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This gives us time to look back and remember what Northenden, with its many small shops, used to look like in the 1950's and what we see today greatly saddens us, so we return to the bus stop at Brett Street and board the 0457 Stagecoach Manchester service 43 to Rusholme (Platt Lane) which arrives at 0511 on Wednesday morning.
Time to visit "The Vatican of the North" with its large cupolas so we board the 0702 Arriva North West service 18 to The Trafford Centre bus station that arrives there at 0727 on Wednesday morning.
Realising that its too early to do any shopping, we take the 07:39 Arriva Northwest route 247 from the Barton-Dock Road entrance to the Trafford Centre to Flixton, the Red Lion, arriving at 07:57 Wednesdauy
Well, this days has certainly started off with a tour of the southern areas of the conurbation, but we realise that central Manchester offers even more scope, so we board the 0806 Stagecoach Manchester service 256 to Manchester Piccadilly Gardens that arrives there at 0912 on Wednesday morning.
We now decide to see more countrified areas and from the same bus stop, we board the 1120 High Peak service 394 to Charlesworth (George and Dragon) that arrives there at 1159 on Wednesday morning.
Time to spare today, so we have a walk to the shopping centre to see if any bargains are to be had, before boarding the 1324 Stagecoach Manchester service 201 to Hyde bus station that arrives there at 1340 on Wednesday afternoon.
Deciding that we're hungry again, we wander off in search of lunch, before returning to take the 14:33 First Manchester route 343 to Oldham Mumps arriving 15:39 Wednesday
A run out through more of the northern area of Oldham appeals to us, so we cross over the road and board the 1555 Stagecoach Manchester service 184 to Uppermill (Commercial Hotel on High Street) that arrives there at 1618 on Wednesday afternoon.
A ride to the western side of Tameside takes our fancy and we board the 1736 Stagecoach Manchester service 231 to Droylsden (Littlemoss Road) that arrives there at 1754 on Wednesday afternoon.
We are spoilt for choices here but decide to board the 1919 Stagecoach Manchester service 23A to Stockport bus station that arrives there at 1940 on Wednesday evening.
We decide to make a rail journey, considering where we are and find there is a train from Stockport that stops here and calls at a once very busy 4-platform station that appeared in the old black and white film called "Hindle Wakes" but now with only two of these platforms in use, so after allowing time to elapse, we board the 2311 Northern service to Hindley that arrives at 2327 on Wednesday evening.
We realise that Wigan is not endowed with night buses in the wee dark hours of Thursday morning as can be found in London and that we need to have a sleep to recharge our batteries for the coming day and the journeys that lie ahead of us, so we book into a small hotel for the night. We awake and partake of the usual full Lancashire hearty breakfast before deciding not to use rail just yet, but to take a bus ride through the countryside, so we make our way back to Wigan bus station where we board the 0720 Stagecoach Lancashire service 113 to Bamber Bridge (Brown Lane) that arrives there at 0834 on Thursday morning.
Your only about 30 paces from my house having just passed it before alighting from the bus. If we're traveling on a school day then that service would have been running late, if its a non school day then it would have been running early (up to 10mins ether way some days).
We have a short walk across the road to the other Bamber Bridge (Brown Lane) stop and after a bit of a wait we board the 09:17 Stagecoach North West 150 service which takes us to Walton-le-Dale (Edward Street), arriving at 09:35 Thursday morning.
That was an unexpected honour....always pleased to give Bamber Bridge its undoubted recognition...
Only a matter of a few minutes to wait at Edward Street, before we board the 0941 Preston Bus service 112 to Croston railway station that arrives there at 1050 on Thursday morning.
Time again to seek an short omnibus journey in this rural area of Lancashire, so leaving the railway station, we walk to the Stanley Club bus stop and board the 1220 Stagecoach in Lancashire service 2A to Ormskirk (Fiveways) that arrives there at 1231 on Thursday afternoon.
Time to look at the shops on Lord Street with their Victorian verandas and call in one of the better cafés for tea and cake, before boarding the 1422 Stagecoach in Lancashire service 2 to Hesketh Bank (Chapel Road) that arrives there at 1453 on Thursday afternoon.
Thanks, there isn't much to Bamber Bridge so we don't get that much recognition.
We have a long wait before continuing on the 15:33 Stagecoach North West service 2 which drops us off outside Preston Railway Station, arriving at 16:11 on Thursday afternoon
We decide to use rail as our next mode of travel and have time for a snack and a hot meal in the station buffet before boarding the 1654 Northern service to Accrington that arrives there at 1717 on Thursday evening.
We walk from the rail station terminus to the bus station, where we board the 1853 Pennine Motor Services service 215 to Thornton in Craven (Marton Road End) that arrives there at 1918 on Thursday evening.
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