butlins camp in Minehead does attract people wielding large cases, etc in summer and especially on the change day (which might be Monday?) so they are needed.

 

[SouthEastBuses]

I did my first ever bus trip in Wales yesterday, riding Cardiff Bus around the lovely city of Cardiff (definetly worth a visit!).

The first bus I caught was the Capital City Red 17/18 from City Centre Westgate Street to Ely, onboard ADL Enviro400 MMC 307 CN65AAV. Route isn't the most exciting, but I still enjoyed it. And I felt perfectly safe in Ely, contrary to what many people say. Sure it's not one of the best parts of Cardiff, but it's still fine!

Got off in Ely and walked to Waun-giron Park where I then caught the 61 to Pentrebane. I rode one of my favourite buses ever built, a Mercedes Citaro C2 (fleet number 126 reg CN65ABX). A pleasure to ride but sadly USB ports were not working.

In Pentrebane and then I get another 61 going back to City Centre onboard ADL Enviro400 MMC 301 CN65AAE. 61 can get a nice view of the city with the high rise buildings at the Pentrebane loop, however, the homes might make it harder to see.

After that, time to ride one of the Yutong electrics on the Capital City Green 27 to Thornhill (408 CE71YCM). 27 is alright, not the best but still acceptable. At least on the Yutongs the USB ports work. One thing I will say, these electric buses were actually alright!

Another Yutong (429 CE71YXO) on the 28 back to Cardiff City Centre, another rather nice route going through a nice variety of areas, including Roath Park!

Two more Yutongs I went on, just to continue charging my phone, both on the 27. First 434 CE71YCB then 404 CE71YCH.

After exploring more of Cardiff I decided to sample another Citaro (137 CN17FZY) on a short hop back to City Centre on route 25. Again, why do the USB ports not work on the Cardiff Bus Citaro C2s?

Finally, to conclude the day, an ADL Enviro200 (251 CE63NZF) on the Baycar 6 to Millennium Centre and back. A very short route, but still worth doing, including nice skyline of Cardiff's high rise buildings, and some lovely views of the bay and Penarth at the Millennium Centre terminus.

And so this was my first ever Welsh bus trip. Cardiff was so amazing that I want to go back there!

 

[route101]

I did my first ever bus trip in Wales yesterday, riding Cardiff Bus around the lovely city of Cardiff (definetly worth a visit!).

The first bus I caught was the Capital City Red 17/18 from City Centre Westgate Street to Ely, onboard ADL Enviro400 MMC 307 CN65AAV. Route isn't the most exciting, but I still enjoyed it. And I felt perfectly safe in Ely, contrary to what many people say. Sure it's not one of the best parts of Cardiff, but it's still fine!

Got off in Ely and walked to Waun-giron Park where I then caught the 61 to Pentrebane. I rode one of my favourite buses ever built, a Mercedes Citaro C2 (fleet number 126 reg CN65ABX). A pleasure to ride but sadly USB ports were not working.

In Pentrebane and then I get another 61 going back to City Centre onboard ADL Enviro400 MMC 301 CN65AAE. 61 can get a nice view of the city with the high rise buildings at the Pentrebane loop, however, the homes might make it harder to see.

After that, time to ride one of the Yutong electrics on the Capital City Green 27 to Thornhill (408 CE71YCM). 27 is alright, not the best but still acceptable. At least on the Yutongs the USB ports work. One thing I will say, these electric buses were actually alright!

Another Yutong (429 CE71YXO) on the 28 back to Cardiff City Centre, another rather nice route going through a nice variety of areas, including Roath Park!

Two more Yutongs I went on, just to continue charging my phone, both on the 27. First 434 CE71YCB then 404 CE71YCH.

After exploring more of Cardiff I decided to sample another Citaro (137 CN17FZY) on a short hop back to City Centre on route 25. Again, why do the USB ports not work on the Cardiff Bus Citaro C2s?

Finally, to conclude the day, an ADL Enviro200 (251 CE63NZF) on the Baycar 6 to Millennium Centre and back. A very short route, but still worth doing, including nice skyline of Cardiff's high rise buildings, and some lovely views of the bay and Penarth at the Millennium Centre terminus.

And so this was my first ever Welsh bus trip. Cardiff was so amazing that I want to go back there!

Nice one, not sampled any Welsh buses myself.

I have done some of the valley railway branches as their is a day ranger ticket. Is there a bus ticket for Cardiff/South Wales area?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Nice one, not sampled any Welsh buses myself.

I have done some of the valley railway branches as their is a day ranger ticket. Is there a bus ticket for Cardiff/South Wales area?

