The Transport Game

[ValleyLines142]

We then leave the railway station to Doncaster Interchange, where we board the 1455 Stagecoach Yorkshire route 220 to Mexborough (Hartley Street), arriving there at 1539 on Wednesday afternoon.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Time for a snack and a drink, then we board the 1609 Stagecoach Yorkshire 221 service that arrives at Rotherham Interchange at 1638 on Wednesday afternoon.

 

[ValleyLines142]

After a lovely afternoon in Rotherham we then take the 1755 First South Yorkshire route 29A to Meadowhall, arriving there at 1810 on Wednesday afternoon.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Remembering that too many bus journeys can lead to "Lybster omnibus syndrome" that was recently heard of affecting people in Scotland, we think about visiting the vast shopping complex at Meadowhall, but time is not on our side, so we make our way reluctantly to the railway station and board the 1829 First TPE service to Grimsby Town that arrives there at 1957 on Wednesday evening.

 

[Welshman]

Knowing the "Lybster Omnibus Syndrome" can be very painful if not treated early enough, and having heard there have also been sporadic outbreaks in the Cleethorpes area, we retreat to the comparative safety of Lincoln on the 2122 EMT service, arriving there at 2215 on Wednesday evening.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Lincoln is a very interesting place to visit....on a warm July afternoon...but its railway station at 2215 with a biting cold January Lincolnshire strong breeze blowing is not conducive to good health, so we are most fortunate indeed that there is a short onward connection available very quickly, so we board the 2227 EMT service to Newark Castle railway station that arrives even later in the day at 2257 on Wednesday night.

 

[Rich_D3167]

With not a lot to do at Newark Castle at such a time of night, we decide to walk to Newark Northgate and catch the 23:20 East Coast service to Newcastle, arriving at 02:15 on Thursday morning.

 

[ValleyLines142]

After arriving at Newcastle at the slightly unearthly hour of 0215, which was fabulous, we then decide to experience Newcastle's nightlife, which I've done in the past and think is great. So we party through the night, get drunk and then take the 0622 Stagecoach North East route 1 to Slatyford (Pooley Road), arriving there at 0642 on Thursday morning.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Slatyford is the place where Stagecoach North East have a bus depot and we walk the short distance to Stamfordham Road where we board the 0703 Stagecoach North East service 72 for the short journey to Westerhope that arrives at 0708 on Thursday morning.

 

[Welshman]

After a look round, we board the 0829 Stagecoach North East service 7 to Gosforth High St, arriving 0853, Thursday morning.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Time to sample the Tyne & Wear Metro so we make our way to the nearest station on the line and board the 0927 South Gosforth service to Newcastle Airport that arrives at 0943 on Thursday morning.

 

[Zoe]

When I said no getting back on the same service you just left I was referring to the situation where if the last move was from Paddington to Reading on a Bristol train you can't get back on the same train and continue to Bristol. You have to wait for the next train.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

When I said no getting back on the same service you just left I was referring to the situation where if the last move was from Paddington to Reading on a Bristol train you can't get back on the same train and continue to Bristol. You have to wait for the next train.

Thank you for that rules clarification, Zoe, as this particular quiz has new members who were unsure of the rules as written in the first posting.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Time to sample the Tyne & Wear Metro so we make our way to the nearest station on the line and board the 0927 South Gosforth service to Newcastle Airport that arrives at 0943 on Thursday morning.

We take some pictures of some fairyplanes and grab a hot drink (which will probably be like £7 for a skinny latte in an airport!) before boarding the 1022 Stagecoach North East route X78 to Newcastle (Eldon Square), arriving there at 1051 on Thursday morning.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The food is much cheaper here than at the airport, so we take a light lunch and decide to make a cross-country bus service, so we make our way to Stand A and catch the 1145 Arriva Northumbria service 685 that arrives at stand F at Carlisle bus station at 1350 on Thursday afternoon.

 

[Welshman]

Then, finding there are still some vacant seats, we then board the 1450 Nat Express Service 538 to Stockport Bus Station, arriving 1850 Thursday afternoon.

 

[ValleyLines142]

Ooh I was just going to do another journey!

We then decide to take advantage of the late-night shopping til 10pm, so we board the 1910 Stagecoach Manchester route 23 to the Trafford Centre (which I honestly think is the best thing in the ENTIRE world), arriving there at 1958 on Thursday evening.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

We spend some time with the late-night shoppers in this complex which is locally referred to as "The Vatican of the North" because of its cupolas at roof level, before returning to the centre bus stops and boarding the 2130 Arriva North West service 18 that arrives at Manchester Airport Interchange at 2230 on Thursday evening.

