Very envious! Apart from Ardrossan to Largs to Greenock in the rain 20 years ago I have done none of these, although have taken the car to Bute using both the Rothesay and Rhubadoch ferries. They all sound fabulous, I doubt that I will ever do most of these. Day three looks very adventurous, if the connections and ferries hadn't worked you could have been somewhat stuck at Rhubadoch! Would the 490 wait for the ferry?
-
Our new ticketing site is now live! Using either this or the original site (both powered by TrainSplit) helps support the running of the forum with every ticket purchase! Find out more and ask any questions/give us feedback in this thread!
Trips by Bus and Coach: Your reports
- Thread starter RELL6L
- Start date
Very envious! Apart from Ardrossan to Largs to Greenock in the rain 20 years ago I have done none of these, although have taken the car to Bute using both the Rothesay and Rhubadoch ferries. They all sound fabulous, I doubt that I will ever do most of these. Day three looks very adventurous, if the connections and ferries hadn't worked you could have been somewhat stuck at Rhubadoch! Would the 490 wait for the ferry?
Sponsor Post - registered members do not see these adverts; click here to register, or click here to log in
R
RailUK Forums
Bedford OB
Member
Thanks, yes, I have done a bit of risk-taking over the years when it comes to connections in the remoter parts of Scotland, but I guess it adds to the excitement. But it is the weather that made all the difference, such trips can be pretty miserable when you cannot see out of the window or are soaked through. I'll make sure to report further such trips. The bus does wait at Rhubodach - it only leaves for Rothesay when the ferry has arrived, set down/picked up, then departed, so all very disciplined there.
I remember taking a service that went from Dunoon to Rothesay that went on the ferry. I am thinking of going that way on the bus but don't want any long waits.
peterblue
Member
I think there used to be a direct bus as I was looking into that area a few years ago. You have to take 2 buses now to complete that journey (or go via the mainland with 2 ferries and 1 bus)
Bedford OB
Member
The only bus that goes across on the ferry now is the three times weekly (school days) 477 shoppers bus to Rothesay from Kames and Tighnabruaich. To do the through journey between Dunoon and Rothesay or vice versa requires a change either side of the ferry. I too have travelled the full journey, several times, when that was possible. The journey now requires planning, to use the limited 490 journeys that reach the ferry terminus at Rhubodach in Bute, and to use the 478 between Colintraive and Dunoon, or vice versa.
ChrisC
Established Member
Firstly @Bedford OB I also think that your Day 3 must have been an amazing day. The area around Dunoon and the roads out to Collintraive, Tignabruaich, Portavardie etc is somewhere I know very well. For 25 years, from 1993 to 2018, my sister lived around 10 miles out of Dunoon in a somewhat remote cottage. During those years I visited at least twice each year and explored the area by car and on foot quite extensively. I always drove up from Nottinghamshire and used my car whilst there. I have to admit that in all those 25 years I never once used a bus whilst up there. It’s now around 8 years since I was last up in that area and I do wonder if I will ever get to visit the area again.
Now to my main posting. At the beginning of last month I was down in East Sussex for a week, mostly using buses for days out visiting interesting locations in the area. I based myself in Eastbourne as I knew of a good hotel there where I had previously stayed around 10 years ago. Unlike my return to East Kent last year where I found a much reduced bus network, I did think there had been an uplift in bus services in East Sussex since my last visit. There did seem to have been an increase in frequency on some routes especially in the evenings.
Although the Stagecoach 99 bus, running from Eastbourne to Hastings, stopped right outside my hotel door, I used the train on a few occasions to travel quickly between Eastbourne and Hastings, because I remember from my previous visit that the 99 bus route can be a bit tedious if used regularly. It was a good 20 minutes walk from my hotel to Eastbourne railway station but very reasonable £1 fares for local journeys within Eastbourne enabled me to get a frequent bus to the station even before my ENCTS pass was valid at 0930.
DAY 1
My main destination on my first day were the gardens at Great Dixter near Northian, which is on the very infrequent Stagecoach 329 route between Hastings and Tenterden. There are only 3 buses a day which travel the whole route with an additional 4 buses which just run between Hastings and Northian. I needed to get the 1018 departure from Hastings and so used the train to reach Hastings rather than the 99 bus. There were only a handful of passengers on the single decker bus as it left Hastings but it did pick up a few more on its way out of town. The bus did take a long time to get out of Hastings running through a number of quite upmarket looking housing estates. After calling at the hospital it was around 25 minutes after leaving Hastings bus station before the bus actually left the built up area to run through some very attractive villages to Northian. After getting off the bus in Northian, on what was a very hot day, I walked the up lane to Great Dixter where I was to spend almost 3 hours looking around these wonderful gardens. I had seen them many times on tv and had always wanted to visit.
The gardens at Great Dixter
After visiting the gardens I walked back into the village to get the Stagecoach 313 bus for the short 25 minute journey to Rye. The 313 runs roughly 2 hourly between Rye and Northian. I have been to the historic town Rye on a number of pervious occasions, but it’s a town that I never tire of wandering around, or should I say considering its steep streets, climbing around. To get back to Hastings from Rye I had the difficult choice of whether to use the Stagecoach 100 or 101. Both run hourly with the 100 running through the lovely village of Winchelsea which I had stopped of at on a previous occasion visiting Spike Milligan’s grave in the churchyard there. I decided to get the 101 which does the coastal route through Winchelsea Beach, Pett Levels and Fairlight. There were some very good views from the top of the double decker as it climbed up from the flat Pett Levels towards Hastings. On reaching Hastings I used my return rail ticket to return to as far as Bexhill to get something to eat before using the 99 bus back to my hotel in Eastbourne.
Mermaid Street in Rye
DAY 2
My plan for this day was to visit Bodiam Castle which is only around 5 miles west of Great Dixter where I was the day before, but it is on a complete different bus route from Hastings. It was again train to Hastings and then the Stagecoach 349 bus which runs roughly every 2 hours between Hastings and Hawkhurst, which is just about a couple of miles over the border in Kent. The Kent and East Sussex Railway has stations at both Northian and Bodiam but as it was weekday out of season there were no trains. The 349 bus was almost 20 minutes late coming into Hastings from its inward journey and after picking up about half a dozen passengers quickly left. Again it was a Stagecoach single decker. The 349 did seem to get out of Hastings and into open countryside by a more direct route and after running through some very attractive villages and along some very narrow country lanes I got off opposite the entrance to Bodiam Castle around 20 minutes later than expected. Bodiam is a wonderful castle, absolutely traditional in appearance surrounded by a water filled moat. Even with my late arrival there was time to have a good look around the castle and enjoy a coffee and a cake in the National Trust cafe before getting the next bus towards Hawkhurst.
Bodiam Castle
The next bus was only around 5 minutes late but the combination of that and roadworks in Hawkhurst resulted in me missing the Stagecoach 1066 bus to Tunbridge Wells. With around 55 minutes to spare I had a good walk Hawkhurst including walking to the Hawkhurst Green area with its large village green and interesting church. From there I got the next 1066 via Wadhrust to Tunbridge Wells, another Stagecoach single but with more people aboard. I was intending visiting Tunbridge Wells the following day so didn't spend much time there before getting the Stagecoach 51 bus back to Eastbourne. The 51 bus passes through some lovely countryside of the Sussex Weald and through some very attractive towns and villages but it is a journey of almost 2 hours. Leaving Tunbridge Wells at around 4pm the bus was very busy especially with school children and it was again only a standard single decker which for large parts of the journey was very noisy and crowded. On reaching Hailsham, and with another 30 minutes to go, I’d had enough and got off for a drink and something to eat in what was quite a reasonable Wetherspoons.
From Hailsham back to Eastbourne I got the Brighton and Hove number 28, Regency Route, bus back into Eastbourne. This was again a well loaded bus but this time a double decker. I believe the 28 running between Eastbourne and Brighton via Lewis is quite a new route and seemed to be doing very well.
DAY 3
This was a day of travel mainly by train from Eastbourne to Tunbridge Wells stopping off at Battle to visit Battle Abbey and a walk Battle of Hastings site.
DAY 4
As this was Sunday and the May Day Bank Holiday weekend my plans were to use the Brighton and Hove 13X route to visit the area around and do some walking near Beachy Head. The 13X only runs at weekends and bank holidays and diverts off the main Eastbourne to Brighton route via Beachy Head and Birling Gap. There was a very large classic car rally on Eastbourne seafront so I had a look around that in the morning before getting a Brighton and Hove 13X double decker to Beachy Head. There are some wonderful views from the bus back toward Eastbourne as the bus climbs out of the town towards Beachy Head. The footpaths around Beachy Head were very busy but it was still enjoyable walking with some good views. I returned to the Beachy Head bus stop to join a long queue of people waiting for the 13X towards Brighton. I do like the coastal route between Eastbourne and Brighton so wanted to this just for scenic ride. It’s a great ride past the Severn Sisters Country Park and the coastal road into Brighton. The double bus was very busy but I managed to get a seat by the window upstairs on the coastal side. On reaching the bus stop at Birling Gap there were huge queues and the bus departed full leaving at least 30 people behind.
Beachy Head
Brighton on a hot Sunday afternoon was heaving but I did manage to find a good place in the Lanes to get a late afternoon Sunday roast before returning to Eastbourne on another very busy 13X.
DAY 5
May Day Bank Holiday Monday I began with a walk along the sea front and past the pier to a bus stop not far from the railway station. From here I caught a Cuckmere Valley Community Bus to the lovely historic downland village of Alfriston. They run quite a comprehensive network of buses around the villages in the South Downs around the Cuckmere Valley to the west of Eastbourne. Lots of their routes only run in certain days of the week and many just at weekends and bank holidays. They are operated by volunteer drivers. I got the 10am number 26:which runs on Sundays and Bank Holidays to Seaford via Alfriston. The minibus departed with just myself and a family with 2 children aboard. They got off at the Long Man of Wilmington leaving just myself on board to Alfriston.
The Cuckmere Valley
After having a walk around Alfriston village I set off to walk down the Cuckmere Valley to where the river flows into the sea at Cuckmere Haven at the Western end of the Severn Sisters. This is a walk that I last did around 40 years ago! I began by crossing the river and walking through the small villages of Lullington and Litlington before joining the footpath down the eastern bank of the river. The walk down the side of the river has changed very little but the whole area around the Severn Sisters Country Park is now very busy as the area is now within the South Downs National Park. My walk was around 7 miles including walking back to the bus stop at Exceat Bridge to get the Brighton and Hove bus 12 back into Eastbourne. Coming across the Long Man Brewery during my walk was an added bonus!
Cuckmere Haven
DAY 6
This was my final day and I caught the Stagecoach 99 bus, a double decker, from right outside my hotel to the village of Pevensey. In Pevensey I visited the the surprisingly large castle which is in the care of English Heritage. From there I got a Stagecoach number 8 bus through Pevensey Bay to Beachlands. This was one of the very small Stagecoach single deckers. I really must do bit of research to learn what models these buses are! Anyone who has read my reports will understand that I know nothing about types of buses but my interest is travelling on interesting routes especially in rural and scenic areas to visit interesting locations.
On arrival at Beachlands, an area of seaside houses and bungalows, set just back from the shingle beach between there and low lying marshland I set off to walk along the coast towards Normans Bay. This is so named because it is the stretch of where William the Conquerer and the Normans would have landed prior to the Battle of Hastings. After a few days of hot weather it was quite a cool windy day and along this otherwise quite built up coast Normans Bay seemed quite remote and somewhat desolate. I continued walking past Cooden Beach Station and eventually into Bexhill. I liked Bexhill with its Grade 1 listed modernist De La Warr Pavillion. From Bexhill I travelled back on the Stagecoach 53 bus to Eastbourne which takes a longer inland route through some attractive villages with good views from the top of the double decker over the edge of the weald and towards the south downs.
It was a good week down in East Sussex and good to return after around 10 years. My next trip is at the end of this month when I will be spending a few days based in Caernarfon. On the day I arrive I will attempt to purchase a Weekly Concessionary 1bws ticket from the driver on the Arriva bus from outside Bangor Station to Caernarfon.
Now to my main posting. At the beginning of last month I was down in East Sussex for a week, mostly using buses for days out visiting interesting locations in the area. I based myself in Eastbourne as I knew of a good hotel there where I had previously stayed around 10 years ago. Unlike my return to East Kent last year where I found a much reduced bus network, I did think there had been an uplift in bus services in East Sussex since my last visit. There did seem to have been an increase in frequency on some routes especially in the evenings.
Although the Stagecoach 99 bus, running from Eastbourne to Hastings, stopped right outside my hotel door, I used the train on a few occasions to travel quickly between Eastbourne and Hastings, because I remember from my previous visit that the 99 bus route can be a bit tedious if used regularly. It was a good 20 minutes walk from my hotel to Eastbourne railway station but very reasonable £1 fares for local journeys within Eastbourne enabled me to get a frequent bus to the station even before my ENCTS pass was valid at 0930.
DAY 1
My main destination on my first day were the gardens at Great Dixter near Northian, which is on the very infrequent Stagecoach 329 route between Hastings and Tenterden. There are only 3 buses a day which travel the whole route with an additional 4 buses which just run between Hastings and Northian. I needed to get the 1018 departure from Hastings and so used the train to reach Hastings rather than the 99 bus. There were only a handful of passengers on the single decker bus as it left Hastings but it did pick up a few more on its way out of town. The bus did take a long time to get out of Hastings running through a number of quite upmarket looking housing estates. After calling at the hospital it was around 25 minutes after leaving Hastings bus station before the bus actually left the built up area to run through some very attractive villages to Northian. After getting off the bus in Northian, on what was a very hot day, I walked the up lane to Great Dixter where I was to spend almost 3 hours looking around these wonderful gardens. I had seen them many times on tv and had always wanted to visit.
The gardens at Great Dixter
After visiting the gardens I walked back into the village to get the Stagecoach 313 bus for the short 25 minute journey to Rye. The 313 runs roughly 2 hourly between Rye and Northian. I have been to the historic town Rye on a number of pervious occasions, but it’s a town that I never tire of wandering around, or should I say considering its steep streets, climbing around. To get back to Hastings from Rye I had the difficult choice of whether to use the Stagecoach 100 or 101. Both run hourly with the 100 running through the lovely village of Winchelsea which I had stopped of at on a previous occasion visiting Spike Milligan’s grave in the churchyard there. I decided to get the 101 which does the coastal route through Winchelsea Beach, Pett Levels and Fairlight. There were some very good views from the top of the double decker as it climbed up from the flat Pett Levels towards Hastings. On reaching Hastings I used my return rail ticket to return to as far as Bexhill to get something to eat before using the 99 bus back to my hotel in Eastbourne.
Mermaid Street in Rye
DAY 2
My plan for this day was to visit Bodiam Castle which is only around 5 miles west of Great Dixter where I was the day before, but it is on a complete different bus route from Hastings. It was again train to Hastings and then the Stagecoach 349 bus which runs roughly every 2 hours between Hastings and Hawkhurst, which is just about a couple of miles over the border in Kent. The Kent and East Sussex Railway has stations at both Northian and Bodiam but as it was weekday out of season there were no trains. The 349 bus was almost 20 minutes late coming into Hastings from its inward journey and after picking up about half a dozen passengers quickly left. Again it was a Stagecoach single decker. The 349 did seem to get out of Hastings and into open countryside by a more direct route and after running through some very attractive villages and along some very narrow country lanes I got off opposite the entrance to Bodiam Castle around 20 minutes later than expected. Bodiam is a wonderful castle, absolutely traditional in appearance surrounded by a water filled moat. Even with my late arrival there was time to have a good look around the castle and enjoy a coffee and a cake in the National Trust cafe before getting the next bus towards Hawkhurst.
Bodiam Castle
The next bus was only around 5 minutes late but the combination of that and roadworks in Hawkhurst resulted in me missing the Stagecoach 1066 bus to Tunbridge Wells. With around 55 minutes to spare I had a good walk Hawkhurst including walking to the Hawkhurst Green area with its large village green and interesting church. From there I got the next 1066 via Wadhrust to Tunbridge Wells, another Stagecoach single but with more people aboard. I was intending visiting Tunbridge Wells the following day so didn't spend much time there before getting the Stagecoach 51 bus back to Eastbourne. The 51 bus passes through some lovely countryside of the Sussex Weald and through some very attractive towns and villages but it is a journey of almost 2 hours. Leaving Tunbridge Wells at around 4pm the bus was very busy especially with school children and it was again only a standard single decker which for large parts of the journey was very noisy and crowded. On reaching Hailsham, and with another 30 minutes to go, I’d had enough and got off for a drink and something to eat in what was quite a reasonable Wetherspoons.
From Hailsham back to Eastbourne I got the Brighton and Hove number 28, Regency Route, bus back into Eastbourne. This was again a well loaded bus but this time a double decker. I believe the 28 running between Eastbourne and Brighton via Lewis is quite a new route and seemed to be doing very well.
DAY 3
This was a day of travel mainly by train from Eastbourne to Tunbridge Wells stopping off at Battle to visit Battle Abbey and a walk Battle of Hastings site.
DAY 4
As this was Sunday and the May Day Bank Holiday weekend my plans were to use the Brighton and Hove 13X route to visit the area around and do some walking near Beachy Head. The 13X only runs at weekends and bank holidays and diverts off the main Eastbourne to Brighton route via Beachy Head and Birling Gap. There was a very large classic car rally on Eastbourne seafront so I had a look around that in the morning before getting a Brighton and Hove 13X double decker to Beachy Head. There are some wonderful views from the bus back toward Eastbourne as the bus climbs out of the town towards Beachy Head. The footpaths around Beachy Head were very busy but it was still enjoyable walking with some good views. I returned to the Beachy Head bus stop to join a long queue of people waiting for the 13X towards Brighton. I do like the coastal route between Eastbourne and Brighton so wanted to this just for scenic ride. It’s a great ride past the Severn Sisters Country Park and the coastal road into Brighton. The double bus was very busy but I managed to get a seat by the window upstairs on the coastal side. On reaching the bus stop at Birling Gap there were huge queues and the bus departed full leaving at least 30 people behind.
Beachy Head
Brighton on a hot Sunday afternoon was heaving but I did manage to find a good place in the Lanes to get a late afternoon Sunday roast before returning to Eastbourne on another very busy 13X.
DAY 5
May Day Bank Holiday Monday I began with a walk along the sea front and past the pier to a bus stop not far from the railway station. From here I caught a Cuckmere Valley Community Bus to the lovely historic downland village of Alfriston. They run quite a comprehensive network of buses around the villages in the South Downs around the Cuckmere Valley to the west of Eastbourne. Lots of their routes only run in certain days of the week and many just at weekends and bank holidays. They are operated by volunteer drivers. I got the 10am number 26:which runs on Sundays and Bank Holidays to Seaford via Alfriston. The minibus departed with just myself and a family with 2 children aboard. They got off at the Long Man of Wilmington leaving just myself on board to Alfriston.
The Cuckmere Valley
After having a walk around Alfriston village I set off to walk down the Cuckmere Valley to where the river flows into the sea at Cuckmere Haven at the Western end of the Severn Sisters. This is a walk that I last did around 40 years ago! I began by crossing the river and walking through the small villages of Lullington and Litlington before joining the footpath down the eastern bank of the river. The walk down the side of the river has changed very little but the whole area around the Severn Sisters Country Park is now very busy as the area is now within the South Downs National Park. My walk was around 7 miles including walking back to the bus stop at Exceat Bridge to get the Brighton and Hove bus 12 back into Eastbourne. Coming across the Long Man Brewery during my walk was an added bonus!
Cuckmere Haven
DAY 6
This was my final day and I caught the Stagecoach 99 bus, a double decker, from right outside my hotel to the village of Pevensey. In Pevensey I visited the the surprisingly large castle which is in the care of English Heritage. From there I got a Stagecoach number 8 bus through Pevensey Bay to Beachlands. This was one of the very small Stagecoach single deckers. I really must do bit of research to learn what models these buses are! Anyone who has read my reports will understand that I know nothing about types of buses but my interest is travelling on interesting routes especially in rural and scenic areas to visit interesting locations.
On arrival at Beachlands, an area of seaside houses and bungalows, set just back from the shingle beach between there and low lying marshland I set off to walk along the coast towards Normans Bay. This is so named because it is the stretch of where William the Conquerer and the Normans would have landed prior to the Battle of Hastings. After a few days of hot weather it was quite a cool windy day and along this otherwise quite built up coast Normans Bay seemed quite remote and somewhat desolate. I continued walking past Cooden Beach Station and eventually into Bexhill. I liked Bexhill with its Grade 1 listed modernist De La Warr Pavillion. From Bexhill I travelled back on the Stagecoach 53 bus to Eastbourne which takes a longer inland route through some attractive villages with good views from the top of the double decker over the edge of the weald and towards the south downs.
It was a good week down in East Sussex and good to return after around 10 years. My next trip is at the end of this month when I will be spending a few days based in Caernarfon. On the day I arrive I will attempt to purchase a Weekly Concessionary 1bws ticket from the driver on the Arriva bus from outside Bangor Station to Caernarfon.
Last edited:
JGurney
Member
Not so much a trip as a misadventure report, especially as we ended up going home by rail.
The semaphore tower on Ockham Common, Surrey, had an open day on Sunday. My wife and I were staying in Teddington at the time and went to visit.
We got the Falcon 715 from Kingston intending to get off at the Ockham Park stop, or the Wisley Lane stop if that proved to be back in existence. (Falcon's own online map showed it in use, but neither Google Maps nor Bustimes showed it, and as it had been closed on the last occasion we went that way I was dubious). The ride from Kingston went well until we reached Wisley Common. As suspected, the former Wisley Lane stop was not restored: in fact it had been obliterated by a new overbridge built on it's site. That was as anticipated so I rang the bell for Ockham Park. On reaching that stop, we saw that it was coned off as part of roadworks. This was more worrying but I assumed at first that there would be a replacement stop, probably opposite the northbound stop beyond the roundabout. However the driver refused a plea to stop there, saying the stop was closed, and carried us a mile further to the next stop at Ripley Post Office. He stated that the Ockham Park northbound stop was in use and suggested we caught another bus back there. Having alighted we saw a poster at the stop stating that while Ockham Park and Wisley Lane stops were closed there would be a "minibus shuttle" between this stop (Ripley Post Office) and Wisley RHS Gardens, with frequency "depending on traffic". The notice was dated Feb 2024, so we were unsure whether this 'shuttle' still existed. A search online found no reference to it. We also established that there was a White Bus 462 coming in 30mins which would call at Wisley Gardens, so we decided to get whichever came first. The Wisley Gardens stop should have been nearer to our goal than Ockham Park. No shuttle appears but the 462 was on time and carried us to Wisley Gardens (of course requiring another fare each). On route we passed the Ockham Park northbound stop, noticing that while the layby was accessible there was a plastic bag taped over the bus stop flag. Alighting at Wisley Gardens I asked the driver about the stop: he said he had no instruction not to stop there, and would stop if requested, but he was not sure if other drivers would.