Network Rider is valid on most services in South East Wales https://www.cardiffbus.com/network-rider

 

[ChrisC]

I really enjoy reading the interesting accounts of day trips by bus in this thread. I know very little about different types of bus and it’s not really of great interest to me. As long as the bus turns up, it’s reliable and reasonably on time, and not too uncomfortable that’s enough for me. What I do enjoy reading about is the interesting locations people visit and the varied bus routes travelled on. I really enjoy a day out by bus and since taking early retirement is something I try to do one day most weeks. Also when I go away for a holiday in the UK, if I can book a hotel not to far from a station, I travel by train and leave my car at home and then have days out by train and bus from my hotel base. Regional rail rovers and bus tickets are very useful for exploring different areas of the country.

Yesterday I had a really good day out by bus from home.
I drove approximately 12 miles from my home in Nottinghamshire a short drive to park in a nice quiet road in Swanwick near Alfreton in Derbyshire. Knowing locations near a regular bus routes, where I feel it is safe to leave my car all day is important. The bus from my village is only hourly and doesn’t run in the evenings so it is often best to park up somewhere where there is a more regular service for my return home. Also the fact that there are no multi operator tickets in Nottinghamshire means that unless I want to restrict my travel to Trent Barton travel from home can be expensive although I do sometimes park up in a village 3 miles from home where I can use a Stagecoach day ticket.

Driving over the border into Derbyshire enables me to use the very good value Concessionary Derbyshire Wayfarer Ticket which is only £6.70. Very useful for people in their 60’s who haven’t reached the age of 66 to have a bus pass.

The first bus I got was the TrentBarton Comet from Swanwick to Chesterfield. The driver had a bit of trouble finding the Concessionary Wayfarer on his machine but as with most TrentBarton drivers he was very friendly and we had a good chat and a laugh about it. He said he doesn’t sell many Wayfarers of any type but it wasn’t long before he found it. It was a very quick journey through Alfreton and Clay Cross into Chesterfield. Some good views over towards the Peak District and really shows the contrast between the ex mining areas of Derbyshire and the surrounding countryside.

A 20 minute wait in Chesterfield before getting the Hulleys X70 to Bakewell. A bit of a rattly old bus but comfortable enough for a lovely ride into the Peak District. The area around Baslow was quite busy because it was the Chatsworth International Horse Trials. I was intending getting something to eat in Bakewell and then travelling on to Buxton on the Trans Peak an hour or so later. However, I know Bakewell very well and when I saw an earlier Trans Peak bus coming into Bakewell I got on it to Buxton and decided to eat there instead. I had completely forgotten that the Trans Peak didn’t go directly into Buxton up the A6 but enjoyed the diversion round Harper Hill and I got off at Buxton Market Place and walked down the hill into the main town centre. I had a good couple of hours in Buxton, having a nice Thai meal, a walk around the Pavilion Gardens and the town. It’s a good 10 years since I last visited Buxton.

My original plan was to get the Trans Peak back right through to Belper and then travel back to my via Ripley. However, I had a quick change of plan which turned out to be very good. I got on the High Peak 442 bus from Buxton to Ashbourne. I would really recommend this route as it must be one of the most scenic in the Peak District. Although it does cross the border into Staffordshire for a few miles the Derbyshire Wayfarer is valid. Lovely scenery through the upper parts of the Manifold and Dove Valleys with some steep hills and winding narrow country lanes but fantastic views. Passed through the centre of some interesting villages including Harrington and Tissington. All places that I haven’t been to for years. There were about half a dozen people doing the whole route in addition to about the same number who boarded in Buxton with shopping who got off at various villages en route.

On arrival in Ashbourne, a town I know quite well, but always interesting to wander around, I had 40 minutes to get a drink before the TrentBarton Swift to Derby. I was quite surprised how busy this bus was the whole route between Ashbourne and Derby. After running through a few housing estates on the way out of Ashbourne the journey to Derby is quite quick as the Swift sticks to the main A52 but still very pleasant South Derbyshire countryside.

I got off at the stop before Derby Bus Station and crossed the road to get in the waiting TrentBarton 9:1, Derby to Mansfield bus back to my car in Swanwick. This was another very friendly driver who I had seen on that route before. A really nice ending to my day was when I was given a proper Derbyshire goodbye as I got off with the driver saying ‘cheerio duck’!

A really good day out doing a many miles on a big circular route. No real problems buying a Concessionary Derbyshire Wayfarer once the driver found it. Sometimes I buy my Wayfarer at Alfreton Station as there is never any problem there. TrentBarton drivers accepted the ticket all day with no problems. High Peak drivers accepted it with no problems but both looked at my ticket more carefully and looked slightly puzzled on first sight.

I’m off down to Plymouth on Monday for 10 days and so will be trying out the £5 day tickets now available on buses in Cornwall in conjunction with an 8 Days in 15 Devon and Cornwall Rail Rover