 

[ValleyLines142]

We then take some more snaps of fairyplanes at our visit to a second airport today before boarding the 2330 Arriva North West route 19 to Altrincham Interchange, arriving there an hour later at 0031 in the early hours of Friday morning.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

We book into a small hotel on Barrington Road for a well-earned rest and order an early morning alarm call and a light breakfast before making the short walk back to the interchange, now fully refreshed, and we board the 0646 Northern service to Chester (via the mid-Cheshire line) that arrives at 0745 on Friday morning.

 

[Welshman]

We then cross the road and board the 0755 Arriva X44 service to Mold Bus Station, arriving 0843 on Friday morning.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Mold is such an easy town to say in English, but for a non-Welsh speaker, its name in Welsh is rather daunting, so we stroll round the area before returning to to the bus station to board the 0940 GHA Coaches service 14 that arrives at Rhyl (Gloddaeth Villas) at 1025 on Friday morning.

 

[Welshman]

You had me puzzled with "Gloddaeth Villas, Rhyl" for AFAIK, Gloddaeth Villas is off Rhyl Rd, Denbigh!

So, assuming you really want to go to Rhyl, I suggest we walk back to Rhyl Rd to await the 1035 ArrivaCymru Service 51, which will deposit us at
Rhyl Bus Station at 1120, Friday morning!

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

You have my most sincere apologies, as I had written down my notes correctly, but when it was time to transpose them to the forum, Rhyl Road, Denbigh, was interrupted by a telephone call and when I returned to complete the posting, my entry on the forum just ended in Rhyl....

Many memories of the next journey with an Arriva day saver, are evoked by the next leg of the journey, that leaves Rhyl bus station on the 1124 Arriva Cymru service 12 that arrives at Llandudno on Mostyn Street (with all its shops) at 1230 on Friday afternoon.

 

[Welshman]

the 12 is a good route to travel on in the summer, if you can get the open-topper!

I did wonder about a trip to Great Orme Summit on the 1353 Arriva Service 73 from Gloddaeth St, arriving at the top at 1402, as there will be an excellent view on a day like today.

However, as it's out of season for the Tramway, this move would bring on a chronic attack of the Lybster Bus Syndrome, so instead we board the 1500 Express Service X1 to Llanwrwst, where we arrive on Watling St at 1536, Friday afternoon.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Llanwrwst

This spelling is not really known to me, being from the Cheshire East area, and a trawl through all the Welsh tiny village names draws a blank....until I delete the first letter "w" to reveal LLanrwst and indeed there is a Watling Street there.

We look around the area, especially at the ancient bridge that straddles the river, before returning to Watling Street for yet another bus journey with impressive views en route and we board the 1646 Express Motors service X1 to Blaenau Ffestiniog that stops at the railway station car park at 1720 on Friday afternoon.

 

[Welshman]

This spelling is not really known to me, being from the Cheshire East area, and a trawl through all the Welsh tiny village names draws a blank....until I delete the first letter "w" to reveal LLanrwst and indeed there is a Watling Street there.

We look around the area, especially at the ancient bridge that straddles the river, before returning to Watling Street for yet another bus journey with impressive views en route and we board the 1646 Express Motors service X1 to Blaenau Ffestiniog that stops at the railway station car park at 1720 on Friday afternoon.

Woops! Sorry! It's coming to something when even a Welshman can't spell it correctly!

There's not a lot to do in Blaenau when the slate mine's closed and the Ffestiniog's not running, so we sample yet another of Express Motors' finest in the form of the 1735 Service 1B to Porthmadog Parc, arriving 1803 Friday evening.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

All these bus journeys have given us an appetite for a hot meal, which we enjoy at our leisure, before making our way to the railway station to carry on our southwards-bound journey, where we board the 2024 ATW service to Machynlleth that arrives there at 2218 on Friday evening.

 

[ValleyLines142]

We stay overnight in a hotel before boarding Arriva Trains Wale's 1G15, the 0807 to Birmingham New Street, arriving there at 1026 on Saturday morning.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Again, we decide to head south, and after a refreshing hot drink, we board the 1112 XC service to Exeter St David's that arrives at 1342 on Saturday afternoon.