We set off to walk to the semaphore tower, but found that the direct footpath route to Ockham Common was blocked by a temporary road construction depot. To get around that we had to walk three-quarters of a mile back along the 462 route until we reached the site of Ockham Park southbound stop, where we had been unable to get off the passing 715 an hour earlier. From there we could take the footpath route planned in the first place.
Being left unsure whether the 715 would pick us up at Ockham Park northbound stop, given it's plastic-wrapped condition, we gave up on the buses and after reaching the semaphore tower and taking the interesting opportunity to see the views from the top, we walked the longer way to Effingham Junction station for a train back.
Not an experience that would encourage a novice to try using buses again.
The semaphore tower on Ockham Common, Surrey, had an open day on Sunday. My wife and I were staying in Teddington at the time and went to visit.
We got the Falcon 715 from Kingston intending to get off at the Ockham Park stop, or the Wisley Lane stop if that proved to be back in existence. (Falcon's own online map showed it in use, but neither Google Maps nor Bustimes showed it, and as it had been closed on the last occasion we went that way I was dubious). The ride from Kingston went well until we reached Wisley Common. As suspected, the former Wisley Lane stop was not restored: in fact it had been obliterated by a new overbridge built on it's site. That was as anticipated so I rang the bell for Ockham Park. On reaching that stop, we saw that it was coned off as part of roadworks. This was more worrying but I assumed at first that there would be a replacement stop, probably opposite the northbound stop beyond the roundabout. However the driver refused a plea to stop there, saying the stop was closed, and carried us a mile further to the next stop at Ripley Post Office. He stated that the Ockham Park northbound stop was in use and suggested we caught another bus back there. Having alighted we saw a poster at the stop stating that while Ockham Park and Wisley Lane stops were closed there would be a "minibus shuttle" between this stop (Ripley Post Office) and Wisley RHS Gardens, with frequency "depending on traffic". The notice was dated Feb 2024, so we were unsure whether this 'shuttle' still existed. A search online found no reference to it. We also established that there was a White Bus 462 coming in 30mins which would call at Wisley Gardens, so we decided to get whichever came first. The Wisley Gardens stop should have been nearer to our goal than Ockham Park. No shuttle appears but the 462 was on time and carried us to Wisley Gardens (of course requiring another fare each). On route we passed the Ockham Park northbound stop, noticing that while the layby was accessible there was a plastic bag taped over the bus stop flag. Alighting at Wisley Gardens I asked the driver about the stop: he said he had no instruction not to stop there, and would stop if requested, but he was not sure if other drivers would.
We set off to walk to the semaphore tower, but found that the direct footpath route to Ockham Common was blocked by a temporary road construction depot. To get around that we had to walk three-quarters of a mile back along the 462 route until we reached the site of Ockham Park southbound stop, where we had been unable to get off the passing 715 an hour earlier. From there we could take the footpath route planned in the first place.
Being left unsure whether the 715 would pick us up at Ockham Park northbound stop, given it's plastic-wrapped condition, we gave up on the buses and after reaching the semaphore tower and taking the interesting opportunity to see the views from the top, we walked the longer way to Effingham Junction station for a train back.
Not an experience that would encourage a novice to try using buses again.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Been a bit busy and away for a few weeks so tardy in my responses to some lovely trip reports.
First of all, I shall join the collective envy of @Bedford OB and their trip to the Clyde Coast. I've only ever visited a couple of times and the only one of any duration was as part of a cycling holiday where a trip started and finished in Largs (lovely place) and necessitated a trip on the 585 from Ardrossan (more rugged type of place) to get back after a mechanical issue in Campbeltown. The views from the coast to Arran were superb and imagine the scenery around Dunoon was very engaging.
More recently, I visited Sussex last year. A few of the places that @ChrisC visited were on my itinerary but I applaud the sheer amount of places you explored by public transport. Brighton & Hove are a great operator and i believe Cuckmere CB is a very well run operation. Great photos too.
Shame that @JGurney had such problems with Wisley. I assume it's all to do with the rebuilding of the junction that is in no way to support the wholesale redevelopment of the former nearby air base
Shame too as Surrey CC and Falcon are usually very good at providing info. At least you got home ok.
Looking forward to seeing more trip reports and sharing one of my own soon.
First of all, I shall join the collective envy of @Bedford OB and their trip to the Clyde Coast. I've only ever visited a couple of times and the only one of any duration was as part of a cycling holiday where a trip started and finished in Largs (lovely place) and necessitated a trip on the 585 from Ardrossan (more rugged type of place) to get back after a mechanical issue in Campbeltown. The views from the coast to Arran were superb and imagine the scenery around Dunoon was very engaging.
More recently, I visited Sussex last year. A few of the places that @ChrisC visited were on my itinerary but I applaud the sheer amount of places you explored by public transport. Brighton & Hove are a great operator and i believe Cuckmere CB is a very well run operation. Great photos too.
Shame that @JGurney had such problems with Wisley. I assume it's all to do with the rebuilding of the junction that is in no way to support the wholesale redevelopment of the former nearby air base
Shame too as Surrey CC and Falcon are usually very good at providing info. At least you got home ok.Looking forward to seeing more trip reports and sharing one of my own soon.
Flange Squeal
Established Member
- Joined
- 17 Jul 2012
- Messages
- 1,860
A couple of days in the Peak District while the weather was nice but before the mahem of summer holidays allowed me the chance to visit Crich Tramway Village on Tuesday and use the Peak Sightseer bus on Wednesday (yesterday by time I’m writing this!).
I opted to stay in Baslow, not because of the Hulleys link (although I did take a gander at the empty depot and its neighbouring cows!) but because the first Blue Peak Sightseer of the day towards Mam Tour skips the tourist trap of Chatsworth on its way from Chesterfield, so I thought it might be a less busy one. This proved a good idea as I got my preferred open top bus seats at the back of top deck and, even later on the return journey, it was never near full. By contrast, the 1000/1100 from Chatsworth we passed on the way all looked packed! The bus was around 15 mins late but arrived at Mam Tour only 3 late (1013), but for reasons I never did fathom didn’t leave Mam Tour until 1030 (vice 1020). The driver did tell us we wouldn’t be leaving until then though, so had time to enjoy the view and sheep baa-ing. Winnats Pass was certainly an interesting view from a bus, I thought most dramatic on the return.
The Enviro 400, 15718 (YN60 CKP), got us to Chatsworth around 7 mins later than the booked 1138, but still in time to hop abroad sister 15717 (YN60 CKO) for a lap of the circular 1155 Red route to Bakewell and Ashford in the Water.
After returning to Chatsworth and spending a very warm and sunny afternoon walking around the gardens, it was time to head back to the hotel on the 1600 Blue route. I was pleased to get Trident 18304 (WA05 MHJ) for the 10 minute hop to Baslow. Unlike the Enviros though, this didn’t have audio commentary.
The buses were all smart in the attractive livery and clean inside, and both drivers (same driver did my 1155 Red and 1600 Blue trips) were very friendly and drove well. The first bus was only printing the right hand side of tickets though, with the driver having to write the dates on in biro which, despite looking suss, didn’t cause any issues and made our second driver laugh. I’d very much recommend a trip, but based on the 1000/1100 observations and queue for the 1300, the Blue in particular can be a squeeze on nice days so get in the queue with time to spare at Chatsworth! The Reds I saw still had decent loadings but not rammed today.
I opted to stay in Baslow, not because of the Hulleys link (although I did take a gander at the empty depot and its neighbouring cows!) but because the first Blue Peak Sightseer of the day towards Mam Tour skips the tourist trap of Chatsworth on its way from Chesterfield, so I thought it might be a less busy one. This proved a good idea as I got my preferred open top bus seats at the back of top deck and, even later on the return journey, it was never near full. By contrast, the 1000/1100 from Chatsworth we passed on the way all looked packed! The bus was around 15 mins late but arrived at Mam Tour only 3 late (1013), but for reasons I never did fathom didn’t leave Mam Tour until 1030 (vice 1020). The driver did tell us we wouldn’t be leaving until then though, so had time to enjoy the view and sheep baa-ing. Winnats Pass was certainly an interesting view from a bus, I thought most dramatic on the return.
The Enviro 400, 15718 (YN60 CKP), got us to Chatsworth around 7 mins later than the booked 1138, but still in time to hop abroad sister 15717 (YN60 CKO) for a lap of the circular 1155 Red route to Bakewell and Ashford in the Water.
After returning to Chatsworth and spending a very warm and sunny afternoon walking around the gardens, it was time to head back to the hotel on the 1600 Blue route. I was pleased to get Trident 18304 (WA05 MHJ) for the 10 minute hop to Baslow. Unlike the Enviros though, this didn’t have audio commentary.
The buses were all smart in the attractive livery and clean inside, and both drivers (same driver did my 1155 Red and 1600 Blue trips) were very friendly and drove well. The first bus was only printing the right hand side of tickets though, with the driver having to write the dates on in biro which, despite looking suss, didn’t cause any issues and made our second driver laugh. I’d very much recommend a trip, but based on the 1000/1100 observations and queue for the 1300, the Blue in particular can be a squeeze on nice days so get in the queue with time to spare at Chatsworth! The Reds I saw still had decent loadings but not rammed today.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Great report from @Flange Squeal - I haven't made it up to Derbyshire for a while and feel I'm missing out. Others have previously highlighted the scenery and quality of service on the Peak Explorer and now getting serious FOMO!!
I do have another trip report to share of my own. As is often the case, it involved being in some former mining area (!) and also played into my love of South Wales. However, it was slightly less ambitious than normal but I hope you enjoy the report. PS - for those of a nervous disposition, there is a lot of Wright Streetlite action as these dominate the First Cymru fleet.
I began my day in Ammanford, parking up in the free car park near the station. Ammanford used to have two bus depots (or three if you include nearby Tycroes) with a combined depot/bus station where the current bus station/Coop store is. Sadly, the weather wasn't as good as predicted and I began the day in a steady drizzle. The first bus of the day was a Wright Streetlite that had been reallocated west last year but still had Neath and Port Talbot fleetnames. We were visiting neither, heading on the 129 to Carmarthen. There was a decent load on the two hourly service that combines with the Llanelli route to provide an hourly headway out of Ammanford. Now, hard to believe, but I was pleasantly surprised by this Streetlite - no telltale rattles from the usual spots, reasonable ride quality. What I didn't know was that it was a reunion having travelled on the same vehicle a few years earlier near Neath. It's now ten years old and to be honest, the interior has stood up pretty well and was reasonably tidy. Sadly, the weather was gloomy and I didn't get the best view but reckon it's probably a lovely trip on a nice day. Sadly, as we arrived, a warning buzzer began sounding and whilst our driver got us to the bus station, I think that was the end of the day for our vehicle. Carmarthen is a town I know very well - the mother in law used to live nearby so I had no wish to suffer the drizzle and explore, grabbing a coffee and bacon sandwich and then heading to the 195 to Llanelli. This was a Streetlite from the same batch, again reallocated from Port Talbot but sadly, it was a lesser example. The incessant rattling of the emergency door handle was back to annoy me and our young driver seemed to be unable to keep to time whilst observing near constant changes in speed limits. Such is Wales. We also had two "out and back" deviations in Pontyberem (a large village that once had a Western Welsh outstation, I believe) and then Ponthenri of which neither involved losing or gaining passengers. Hence we were about 10 mins late into the bus station in Llanelli.
Second bus of the day arrives - bit damp in Carmarthen
Llanelli is one of those places where the trials of modern day bus operation seem starkest. The town has been hollowed out courtesy of a large out of town complex with plentiful car parking that has led to the decline of the traditional high street. Llanelli did get some redevelopment and that included a new bus station about 15 years ago, replacing the old depressing facility with a new one nearby. Similarly, First's presence has ebbed away following the downgrading and closure of Llanelli depot. The former travel office is still maintained as a welfare facility but looks tired and jaded. One thing that I've never noticed until now though... All of Carmarthen's bus stations have automated barriers to restrict access... Seen them before but never twigged. I had chance to get coffee and checked on my next bus, the 111 to Swansea. I was quite shocked to see it was one of the few deckers in First Cymru's fleet - numbers had swelled a few years ago but have now declined. 36242 was one new to Leeds, passed via Sheffield, Worcester and Weston super Mare to end up in Swansea. As a consequence, it's not been loved and just feels tired. These vehicles really should have been refurbished (as some were) but are probably now too old to justify the expenditure. Shame as it was a decent trip as we made our way via the aforementioned retail park and then across the estuary and towards Gorseinon before we then did a deviation around Penlan to descend into Swansea. At least the drizzle had given way and the day was getting much brighter.
A little bit of sun in Swansea and my only decker of the day
The former United Welsh bus station in Singleton Street, Swansea (next to the current bus station)
Pulling away up the hill in Townhill - it's old home can be worked out!
Moody monochrome from Townhill - there wasn't that much colour as it was!
Ordinarily, I'd have had a more detailed explore of Swansea but I had a couple of things that I wanted to tick off. So it was an exit off my decker and onto another old friend, a Streetlite that I'd previously travelled on in Worcester; it had been moved over a year earlier but still has Worcester fleetnames! I wanted to experience the climb up to Townhill, an estate above the city accessed by a punishing climb. To be fair, the little Streetlite was fine with the 10% incline and I had chance to take a few moody panoramic shots of the city and Swansea Bay before returning back to the city centre. After a short wander, I headed to the bus station and had a trip out to Oystermouth. This again highlighted another issue with Welsh bus services. Covid and its aftermath was really badly handled in terms of funding by the Government, as they sought to exercise central control, at least in my opinion. When funding began to decline and passenger numbers didn't return, many services were either withdrawn or had their frequencies cut. Some cuts around Swansea were swingeing, such as Townhill (now partially reversed). I may be wrong but I think the routes to Oystermouth were similarly affected so the 1, 2 and 3A comprise a 15 min headway but in truth, the direct route 2 is half hourly and takes 22 mins, and the others are hourly (combined half hourly) but diverted via Singleton taking 42 mins. I took the direct 2 to Oystermouth on my sole e200 of the day and enjoyed a nice wander around the pleasant town before deciding to head back. Lovely views across Swansea Bay and down to the Mumbles (which I would recommend that people visit). There's also a castle to explore, a walk along the seafront back towards Swansea, and it's an affluent place with nice shops and bars.
Across to the Mumbles taken from what had been Oystermouth bus station
My steed back to Swansea descending the main street in Oystermouth
Here's the thing - the journey length disparity there's no 15 min headway on the return. Instead its a slow bus, then a fast 10 mins later, then 20 mins later a slow and a fast arrive almost together, and then a 30 min gap. It really should be a straight forward 20 min fast link (and let the slower ones do their job) but First can't make it pay on the pass remuneration. I decided to take the longer trip in any case and had a circuitous trip around a former council estate and Singleton Hospital/Campus where the former ftr signs still advertise the 4 service that used to have Streetcars. Perhaps this is the thing... in the early 1990s, SWT and the Council were great at bus priority and investment. It feels that First burnt through a lot of goodwill with the ill-fated ftr adventure which was doomed to failure. Now there's some residual bus lanes but otherwise, its a scratchy First operation and local/national government that is performative in its public transport commitment - big on TrawsCymru and SW Metro but this corner feels neglected all round.
It was time to head back to Ammanford. Rather than waiting for 45 mins, I got the X13a shortworking that would take me to Pontardulais. In fact, it would take me almost to Ammanford but only to Tycroes depot which was arguably a worst destination. The X13a was worked by a former Fareham Solo. Not having travelled on this route before, it wasn't long before we were diverting around random areas of Swansea (Cockett?). Again, I'm guessing that this covers another withdrawn route, on a service that was once the direct X13 every 20 mins and is now an hourly direct run and the slower X13a - more evidence of paring back of frequencies and diversions to cover other routes? The Solo was a decent machine and got me into Pontardulais on time on what had been a reasonably loaded service for a late Saturday afternoon. However, the times on a Saturday are the same as a weekday (peak) so we sat for 5 mins on the main road in order to keep to time. The town itself is a real quiet affair, being a dormitory town for Swansea and being close to the M4. I went to Tesco, used their toilets, had a wander, and then discovered the bus stops had no timetables but was comfortable I was ok for the last bus. And so it was, a last Streetlite of the day and a former Southampton vehicle, it's red livery almost fitting in with the now redundant First Cymru scheme. At last, we had blue skies and beautiful scenery as we climbed out of the town by the River Loughor and then via a never ending 20 mph limit in Llanedi and over the top to Tycroes where a driver change took place, and then dropped me into Ammanford.
Pontardulais - you can spell it with two D's if you want
Exit Ammanford - why do Carmarthenshire council like barriers on bus stations?
I really do love South Wales. The people are lovely and when it isn't drizzling, the scenery is superb. It's a slight quirk of mine but I even enjoy those hidden bits of towns that you sometimes see. I'd definite recommend a trip to Swansea and out to the Mumbles (or the Gower which I've done before). The area around Llanelli is also really pleasant and whilst I didn't travel on it this time, the X11 is another good service to try out.
However, I think the people of Swansea and its environs are being sadly let down. First are culpable - I think Jane Reakes Davies was doing a decent job there but then the restructure came and the operation is now run from Bristol by Doug Claringbold. It feels like a zombie operation... no investment, poor attention to detail, and seemingly just waiting for the inevitability of franchising. There was, before Covid, a plan to develop the business and it was looking smarter with the application of the red livery. The only repaints recently were ex Bee Network Streetlites that were done in Bristol and have since arrived in South Wales, and a couple of random ones (accident damage?). Then you have the local authorities - they are really quite meh and there's not much coming from Swansea or Carmarthenshire. In terms of Welsh Government, they're quite happy to have electric buses carrying fresh air to Blaenau but that the second city doesn't have one is quite something. Still, the drivers were all decent and everything turned up when it should do... but there's little to indicate any move from anyone to reverse or even delay such an evident decline. Doubtless, I'll be there again in a year or two, exploring some other random spots nonetheless.
Hope you enjoyed the report and photos, despite the weather and my opinionated waffle.
I do have another trip report to share of my own. As is often the case, it involved being in some former mining area (!) and also played into my love of South Wales. However, it was slightly less ambitious than normal but I hope you enjoy the report. PS - for those of a nervous disposition, there is a lot of Wright Streetlite action as these dominate the First Cymru fleet.
I began my day in Ammanford, parking up in the free car park near the station. Ammanford used to have two bus depots (or three if you include nearby Tycroes) with a combined depot/bus station where the current bus station/Coop store is. Sadly, the weather wasn't as good as predicted and I began the day in a steady drizzle. The first bus of the day was a Wright Streetlite that had been reallocated west last year but still had Neath and Port Talbot fleetnames. We were visiting neither, heading on the 129 to Carmarthen. There was a decent load on the two hourly service that combines with the Llanelli route to provide an hourly headway out of Ammanford. Now, hard to believe, but I was pleasantly surprised by this Streetlite - no telltale rattles from the usual spots, reasonable ride quality. What I didn't know was that it was a reunion having travelled on the same vehicle a few years earlier near Neath. It's now ten years old and to be honest, the interior has stood up pretty well and was reasonably tidy. Sadly, the weather was gloomy and I didn't get the best view but reckon it's probably a lovely trip on a nice day. Sadly, as we arrived, a warning buzzer began sounding and whilst our driver got us to the bus station, I think that was the end of the day for our vehicle. Carmarthen is a town I know very well - the mother in law used to live nearby so I had no wish to suffer the drizzle and explore, grabbing a coffee and bacon sandwich and then heading to the 195 to Llanelli. This was a Streetlite from the same batch, again reallocated from Port Talbot but sadly, it was a lesser example. The incessant rattling of the emergency door handle was back to annoy me and our young driver seemed to be unable to keep to time whilst observing near constant changes in speed limits. Such is Wales. We also had two "out and back" deviations in Pontyberem (a large village that once had a Western Welsh outstation, I believe) and then Ponthenri of which neither involved losing or gaining passengers. Hence we were about 10 mins late into the bus station in Llanelli.
Second bus of the day arrives - bit damp in Carmarthen
Llanelli is one of those places where the trials of modern day bus operation seem starkest. The town has been hollowed out courtesy of a large out of town complex with plentiful car parking that has led to the decline of the traditional high street. Llanelli did get some redevelopment and that included a new bus station about 15 years ago, replacing the old depressing facility with a new one nearby. Similarly, First's presence has ebbed away following the downgrading and closure of Llanelli depot. The former travel office is still maintained as a welfare facility but looks tired and jaded. One thing that I've never noticed until now though... All of Carmarthen's bus stations have automated barriers to restrict access... Seen them before but never twigged. I had chance to get coffee and checked on my next bus, the 111 to Swansea. I was quite shocked to see it was one of the few deckers in First Cymru's fleet - numbers had swelled a few years ago but have now declined. 36242 was one new to Leeds, passed via Sheffield, Worcester and Weston super Mare to end up in Swansea. As a consequence, it's not been loved and just feels tired. These vehicles really should have been refurbished (as some were) but are probably now too old to justify the expenditure. Shame as it was a decent trip as we made our way via the aforementioned retail park and then across the estuary and towards Gorseinon before we then did a deviation around Penlan to descend into Swansea. At least the drizzle had given way and the day was getting much brighter.
A little bit of sun in Swansea and my only decker of the day
The former United Welsh bus station in Singleton Street, Swansea (next to the current bus station)
Pulling away up the hill in Townhill - it's old home can be worked out!
Moody monochrome from Townhill - there wasn't that much colour as it was!
Ordinarily, I'd have had a more detailed explore of Swansea but I had a couple of things that I wanted to tick off. So it was an exit off my decker and onto another old friend, a Streetlite that I'd previously travelled on in Worcester; it had been moved over a year earlier but still has Worcester fleetnames! I wanted to experience the climb up to Townhill, an estate above the city accessed by a punishing climb. To be fair, the little Streetlite was fine with the 10% incline and I had chance to take a few moody panoramic shots of the city and Swansea Bay before returning back to the city centre. After a short wander, I headed to the bus station and had a trip out to Oystermouth. This again highlighted another issue with Welsh bus services. Covid and its aftermath was really badly handled in terms of funding by the Government, as they sought to exercise central control, at least in my opinion. When funding began to decline and passenger numbers didn't return, many services were either withdrawn or had their frequencies cut. Some cuts around Swansea were swingeing, such as Townhill (now partially reversed). I may be wrong but I think the routes to Oystermouth were similarly affected so the 1, 2 and 3A comprise a 15 min headway but in truth, the direct route 2 is half hourly and takes 22 mins, and the others are hourly (combined half hourly) but diverted via Singleton taking 42 mins. I took the direct 2 to Oystermouth on my sole e200 of the day and enjoyed a nice wander around the pleasant town before deciding to head back. Lovely views across Swansea Bay and down to the Mumbles (which I would recommend that people visit). There's also a castle to explore, a walk along the seafront back towards Swansea, and it's an affluent place with nice shops and bars.
Across to the Mumbles taken from what had been Oystermouth bus station
My steed back to Swansea descending the main street in Oystermouth
Here's the thing - the journey length disparity there's no 15 min headway on the return. Instead its a slow bus, then a fast 10 mins later, then 20 mins later a slow and a fast arrive almost together, and then a 30 min gap. It really should be a straight forward 20 min fast link (and let the slower ones do their job) but First can't make it pay on the pass remuneration. I decided to take the longer trip in any case and had a circuitous trip around a former council estate and Singleton Hospital/Campus where the former ftr signs still advertise the 4 service that used to have Streetcars. Perhaps this is the thing... in the early 1990s, SWT and the Council were great at bus priority and investment. It feels that First burnt through a lot of goodwill with the ill-fated ftr adventure which was doomed to failure. Now there's some residual bus lanes but otherwise, its a scratchy First operation and local/national government that is performative in its public transport commitment - big on TrawsCymru and SW Metro but this corner feels neglected all round.
It was time to head back to Ammanford. Rather than waiting for 45 mins, I got the X13a shortworking that would take me to Pontardulais. In fact, it would take me almost to Ammanford but only to Tycroes depot which was arguably a worst destination. The X13a was worked by a former Fareham Solo. Not having travelled on this route before, it wasn't long before we were diverting around random areas of Swansea (Cockett?). Again, I'm guessing that this covers another withdrawn route, on a service that was once the direct X13 every 20 mins and is now an hourly direct run and the slower X13a - more evidence of paring back of frequencies and diversions to cover other routes? The Solo was a decent machine and got me into Pontardulais on time on what had been a reasonably loaded service for a late Saturday afternoon. However, the times on a Saturday are the same as a weekday (peak) so we sat for 5 mins on the main road in order to keep to time. The town itself is a real quiet affair, being a dormitory town for Swansea and being close to the M4. I went to Tesco, used their toilets, had a wander, and then discovered the bus stops had no timetables but was comfortable I was ok for the last bus. And so it was, a last Streetlite of the day and a former Southampton vehicle, it's red livery almost fitting in with the now redundant First Cymru scheme. At last, we had blue skies and beautiful scenery as we climbed out of the town by the River Loughor and then via a never ending 20 mph limit in Llanedi and over the top to Tycroes where a driver change took place, and then dropped me into Ammanford.
Pontardulais - you can spell it with two D's if you want
Exit Ammanford - why do Carmarthenshire council like barriers on bus stations?
I really do love South Wales. The people are lovely and when it isn't drizzling, the scenery is superb. It's a slight quirk of mine but I even enjoy those hidden bits of towns that you sometimes see. I'd definite recommend a trip to Swansea and out to the Mumbles (or the Gower which I've done before). The area around Llanelli is also really pleasant and whilst I didn't travel on it this time, the X11 is another good service to try out.
However, I think the people of Swansea and its environs are being sadly let down. First are culpable - I think Jane Reakes Davies was doing a decent job there but then the restructure came and the operation is now run from Bristol by Doug Claringbold. It feels like a zombie operation... no investment, poor attention to detail, and seemingly just waiting for the inevitability of franchising. There was, before Covid, a plan to develop the business and it was looking smarter with the application of the red livery. The only repaints recently were ex Bee Network Streetlites that were done in Bristol and have since arrived in South Wales, and a couple of random ones (accident damage?). Then you have the local authorities - they are really quite meh and there's not much coming from Swansea or Carmarthenshire. In terms of Welsh Government, they're quite happy to have electric buses carrying fresh air to Blaenau but that the second city doesn't have one is quite something. Still, the drivers were all decent and everything turned up when it should do... but there's little to indicate any move from anyone to reverse or even delay such an evident decline. Doubtless, I'll be there again in a year or two, exploring some other random spots nonetheless.
Hope you enjoyed the report and photos, despite the weather and my opinionated waffle.
Flange Squeal
Established Member
- Joined
- 17 Jul 2012
- Messages
- 1,860
I’ve been wanting to try out the new vintage bus route 11 in the Cotswolds, launched this year by Troopers Lodge Motor Services, since it was first launched. Two buses are required, with one being an open-top on nice days, but given it only runs weekends and public holidays and I work a lot of those, trying to time it has been difficult given it’s a fair distance away from me.
They’ve recently acquired open-top Southdown Leyland Titan PD3 ‘Queen Mary’ 410 DCD though, which combined with a positive weather forecast meant they were able to schedule it out this weekend alongside the regular open-top Devon General AEC Regent VDV 818.
Therefore with both duties booked open-top, I headed up to Moreton-in-Marsh railway station to do the Queen Mary on the 1030 round-trip, due back some 3hrs 14mins later (and that’s with just a 5 min layover at the other end, so quite some heritage travel time available).
The bus arrived in good time around 20 mins before departure, initially just a few of us boarding but the arrival of trains in each direction - especially the one from London/Oxford - provided a pretty much full load up top (not sure on lower deck loadings as I’d by then already secured my favourite open-top seat at the rear offside). The bus stop is opposite the signal box which we could hear dinging away.
After a pick-up around the corner on the main street, it was south towards Stow-on-the-Wold. An event meant the bus couldn’t go into central Stow and there was a lot of traffic on the approach, however their Facebook page showed they’d put a sign and map up at the usual stop directing people to the Tesco store bus stop where they also had a traditional chalk style A-board up too. These also featured at some other stops, along with their own flags and timetable cases, so they’ve certainly put some effort into raising awareness kerbside. I’m guessing the Tesco stop is usually the preserve of single decks though, as a tree branch required ducking from all up top as it was barely above the seat backs! This seemed to amuse everyone out enjoying this leisure service though. On the course of the usual route, the only branch I recall proving an obstacle was one immediately leaving Moreton station, where as some other more established open-top rides have encountered several.
After leaving Stow Tesco it was down to the tourist trap of Bourton-on-the-Water, where its grassy banks where filled with people enjoying the heat (despite the misleading clouds in my photos!) and kids paddling in the stream. The bus largely emptied here, with only around 8 of us continuing on. Bourton is where the two buses pass, with the aforementioned Regent passing us on the edge of town.
Northleach Market Place was the next stop and had an attractive stopping area only ruined by the amount of cars parked there. Burford itself is the next settlement served, albeit only on the main road as buses can’t get in and easily then turn around. It’s only a few minutes or so walk though.
The next stop is The Farmer’s Dog, which those who have watched Series 4 of Clarkson’s Farm (SPOILER ALERT) is his pub. With its old name of the Windmill still seen on some signs, fans of the show didn’t seem to have trouble finding it as the queue outside was enormous and the “Overflow Car Park” (field) had a constant flow adding to its numbers. Car parking marshals looked busy.
The final stop at Minster Lovell , located in a residential area, felt like it was more a convenient place to turn around after reaching Jeremy Clarkson’s pub rather than a destination in its own right. Five minutes is allowed here. Timings along the way seemed padded enough taking into account the speed of the vehicles used, as well as what I suspect will be worse traffic come the Summer school holiday period in places like Bourton.
While perhaps not as dramatic scenery wise as some of the open-top trips I’ve done lately, such as the Stagecoach’s Peak Sightseer blue route and First’s X52 between Weymouth and Bridport, it was a very pleasant plod through the fields of the Cotswolds and great to see these old vehicles out earning their keep, offering a regular service and turning lots of heads along the way. A hop-on hop-off day ticket is priced at £20, with single/return tickets also available (a full-length return is £14). Vehicle allocations are generally posted on their dedicated Facebook page ‘The Number 11 Vintage Bus Service’ and their website is https://www.cotswoldvintagebushire.com/service11/
Queen Mary at Moreton
The AEC Regent passing us
A field
A view of a road
Northleach Market Place
The low tree at Tesco
Jeremy Clarkson’s overflow pub car park
They’ve recently acquired open-top Southdown Leyland Titan PD3 ‘Queen Mary’ 410 DCD though, which combined with a positive weather forecast meant they were able to schedule it out this weekend alongside the regular open-top Devon General AEC Regent VDV 818.
Therefore with both duties booked open-top, I headed up to Moreton-in-Marsh railway station to do the Queen Mary on the 1030 round-trip, due back some 3hrs 14mins later (and that’s with just a 5 min layover at the other end, so quite some heritage travel time available).
The bus arrived in good time around 20 mins before departure, initially just a few of us boarding but the arrival of trains in each direction - especially the one from London/Oxford - provided a pretty much full load up top (not sure on lower deck loadings as I’d by then already secured my favourite open-top seat at the rear offside). The bus stop is opposite the signal box which we could hear dinging away.
After a pick-up around the corner on the main street, it was south towards Stow-on-the-Wold. An event meant the bus couldn’t go into central Stow and there was a lot of traffic on the approach, however their Facebook page showed they’d put a sign and map up at the usual stop directing people to the Tesco store bus stop where they also had a traditional chalk style A-board up too. These also featured at some other stops, along with their own flags and timetable cases, so they’ve certainly put some effort into raising awareness kerbside. I’m guessing the Tesco stop is usually the preserve of single decks though, as a tree branch required ducking from all up top as it was barely above the seat backs! This seemed to amuse everyone out enjoying this leisure service though. On the course of the usual route, the only branch I recall proving an obstacle was one immediately leaving Moreton station, where as some other more established open-top rides have encountered several.
After leaving Stow Tesco it was down to the tourist trap of Bourton-on-the-Water, where its grassy banks where filled with people enjoying the heat (despite the misleading clouds in my photos!) and kids paddling in the stream. The bus largely emptied here, with only around 8 of us continuing on. Bourton is where the two buses pass, with the aforementioned Regent passing us on the edge of town.
Northleach Market Place was the next stop and had an attractive stopping area only ruined by the amount of cars parked there. Burford itself is the next settlement served, albeit only on the main road as buses can’t get in and easily then turn around. It’s only a few minutes or so walk though.
The next stop is The Farmer’s Dog, which those who have watched Series 4 of Clarkson’s Farm (SPOILER ALERT) is his pub. With its old name of the Windmill still seen on some signs, fans of the show didn’t seem to have trouble finding it as the queue outside was enormous and the “Overflow Car Park” (field) had a constant flow adding to its numbers. Car parking marshals looked busy.
The final stop at Minster Lovell , located in a residential area, felt like it was more a convenient place to turn around after reaching Jeremy Clarkson’s pub rather than a destination in its own right. Five minutes is allowed here. Timings along the way seemed padded enough taking into account the speed of the vehicles used, as well as what I suspect will be worse traffic come the Summer school holiday period in places like Bourton.
While perhaps not as dramatic scenery wise as some of the open-top trips I’ve done lately, such as the Stagecoach’s Peak Sightseer blue route and First’s X52 between Weymouth and Bridport, it was a very pleasant plod through the fields of the Cotswolds and great to see these old vehicles out earning their keep, offering a regular service and turning lots of heads along the way. A hop-on hop-off day ticket is priced at £20, with single/return tickets also available (a full-length return is £14). Vehicle allocations are generally posted on their dedicated Facebook page ‘The Number 11 Vintage Bus Service’ and their website is https://www.cotswoldvintagebushire.com/service11/
Queen Mary at Moreton
The AEC Regent passing us
A field
A view of a road
Northleach Market Place
The low tree at Tesco
Jeremy Clarkson’s overflow pub car park
Some great reports since I last posted on this thread. I am impressed by how @ChrisC is able to use the buses to visit some fabulous rural locations such as Great Dixter and Bodiam Castle which both look great, and to Alfriston which is a lovely village but not that well served. The other places are somewhat easier to get to by bus thanks to the frequent Coaster12 series routes. @Flange Squeal has certainly sold me on wanting to use the Peak Sightseer, it is useful to know how busy the route is on a fine day.
Another interesting report from @TheGrandWazoo from the Swansea area on a less sunny day. I visited the area in 2019 (2 trips) and in 2022 and even since the latter date the bus services have declined dramatically. The X11 to Carmarthen and X13 to Ammanford were both half hourly with a fleet of ADL E300s promoting the routes while the 111 ran every 20 minutes providing five bph to Llanelli. Now there are only three. I also stopped off at Pontarddulais (my notes have two 'd's) and I started one trip at Ty Croes. The 2022 trip included the X6 from Ystradgynlais to Swansea which appeared to be making a genuine attempt to allocate mostly double deckers. I see that this route is now also 2bph instead of 3bph and is interworked with the 111 to Llanelli, with which it has nothing in common. This explains the double deckers appearing on the 111 as presumably certain journeys on the X6 are deliberately allocated double deckers, but now a smaller number are used within a greater overall allocation. So a delay in Pontardawe on the X6 will now affect the 111 to Llanelli for a pretty miniscule cost saving - yes they will require 11 buses between the peaks instead of 12 if they were independently run but as the drivers must change every trip so what is the point? I stopped off at Loughor on one trip, then for 20 minutes but now you would have to take 30, and it was a lovely place alongside the estuary. Oystermouth and the Gower Peninsula is another area that First have let down badly and it sound like the decline continues. I have not visited Townhill but your photo doesn't really sell it that well, maybe one day!
Finally I have to confess I had never heard of the Troopers 11 route in the Cotswolds! That looks a great run on an open topper - thanks for telling us about it!
I was able to get out one day last week and am just compiling a trip report, to follow soon...
Another interesting report from @TheGrandWazoo from the Swansea area on a less sunny day. I visited the area in 2019 (2 trips) and in 2022 and even since the latter date the bus services have declined dramatically. The X11 to Carmarthen and X13 to Ammanford were both half hourly with a fleet of ADL E300s promoting the routes while the 111 ran every 20 minutes providing five bph to Llanelli. Now there are only three. I also stopped off at Pontarddulais (my notes have two 'd's) and I started one trip at Ty Croes. The 2022 trip included the X6 from Ystradgynlais to Swansea which appeared to be making a genuine attempt to allocate mostly double deckers. I see that this route is now also 2bph instead of 3bph and is interworked with the 111 to Llanelli, with which it has nothing in common. This explains the double deckers appearing on the 111 as presumably certain journeys on the X6 are deliberately allocated double deckers, but now a smaller number are used within a greater overall allocation. So a delay in Pontardawe on the X6 will now affect the 111 to Llanelli for a pretty miniscule cost saving - yes they will require 11 buses between the peaks instead of 12 if they were independently run but as the drivers must change every trip so what is the point? I stopped off at Loughor on one trip, then for 20 minutes but now you would have to take 30, and it was a lovely place alongside the estuary. Oystermouth and the Gower Peninsula is another area that First have let down badly and it sound like the decline continues. I have not visited Townhill but your photo doesn't really sell it that well, maybe one day!
Finally I have to confess I had never heard of the Troopers 11 route in the Cotswolds! That looks a great run on an open topper - thanks for telling us about it!
I was able to get out one day last week and am just compiling a trip report, to follow soon...
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Well, like @RELL6L, the Cotswold 11 was completely off my radar. What a super seasonal service. These ventures with preserved vehicles are fraught with challenges so I hope they do well. Lovely part of the world - I used to live not far from Moreton. It and Stow are very pleasant places but it is Bourton (and nearby villages like the Slaughters) that are the real tourist traps. Thanks to @Flange Squeal for a great trip report. May have to investigate that one further.
I think @RELL6L is right on the level of reductions in recent years in South Wales. The frequencies were systematically scaled back - IIRC, Townhill went to every 30 mins which is incredible but all the others seem to be as I recall too. I think it was when they (WG) reduced the funding and the post-Covid recovery has been weaker here. That said, First Cymru seems bereft of any drive to improve their financial performance. And yes, Townhill isn't perhaps one for the tourist but I know it's long been a noteworthy climb for buses.
Look forward to seeing your next escapade.
I think @RELL6L is right on the level of reductions in recent years in South Wales. The frequencies were systematically scaled back - IIRC, Townhill went to every 30 mins which is incredible but all the others seem to be as I recall too. I think it was when they (WG) reduced the funding and the post-Covid recovery has been weaker here. That said, First Cymru seems bereft of any drive to improve their financial performance. And yes, Townhill isn't perhaps one for the tourist but I know it's long been a noteworthy climb for buses.
Look forward to seeing your next escapade.
I have wanted for some time to visit Market Bosworth in Leicestershire. Back in the 1970s the town was interesting from a bus point of view as Leicester City Transport introduced a competing route to long established Midland Red services using new Dennis Dominators, their bus of choice for a while after buying the wonderful Metropolitans. I can’t remember a great deal else about this or how long it lasted but I think it was an interesting phase. I had previously had a plan using the route from Coalville to Hinckley, but that was withdrawn a couple of years ago. Now the town is pretty much out on a limb on a single hourly Arriva route from Leicester. But not entirely…
On Tuesday I had an opportunity to get out and visit the town along with some interesting less frequent rural routes in Leicestershire during a time of change in the area. This is not an area I have explored that comprehensively in recent years and I had several gaps. I was in Market Bosworth by 7.30 am when the Arriva 153 came through and just two passengers boarded at the square, a couple of young lads. BusTimes will tell you that there is no other route in the town because a couple of weeks ago the Stagecoach Midlands 7 from Witherley, near Atherstone, to Measham, which passed through on just a couple of schoolday journeys was withdrawn. A replacement service by Arriva of just the two schoolday journeys numbered LC12 starts in July, the rest of the service apparently sadly vanishing. A shame is this is the only service to Twycross Zoo as well as several rural villages. However, in the meantime, a company called LA Travel is running a free service 7 at the same times as the old Stagecoach Midlands one. This is timed to pass through Market Bosworth at 8.10, and the display in the bus shelter in Market Bosworth said it would turn up at 8.12. Luckily I was actually there by about 8.00 at which time a StreetLite with South Staffs on the side turned up. No destination display and no passengers but a driver and a guide and I saw that the legal lettering said LA Travel so I asked if it was the 7. No, I was told, but it was the LC12 and it was running free and yes it was going to Measham. I have deduced from some googling that L A Travel is part of South Staffs Coach Hire which runs a few local and schools services. So we set off around 10 minutes early on this StreetLite of unknown provenance but with 3+2 seating reminiscent of an old Leopard or Volvo B10M converted for school use and followed the route past some small villages, duly arriving around 10 minutes early in Measham. From here the bus would now park up for about 40 minutes before setting out for Atherstone on the normal route of the 7, not through Market Bosworth. I asked what the point of the journey was, since I had been the only passenger, and was told it was to bring school children into Market Bosworth. But in that case why does the Arriva LC12 from July also continue to Measham? And why would L A Travel bother with route learning for such a short time? All very odd!
Although this was a heatwave week there was quite a bit of haze in the morning so it was not yet too hot. Even with the extra 10 minutes I did not have too long in Measham, a former coal mining village, and there is not much to see. My next leg was on the Diamond 19 to Ashby-de-la-Zouch. I had noticed that this could sometimes be quite late after delays on its previous journey in Burton on Trent, but I suspect this was roadworks related and this time it wasn’t late at all. It was a mid-life Optare Metrocity and there were only two other passengers, really not enough for a morning peak hour journey into a town. We arrived after the short distance to Ashby-de-la-Zouch on time. Ashby is in the centre of the former Leicestershire coalfield area but is an attractive middle-class town with a hilly high street and remains of a castle. I have visited the castle before, this time a second breakfast was a priority!
The next leg was another odd one although in the end there was a partial explanation. This was another former Leicestershire rural route, the 129 from Ashby to Loughborough, until recently run by Diamond Buses, albeit a fairly long way from its base. It is now called the LC16 and run by Arriva with an extra journey making it roughly two-hourly throughout. I looked on BusTimes and there were no buses out. The journey from Ashby two hours earlier had vanished at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere some time earlier. But I didn’t worry and gave it time to arrive and after a while it reappeared on BusTimes on the inward journey starting from the same crossroads. Where had it been? It turned up a few minutes late, a 72-plate E200. There were a few passengers waiting at the bus stop who I assumed would be for the trunk 29/29A service to Coalville and Leicester, but in fact we gained nearly double figures boarding at Ashby, several students with passes who were heading all the way to Loughborough. Out of Ashby the route became very rural and I made a note as we passed through the small and inconsequential village of Newbold. The scenery was rural and undulating although not spectacular. When we got to the crossroads where the bus had disappeared earlier we found not hyperspace or a black hole but a road closed sign so we could not follow the normal route to Shepshed. We had to continue to join the A6 at Hathern for a short distance then turn right to get to Shepshed. Confusingly Shepshed now has the 16 and LC16 routes through it, as well as the trunk 127 to Loughborough and Leicester which seemed to be run entirely with green electric buses. We were now about 5 minutes late having taken the diversion pretty briskly. I don’t know what had happened earlier, I don’t believe it would have been possible for these journeys to have done what we did or the bus would have been significantly later arriving at Ashby. Also our journey tracked exactly where we had gone and the earlier ones vanished. After Shepshed we visited places the main 127 to Loughborough does not want to serve including the village of Nanpantan, approaching the town passing near the university. Oddly, as I write this, the whole route LC16 has vanished from BusTimes but looking at Arriva vehicle 3155 the journeys can still be seen!
We were about 10 minutes late into Loughborough and ideally that left me with just five minutes to catch the Kinch 9 into Nottingham at 10.45, the alternative being half an hour later. Not so, as the 10.15 to Nottingham, a fairly well loaded Solo, was on the stand with the driver gone for a comfort break, having been seriously delayed on its inward journey. Indeed all the buses on the route looked to be delayed but this one the worst, so I thought it safer to catch it now – a bird in the hand etc – rather than find a later journey turned short somewhere or delayed for a driver to finish their break. We set off on time – for the journey I had meant to take – but picked up a fair few more passengers as we headed up the main road through the delightfully named village of Bunny and into Nottingham via the edge of West Bridgeford. We were about five minutes later by the time we arrived at Broad Marsh bus station. This is a new bus station, replacing the one on the site which I am sure others can remember far better than me. It was not busy and still seemed a little gloomy despite the bright sunshine outside.
I walked up into the city centre past an area now being improved with some planting reminiscent of rural meadows and up to the main city square which I really like. I was there last winter on my trip from Mansfield and it was much busier then with a Christmas market, this time it was quite quiet. My next leg was on Trent Barton (sorry, I can hardly bring myself to type trentbarton), the route called Indigo, which provides a bus every 10 minutes to Long Eaton and then every 20 minutes to Derby. The route is run by modern E200s and everything looked to be in the correct livery. The bus before mine left about 7 minutes late and we caught it up quite quickly and then ran in parallel through Beeston and Chilwell with us arriving in Long Eaton just first, albeit a couple of minutes late. We were busy throughout with passengers joining and alighting all along the route. Long Eaton was a new destination for me and seems to be a major centre in the furniture industry, specifically for sofas, with several factories and outlets. The town hall is also an attractive building. The town seemed busier than elsewhere but perhaps just because of the traffic. From here I wanted to continue to Castle Donington on the Skylink (Nottingham version) and I was pleased to note that my bus was a Volvo B7RLE, most of the other buses being E200s. It was about 10 minutes late and very well loaded leaving Long Eaton, but over half the passengers alighted at Sawley, a busy section even though this is paralleled by the Trent Barton 15.
Castle Donington was where I considered to be my main destination for the day. I had been though the town before but not alighted and it was clearly an attractive place. The main part of the town is up a slight walk from the bus station and has a decent high street and some old buildings. There is nothing to see of the castle though, this went centuries ago but I had nearly an hour for a wander around the town. Back at the bus station my next leg was another rural and infrequent route, the Diamond 125. I don’t know the history of this route but again it is a long way from Diamond’s base in Burton and is being given up in July. It runs from Castle Donington to Coalville and then via a rural route to Leicester. From July it appears that Arriva are taking over the Coalville to Leicester section as the LC15 but the Coalville to Castle Donington section, which just runs twice a day, is being abandoned. Worryingly nothing was tracking on BusTimes or Diamond’s website but just before the due time a Diamond Metrocity, 30991, which was not tracking, appeared on the route. We had a few passengers on board this condemned route and gained more as we went along. The 125 avoids East Midlands Airport which dominates local bus services in the area but passes close to Donington Park before reaching the very attractive village of Breedon on the Hill. Here there is a church high up on the hillside, part of the village is dominated by limestone quarries – as is much of the local area – but the bus does a double run to turn at the very pretty village green. We then continued along country back roads including through the village of Newbold, which I had been through earlier on the 129 and formed the centre spot of the figure-of-eight route I was covering, gaining a few more passengers so we were into double figures arriving at Coalville. Most of these places have no alternative bus service so are likely to be left without anything.
We changed drivers just before reaching the middle of Coalville, clearly using a car or van as a ferry vehicle as keys changed hands between the drivers. The journey then has 15 minutes pause in Coalville, I don’t know why, but we were a few minutes late arriving and I was alighting here. Coalville is a former mining town with the remains of Snibston Colliery, including some buildings, now a country park. The town also has an impressive memorial in the town centre but otherwise is not the most attractive of places. I have a recollection of visiting in the 1970s with the town alive to the sound of Leyland Nationals on services around the town and to neighbouring colliery villages. Inevitably little of this remains, the Midland Red depot is long gone but Arriva maintains an outstation at Roberts Coaches to the south of the town. The Diamond 125, shortly to become the Arriva LC15, will continue to provide one route from the town to Leicester while Arriva run the half hourly 29/29A between Leicester and Swadlincote (via Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch) and also the 28 via villages to the south, while there are local routes to Whitwick, Ibstock and Agar Nook. Arriva also runs an hourly 16 through Shepshed to Loughborough and the Skylink from Nottingham via East Midlands Airport comes in hourly. Apart from the latter Arriva will run everything from next month.
I was going next to Leicester and had the choice of the 28 and 29/29A routes. I had assumed the main 29/29A would be the quicker option but in fact these routes are slower as they virtually do a double run to the colliery village of Whitwick and back almost to Coalville town centre before heading into Leicester, even then with diversions off the main road. As a result these routes take an hour or so into Leicester, the same length of time as the 28 which takes a more rural route to the south. The 28 interworks with the 15 to Ibstock and the local routes are run with a mix of E200s and Solos, while the Coalville outstation also contributes to the 29/29A and runs double deckers on the 16 to Loughborough. So Coalville will soon have a 15 and an LC15 – confusing or what! I decided to take the 28, because this was coming first, and we took an Arriva driver to the Roberts depot on the way out of town. The 28 takes a rural route through the former mining villages of Bagworth and Thornton, but we were plagued by another road closure in Bagworth and had to take a long way round between one end of the village and the other. Around Thornton the countryside was hilly and quite scenic and we then continued to the more urban sprawl villages of Ratby and Groby before heading into Leicester on the main road. I am really surprised there isn’t a faster route between Coalville and Leicester, all existing options take up to an hour with nothing faster even at peak times. There are proposals to reopen the Ivanhoe railway line between Leicester and Burton on Trent via Coalville and Ashby, you would have thought that if there was to be any chance of doing this a case for demand between these locations would include a well-used frequent fast bus service. I saw the line once or twice, it is very overgrown and many places such as level crossings would present challenges to restoration. Also it does not go close to Swadlincote while rail capacity at Leicester is limited. I would think any such reopening would be a huge project and unlikely to be justified.
We arrived at Leicester and I could have headed straight back to Market Bosworth or waited for an hour. I decided to wait and explore part of the city centre. Although I had been to Leicester many times before and seen the ‘highlights’ I had not really explored some of the streets on the western part of the city centre. I spent a lazy time wandering around here, many of these much improved, had a little refreshment and walked around some of the city centre. The area I remember reverberating to the sounds of Leicester’s Metropolitans back in the 1970s is now mainly pedestrianised with a new bus station at Haymarket, a short distance down the road from the St Margarets Bus Station. Most of the buses glided silently around here as they were new electrics, both from First and Arriva, in a similar green livery. My final leg was on the Arriva 153 back to Market Bosworth, run by a Pulsar. There are sometimes double deckers on this route and one would have been useful at the start of the journey as it runs out of the city along the same route as the Arriva 158 and Stagecoach 148 towards Hinckley. The previous 158 had not run and so a large number of passengers joined in the city centre stops after the bus station, many of whom alighted within the first couple of miles. After turning off the main road through Kirkby Muxloe where quite a few passengers alighted we then went along a short section of road I had covered earlier on the 28 before heading out into the section only covered by the 153, still with quite a few passengers. Many alighted at each of the villages of Desford, Newbold Verdon and Barlestone, leaving just me and two others – the young lads who I had seen board the bus at 7.30 – continuing to Market Bosworth.
So there is some investment in Leicestershire with the LC series of rural routes and of course lots of new electric buses in the city. But the county has not fared well in rural routes in recent years and the trunk route from Swadlincote to Leicester, while still half hourly as it has always been, has got slower and slower over the years. Everyone complains about Arriva’s lack of investment, obviously the new electrics have had external funding but there are some 72-plate E200s and E400s but also a lot of older vehicles, Solos, Versas and Pulsars. I didn’t get to see much of Kinchbus but clearly their fleet requires some investment while Trent Barton’s shortcomings feature frequently on this forum. Diamond Buses looked to be OK but I suspect are on a gentle decline into mediocrity following their change in ownership. An interesting day in a relatively unknown area. Anyway, enough wittering, here are some photos…
Market Bosworth
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Rewilding in Nottingham city centre
Long Eaton town hall
Castle Donington
A back street in Castle Donington
Breedon on the Hill, the top of the church can just be seen above the hill
Country scenery near Thornton, from the 28
Leicester
On Tuesday I had an opportunity to get out and visit the town along with some interesting less frequent rural routes in Leicestershire during a time of change in the area. This is not an area I have explored that comprehensively in recent years and I had several gaps. I was in Market Bosworth by 7.30 am when the Arriva 153 came through and just two passengers boarded at the square, a couple of young lads. BusTimes will tell you that there is no other route in the town because a couple of weeks ago the Stagecoach Midlands 7 from Witherley, near Atherstone, to Measham, which passed through on just a couple of schoolday journeys was withdrawn. A replacement service by Arriva of just the two schoolday journeys numbered LC12 starts in July, the rest of the service apparently sadly vanishing. A shame is this is the only service to Twycross Zoo as well as several rural villages. However, in the meantime, a company called LA Travel is running a free service 7 at the same times as the old Stagecoach Midlands one. This is timed to pass through Market Bosworth at 8.10, and the display in the bus shelter in Market Bosworth said it would turn up at 8.12. Luckily I was actually there by about 8.00 at which time a StreetLite with South Staffs on the side turned up. No destination display and no passengers but a driver and a guide and I saw that the legal lettering said LA Travel so I asked if it was the 7. No, I was told, but it was the LC12 and it was running free and yes it was going to Measham. I have deduced from some googling that L A Travel is part of South Staffs Coach Hire which runs a few local and schools services. So we set off around 10 minutes early on this StreetLite of unknown provenance but with 3+2 seating reminiscent of an old Leopard or Volvo B10M converted for school use and followed the route past some small villages, duly arriving around 10 minutes early in Measham. From here the bus would now park up for about 40 minutes before setting out for Atherstone on the normal route of the 7, not through Market Bosworth. I asked what the point of the journey was, since I had been the only passenger, and was told it was to bring school children into Market Bosworth. But in that case why does the Arriva LC12 from July also continue to Measham? And why would L A Travel bother with route learning for such a short time? All very odd!
Although this was a heatwave week there was quite a bit of haze in the morning so it was not yet too hot. Even with the extra 10 minutes I did not have too long in Measham, a former coal mining village, and there is not much to see. My next leg was on the Diamond 19 to Ashby-de-la-Zouch. I had noticed that this could sometimes be quite late after delays on its previous journey in Burton on Trent, but I suspect this was roadworks related and this time it wasn’t late at all. It was a mid-life Optare Metrocity and there were only two other passengers, really not enough for a morning peak hour journey into a town. We arrived after the short distance to Ashby-de-la-Zouch on time. Ashby is in the centre of the former Leicestershire coalfield area but is an attractive middle-class town with a hilly high street and remains of a castle. I have visited the castle before, this time a second breakfast was a priority!
The next leg was another odd one although in the end there was a partial explanation. This was another former Leicestershire rural route, the 129 from Ashby to Loughborough, until recently run by Diamond Buses, albeit a fairly long way from its base. It is now called the LC16 and run by Arriva with an extra journey making it roughly two-hourly throughout. I looked on BusTimes and there were no buses out. The journey from Ashby two hours earlier had vanished at a crossroads in the middle of nowhere some time earlier. But I didn’t worry and gave it time to arrive and after a while it reappeared on BusTimes on the inward journey starting from the same crossroads. Where had it been? It turned up a few minutes late, a 72-plate E200. There were a few passengers waiting at the bus stop who I assumed would be for the trunk 29/29A service to Coalville and Leicester, but in fact we gained nearly double figures boarding at Ashby, several students with passes who were heading all the way to Loughborough. Out of Ashby the route became very rural and I made a note as we passed through the small and inconsequential village of Newbold. The scenery was rural and undulating although not spectacular. When we got to the crossroads where the bus had disappeared earlier we found not hyperspace or a black hole but a road closed sign so we could not follow the normal route to Shepshed. We had to continue to join the A6 at Hathern for a short distance then turn right to get to Shepshed. Confusingly Shepshed now has the 16 and LC16 routes through it, as well as the trunk 127 to Loughborough and Leicester which seemed to be run entirely with green electric buses. We were now about 5 minutes late having taken the diversion pretty briskly. I don’t know what had happened earlier, I don’t believe it would have been possible for these journeys to have done what we did or the bus would have been significantly later arriving at Ashby. Also our journey tracked exactly where we had gone and the earlier ones vanished. After Shepshed we visited places the main 127 to Loughborough does not want to serve including the village of Nanpantan, approaching the town passing near the university. Oddly, as I write this, the whole route LC16 has vanished from BusTimes but looking at Arriva vehicle 3155 the journeys can still be seen!
We were about 10 minutes late into Loughborough and ideally that left me with just five minutes to catch the Kinch 9 into Nottingham at 10.45, the alternative being half an hour later. Not so, as the 10.15 to Nottingham, a fairly well loaded Solo, was on the stand with the driver gone for a comfort break, having been seriously delayed on its inward journey. Indeed all the buses on the route looked to be delayed but this one the worst, so I thought it safer to catch it now – a bird in the hand etc – rather than find a later journey turned short somewhere or delayed for a driver to finish their break. We set off on time – for the journey I had meant to take – but picked up a fair few more passengers as we headed up the main road through the delightfully named village of Bunny and into Nottingham via the edge of West Bridgeford. We were about five minutes later by the time we arrived at Broad Marsh bus station. This is a new bus station, replacing the one on the site which I am sure others can remember far better than me. It was not busy and still seemed a little gloomy despite the bright sunshine outside.
I walked up into the city centre past an area now being improved with some planting reminiscent of rural meadows and up to the main city square which I really like. I was there last winter on my trip from Mansfield and it was much busier then with a Christmas market, this time it was quite quiet. My next leg was on Trent Barton (sorry, I can hardly bring myself to type trentbarton), the route called Indigo, which provides a bus every 10 minutes to Long Eaton and then every 20 minutes to Derby. The route is run by modern E200s and everything looked to be in the correct livery. The bus before mine left about 7 minutes late and we caught it up quite quickly and then ran in parallel through Beeston and Chilwell with us arriving in Long Eaton just first, albeit a couple of minutes late. We were busy throughout with passengers joining and alighting all along the route. Long Eaton was a new destination for me and seems to be a major centre in the furniture industry, specifically for sofas, with several factories and outlets. The town hall is also an attractive building. The town seemed busier than elsewhere but perhaps just because of the traffic. From here I wanted to continue to Castle Donington on the Skylink (Nottingham version) and I was pleased to note that my bus was a Volvo B7RLE, most of the other buses being E200s. It was about 10 minutes late and very well loaded leaving Long Eaton, but over half the passengers alighted at Sawley, a busy section even though this is paralleled by the Trent Barton 15.
Castle Donington was where I considered to be my main destination for the day. I had been though the town before but not alighted and it was clearly an attractive place. The main part of the town is up a slight walk from the bus station and has a decent high street and some old buildings. There is nothing to see of the castle though, this went centuries ago but I had nearly an hour for a wander around the town. Back at the bus station my next leg was another rural and infrequent route, the Diamond 125. I don’t know the history of this route but again it is a long way from Diamond’s base in Burton and is being given up in July. It runs from Castle Donington to Coalville and then via a rural route to Leicester. From July it appears that Arriva are taking over the Coalville to Leicester section as the LC15 but the Coalville to Castle Donington section, which just runs twice a day, is being abandoned. Worryingly nothing was tracking on BusTimes or Diamond’s website but just before the due time a Diamond Metrocity, 30991, which was not tracking, appeared on the route. We had a few passengers on board this condemned route and gained more as we went along. The 125 avoids East Midlands Airport which dominates local bus services in the area but passes close to Donington Park before reaching the very attractive village of Breedon on the Hill. Here there is a church high up on the hillside, part of the village is dominated by limestone quarries – as is much of the local area – but the bus does a double run to turn at the very pretty village green. We then continued along country back roads including through the village of Newbold, which I had been through earlier on the 129 and formed the centre spot of the figure-of-eight route I was covering, gaining a few more passengers so we were into double figures arriving at Coalville. Most of these places have no alternative bus service so are likely to be left without anything.
We changed drivers just before reaching the middle of Coalville, clearly using a car or van as a ferry vehicle as keys changed hands between the drivers. The journey then has 15 minutes pause in Coalville, I don’t know why, but we were a few minutes late arriving and I was alighting here. Coalville is a former mining town with the remains of Snibston Colliery, including some buildings, now a country park. The town also has an impressive memorial in the town centre but otherwise is not the most attractive of places. I have a recollection of visiting in the 1970s with the town alive to the sound of Leyland Nationals on services around the town and to neighbouring colliery villages. Inevitably little of this remains, the Midland Red depot is long gone but Arriva maintains an outstation at Roberts Coaches to the south of the town. The Diamond 125, shortly to become the Arriva LC15, will continue to provide one route from the town to Leicester while Arriva run the half hourly 29/29A between Leicester and Swadlincote (via Coalville and Ashby-de-la-Zouch) and also the 28 via villages to the south, while there are local routes to Whitwick, Ibstock and Agar Nook. Arriva also runs an hourly 16 through Shepshed to Loughborough and the Skylink from Nottingham via East Midlands Airport comes in hourly. Apart from the latter Arriva will run everything from next month.
I was going next to Leicester and had the choice of the 28 and 29/29A routes. I had assumed the main 29/29A would be the quicker option but in fact these routes are slower as they virtually do a double run to the colliery village of Whitwick and back almost to Coalville town centre before heading into Leicester, even then with diversions off the main road. As a result these routes take an hour or so into Leicester, the same length of time as the 28 which takes a more rural route to the south. The 28 interworks with the 15 to Ibstock and the local routes are run with a mix of E200s and Solos, while the Coalville outstation also contributes to the 29/29A and runs double deckers on the 16 to Loughborough. So Coalville will soon have a 15 and an LC15 – confusing or what! I decided to take the 28, because this was coming first, and we took an Arriva driver to the Roberts depot on the way out of town. The 28 takes a rural route through the former mining villages of Bagworth and Thornton, but we were plagued by another road closure in Bagworth and had to take a long way round between one end of the village and the other. Around Thornton the countryside was hilly and quite scenic and we then continued to the more urban sprawl villages of Ratby and Groby before heading into Leicester on the main road. I am really surprised there isn’t a faster route between Coalville and Leicester, all existing options take up to an hour with nothing faster even at peak times. There are proposals to reopen the Ivanhoe railway line between Leicester and Burton on Trent via Coalville and Ashby, you would have thought that if there was to be any chance of doing this a case for demand between these locations would include a well-used frequent fast bus service. I saw the line once or twice, it is very overgrown and many places such as level crossings would present challenges to restoration. Also it does not go close to Swadlincote while rail capacity at Leicester is limited. I would think any such reopening would be a huge project and unlikely to be justified.
We arrived at Leicester and I could have headed straight back to Market Bosworth or waited for an hour. I decided to wait and explore part of the city centre. Although I had been to Leicester many times before and seen the ‘highlights’ I had not really explored some of the streets on the western part of the city centre. I spent a lazy time wandering around here, many of these much improved, had a little refreshment and walked around some of the city centre. The area I remember reverberating to the sounds of Leicester’s Metropolitans back in the 1970s is now mainly pedestrianised with a new bus station at Haymarket, a short distance down the road from the St Margarets Bus Station. Most of the buses glided silently around here as they were new electrics, both from First and Arriva, in a similar green livery. My final leg was on the Arriva 153 back to Market Bosworth, run by a Pulsar. There are sometimes double deckers on this route and one would have been useful at the start of the journey as it runs out of the city along the same route as the Arriva 158 and Stagecoach 148 towards Hinckley. The previous 158 had not run and so a large number of passengers joined in the city centre stops after the bus station, many of whom alighted within the first couple of miles. After turning off the main road through Kirkby Muxloe where quite a few passengers alighted we then went along a short section of road I had covered earlier on the 28 before heading out into the section only covered by the 153, still with quite a few passengers. Many alighted at each of the villages of Desford, Newbold Verdon and Barlestone, leaving just me and two others – the young lads who I had seen board the bus at 7.30 – continuing to Market Bosworth.
So there is some investment in Leicestershire with the LC series of rural routes and of course lots of new electric buses in the city. But the county has not fared well in rural routes in recent years and the trunk route from Swadlincote to Leicester, while still half hourly as it has always been, has got slower and slower over the years. Everyone complains about Arriva’s lack of investment, obviously the new electrics have had external funding but there are some 72-plate E200s and E400s but also a lot of older vehicles, Solos, Versas and Pulsars. I didn’t get to see much of Kinchbus but clearly their fleet requires some investment while Trent Barton’s shortcomings feature frequently on this forum. Diamond Buses looked to be OK but I suspect are on a gentle decline into mediocrity following their change in ownership. An interesting day in a relatively unknown area. Anyway, enough wittering, here are some photos…
Market Bosworth
Ashby-de-la-Zouch
Rewilding in Nottingham city centre
Long Eaton town hall
Castle Donington
A back street in Castle Donington
Breedon on the Hill, the top of the church can just be seen above the hill
Country scenery near Thornton, from the 28
Leicester
Omnidekkalover
Member
Currently finishing a loop of the peaks. Started on the pronto from Nottingham to chesterfield. Arriving at my stop 4 minutes late before going up to 10 minutes late by the end and no later the bus was a 69 plated older pronto liveried bus. Towards Hasland we overtook a late running pronto which was an ex Manchester beachball mmc.
After that changed to a 170 between chesterfield and Bakewell by Stagecoach Yorkshire. A pretty nice E400EV for was the vehicle. This leg went without issue. The road towards Baslow is spectacular. The bus arrived into Bakewell on time.
Got lunch in Bakewell (Coop hot dog, own brand salt and vinegar crisps and lucozade.)
Once it was 11:50 my 173 turned up which was an ex-Hulleys solo. Andrews J28 I believe, don’t know the old Hulleys number. Nearly went crash into a Severn Trent van because the waterworks people turned the lollipop sign from go to stop. To say the driver of the bus was unhappy might be putting it mildly as she opened the doors and gave the waterworks people a piece of her mind. Then the highlight of the trip was the deviation through cressbrook which was spectacular. Then we arrived into Castleton early.
As soon as I was in Castleton. I changed to High Peak’s 272 (and realised I had lost my provisional license en-route.) The vehicle was High Peak/Centrebus citaro 809. Very lovely vehicle. Did the difficult Bradwell diversion. Started to rain when I got to the edge of Sheffield. Arrived early into Sheffield as to be expected for that route.
Changed directly on to Stagecoach Yorkshire’s 50 to chesterfield. Another uneventful journey. Vehicle was another 25 plated E400EV. Arrived into chesterfield on time.
The final bus was a good old pronto. Waited 20 minutes to be let on as per usual. Have done the slog to Mansfield from chesterfield and now am on the fast bit between Mansfield and Nottingham. Vehicle is an 18 plated E400MMC in an older pronto livery. Running approx on time
After that changed to a 170 between chesterfield and Bakewell by Stagecoach Yorkshire. A pretty nice E400EV for was the vehicle. This leg went without issue. The road towards Baslow is spectacular. The bus arrived into Bakewell on time.
Got lunch in Bakewell (Coop hot dog, own brand salt and vinegar crisps and lucozade.)
Once it was 11:50 my 173 turned up which was an ex-Hulleys solo. Andrews J28 I believe, don’t know the old Hulleys number. Nearly went crash into a Severn Trent van because the waterworks people turned the lollipop sign from go to stop. To say the driver of the bus was unhappy might be putting it mildly as she opened the doors and gave the waterworks people a piece of her mind. Then the highlight of the trip was the deviation through cressbrook which was spectacular. Then we arrived into Castleton early.
As soon as I was in Castleton. I changed to High Peak’s 272 (and realised I had lost my provisional license en-route.) The vehicle was High Peak/Centrebus citaro 809. Very lovely vehicle. Did the difficult Bradwell diversion. Started to rain when I got to the edge of Sheffield. Arrived early into Sheffield as to be expected for that route.
Changed directly on to Stagecoach Yorkshire’s 50 to chesterfield. Another uneventful journey. Vehicle was another 25 plated E400EV. Arrived into chesterfield on time.
The final bus was a good old pronto. Waited 20 minutes to be let on as per usual. Have done the slog to Mansfield from chesterfield and now am on the fast bit between Mansfield and Nottingham. Vehicle is an 18 plated E400MMC in an older pronto livery. Running approx on time
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
A very interesting report from @RELL6L in an area that I both know reasonably well and is yet alien. I used to work with a supplier in Coalville, and lived not far from Ashby. I've even driven to Breedon on the Hill, intrigued by what was there. Yet I've seldom travelled around Leicestershire and not by bus.
Perhaps I need to spend less time in South Wales and escape to some other spots...
A Coop hotdog... brave man!!! Must get back to the Peak District at some point.
Thanks to everyone who keeps posting - lots of inspiration and ideas being shared
Re the Tesco bus stop at Stow-on-the-Wold, the only regular service calling there is the Thursdays only Villager community minibus route V6, which doesn't need to worry about that tree. For anyone who fancies the novelty of visiting this stop, the timetable is at https://www.villagerbus.co.uk/images/Villager_v6_150424.pdf
In the years after the store opened, there were several services from nearby communities on Fridays, which I think Tesco subsidised as part of the planning permission agreement, but those stopped running a long time ago.
There's no car parking in Northleach except for the Market Place, or on-street in the main roads leading to it, which is why it is always crammed with cars. As for Minster Lovell, the ruins of Minster Lovell Hall (out at the eastern end of the village) are worth a look, plus there are several places where you can get lunch or a tea, coffee and cake without the all the nonsense/chaos of Clarkson's establishment.
Thanks for posting. Whilst close to me these are places that I don't often venture to. Only the other week I took the Kinchbus from Nottingham to Loughborough and I did have a smile when I passed the sign for Bunny. You will be pleased to know that Kinchbus is getting a full new fleet soon with Skylink getting new E200MMC's and have started to be delivered whilst the rest of the routes will have electrics later this year/early next year.
Signaller86
New Member
Hi,
some time ago, I asked for advice concerning my trip to the UK.
Thanks to your feedback, I was able to catch quite a number of Tridents in Walsall (plus a number of other buses). I went on a trip on the 10 aboard of a Trident as I felt it was "safe" to do so at this time of the day (and I'm very much on the cautious side as a person). Then, I spent 2-3 hours at and around the bus station, where a supervisor approached me and kindly reminded me not to stand within the small barrier around the place where the buses pulled in (I wasn't walking around, just standing on the wrong side). We had a nice conversation and he was very welcoming and supportive of my (our) hobby - and he even understood that the light has to be right.
Plus he suggested other spotting places. A very kind person indeed. Still, he also suggested that I leave Walsall before the schools ended for the day. As I had what I came for, I left Walsall by bus back to B'ham - and waited for the only Trident in service on the X51 (which I had missed earlier). Before that, I attended the Heritage Bus Rally in Loughborough (the one in cooperation with the Great Central Railway). It was a spectacular event - and for someone who has never attended such an event before, an absolute highlight! So many different buses running all day, lots of volounteers, and perfect weather! I had an absolute blast! My favourite buses: MCW Metroliner, Leyland National 2, Bristol VR "Beatrice the Bus", Leyland Olympian/Metropolitan/Atlantian. And many more.
Once I find the time, I'll post some in this section (unless there is a more suitable one - please let me know).Oh and at the beginning of the trip, I went on a day trip through the Peak District, inspired by a Youtube called "And More Central". As I got off the bus in Bakewell, I had a few minutes until my (planned) connection onward. I then saw an Optare Solo by Andrew's on break and I realised that the driver was indeed Mr. And More Central. Which - I thought - was quite a coincidence (not having planned any of that, apart from my trip as such). He then took me on a rather special trip on the 173 to Castletlon via Cressbrook/Tideswell. An absolute highlight!
After he had "dumped" me in Castleton, I waited for the 62 service to Buxton. Another scenic ride!Finally: Thank you once again and I'll post a few pics in the weeks to come. Cheers!
Tetchytyke
Veteran Member
Back in the north east last weekend, so a mini trip on the Friday.
Managed to tick off the train to Ashington. A good run, nice to see the train arriving into Newcastle so full, and the branding specifically for the Northumberland Line was pleasing to see.
After that, took the Arriva 35 from Ashington to Morpeth. A 14-plate ex-Sapphire E400. Clearly hadn't been through a bus wash for a while, but it was mostly clean inside the vehicle, even if the fixtures and fittings clearly haven't been touched since the bus was new.
Next up was the 777 from Morpeth to the airport. Me and two others on it from Morpeth, one getting off at Ponteland and me and the other getting off at the airport terminal. An absolutely clapped out 10-plate Pulsar, original seats, original moquette, original Cotswold livery. "Spirited" driving, shall we say, which made for a "lively" run down the back roads to Ponteland. Nice views but hard to not reach the conclusion that it is a completely pointless bus service.
Last up was a ride on a 'new' Metro from the Airport to Central. A step up in many ways, but the seats are definitely on the snug side and it's a shame they didn't put some bays of seats in.
Didn't get to go on GNE this time, but did also have a brief run on a Stagecoach 22. Nothing new there, the same E400s doing the same route that they were doing when I lived there five years ago.
Managed to tick off the train to Ashington. A good run, nice to see the train arriving into Newcastle so full, and the branding specifically for the Northumberland Line was pleasing to see.
After that, took the Arriva 35 from Ashington to Morpeth. A 14-plate ex-Sapphire E400. Clearly hadn't been through a bus wash for a while, but it was mostly clean inside the vehicle, even if the fixtures and fittings clearly haven't been touched since the bus was new.
Next up was the 777 from Morpeth to the airport. Me and two others on it from Morpeth, one getting off at Ponteland and me and the other getting off at the airport terminal. An absolutely clapped out 10-plate Pulsar, original seats, original moquette, original Cotswold livery. "Spirited" driving, shall we say, which made for a "lively" run down the back roads to Ponteland. Nice views but hard to not reach the conclusion that it is a completely pointless bus service.
Last up was a ride on a 'new' Metro from the Airport to Central. A step up in many ways, but the seats are definitely on the snug side and it's a shame they didn't put some bays of seats in.
Didn't get to go on GNE this time, but did also have a brief run on a Stagecoach 22. Nothing new there, the same E400s doing the same route that they were doing when I lived there five years ago.
820KDV
Member
First time posting in this section, so I hope this report is of interest.
Wiltshire Day Rover
A couple of weeks ago I decided to mop up several things on my bus ‘wanted list’ around northern Wiltshire, using a Wiltshire Day Rover.
I started from an estate at the edge of Chippenham on one of the town services which Faresaver run under contract to Wiltshire Council. The journey was operated by one of ten Volvo B8 eVoRa buses on the fleet. The driver, like all those I have met when buying and using a Wiltshire Day Rover, knew about the ticket, but excelled by knowing the Ticketer key sequence to issue it without hesitation. Normally drivers have to search the menu(s), which isn’t a problem, and indeed often opens a conversation with them. It is good to see that the ticket is being used and that’s how drivers know about it, even though there seems to little advertising. I could have caught a Stagecoach 55 to reach my first objective but, as most of my journeys would be with Faresaver, it seemed appropriate to give them my £11 and get an extra ride in too.
Chippenham Bus Station is a bustling place, but showing signs of neglect with failing road surface, weeds and litter. But each bay had a clear departure list timetable, there was a poster for the Government funded additional weekend journeys to the tourist village of Castle Combe at the appropriate gate.
A route 55 branded Stagecoach Gold bus arrived from the railway station on time to continue to Calne (my destination) and Swindon. Gold is an interesting brand, it looked good initially, and while now superseded, many of its features are now looking care worn. Perhaps that’s the problem with a premium brand, years of daily use and abuse by passengers is more obvious on the fittings than similar wear would be on a more basic interior. Anyway, the trip to Calne was quick with great views of Wiltshire from the upper deck.
In Calne the main route is the 55 between Chippenham and Swindon, and to serve the town centre stops the bus does a double run along New Road. It’s the practise that passengers alight outside Bank House and the bus then runs down to Station Road roundabout to turn and then comes back and picks up at the Town Hall opposite its previous stop. It might seem a little odd, but it’s what people do, and it probably dates back to pre-deregulation days when Calne – Chippenham was served by a bus to Bath and Calne – Swindon was a separate service. At least that’s the only explanation I can come up with. This does mean that buses in both directions stop at the same stop making the full destination displays on the rear of many Stagecoach buses especially useful here.
As I arrived in Calne a Wiltshire Council officer was just getting back into her electric van having put up posters notifying passengers of a road closure this Saturday and the associated bus stop closures. It’s good to see the local authority doing this even though the majority of journeys at the stop are commercial.
The first ‘tick’ off my wish list was the once a day (Monday – Friday) X76 Marlborough to Bath which covers a section of road which no other bus does. Swindon’s Bus Company’s Enviro200 number 107 arrived promptly with 10 passengers on. One alighted in Calne, while one other boarded with me in Calne. The small bus was very hot with no one wanting to open a window and I was at the very back without an opening window alongside me, but with the heat of the engine below. It was also noticeable that although I’m in my mid-50s I was probably 15 years younger than any of the other passengers! The driver pulled over at the next stop which has a good-sized lay-by and is a better place to lose a bit of time before the next part of the run which would seem to be a little generous with its time. The run via Derry Hill and Sandy Lane failed to provide any more passengers, and it was Bromham before anyone else boarded. The village centre bus shelter in Bromham is an ornate brick affair, with a large noticeboard on the back wall where village events and community group notices share space with an A3 sized bus departure list in the standard Wiltshire style. Some might argue that the timetable should be in a dedicated case, but its inclusion on the village notice board suggests the bus is important to the community. It’s a shame I was on the wrong side of the bus to get a photo.
Beyond Bromham the X76 strikes out onto unique road via Sandridge to Melksham. Dropping down from Sandridge, even a single deck bus, offers great views across Wiltshire, as far as the northern edge of Salisbury Plain. The little bus performed well across country, albeit with the trademark ADL rattles. Bath was as congested as I remember it, and the X76 made slow progress to its city centre set-down at The Abbey.
My next ‘tick’ on my list was the X32 “fast and direct” as the destination says between Bath and Chippenham. For this Faresaver provided the appropriately registered Volvo Gemini X31BUS. Having commuted between Chippenham and Bath a few decades ago via all the twists and turns of the standard route, it was good to try a more direct version. Again, the top deck of a bus offered great views across the countryside, once we were free of Bath’s slow traffic. During this journey we passed both of the ex-Bournemouth Gemini’s which I believe have both been off the road for a while and a type I’d like to compare with the earlier versions.
And so it was that I was back at Chippenham bus station. By now it was around midday and a number of drivers were taking their breaks with buses filling the parking area and on the least used departure bays. One of the parked eVoRa’s was having its Ticketer machine changed which then pulled on to the bay screened for an X34, which was my next journey. This caught me a little by surprise and I was the last to board. Only when I sat down and saw the time on the next stop information screen (not working other than the company logo and time) did I realise that this was the bus ahead of the one I’d planned to catch and was 7 minutes late due to the Ticketer swap. Having done many Wayfarer 3 swaps in a past life I know how long these things can take.
This eVoRa was like the rest of its type, being very lively in its performance yet offering a good ride. Sitting “upstairs” – those rear seats are high up! – the view can be a bit limited ahead, so I only got a glimpse of a Faresaver Gemini heading the other way on a suspended tow. But such things are all part and parcel of running a fleet of vehicles.
My next goal was a trip on the 271 which runs across Kingsdown, but only the only trip each day which is worked by a double deck. Sure, it wasn’t the best of scheduling on my part as the X76 also goes across Kingsdown, but it was getting things off the ‘to-do’ list despite covering the same road twice in one day which is a bit excessive given my only other time going that way by bus was on a Roe bodied Olympian, in the dark, on diversion when the A4 was closed by an accident, many years ago.
Melksham Market Place, newly refurbished, was a pleasant place to spend my lunch break. The bus shelters here both have Papercast style real time passenger information displays, which have an audible announcement at the push of a button. These are complimented by Wiltshire Council produced printed departure lists.
The north – south X34s pass each other in Melksham, at the same time as the east – west 271/2 also pass each other offering interchange opportunities, although I doubt that they offer any journey combinations which many people would use. I was pleased to note that the inward 271 journey was being operated by one of the aforementioned ex-Bournemouth Geminis which I photographed before it departed on its tour of Melksham housing estates ahead of starting the journey I wanted.
These buses are nicely fitted out internally, offering a nice ride. The route via Whitley includes some narrow roads, and plenty of low trees bashing the bodywork, but the driver had clearly driven this plenty of times before and was master of the task. We were soon at Kingsdown, and whilst I wanted to see the views from a double deck, trees block most of the best ones descending towards Bathampton. Never mind, another “tick” on the list.
Back at Bath the enclosed bus station waiting area was very oppressive in the heat and not a pleasant place to be. I did pick up some UK Government funded WestBus leaflets a Norton/Radstock bus guide and a network map. Hmmm, nice idea, very poorly implemented and really not the thing to encourage bus use. An opportunity missed.
My next target was also a UK Government funded initiative, First’s D1x which [sort of] enhances the hourly D1 between Bath and Trowbridge. The D1 is only hourly, but due to a low bridge and a lack of spare single decks at First the D1x is an extension of the Bath city London Road service which ignores the usual terminals at Elmhurst and Bathford and continues via Sally-in-the-Wood to Bradford-on-Avon where it joins the D1 route. It is very much a schedules driven solution which risks annoying Bath suburban passengers by not taking them all the way home, fails to serve Winsley and Limpley Stoke but does avoid some of the resource cost of a half-hourly D1 as the London Road section is effectively “free”.
Loadings were reasonable, although whether this is at the expense of D1, or are additional passengers I don’t know, while views from the double deck were wonderful. Not in the same class as the top scenic routes, but great, nonetheless.
Trowbridge has suffered somewhat from recent road closures for Government Future High Streets funding works and bus operators finding some of the alternatives more attractive resulting in stops spread far and wide in the central area. For my change from the D1x to an X34 I opted for Trinity Church someway short of the centre, but a single stop served by both buses. The real time display was reassuringly counting down the approach of the X34, although the D1x had long since departed before the display removed it as being “due”.
From the other passengers waiting at the stop, it was clear that I’d hit school finishing time, and sure enough when the Faresaver X34 arrived it was well loaded with young people, and more boarded with me. I ended up with a seat over the box for the door gear which once operated the centre exit doors, a reminder of the Gemini’s early life. The mix of uniforms suggested pupils from three different schools and whilst the journey was loud, I’ve been on much worse. The X34 takes quite a twisty route out of Trowbridge and most young passengers had alighted by the time we reached the countryside.
By now the day had become very hot and muggy and I was starting to feel tired as we made our way over the Kennet & Avon canal on a humpback bridge and shortly after through a Bus Gate back to Melksham. Leaving Melksham I spotted a stop labelled “This stop for the railway station” on the side facing approaching buses and with pedestrian directions on the reverse. I’d spotted a couple of similarly designed signs pointing towards bus stops and the railway station in Bradford-on-Avon earlier, suggesting that this is a Wiltshire initiative to link public transport modes. I also spotted a few bus stop flags to a similar design, which could be an emerging brand for buses in Wiltshire.
Talking of bus stop flags there are a mix of Faresaver, Stagecoach, Stagecoach Gold, Discover from First, and older style Wiltshire across the area that I spotted, so quite a mix, and many now obsolete brands. A single, all-encompassing brand, would bring the various offerings together.
Back at Chippenham again, my plan was for a Stagecoach 55 back to my starting point, but a few minutes after the 55 should have appeared a Faresaver 33 pulled on to the stand, which would do me just as well. This Optare Solo had strange looking backs which reminded me of Lego, but it was comfortable enough and took me where I needed to go.
All in all, an interesting day out, even if a bit repetitive for some tastes. Nine buses, one each from three of the big groups and the rest from a significant sized family-owned bus company. Buses were all clean and well presented, drivers friendly and professional and everything ran pretty much to time. I wouldn’t say that loads were exceptional, but they were certainly acceptable, especially when things like the X31 is a recent supplement to the 231 and the D1x supplements the D1. Indeed, even the X34 and 271/272 now run half hourly when back in my day their equivalents were only hourly so when loadings look similar to those times the frequency has doubled. Overall, there seems a lot of doom and gloom about local buses generally, with just a few often quoted bright spots. I’d say that Wiltshire is doing well, with good stuff going on, but is an area which no one notices. If you’re within striking distance give a Wiltshire Day Rover a go, the buses are good, as is the scenery; you might be pleasantly surprised.
Wiltshire Day Rover
A couple of weeks ago I decided to mop up several things on my bus ‘wanted list’ around northern Wiltshire, using a Wiltshire Day Rover.
I started from an estate at the edge of Chippenham on one of the town services which Faresaver run under contract to Wiltshire Council. The journey was operated by one of ten Volvo B8 eVoRa buses on the fleet. The driver, like all those I have met when buying and using a Wiltshire Day Rover, knew about the ticket, but excelled by knowing the Ticketer key sequence to issue it without hesitation. Normally drivers have to search the menu(s), which isn’t a problem, and indeed often opens a conversation with them. It is good to see that the ticket is being used and that’s how drivers know about it, even though there seems to little advertising. I could have caught a Stagecoach 55 to reach my first objective but, as most of my journeys would be with Faresaver, it seemed appropriate to give them my £11 and get an extra ride in too.
Chippenham Bus Station is a bustling place, but showing signs of neglect with failing road surface, weeds and litter. But each bay had a clear departure list timetable, there was a poster for the Government funded additional weekend journeys to the tourist village of Castle Combe at the appropriate gate.
A route 55 branded Stagecoach Gold bus arrived from the railway station on time to continue to Calne (my destination) and Swindon. Gold is an interesting brand, it looked good initially, and while now superseded, many of its features are now looking care worn. Perhaps that’s the problem with a premium brand, years of daily use and abuse by passengers is more obvious on the fittings than similar wear would be on a more basic interior. Anyway, the trip to Calne was quick with great views of Wiltshire from the upper deck.
In Calne the main route is the 55 between Chippenham and Swindon, and to serve the town centre stops the bus does a double run along New Road. It’s the practise that passengers alight outside Bank House and the bus then runs down to Station Road roundabout to turn and then comes back and picks up at the Town Hall opposite its previous stop. It might seem a little odd, but it’s what people do, and it probably dates back to pre-deregulation days when Calne – Chippenham was served by a bus to Bath and Calne – Swindon was a separate service. At least that’s the only explanation I can come up with. This does mean that buses in both directions stop at the same stop making the full destination displays on the rear of many Stagecoach buses especially useful here.
As I arrived in Calne a Wiltshire Council officer was just getting back into her electric van having put up posters notifying passengers of a road closure this Saturday and the associated bus stop closures. It’s good to see the local authority doing this even though the majority of journeys at the stop are commercial.
The first ‘tick’ off my wish list was the once a day (Monday – Friday) X76 Marlborough to Bath which covers a section of road which no other bus does. Swindon’s Bus Company’s Enviro200 number 107 arrived promptly with 10 passengers on. One alighted in Calne, while one other boarded with me in Calne. The small bus was very hot with no one wanting to open a window and I was at the very back without an opening window alongside me, but with the heat of the engine below. It was also noticeable that although I’m in my mid-50s I was probably 15 years younger than any of the other passengers! The driver pulled over at the next stop which has a good-sized lay-by and is a better place to lose a bit of time before the next part of the run which would seem to be a little generous with its time. The run via Derry Hill and Sandy Lane failed to provide any more passengers, and it was Bromham before anyone else boarded. The village centre bus shelter in Bromham is an ornate brick affair, with a large noticeboard on the back wall where village events and community group notices share space with an A3 sized bus departure list in the standard Wiltshire style. Some might argue that the timetable should be in a dedicated case, but its inclusion on the village notice board suggests the bus is important to the community. It’s a shame I was on the wrong side of the bus to get a photo.
Beyond Bromham the X76 strikes out onto unique road via Sandridge to Melksham. Dropping down from Sandridge, even a single deck bus, offers great views across Wiltshire, as far as the northern edge of Salisbury Plain. The little bus performed well across country, albeit with the trademark ADL rattles. Bath was as congested as I remember it, and the X76 made slow progress to its city centre set-down at The Abbey.
My next ‘tick’ on my list was the X32 “fast and direct” as the destination says between Bath and Chippenham. For this Faresaver provided the appropriately registered Volvo Gemini X31BUS. Having commuted between Chippenham and Bath a few decades ago via all the twists and turns of the standard route, it was good to try a more direct version. Again, the top deck of a bus offered great views across the countryside, once we were free of Bath’s slow traffic. During this journey we passed both of the ex-Bournemouth Gemini’s which I believe have both been off the road for a while and a type I’d like to compare with the earlier versions.
And so it was that I was back at Chippenham bus station. By now it was around midday and a number of drivers were taking their breaks with buses filling the parking area and on the least used departure bays. One of the parked eVoRa’s was having its Ticketer machine changed which then pulled on to the bay screened for an X34, which was my next journey. This caught me a little by surprise and I was the last to board. Only when I sat down and saw the time on the next stop information screen (not working other than the company logo and time) did I realise that this was the bus ahead of the one I’d planned to catch and was 7 minutes late due to the Ticketer swap. Having done many Wayfarer 3 swaps in a past life I know how long these things can take.
This eVoRa was like the rest of its type, being very lively in its performance yet offering a good ride. Sitting “upstairs” – those rear seats are high up! – the view can be a bit limited ahead, so I only got a glimpse of a Faresaver Gemini heading the other way on a suspended tow. But such things are all part and parcel of running a fleet of vehicles.
My next goal was a trip on the 271 which runs across Kingsdown, but only the only trip each day which is worked by a double deck. Sure, it wasn’t the best of scheduling on my part as the X76 also goes across Kingsdown, but it was getting things off the ‘to-do’ list despite covering the same road twice in one day which is a bit excessive given my only other time going that way by bus was on a Roe bodied Olympian, in the dark, on diversion when the A4 was closed by an accident, many years ago.
Melksham Market Place, newly refurbished, was a pleasant place to spend my lunch break. The bus shelters here both have Papercast style real time passenger information displays, which have an audible announcement at the push of a button. These are complimented by Wiltshire Council produced printed departure lists.
The north – south X34s pass each other in Melksham, at the same time as the east – west 271/2 also pass each other offering interchange opportunities, although I doubt that they offer any journey combinations which many people would use. I was pleased to note that the inward 271 journey was being operated by one of the aforementioned ex-Bournemouth Geminis which I photographed before it departed on its tour of Melksham housing estates ahead of starting the journey I wanted.
These buses are nicely fitted out internally, offering a nice ride. The route via Whitley includes some narrow roads, and plenty of low trees bashing the bodywork, but the driver had clearly driven this plenty of times before and was master of the task. We were soon at Kingsdown, and whilst I wanted to see the views from a double deck, trees block most of the best ones descending towards Bathampton. Never mind, another “tick” on the list.
Back at Bath the enclosed bus station waiting area was very oppressive in the heat and not a pleasant place to be. I did pick up some UK Government funded WestBus leaflets a Norton/Radstock bus guide and a network map. Hmmm, nice idea, very poorly implemented and really not the thing to encourage bus use. An opportunity missed.
My next target was also a UK Government funded initiative, First’s D1x which [sort of] enhances the hourly D1 between Bath and Trowbridge. The D1 is only hourly, but due to a low bridge and a lack of spare single decks at First the D1x is an extension of the Bath city London Road service which ignores the usual terminals at Elmhurst and Bathford and continues via Sally-in-the-Wood to Bradford-on-Avon where it joins the D1 route. It is very much a schedules driven solution which risks annoying Bath suburban passengers by not taking them all the way home, fails to serve Winsley and Limpley Stoke but does avoid some of the resource cost of a half-hourly D1 as the London Road section is effectively “free”.
Loadings were reasonable, although whether this is at the expense of D1, or are additional passengers I don’t know, while views from the double deck were wonderful. Not in the same class as the top scenic routes, but great, nonetheless.
Trowbridge has suffered somewhat from recent road closures for Government Future High Streets funding works and bus operators finding some of the alternatives more attractive resulting in stops spread far and wide in the central area. For my change from the D1x to an X34 I opted for Trinity Church someway short of the centre, but a single stop served by both buses. The real time display was reassuringly counting down the approach of the X34, although the D1x had long since departed before the display removed it as being “due”.
From the other passengers waiting at the stop, it was clear that I’d hit school finishing time, and sure enough when the Faresaver X34 arrived it was well loaded with young people, and more boarded with me. I ended up with a seat over the box for the door gear which once operated the centre exit doors, a reminder of the Gemini’s early life. The mix of uniforms suggested pupils from three different schools and whilst the journey was loud, I’ve been on much worse. The X34 takes quite a twisty route out of Trowbridge and most young passengers had alighted by the time we reached the countryside.
By now the day had become very hot and muggy and I was starting to feel tired as we made our way over the Kennet & Avon canal on a humpback bridge and shortly after through a Bus Gate back to Melksham. Leaving Melksham I spotted a stop labelled “This stop for the railway station” on the side facing approaching buses and with pedestrian directions on the reverse. I’d spotted a couple of similarly designed signs pointing towards bus stops and the railway station in Bradford-on-Avon earlier, suggesting that this is a Wiltshire initiative to link public transport modes. I also spotted a few bus stop flags to a similar design, which could be an emerging brand for buses in Wiltshire.
Talking of bus stop flags there are a mix of Faresaver, Stagecoach, Stagecoach Gold, Discover from First, and older style Wiltshire across the area that I spotted, so quite a mix, and many now obsolete brands. A single, all-encompassing brand, would bring the various offerings together.
Back at Chippenham again, my plan was for a Stagecoach 55 back to my starting point, but a few minutes after the 55 should have appeared a Faresaver 33 pulled on to the stand, which would do me just as well. This Optare Solo had strange looking backs which reminded me of Lego, but it was comfortable enough and took me where I needed to go.
All in all, an interesting day out, even if a bit repetitive for some tastes. Nine buses, one each from three of the big groups and the rest from a significant sized family-owned bus company. Buses were all clean and well presented, drivers friendly and professional and everything ran pretty much to time. I wouldn’t say that loads were exceptional, but they were certainly acceptable, especially when things like the X31 is a recent supplement to the 231 and the D1x supplements the D1. Indeed, even the X34 and 271/272 now run half hourly when back in my day their equivalents were only hourly so when loadings look similar to those times the frequency has doubled. Overall, there seems a lot of doom and gloom about local buses generally, with just a few often quoted bright spots. I’d say that Wiltshire is doing well, with good stuff going on, but is an area which no one notices. If you’re within striking distance give a Wiltshire Day Rover a go, the buses are good, as is the scenery; you might be pleasantly surprised.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Glad you had a good visit. I can appreciate that visiting another country can be a bit daunting as well. Good to hear that you had a good and constructive interaction with the bus station supervisor in Walsall.Thanks to your feedback, I was able to catch quite a number of Tridents in Walsall (plus a number of other buses). I went on a trip on the 10 aboard of a Trident as I felt it was "safe" to do so at this time of the day (and I'm very much on the cautious side as a person). Then, I spent 2-3 hours at and around the bus station, where a supervisor approached me and kindly reminded me not to stand within the small barrier around the place where the buses pulled in (I wasn't walking around, just standing on the wrong side). We had a nice conversation and he was very welcoming and supportive of my (our) hobby - and he even understood that the light has to be right.
To be fair, some of these people are overly officious. However, you do get some enthusiasts who don't do themselves any favours either.
Glad it all worked out for you.
I had a small trip on the Northumberland line recently. Good to see healthy passenger numbers - how much is organic growth, how much is taken from cars, and how much abstracted from local bus services will be interesting to see. I can foresee some pruning of the network in places. I suspect that many of the older deckers will soon disappear with that AND the electrification at Blyth depot (which I think is happening).
The 777 is a waste of time. I remember the 101 from Blyth (and Cramlington?) to the Airport and if that couldn't sustain itself, there was never any way that this would. I don't even think the justification of social benefit really applies here; it's as if someone looked at a map and though "there's a gap".
Welcome to the party! I've enjoyed the Wiltshire Day Rover several times since 1991. It's a superb product yet the publicity is really poor. I expect that from the major operators, who will promote their own tickets that, to be fair, have their own attributes and benefits. Just a little surprising that Wiltshire Council aren't better at it, as they are one of the best pro-bus local authorities and have been for years.
I now live just over the border but I'm always in Wiltshire seeing the in-laws. As such, I'm pretty familiar with the places and routes that you sampled...apart from the X76. Not done that one.
Interesting that you mention the D1x. The D1 (which was the 265) used to operate via Winsley and Limpley Stoke every half hour until Covid. Then First (under a massive driver shortage) gave notice that they were to withdraw the route entirely. The response of West of England Combined Auth (WECA)/Wiltshire Council was to support it financially (which was an odd move) on an hourly headway. The D1x was a route that appeared when Covid social distancing required extra capacity, restoring a service via Sally in the Woods but then was withdrawn. However, can't say that bit of route ever needed restoring having been axed 20+ years previously, only being used because it can take deckers whilst the D1 can't. It's certainly a nice journey towards Bath but I can't help but think that bolstering the D1 to every half hour would be a better use of money.
Talking of WECA, not seen the leaflet you mention. However, the new maps are terrible - I have a former Bristol City Council map from Pindar (or was it FWT?) and so much better. Wiltshire used to do a map in the past, again think it was FWT.
Glad you had a good trip out. Like you, I have several things I'd like to "tick off" and I confess, when places are on your doorstep, you can overlook them. Not done a proper explore by bus in Wiltshire for ages - thanks for sharing.
ps you mention legacy brands etc with bus stop flags. If you know where look (and you were close at one point), there is a 1985 era Badgerline flag and one of two I know of in Wiltshire.
Omnidekkalover
Member
Had a lovely day out on primarily buses today with one train in it. The basic overview was NCT brown line to Nottingham city centre then NCT green line to Nottingham station. EMR to Uttoxeter. Trentbarton Swift to Ashbourne. High Peak 442 to Buxton. High Peak Transpeak to Derby. Trentbarton Red Arrow to Nottingham city centre. Trentbarton Calverton back home.
My first vehicle was a brown line vehicle of which number I can’t remember to Nottingham city centre before getting on a green line bus to Nottingham station.
Got myself on an earlier train from Nottingham to uttoxeter. At 8am. It was a class 170 (170516) operated by emr. Spent just over an hour in uttoxeter.
The next leg of my journey was up to Ashbourne on the Swift. The bus arrived 17 minutes late into uttoxeter I left 3 or 4 minutes late since Trentbarton curtailed the uttoxeter town service extension to the Swift for that journey. The route I thought was surprisingly pleasant. The Swift is worth a ride. The vehicle was B7RLE eclipse 1 738 in Swift livery. I arrived into Ashbourne on time.
Ashbourne was half roadworks as they were doing a regeneration scheme. Ashbourne is also where I had my lunch. It was a co-op fajita wrap, monster munch and a lucozade. The wrap was a little bit bad to put it mildly.
After this, I got on a 442 bus by high peak on Optare solo SR 279 in high peak old livery. It was worth the ride as per usual as it is a really impressive route. Bus did not like the hills one bit though. I arrived in Buxton approximately 5 minutes late.
Then came a quick changeover in Buxton to the Transpeak bus again by high peak all the way to derby on citaro 805 in Transpeak livery. The Transpeak now has onboard announcements. yay. It was a busy ride to roughly Belper. I arrived in derby nearly bang on time.
Then another quick change in derby put me on the red arrow back to Nottingham on plaxton elite 81 in red arrow livery. Surprisingly I did not get caught up in any traffic despite it being nearly 4 o clock by QMC with derby road/A52 being shut eastbound.
To do the final leg home I hopped on Scania solar 669 in Hugo promotional livery on the calverton.
My first vehicle was a brown line vehicle of which number I can’t remember to Nottingham city centre before getting on a green line bus to Nottingham station.
Got myself on an earlier train from Nottingham to uttoxeter. At 8am. It was a class 170 (170516) operated by emr. Spent just over an hour in uttoxeter.
The next leg of my journey was up to Ashbourne on the Swift. The bus arrived 17 minutes late into uttoxeter I left 3 or 4 minutes late since Trentbarton curtailed the uttoxeter town service extension to the Swift for that journey. The route I thought was surprisingly pleasant. The Swift is worth a ride. The vehicle was B7RLE eclipse 1 738 in Swift livery. I arrived into Ashbourne on time.
Ashbourne was half roadworks as they were doing a regeneration scheme. Ashbourne is also where I had my lunch. It was a co-op fajita wrap, monster munch and a lucozade. The wrap was a little bit bad to put it mildly.
After this, I got on a 442 bus by high peak on Optare solo SR 279 in high peak old livery. It was worth the ride as per usual as it is a really impressive route. Bus did not like the hills one bit though. I arrived in Buxton approximately 5 minutes late.
Then came a quick changeover in Buxton to the Transpeak bus again by high peak all the way to derby on citaro 805 in Transpeak livery. The Transpeak now has onboard announcements. yay. It was a busy ride to roughly Belper. I arrived in derby nearly bang on time.
Then another quick change in derby put me on the red arrow back to Nottingham on plaxton elite 81 in red arrow livery. Surprisingly I did not get caught up in any traffic despite it being nearly 4 o clock by QMC with derby road/A52 being shut eastbound.
To do the final leg home I hopped on Scania solar 669 in Hugo promotional livery on the calverton.
ChrisC
Established Member
A few weeks ago, when large parts of England were in the middle of a heatwave with temperatures in excess of 30 degrees, I was in North Wales for a few days where temperatures were struggling to even reach 20 degrees. It was certainly far more pleasant for getting out and about than the sweltering 32 degrees which met me as I got off an air conditioned train at Nottingham station as I returned home.
It must be around 8 years ago since I was last in North Wales and somewhere that I had intended to return to. I had a hotel booked for 5 nights in Caernarfon which gave me 4 days to get out and about by bus and explore the area. After a long journey from home including a bus into Nottingham and changes of train at Crewe and Chester I finally reached Bangor mid afternoon. On boarding the Arriva 5C bus to Caernarfon outside Bangor Station I was very relieved that the driver was quickly able to issue me with a Concessionary Weekly 1BWS Ticket which was great value at £20.50. On showing an English ENCTS pass a concessionary ticket is available instead of the full priced ticket costing £30. I had been expecting problems but the driver said it was really helpful when people know exactly what ticket they require. After the journey of approximately 30 minutes I checked into my hotel, found somewhere to eat and had a wander around Caernarfon. I like the historic town of Caernarfon with its town walls, narrow streets and castle. I didn't visit the castle during this stay as I had been there on last visit to the area.
DAY 1
The next morning I made a fairly early start and set off back towards Bangor on the Arriva 5C. It is good that the 1BWS ticket has no time restrictions and so I was able to set off around 0830. On arrival in Bangor I remained on the same bus, which then becomes the 5 continuing along the coast to Llandudno. It's an interesting ride with the sea to the left and mountains to the right and the cliffs are quite impressive on the last few miles into Conwy where I was to get off. I had travelled through Conwy on my last visit but this time I wanted to explore the historic old town and castle. Conwy Castle is very large and impressive and was full of American tourists. I liked Conwy with its narrow streets and town walls and tried to do a walk around the town walls but unfortunately large sections were not open. I was in Conwy for almost 3 hours before moving on to Betws-y-Coed on the number 19 Llew Jones bus. This was my first journey of the week on one of the small white single decker buses which seem to be used by a number of small bus companies on less frequent routes. The number 19 runs from Llandudno to Betws-y-Coed via Conwy and Llanrwst approximately 2 hourly. it was a nice ride up the Conwy Valley and an interesting alternative to the train. Llanrwst looked a nice town which I would have liked to have stopped off at but bus services to the town are bit sparse so it was not really possible.
Conwy from the town walls with the castle in the background
On arrival at Betws-y-Coed I was horrified at how busy and touristy it has become. The area down by the railway station was a bit like Blackpool on a bank holiday with crowds of people in the gift shops and eating outside at the restaurants. It was certainly not the lovely quiet place I remember visiting almost 50 years ago when I was in my teens. After a quick walk around and a look inside the church I made a hasty retreat on the Snowdon Sherpa S1 bus operated by Gwynfor Coaches, for the very scenic and dramatic journey up into the mountains of Snowdonia. I got off at the Pen-y-Pass Youth Hostel for a quick change onto the S4 to travel as far as the picturesque village of Beddgelert. All of the Snowdon Sherpa routes are very scenic and well worth travelling on. They mostly run hourly and the 1BWS ticket is valid on the whole network. I do like Beddgelert, which has a station on the Welsh Highland Railway. I set off to walk along a path at the side of the river towards towards the Pass of Aberglaslyn. This is a beautiful area along the narrow river valley which is also the route of the Welsh Mountain Railway. I didn't walk the whole distance as I wanted to return to Beddgelert to get the S3 bus back to Caernarfon. On my return walk I was able to cross a bridge on a footpath shared by the railway to walk back into the village on the opposite side of the river. After a very good ice cream from the ice cream parlour I was able to get the S3 for another scenic downhill journey back to Caernarfon.
The river near Beddgelert
DAY 2
Another 0830 start, this time setting off to the south to Porthmadog on the Traws Cymru T22. This was a very modern single decker operated by Llew Jones but all in Tfw colours. It was obviously an electric bus and regular readers of my travels will be impressed to read that I did some research and discovered that it was a Yutong E12! On my previous visit to Caernarfon I had done the journey down to Porthmadog on the Welsh Highland Railway. I had presumed that the bus journey would also be through remote sparsely populated areas. I was quite surprised when the T22 kept leaving the main road and passing through some large villages which were obviously former slate mining communities. It was a surprise to me how built up the area is to the east of the main Caernarfon to Porthmadog road. On arrival in Porthmadog I changed to the G23 bus which was waiting at the main bus stop and was another of the small white vehicles. This bus runs roughly hourly, with a few afternoon gaps, down the coast via Harlech to Barmouth and is operated by Lloyds Coaches. This was quite a scenic journey with views across the estuary to Port Merion and very good from a higher level than the Cambrian Coast Railway. I travelled right through to Barmouth and although a scenic route it wasn't the best of journeys due a rather inconsiderate driver who was driving at speed and was rather unwilling to give way to other drivers on the very narrow roads. He also was setting off from bus stops before elderly passengers were sat down almost causing a couple of less mobile people to fall in the aisle.
I hadn't been to Barmouth for over 30 years, having previously visited by train. I liked Barmouth especially as it was not the school holidays and it was relatively quiet. I had an hour there and was able to take a walk along the sea front to the point overlooking the estuary and then back past the harbour area to the bus stop by the station. I returned on the G23, this time with a much more careful and considerate driver, for a short journey north to Llanfair just to the south of Harlech. The weather was good and I'd got a meal deal from the Co op in Barmouth ready to set off on a walk down the sands of Harlech Bay. I was then going to walk along the beach and finally up into Harlech to visit the castle and village before the bus back to Porthmadog later in the afternoon. On leaving the bus stop at Lllanfair the steep footpath with steps down to the sands passed a seat at the top with a wonderful view where I sat to eat my lunch. The path and steps down were extremely steep and the path finally crossed the Cambrian Coast Railway to reach the beach. In front of me were miles of deserted sandy beach and I walked up this beach before turning inland to walk up the lane into Harlech. The final climb up to the village and castle was very steep but the castle was well worth visiting if only for the extensive views from up there. Unfortunately there was a big gap in the bus timetable mid afternoon but a change of plan resulted in me getting a very reasonable Advance ticket on the train to Pwllheli which only cost me £3.50 with my railcard.
Barmouth Beach
Lunch break with views of Harlech Beach
Path down to the Harlech Beach over the Cambrian Coast Railway
I don't like Pwllheli and was pleased that I only had around 20 minutes there before the number 12 bus back to Caernarfon. I remember being very disappointed with the town the last time I was there 8 years ago. Then I was changing buses there to visit Aberdaron and Abersoch on the Lleyn Peninsular. I especially liked Aberdaron but hadn't liked Pwllheli. It hadn't improved and although it was only around 5.30pm it was almost deserted except for some teenagers fooling around at the small bus station throwing their trainers up unto the tops of the bus shelters and climbing up to get them. There were only half a dozen passengers on the Berwyn Coaches number 12 for the journey to Caernarfon. This was yet another plain white single decker but this time a slightly larger one.
DAY 3
An 0815 start to get the Arriva 5C towards Bangor with plans to have a day visiting Anglesey. I got off the 5C on the outskirts of Bangor at the hospital to enable me to change to an earlier Arriva number 58 to cross over the Menai Strait to first visit the town and castle at Beaumaris. The bus I got on was actually a 58L which ran via the village of Llanddona. It was quite a few miles along very narrow lanes to reach Llanddona and then back again and not one person got on or off along the route. I found the timetables and information about getting to Beaumaris from Bangor very confusing as the bus was finally going to Llangoed but the timetables did not refer to Beaumaris on the outward journey even though the bus did pass through and stop there. I liked the town and the visit to the castle was interesting. Beaumaris is in a very attractive sheltered location on the Menai Strait opposite Bangor. Anglesey is a bit difficult to cover large areas in a day by bus. I've been to Benllech, Red wharf Bay and Moelfre on a previous visit and had especially liked Moelfre.
I decided to head towards Holyhead and spend some time walking around Trearddur Bay. From Beaumaris I managed to catch the 3 journeys a day Monday to Friday Gwyfor Coaches number 50 to Llangefni which saved having to travel via Menai Bridge. Another small white bus which wandered around many small inland villages and country lanes and except for 3 other people who just travelled between Beaumaris and Benllech I was the only person on board. On arrival in Llangefni I was able to have a quick walk around and get something to eat before getting the Arriva number 4 towards Holyhead. I find most of inland Anglesey fairly uninteresting although there was a good view of the RAF base at Valley on the journey as far as Treaddur Bay. I liked Treaddur and spend a good 2 hours there walking and sitting by the sea before getting the number 4 bus back right through to Bangor. Again I was able to change buses at the hospital to enable me to get an earlier 5C back to Caernarfon. I enjoyed my day on Anglesey but I must try to visit the south coast around Newborough, Abberffraw and Rhosneigr one day although perhaps I would be better driving there than trying to visit by bus.
Treardurr Bay Anglesey
DAY 4
The weather forecast for North wales was for heavy rain all day and it was difficult to decide what to do on my final day. The weather did look to be better further south and so I decided to have a slightly later start and get the Traws Cymru T2 south and see how things were. There were options to get off at Dolgellau, Machynlleth or even stay on right through to Aberystwyth if the rain still persisted. The T2 is operated by Lloyds Coaches and although a good modern bus it was not a new electric bus like the T22 had been. it started off all very dull and misty but south of Porthmadog it brightened up slightly and the rain was only light drizzle. By Dolgellau the had stopped and I decided to get off there. The Lloyds Coaches G21 to Machynlleth via the coast was waiting there and so I decided to get on this to visit Aberdovey. During the very scenic journey down the coast via Tywyn the sun actually came out and it was very pleasant by the time I reached Aberdovey. Aberdovey has a lovely sandy beach with fantastic views across the Dovey Estuary but I was a bit disappointed in the actual town which was not as attractive as it had looked when I once passed through many years ago on the train. I was aware that a number of Traws Cymru buses connect up at Dolgellau but they probably would not wait for the G21 if there was any late running. I decided to travel back around the coast on the G21 and probably have 2 hours to have a look around Dolgellau.
Aberdovey
The G21 arrived in Dolgellau before all the Traws Cymru buses had arrived and departed so I had a quick change of plan and got on the very lightly loaded T3 which runs through Bala towards Wrexham. My plan was to change at Corwen onto the T10 to Bangor. By then it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and so I quite enjoyed the ride through Bala and the short wait at Cowen for the T10. The T3 is operated by Lloyds Coaches and the T10 by K&P Coaches. Many of these routes travel long distances and although nice new buses in Tfw livery I didn't find them very comfortable. I was on the T2 in the morning for a journey of 2 hours and it would have been 3 and a half hours through to Aberystwyth. The seats, in my opinion, were little better than the much complained about ironing board seats on many modern trains. I was the only person on board the T10 on leaving Corwen. I was intending going through to Bangor but as we approached Betwys-y-Coed we ran back into the very heavy rain which had obviously been falling in the north all day. I decided to do a quick change at Betwys-y-Coed onto the the Snowdon Sherpa S1 back to Caernarfon via Llanberis. The S1 travelled through some extremely heavy rain up through the mountains picking up some extremely wet hikers at Pen-y-pass.
The next day I travelled home by train to Nottinghamshire. After a few days in a fairly cool North Wales it was quite a shock to arrive back home to temperatures above 30 degrees.
I enjoyed revisiting North Wales and travelling around by bus gave me the opportunity to really view the scenery in a way I cant do when driving. Although I have travelled very widely around England and Scotland there are large parts of Wales which I have never visited. I have never explored the whole area south of Aberystwyth including Pembrokeshire.
It must be around 8 years ago since I was last in North Wales and somewhere that I had intended to return to. I had a hotel booked for 5 nights in Caernarfon which gave me 4 days to get out and about by bus and explore the area. After a long journey from home including a bus into Nottingham and changes of train at Crewe and Chester I finally reached Bangor mid afternoon. On boarding the Arriva 5C bus to Caernarfon outside Bangor Station I was very relieved that the driver was quickly able to issue me with a Concessionary Weekly 1BWS Ticket which was great value at £20.50. On showing an English ENCTS pass a concessionary ticket is available instead of the full priced ticket costing £30. I had been expecting problems but the driver said it was really helpful when people know exactly what ticket they require. After the journey of approximately 30 minutes I checked into my hotel, found somewhere to eat and had a wander around Caernarfon. I like the historic town of Caernarfon with its town walls, narrow streets and castle. I didn't visit the castle during this stay as I had been there on last visit to the area.
DAY 1
The next morning I made a fairly early start and set off back towards Bangor on the Arriva 5C. It is good that the 1BWS ticket has no time restrictions and so I was able to set off around 0830. On arrival in Bangor I remained on the same bus, which then becomes the 5 continuing along the coast to Llandudno. It's an interesting ride with the sea to the left and mountains to the right and the cliffs are quite impressive on the last few miles into Conwy where I was to get off. I had travelled through Conwy on my last visit but this time I wanted to explore the historic old town and castle. Conwy Castle is very large and impressive and was full of American tourists. I liked Conwy with its narrow streets and town walls and tried to do a walk around the town walls but unfortunately large sections were not open. I was in Conwy for almost 3 hours before moving on to Betws-y-Coed on the number 19 Llew Jones bus. This was my first journey of the week on one of the small white single decker buses which seem to be used by a number of small bus companies on less frequent routes. The number 19 runs from Llandudno to Betws-y-Coed via Conwy and Llanrwst approximately 2 hourly. it was a nice ride up the Conwy Valley and an interesting alternative to the train. Llanrwst looked a nice town which I would have liked to have stopped off at but bus services to the town are bit sparse so it was not really possible.
Conwy from the town walls with the castle in the background
On arrival at Betws-y-Coed I was horrified at how busy and touristy it has become. The area down by the railway station was a bit like Blackpool on a bank holiday with crowds of people in the gift shops and eating outside at the restaurants. It was certainly not the lovely quiet place I remember visiting almost 50 years ago when I was in my teens. After a quick walk around and a look inside the church I made a hasty retreat on the Snowdon Sherpa S1 bus operated by Gwynfor Coaches, for the very scenic and dramatic journey up into the mountains of Snowdonia. I got off at the Pen-y-Pass Youth Hostel for a quick change onto the S4 to travel as far as the picturesque village of Beddgelert. All of the Snowdon Sherpa routes are very scenic and well worth travelling on. They mostly run hourly and the 1BWS ticket is valid on the whole network. I do like Beddgelert, which has a station on the Welsh Highland Railway. I set off to walk along a path at the side of the river towards towards the Pass of Aberglaslyn. This is a beautiful area along the narrow river valley which is also the route of the Welsh Mountain Railway. I didn't walk the whole distance as I wanted to return to Beddgelert to get the S3 bus back to Caernarfon. On my return walk I was able to cross a bridge on a footpath shared by the railway to walk back into the village on the opposite side of the river. After a very good ice cream from the ice cream parlour I was able to get the S3 for another scenic downhill journey back to Caernarfon.
The river near Beddgelert
DAY 2
Another 0830 start, this time setting off to the south to Porthmadog on the Traws Cymru T22. This was a very modern single decker operated by Llew Jones but all in Tfw colours. It was obviously an electric bus and regular readers of my travels will be impressed to read that I did some research and discovered that it was a Yutong E12! On my previous visit to Caernarfon I had done the journey down to Porthmadog on the Welsh Highland Railway. I had presumed that the bus journey would also be through remote sparsely populated areas. I was quite surprised when the T22 kept leaving the main road and passing through some large villages which were obviously former slate mining communities. It was a surprise to me how built up the area is to the east of the main Caernarfon to Porthmadog road. On arrival in Porthmadog I changed to the G23 bus which was waiting at the main bus stop and was another of the small white vehicles. This bus runs roughly hourly, with a few afternoon gaps, down the coast via Harlech to Barmouth and is operated by Lloyds Coaches. This was quite a scenic journey with views across the estuary to Port Merion and very good from a higher level than the Cambrian Coast Railway. I travelled right through to Barmouth and although a scenic route it wasn't the best of journeys due a rather inconsiderate driver who was driving at speed and was rather unwilling to give way to other drivers on the very narrow roads. He also was setting off from bus stops before elderly passengers were sat down almost causing a couple of less mobile people to fall in the aisle.
I hadn't been to Barmouth for over 30 years, having previously visited by train. I liked Barmouth especially as it was not the school holidays and it was relatively quiet. I had an hour there and was able to take a walk along the sea front to the point overlooking the estuary and then back past the harbour area to the bus stop by the station. I returned on the G23, this time with a much more careful and considerate driver, for a short journey north to Llanfair just to the south of Harlech. The weather was good and I'd got a meal deal from the Co op in Barmouth ready to set off on a walk down the sands of Harlech Bay. I was then going to walk along the beach and finally up into Harlech to visit the castle and village before the bus back to Porthmadog later in the afternoon. On leaving the bus stop at Lllanfair the steep footpath with steps down to the sands passed a seat at the top with a wonderful view where I sat to eat my lunch. The path and steps down were extremely steep and the path finally crossed the Cambrian Coast Railway to reach the beach. In front of me were miles of deserted sandy beach and I walked up this beach before turning inland to walk up the lane into Harlech. The final climb up to the village and castle was very steep but the castle was well worth visiting if only for the extensive views from up there. Unfortunately there was a big gap in the bus timetable mid afternoon but a change of plan resulted in me getting a very reasonable Advance ticket on the train to Pwllheli which only cost me £3.50 with my railcard.
Barmouth Beach
Lunch break with views of Harlech Beach
Path down to the Harlech Beach over the Cambrian Coast Railway
I don't like Pwllheli and was pleased that I only had around 20 minutes there before the number 12 bus back to Caernarfon. I remember being very disappointed with the town the last time I was there 8 years ago. Then I was changing buses there to visit Aberdaron and Abersoch on the Lleyn Peninsular. I especially liked Aberdaron but hadn't liked Pwllheli. It hadn't improved and although it was only around 5.30pm it was almost deserted except for some teenagers fooling around at the small bus station throwing their trainers up unto the tops of the bus shelters and climbing up to get them. There were only half a dozen passengers on the Berwyn Coaches number 12 for the journey to Caernarfon. This was yet another plain white single decker but this time a slightly larger one.
DAY 3
An 0815 start to get the Arriva 5C towards Bangor with plans to have a day visiting Anglesey. I got off the 5C on the outskirts of Bangor at the hospital to enable me to change to an earlier Arriva number 58 to cross over the Menai Strait to first visit the town and castle at Beaumaris. The bus I got on was actually a 58L which ran via the village of Llanddona. It was quite a few miles along very narrow lanes to reach Llanddona and then back again and not one person got on or off along the route. I found the timetables and information about getting to Beaumaris from Bangor very confusing as the bus was finally going to Llangoed but the timetables did not refer to Beaumaris on the outward journey even though the bus did pass through and stop there. I liked the town and the visit to the castle was interesting. Beaumaris is in a very attractive sheltered location on the Menai Strait opposite Bangor. Anglesey is a bit difficult to cover large areas in a day by bus. I've been to Benllech, Red wharf Bay and Moelfre on a previous visit and had especially liked Moelfre.
I decided to head towards Holyhead and spend some time walking around Trearddur Bay. From Beaumaris I managed to catch the 3 journeys a day Monday to Friday Gwyfor Coaches number 50 to Llangefni which saved having to travel via Menai Bridge. Another small white bus which wandered around many small inland villages and country lanes and except for 3 other people who just travelled between Beaumaris and Benllech I was the only person on board. On arrival in Llangefni I was able to have a quick walk around and get something to eat before getting the Arriva number 4 towards Holyhead. I find most of inland Anglesey fairly uninteresting although there was a good view of the RAF base at Valley on the journey as far as Treaddur Bay. I liked Treaddur and spend a good 2 hours there walking and sitting by the sea before getting the number 4 bus back right through to Bangor. Again I was able to change buses at the hospital to enable me to get an earlier 5C back to Caernarfon. I enjoyed my day on Anglesey but I must try to visit the south coast around Newborough, Abberffraw and Rhosneigr one day although perhaps I would be better driving there than trying to visit by bus.
Treardurr Bay Anglesey
DAY 4
The weather forecast for North wales was for heavy rain all day and it was difficult to decide what to do on my final day. The weather did look to be better further south and so I decided to have a slightly later start and get the Traws Cymru T2 south and see how things were. There were options to get off at Dolgellau, Machynlleth or even stay on right through to Aberystwyth if the rain still persisted. The T2 is operated by Lloyds Coaches and although a good modern bus it was not a new electric bus like the T22 had been. it started off all very dull and misty but south of Porthmadog it brightened up slightly and the rain was only light drizzle. By Dolgellau the had stopped and I decided to get off there. The Lloyds Coaches G21 to Machynlleth via the coast was waiting there and so I decided to get on this to visit Aberdovey. During the very scenic journey down the coast via Tywyn the sun actually came out and it was very pleasant by the time I reached Aberdovey. Aberdovey has a lovely sandy beach with fantastic views across the Dovey Estuary but I was a bit disappointed in the actual town which was not as attractive as it had looked when I once passed through many years ago on the train. I was aware that a number of Traws Cymru buses connect up at Dolgellau but they probably would not wait for the G21 if there was any late running. I decided to travel back around the coast on the G21 and probably have 2 hours to have a look around Dolgellau.
Aberdovey
The G21 arrived in Dolgellau before all the Traws Cymru buses had arrived and departed so I had a quick change of plan and got on the very lightly loaded T3 which runs through Bala towards Wrexham. My plan was to change at Corwen onto the T10 to Bangor. By then it was a beautiful sunny afternoon and so I quite enjoyed the ride through Bala and the short wait at Cowen for the T10. The T3 is operated by Lloyds Coaches and the T10 by K&P Coaches. Many of these routes travel long distances and although nice new buses in Tfw livery I didn't find them very comfortable. I was on the T2 in the morning for a journey of 2 hours and it would have been 3 and a half hours through to Aberystwyth. The seats, in my opinion, were little better than the much complained about ironing board seats on many modern trains. I was the only person on board the T10 on leaving Corwen. I was intending going through to Bangor but as we approached Betwys-y-Coed we ran back into the very heavy rain which had obviously been falling in the north all day. I decided to do a quick change at Betwys-y-Coed onto the the Snowdon Sherpa S1 back to Caernarfon via Llanberis. The S1 travelled through some extremely heavy rain up through the mountains picking up some extremely wet hikers at Pen-y-pass.
The next day I travelled home by train to Nottinghamshire. After a few days in a fairly cool North Wales it was quite a shock to arrive back home to temperatures above 30 degrees.
I enjoyed revisiting North Wales and travelling around by bus gave me the opportunity to really view the scenery in a way I cant do when driving. Although I have travelled very widely around England and Scotland there are large parts of Wales which I have never visited. I have never explored the whole area south of Aberystwyth including Pembrokeshire.
Last edited:
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Wow - what a full report from North West Wales. You crammed in a lot. One of my best friends lived up there for many years so I know some bits of your exploration very well. The Conwy Valley bus service (19) is one that has really declined over the last 20 years. I travelled on that and the T10 last year though I was very pleasantly surprised by the number leaving Corwen on the latter. Been a few years since I headed round Anglesey or down to Harlech but there are some very nice spots. Anglesey is very interesting - Holyhead is a bit grim, and Llangefni rather nothingy but there is some superb scenery in between.
You should try Pembrokeshire when you get the opportunity. It's like Cornwall without being ruined by industry or tourism!
Interesting reports on here. @820KDV had a well planned and executed day in Wiltshire with some lesser known routes and workings. The rise of Faresaver over the years from an operator of anonymous white buses to a decent modern fleet and covering a wide area quite comprehensively is a real model of how things can be done. Take the 231 from Bath to Chippenham, probably only hourly when First abandoned it, now every 30 minutes plus an hourly express X31 with modern buses, some of them double deckers.
@ChrisC also has an interesting report on a few days in North Wales. Some very scenic journeys and places here. I would have made some alternative suggestions but he has included some great bits. A lovely photo of Conwy with the threatening sky. Harlech, Barmouth and Aberdyfi are good. Beaumaris is by far the most pleasant place on Anglesey. I too took the 50 from there to Llangefni a couple of years ago without else anyone using it except at the start of the journey. The route from Holyhead to Amlwch is attractive, as is the southern route round Newborough and Aberffraw, but much of the rest of Anglesey, especially inland, is a bit dull. All Snowdonia is great and the bus network there is fantastic. The T10 across from Corwen is a good ride - I did this in 2012 when it was a Tuesday only market service and have driven up the A5, the views are great. Maybe this wasn't the best day to judge the loadings if it was very wet but I'm not convinced this will attract enough riders east of Betws-y-Coed for such a good service.
The real blot on the North Wales bus network is the 19. If there wasn't a 'competing' train service then there would probably be an hourly bus down the Conwy valley - perhaps alternately east side (fast) and west side (through the villages) - to Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed, with at least alternate journeys through to Blaneau Ffestiniog. But because of the lame duck train service, no doubt subsidised hugely by the government, they find it impossible to make this a Traws Cymru route. I'll get pilloried on a Rail Forum but really they should hand over the line to an enthusiast group or heritage railway (any around Blaneau?) with a dowry and run this corridor as a decent bus service.
@ChrisC also has an interesting report on a few days in North Wales. Some very scenic journeys and places here. I would have made some alternative suggestions but he has included some great bits. A lovely photo of Conwy with the threatening sky. Harlech, Barmouth and Aberdyfi are good. Beaumaris is by far the most pleasant place on Anglesey. I too took the 50 from there to Llangefni a couple of years ago without else anyone using it except at the start of the journey. The route from Holyhead to Amlwch is attractive, as is the southern route round Newborough and Aberffraw, but much of the rest of Anglesey, especially inland, is a bit dull. All Snowdonia is great and the bus network there is fantastic. The T10 across from Corwen is a good ride - I did this in 2012 when it was a Tuesday only market service and have driven up the A5, the views are great. Maybe this wasn't the best day to judge the loadings if it was very wet but I'm not convinced this will attract enough riders east of Betws-y-Coed for such a good service.
The real blot on the North Wales bus network is the 19. If there wasn't a 'competing' train service then there would probably be an hourly bus down the Conwy valley - perhaps alternately east side (fast) and west side (through the villages) - to Llanrwst and Betws-y-Coed, with at least alternate journeys through to Blaneau Ffestiniog. But because of the lame duck train service, no doubt subsidised hugely by the government, they find it impossible to make this a Traws Cymru route. I'll get pilloried on a Rail Forum but really they should hand over the line to an enthusiast group or heritage railway (any around Blaneau?) with a dowry and run this corridor as a decent bus service.
TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
At the end of July, I invariably end up in East Anglia. A longstanding arrangement that enables a day out (or two) on local buses. Cambridgeshire has featured on many occasions but in recent years, I've tended to head to Norfolk as I never really explored it. In the last four years, I've invariably ended up in Great Yarmouth arriving from Norwich, Beccles, Lowestoft and North Walsham. So I decided that I'd try to other bits of Norfolk and definitely not end up in Market Gates bus station again! I hope you enjoy the travelogue!
The day began with a drive up the A11 and a decision where to park the car and start my day. I decided on Wymondham (pronounced Windham) which I had visited on previous visits. It's a lovely little satellite town of Norwich with a fine market place. Parking is a bit tricky but I eventually found a residential road which was further out than anticipated which necessitated a bit of a run to the market place where my Konectbus e400 was waiting. I was a bit warm but paid my £15 for an all operator Norfolk Fusion ticket and off we went. Annoyingly, we then passed my car about 2 mins later but that's what a lack of planning does. I normally have an idea of where I'm going but I'd only planned my first two journeys; the rest was improv! Konectbus operate a very good network of services in areas that First vacated and I doubt if Watton has ever had as good a service. The e400 was a little old (62 plate) but in reasonable nick. We had a decent load of about 10 as we passed through lovely countryside and pleasant villages like Hingham, it's church tower visible for miles around, before arriving into Watton. It's a small town like many in Norfolk - stripped of things like banks, has its obligatory vape shop and Kurdish barber, yet still has traditional shops as it always has. It was a short stop as my next bus, to Dereham, soon arrived. This was another Konectbus decker but a bit of a rarity - one of the relatively uncommon Optare bodied Tridents that used to work for Go Ahead London but have now been spread about their Southern ops. I'd travelled on a sister vehicle two years ago on the IOW and this was equally careworn, still in London Red with dual doors though it had gained an LED screen. It was a short and uneventful journey to Dereham where the idea was that I might head to on the Excel to either Norwich, or Kings Lynn (avoiding the magnetic pull of Great Yarmouth), after a brief drink stop and a wander round the small market.
A rare beast in Dereham with the market in the background
A bit of vintage bus flaggage in Fakenham
Downtown Fakenham
Instead, I suddenly happened upon the Konectbus 22 to Fakenham. A town I'd never been to before but which had crossed my mind to visit at some point. It was a 69 plate e200mmc, one of the newest vehicles in a Konectbus fleet that is starting to look a bit old having had little investment in recent years (in contrast to the First fleet locally). The bus was half full with people returning from market day and at least a few fare payers were on board as we wended our way on a scenic if indirect route. We entered North Elmham and I didn't realise we were circuiting the village until we reappeared by the large pub/hotel at least 5 mins later, encountering the returning 22 which was an older e200 still in Go North West colours. We arrived into Fakenham and I had chance to have a good wander. It's a lovely town full of pleasant buildings and a market place that has "banks" on the town map; clearly, they'd all gone in recent years! However, I had chance to stroll and find a bus related remnant - a bus stop dating back to de-reg days and that Fakenham had a minibus network? I tracked my incoming bus - a First X29 to Norwich. This was part of First's resurgence locally in that it was an Eastern Counties route that was ceded and had been a Norfolk Green service. It then passed to Stagecoach but on their exit, both Konectbus and First registered it with Go Ahead immediately deregistering it. It acts as an extension of a Norwich city route (28/29) with some branded vehicles though we had a selection of those, standard urban and new ultra violet. The bus, an ex Leeds B9TL, duly turned up. Really, First should've refurbed these 3/4 years ago but didn't so they're ok but rather careworn. We were a little late leaving but soon made that up as we headed towards Norwich which we seemed to hit and then travelled through a nether world of nearly suburbia before arriving at Anglia Square. This is a 1960s brutalist shopping centre with a cinema, and a huge office building that was the home of HM Stationery Office. In fact, it should be past tense as it has all closed, with businesses (mainly discount stores) moved on as the huge site is to be redeveloped. The main claim to fame was that it was the venue for the premiere of Alpha Papa, involving our Norwich based anti-hero Alan Partridge of which a mural still survives. I took a lot of photos as it won't be here much longer, and even if you think they're ugly, you should record them.
The brooding mass of Sovereign House and Anglia Square
I walked into the city centre and Castle Meadow where many buses congregate. So, I'm on this bus to Great Yarmouth...
Yes, I'd weakened as I'd realised that there was a relatively recently enhanced route (BSIP funds, I guess) that involves a longer route to Great Yarmouth. Instead of just battering along the A47 (save a divert into Acle), the 7 is a more leisurely affair that goes through the city and past the station (which you must visit - I think it's one of the most stunning in the country). It does head along the A47 to Acle, which is currently being dualled, before then heading out into the Broads to Filby and then to Caister on Sea, part of the coastal extension north of Yarmouth. It was another ex Leeds B9, one I'd apparently travelled on before, and again looking a bit jaded. I will say, First Eastern Counties is perhaps my fave First company and they're usually pretty decent. It was a superb trip out and we soon passed another older but refurbed ex London B9 in its Coastal Reds livery (which is what I'd have adopted for all of First if I'm honest, rather than purple). We soon arrived in Caister and I decided to bail here as I had another flash of inspiration. One of the few remaining First open top operations is in Great Yarmouth and it runs from the holiday camps north of Caister down the seafront. I had a 20 min wait but as it was running late, that was more like 35 mins. However, it was a treat for two reasons. It was the last remaining B7TL, that I assume is a spare, and was a former Green Line vehicle that still has a table in the lower saloon! More importantly, the route is great. We left Caister and then turned before the First depot to head to the sea front and the turning circle at Seashore before heading along the full length of the sea front. It was late afternoon but we still picked up plenty of passengers as we passed the Venetian Gardens and the Wellington Pier. The driver was also giving out promo badges - it's well promoted and it's stuff like that which sets FEC out from the rest of First. Oh, and all the open toppers were immaculate - you'd have thought they'd just been painted at the weekend. Plus one is a full open topper - replacement for an ex Ensign one. I guess it's for Ipswich and Norwich promotion parades?
Crossing the Broads north of Acle
The view from the top - just like Venice
It's been a pleasure - an immaculate open topper
I got off at the terminus on the South Beach and then waited for my next bus. It was the local bus 2 that then heads up through Barrack Estate. I've done this before, in reverse but on the same bus, a Streetlite that was one of the last new buses delivered to Great Yarmouth in 2015. It was an interesting but short journey that emphasises what Great Yarmouth is about. There's the candy floss and rides on the sea front, but just a street or two back, there is almost a ghetto. A really impoverished area, segregated from the town on what is a peninsula, bounded by the sea front and the river. It was quite stark, and then you see the 13th/14th century town walls appear in the midst of this. Talk about a juxtaposition. You also get a view of the fabulous ornate Victorian gas holder that is to be restored and preserved. The trusty Streetlite, fine for 10 mins, deposited me at Market Gates bus station which had been revamped since last year. Not massively but the road network makes it better for many through services. I had chance to get some chips as I'd barely eaten, and then waited for my penultimate bus.
Early evening leaving Great Yarmouth and across the flatlands
Despite my own internal protestations, I was back on a Coastlink e400 heading back to Norwich as I'd done last year, and the year before! In 2023, it was noticeable that First had driver shortages but no such problem this time. Instead of the usual 2013 e400s that used to work the Excel service, I had the oddity that was a former demo (?) that also worked for Connex in Jersey. It was nice but not as comfortable as the others. The thought did cross my mind... the Excel fleet at Kings Lynn is now just over 5 years old, and they're typically replaced on a 5/6 year cycle before being cascaded onto the Coastlink routes from Lowestoft/Great Yarmouth. I wonder if plans are afoot to replace them, and have another iteration of that cascade? The B9s that work the locals around the two towns are 58/59 plate vintage and so getting on. We left the town, passing the collection of redundant train carriages wearing a selection of defunct liveries, and headed out in the evening sun along the A47. It's a lovely journey and one of my favourites. We arrived into Norwich on time into a rather quiet bus station - not one of my faves. I then made the short walk to catch my bus to Wymondham. A GB Kite EV duly arrived in its smart ultraviolet livery. It was displaying Hethersett rather than Wymondham so I asked the driver... It apparently didn't have enough charge to do the full journey so, in his words, short of getting a balloon and a woolly jumper, he could only get the Hethersett!! The perils of EVs... That said, I was able to get an alternative albeit slower route adding about 10 mins onto my journey. It was a double deck Wright Streetdeck Electroliner, one of many on local routes. I really like the new First interior though the moquette feels a bit cheap? Still, it was a relaxing journey as we headed along through excellent bus priority and out to Cringleford and then the back of Hethersett, eventually stumbling across my earlier GB Kite EV parked up - had it expired? I don't know but we made our way and into Wymondham where I could then find my car again.
Back into Wymondham and journey's end; at least that had enough electricity to get me here
I hope this has been moderately interesting, and enjoy the photos. I would say that a trip to Norfolk is always a pleasure and it is to be recommended.
Apologies for not much coverage of Norwich; I've been there the last few years and it is a great place to walk round and explore, or if you want to spend time snapping buses on Castle Meadow.
Konectbus is a decent firm but needs more than the cascades it seems to be surviving on. Whilst I didn't travel on them this time, Lynx and Sanders Coaches (Kings Lynn and Cromer based respectively) are two of the best firms in the country. First Eastern Counties is a good firm too though some of the fleet is rather careworn though I think that's a consequence of the repaint embargo as the new livery was being finalised. The scenery is superb and Norfolk isn't pancake flat so you get some rolling countryside, coastal scenery, and the Broads. Still, next year, I'm going to give Norfolk (and Great Yarmouth) a break - there's other places on my list! Oh, and the Norfolk Fusion ticket is valid on all operators and on journeys into other counties so you can go from Kings Lynn to Peterborough or Norwich to Lowestoft/Thetford if you want. All in all, a super day out even without much planning.
The day began with a drive up the A11 and a decision where to park the car and start my day. I decided on Wymondham (pronounced Windham) which I had visited on previous visits. It's a lovely little satellite town of Norwich with a fine market place. Parking is a bit tricky but I eventually found a residential road which was further out than anticipated which necessitated a bit of a run to the market place where my Konectbus e400 was waiting. I was a bit warm but paid my £15 for an all operator Norfolk Fusion ticket and off we went. Annoyingly, we then passed my car about 2 mins later but that's what a lack of planning does. I normally have an idea of where I'm going but I'd only planned my first two journeys; the rest was improv! Konectbus operate a very good network of services in areas that First vacated and I doubt if Watton has ever had as good a service. The e400 was a little old (62 plate) but in reasonable nick. We had a decent load of about 10 as we passed through lovely countryside and pleasant villages like Hingham, it's church tower visible for miles around, before arriving into Watton. It's a small town like many in Norfolk - stripped of things like banks, has its obligatory vape shop and Kurdish barber, yet still has traditional shops as it always has. It was a short stop as my next bus, to Dereham, soon arrived. This was another Konectbus decker but a bit of a rarity - one of the relatively uncommon Optare bodied Tridents that used to work for Go Ahead London but have now been spread about their Southern ops. I'd travelled on a sister vehicle two years ago on the IOW and this was equally careworn, still in London Red with dual doors though it had gained an LED screen. It was a short and uneventful journey to Dereham where the idea was that I might head to on the Excel to either Norwich, or Kings Lynn (avoiding the magnetic pull of Great Yarmouth), after a brief drink stop and a wander round the small market.
A rare beast in Dereham with the market in the background
A bit of vintage bus flaggage in Fakenham
Downtown Fakenham
Instead, I suddenly happened upon the Konectbus 22 to Fakenham. A town I'd never been to before but which had crossed my mind to visit at some point. It was a 69 plate e200mmc, one of the newest vehicles in a Konectbus fleet that is starting to look a bit old having had little investment in recent years (in contrast to the First fleet locally). The bus was half full with people returning from market day and at least a few fare payers were on board as we wended our way on a scenic if indirect route. We entered North Elmham and I didn't realise we were circuiting the village until we reappeared by the large pub/hotel at least 5 mins later, encountering the returning 22 which was an older e200 still in Go North West colours. We arrived into Fakenham and I had chance to have a good wander. It's a lovely town full of pleasant buildings and a market place that has "banks" on the town map; clearly, they'd all gone in recent years! However, I had chance to stroll and find a bus related remnant - a bus stop dating back to de-reg days and that Fakenham had a minibus network? I tracked my incoming bus - a First X29 to Norwich. This was part of First's resurgence locally in that it was an Eastern Counties route that was ceded and had been a Norfolk Green service. It then passed to Stagecoach but on their exit, both Konectbus and First registered it with Go Ahead immediately deregistering it. It acts as an extension of a Norwich city route (28/29) with some branded vehicles though we had a selection of those, standard urban and new ultra violet. The bus, an ex Leeds B9TL, duly turned up. Really, First should've refurbed these 3/4 years ago but didn't so they're ok but rather careworn. We were a little late leaving but soon made that up as we headed towards Norwich which we seemed to hit and then travelled through a nether world of nearly suburbia before arriving at Anglia Square. This is a 1960s brutalist shopping centre with a cinema, and a huge office building that was the home of HM Stationery Office. In fact, it should be past tense as it has all closed, with businesses (mainly discount stores) moved on as the huge site is to be redeveloped. The main claim to fame was that it was the venue for the premiere of Alpha Papa, involving our Norwich based anti-hero Alan Partridge of which a mural still survives. I took a lot of photos as it won't be here much longer, and even if you think they're ugly, you should record them.
The brooding mass of Sovereign House and Anglia Square
I walked into the city centre and Castle Meadow where many buses congregate. So, I'm on this bus to Great Yarmouth...
Yes, I'd weakened as I'd realised that there was a relatively recently enhanced route (BSIP funds, I guess) that involves a longer route to Great Yarmouth. Instead of just battering along the A47 (save a divert into Acle), the 7 is a more leisurely affair that goes through the city and past the station (which you must visit - I think it's one of the most stunning in the country). It does head along the A47 to Acle, which is currently being dualled, before then heading out into the Broads to Filby and then to Caister on Sea, part of the coastal extension north of Yarmouth. It was another ex Leeds B9, one I'd apparently travelled on before, and again looking a bit jaded. I will say, First Eastern Counties is perhaps my fave First company and they're usually pretty decent. It was a superb trip out and we soon passed another older but refurbed ex London B9 in its Coastal Reds livery (which is what I'd have adopted for all of First if I'm honest, rather than purple). We soon arrived in Caister and I decided to bail here as I had another flash of inspiration. One of the few remaining First open top operations is in Great Yarmouth and it runs from the holiday camps north of Caister down the seafront. I had a 20 min wait but as it was running late, that was more like 35 mins. However, it was a treat for two reasons. It was the last remaining B7TL, that I assume is a spare, and was a former Green Line vehicle that still has a table in the lower saloon! More importantly, the route is great. We left Caister and then turned before the First depot to head to the sea front and the turning circle at Seashore before heading along the full length of the sea front. It was late afternoon but we still picked up plenty of passengers as we passed the Venetian Gardens and the Wellington Pier. The driver was also giving out promo badges - it's well promoted and it's stuff like that which sets FEC out from the rest of First. Oh, and all the open toppers were immaculate - you'd have thought they'd just been painted at the weekend. Plus one is a full open topper - replacement for an ex Ensign one. I guess it's for Ipswich and Norwich promotion parades?Crossing the Broads north of Acle
The view from the top - just like Venice
It's been a pleasure - an immaculate open topper
I got off at the terminus on the South Beach and then waited for my next bus. It was the local bus 2 that then heads up through Barrack Estate. I've done this before, in reverse but on the same bus, a Streetlite that was one of the last new buses delivered to Great Yarmouth in 2015. It was an interesting but short journey that emphasises what Great Yarmouth is about. There's the candy floss and rides on the sea front, but just a street or two back, there is almost a ghetto. A really impoverished area, segregated from the town on what is a peninsula, bounded by the sea front and the river. It was quite stark, and then you see the 13th/14th century town walls appear in the midst of this. Talk about a juxtaposition. You also get a view of the fabulous ornate Victorian gas holder that is to be restored and preserved. The trusty Streetlite, fine for 10 mins, deposited me at Market Gates bus station which had been revamped since last year. Not massively but the road network makes it better for many through services. I had chance to get some chips as I'd barely eaten, and then waited for my penultimate bus.
Early evening leaving Great Yarmouth and across the flatlands
Despite my own internal protestations, I was back on a Coastlink e400 heading back to Norwich as I'd done last year, and the year before! In 2023, it was noticeable that First had driver shortages but no such problem this time. Instead of the usual 2013 e400s that used to work the Excel service, I had the oddity that was a former demo (?) that also worked for Connex in Jersey. It was nice but not as comfortable as the others. The thought did cross my mind... the Excel fleet at Kings Lynn is now just over 5 years old, and they're typically replaced on a 5/6 year cycle before being cascaded onto the Coastlink routes from Lowestoft/Great Yarmouth. I wonder if plans are afoot to replace them, and have another iteration of that cascade? The B9s that work the locals around the two towns are 58/59 plate vintage and so getting on. We left the town, passing the collection of redundant train carriages wearing a selection of defunct liveries, and headed out in the evening sun along the A47. It's a lovely journey and one of my favourites. We arrived into Norwich on time into a rather quiet bus station - not one of my faves. I then made the short walk to catch my bus to Wymondham. A GB Kite EV duly arrived in its smart ultraviolet livery. It was displaying Hethersett rather than Wymondham so I asked the driver... It apparently didn't have enough charge to do the full journey so, in his words, short of getting a balloon and a woolly jumper, he could only get the Hethersett!! The perils of EVs... That said, I was able to get an alternative albeit slower route adding about 10 mins onto my journey. It was a double deck Wright Streetdeck Electroliner, one of many on local routes. I really like the new First interior though the moquette feels a bit cheap? Still, it was a relaxing journey as we headed along through excellent bus priority and out to Cringleford and then the back of Hethersett, eventually stumbling across my earlier GB Kite EV parked up - had it expired? I don't know but we made our way and into Wymondham where I could then find my car again.
Back into Wymondham and journey's end; at least that had enough electricity to get me here
I hope this has been moderately interesting, and enjoy the photos. I would say that a trip to Norfolk is always a pleasure and it is to be recommended.
Apologies for not much coverage of Norwich; I've been there the last few years and it is a great place to walk round and explore, or if you want to spend time snapping buses on Castle Meadow.
Konectbus is a decent firm but needs more than the cascades it seems to be surviving on. Whilst I didn't travel on them this time, Lynx and Sanders Coaches (Kings Lynn and Cromer based respectively) are two of the best firms in the country. First Eastern Counties is a good firm too though some of the fleet is rather careworn though I think that's a consequence of the repaint embargo as the new livery was being finalised. The scenery is superb and Norfolk isn't pancake flat so you get some rolling countryside, coastal scenery, and the Broads. Still, next year, I'm going to give Norfolk (and Great Yarmouth) a break - there's other places on my list! Oh, and the Norfolk Fusion ticket is valid on all operators and on journeys into other counties so you can go from Kings Lynn to Peterborough or Norwich to Lowestoft/Thetford if you want. All in all, a super day out even without much planning.
Another interesting report from a decent trip round Norfolk. I haven't done the 7 from Norwich via Caister, nor the open-topper, but I've done most of the rest of your trip. Wymondham is attractive but confusing to find your way around the one-way systems and bus routes. I too had an Optare bodied Trident between Watton and Dereham on my trip last year. Pleased to hear of passengers on the recently resurrected and ambitiously hourly routes from Dereham to Fakenham. Shame you weren't able to go further north from Fakenham to Burnham Market and/or Wells, these are good places - but need planning! The X29 is quite a success story, from virtually nothing to a 30-minute all day service it is good competition for the car into Norwich. You certainly seem attracted to Great Yarmouth! The 2 now goes on from Barrack Estate over a new bridge to Gorleston and beyond, I have yet to manage that section of route. Norwich is a great place both for buses and to walk round. The last trip I did before the pandemic was from Attleborough and had similar issues getting back from Norwich due to breakdowns and traffic hold-ups, arriving well in the dark. Hope you are able to get to more interesting places soon!At the end of July, I invariably end up in East Anglia. A longstanding arrangement that enables a day out (or two) on local buses. Cambridgeshire has featured on many occasions but in recent years, I've tended to head to Norfolk as I never really explored it. In the last four years, I've invariably ended up in Great Yarmouth arriving from Norwich, Beccles, Lowestoft and North Walsham. So I decided that I'd try to other bits of Norfolk and definitely not end up in Market Gates bus station again! I hope you enjoy the travelogue!
The day began with a drive up the A11 and a decision where to park the car and start my day. I decided on Wymondham (pronounced Windham) which I had visited on previous visits. It's a lovely little satellite town of Norwich with a fine market place. Parking is a bit tricky but I eventually found a residential road which was further out than anticipated which necessitated a bit of a run to the market place where my Konectbus e400 was waiting. I was a bit warm but paid my £15 for an all operator Norfolk Fusion ticket and off we went. Annoyingly, we then passed my car about 2 mins later but that's what a lack of planning does. I normally have an idea of where I'm going but I'd only planned my first two journeys; the rest was improv! Konectbus operate a very good network of services in areas that First vacated and I doubt if Watton has ever had as good a service. The e400 was a little old (62 plate) but in reasonable nick. We had a decent load of about 10 as we passed through lovely countryside and pleasant villages like Hingham, it's church tower visible for miles around, before arriving into Watton. It's a small town like many in Norfolk - stripped of things like banks, has its obligatory vape shop and Kurdish barber, yet still has traditional shops as it always has. It was a short stop as my next bus, to Dereham, soon arrived. This was another Konectbus decker but a bit of a rarity - one of the relatively uncommon Optare bodied Tridents that used to work for Go Ahead London but have now been spread about their Southern ops. I'd travelled on a sister vehicle two years ago on the IOW and this was equally careworn, still in London Red with dual doors though it had gained an LED screen. It was a short and uneventful journey to Dereham where the idea was that I might head to on the Excel to either Norwich, or Kings Lynn (avoiding the magnetic pull of Great Yarmouth), after a brief drink stop and a wander round the small market.
View attachment 185227
A rare beast in Dereham with the market in the background
View attachment 185228
A bit of vintage bus flaggage in Fakenham
View attachment 185239
Downtown Fakenham
Instead, I suddenly happened upon the Konectbus 22 to Fakenham. A town I'd never been to before but which had crossed my mind to visit at some point. It was a 69 plate e200mmc, one of the newest vehicles in a Konectbus fleet that is starting to look a bit old having had little investment in recent years (in contrast to the First fleet locally). The bus was half full with people returning from market day and at least a few fare payers were on board as we wended our way on a scenic if indirect route. We entered North Elmham and I didn't realise we were circuiting the village until we reappeared by the large pub/hotel at least 5 mins later, encountering the returning 22 which was an older e200 still in Go North West colours. We arrived into Fakenham and I had chance to have a good wander. It's a lovely town full of pleasant buildings and a market place that has "banks" on the town map; clearly, they'd all gone in recent years! However, I had chance to stroll and find a bus related remnant - a bus stop dating back to de-reg days and that Fakenham had a minibus network? I tracked my incoming bus - a First X29 to Norwich. This was part of First's resurgence locally in that it was an Eastern Counties route that was ceded and had been a Norfolk Green service. It then passed to Stagecoach but on their exit, both Konectbus and First registered it with Go Ahead immediately deregistering it. It acts as an extension of a Norwich city route (28/29) with some branded vehicles though we had a selection of those, standard urban and new ultra violet. The bus, an ex Leeds B9TL, duly turned up. Really, First should've refurbed these 3/4 years ago but didn't so they're ok but rather careworn. We were a little late leaving but soon made that up as we headed towards Norwich which we seemed to hit and then travelled through a nether world of nearly suburbia before arriving at Anglia Square. This is a 1960s brutalist shopping centre with a cinema, and a huge office building that was the home of HM Stationery Office. In fact, it should be past tense as it has all closed, with businesses (mainly discount stores) moved on as the huge site is to be redeveloped. The main claim to fame was that it was the venue for the premiere of Alpha Papa, involving our Norwich based anti-hero Alan Partridge of which a mural still survives. I took a lot of photos as it won't be here much longer, and even if you think they're ugly, you should record them.
View attachment 185240
The brooding mass of Sovereign House and Anglia Square
I walked into the city centre and Castle Meadow where many buses congregate. So, I'm on this bus to Great Yarmouth...
View attachment 185241
Crossing the Broads north of Acle
View attachment 185242
The view from the top - just like Venice
View attachment 185243
It's been a pleasure - an immaculate open topper
I got off at the terminus on the South Beach and then waited for my next bus. It was the local bus 2 that then heads up through Barrack Estate. I've done this before, in reverse but on the same bus, a Streetlite that was one of the last new buses delivered to Great Yarmouth in 2015. It was an interesting but short journey that emphasises what Great Yarmouth is about. There's the candy floss and rides on the sea front, but just a street or two back, there is almost a ghetto. A really impoverished area, segregated from the town on what is a peninsula, bounded by the sea front and the river. It was quite stark, and then you see the 13th/14th century town walls appear in the midst of this. Talk about a juxtaposition. You also get a view of the fabulous ornate Victorian gas holder that is to be restored and preserved. The trusty Streetlite, fine for 10 mins, deposited me at Market Gates bus station which had been revamped since last year. Not massively but the road network makes it better for many through services. I had chance to get some chips as I'd barely eaten, and then waited for my penultimate bus.
View attachment 185244
Early evening leaving Great Yarmouth and across the flatlands
Despite my own internal protestations, I was back on a Coastlink e400 heading back to Norwich as I'd done last year, and the year before! In 2023, it was noticeable that First had driver shortages but no such problem this time. Instead of the usual 2013 e400s that used to work the Excel service, I had the oddity that was a former demo (?) that also worked for Connex in Jersey. It was nice but not as comfortable as the others. The thought did cross my mind... the Excel fleet at Kings Lynn is now just over 5 years old, and they're typically replaced on a 5/6 year cycle before being cascaded onto the Coastlink routes from Lowestoft/Great Yarmouth. I wonder if plans are afoot to replace them, and have another iteration of that cascade? The B9s that work the locals around the two towns are 58/59 plate vintage and so getting on. We left the town, passing the collection of redundant train carriages wearing a selection of defunct liveries, and headed out in the evening sun along the A47. It's a lovely journey and one of my favourites. We arrived into Norwich on time into a rather quiet bus station - not one of my faves. I then made the short walk to catch my bus to Wymondham. A GB Kite EV duly arrived in its smart ultraviolet livery. It was displaying Hethersett rather than Wymondham so I asked the driver... It apparently didn't have enough charge to do the full journey so, in his words, short of getting a balloon and a woolly jumper, he could only get the Hethersett!! The perils of EVs... That said, I was able to get an alternative albeit slower route adding about 10 mins onto my journey. It was a double deck Wright Streetdeck Electroliner, one of many on local routes. I really like the new First interior though the moquette feels a bit cheap? Still, it was a relaxing journey as we headed along through excellent bus priority and out to Cringleford and then the back of Hethersett, eventually stumbling across my earlier GB Kite EV parked up - had it expired? I don't know but we made our way and into Wymondham where I could then find my car again.
View attachment 185245
Back into Wymondham and journey's end; at least that had enough electricity to get me here
I hope this has been moderately interesting, and enjoy the photos. I would say that a trip to Norfolk is always a pleasure and it is to be recommended.
Apologies for not much coverage of Norwich; I've been there the last few years and it is a great place to walk round and explore, or if you want to spend time snapping buses on Castle Meadow.
Konectbus is a decent firm but needs more than the cascades it seems to be surviving on. Whilst I didn't travel on them this time, Lynx and Sanders Coaches (Kings Lynn and Cromer based respectively) are two of the best firms in the country. First Eastern Counties is a good firm too though some of the fleet is rather careworn though I think that's a consequence of the repaint embargo as the new livery was being finalised. The scenery is superb and Norfolk isn't pancake flat so you get some rolling countryside, coastal scenery, and the Broads. Still, next year, I'm going to give Norfolk (and Great Yarmouth) a break - there's other places on my list! Oh, and the Norfolk Fusion ticket is valid on all operators and on journeys into other counties so you can go from Kings Lynn to Peterborough or Norwich to Lowestoft/Thetford if you want. All in all, a super day out even without much planning.
ian1944
Member
Those closed brutalist buildings in Norwich are even uglier than the (alas) open ones in the centre of Cumbernauld, which hitherto have defined the nadir of municipal design.
Parebunks
Member
Something a bit different from me here, apologies for the lack of pictures! Over the last month or so various commitments have had me travelling long distances, and train prices combined with a strong dislike of flying mean it has mostly been by bus.
18th July: Oxford to Birmingham (National Express 160), Birmingham to Sheffield (National Express 131). The Oxford to Birmingham coach corridor has seen dramatic reductions over the past few years which meant that the 160 (one of just 4 remaining trips from 15 two years ago) was entirely full on this section of the trip, although the start of school holidays doubtless also helped here. The connection in Birmingham is also much worse than it used to be, so I was waiting near Digbeth for two hours. NX does seem to have a strategy of changing all cross-country routes to involve a change at Birmingham, so it is disappointing that the connections aren't better. Both vehicles were standard Levantes and ran to time, indeed the timetable was perhaps over-generous to Sheffield.
21st July: Sheffield Meadowhall to Glasgow (Megabus M20). This is one of only two remaining Megabus routes into England since the Cardiff M19 stopped earlier this summer. Despite this it was completely full within England with many taking shorter trips such as Sheffield-Durham, suggesting that Megabus still enjoys significant brand recognition that they are perhaps failing to capitalise on. It was slightly quieter past Newcastle, but still well over half full with many passengers sitting next to strangers. Vehicle was one of the 2024 Volvo 9700DDs - very nice vehicles, but not enormously well presented by Megabus. The installed next stop screen was displaying irrelevant messages in French (?) for the whole drive, and the top deck at least could perhaps have done with a clean. The bus was 20 minutes late into Meadowhall and this had increased to 40 minutes late by Glasgow.
29th July: Glasgow to Milton Keynes (National Express 594). This was unusually busy for an overnight trip from Scotland in my experience, but this is perhaps a result of combining the 'via MK' and 'via Heathrow' trips from Glasgow. Another standard Levante which arrived on time despite a closure on the M6 forcing a diversion around Coventry. Interestingly the comfort break was at Norton Canes on the M6 Toll which seemed a long way south, suspect this may have been a simple result of the roadworks unless anyone knows of this being standard? Arrived to Milton Keynes at 4:25 to see around 30 people in the station despite the early hour. It really is unfortuate that NX have closed the terminal building overnight, as the station is busy at all hours and the outside area can be very unpleasant to wait in in inclement weather.
30th July: Milton Keynes to Oxford (Stagecoach X5). The X5 is much reduced from its former stature as a high-quality Oxford-Cambridge coach route, and likely to suffer further reductions once the East-West Rail line opens. This was an Enviro400 driven by a new driver, who did a fairly good job despite being visibly uncertain on the route. Unfortunately the vehicles are just not sufficient for the distances travelled, and it was harder to spend 2.5 hours on these seats than the preceding 6 hours from Glasgow. If the X5 is to survive railway competition it will need better vehicles - Stagecoach could perhaps take a cue from the recent upgrades to the X40 that have seen tri-axle Volvos introduced. The route does feel like something of a slog despite being fairly direct, with the roundabouts of Milton Keynes certainly not helping matters. The overlapping traffic flows make it difficult to know what to do with the route - ideally I would like to see a proper Oxford-Cambridge coach reintroduced to supplement whatever local buses survive EWR, but I suspect this is rather unlikely.
31st July: Oxford to London (Stagecoach TUBE), London to Luxembourg (RegioJet 0010). The Oxford Tube is a clear contrast to the X5, and demonstrates what short distance coach routes can achieve with sustained investment. The 2021 Volvos remain in good condition but are nonetheless expected to be replaced within the next 2-3 years, and the Tube forms the undisputed backbone of the Stagecoach Oxford business. Rare lack of traffic on the A40 meant I had time to spare in London, useful in establishing the slightly unintuitive location of the RegioJet coach stop (Bulleid Way). This was the nicest coach I've ever been on, leagues above anything we have in Britain. The 2+1 seating on the top deck provides masses of extra space with much more comfortable seats than NX or Flixbus, and the amenities on board are very impressive, including a coffee machine and an entertainment system in every seat. I was expecting to use the EuroTunnel but instead ended up on the DFDS ferry, where each passenger was given a free meal voucher. The vast majority of passengers seemed to be Czech and travelling to Pilsen or Prague, the only other intermediate stop being Brussels where nearly half the coach took a smoke break! Perhaps as a result of using the ferry rather than the shuttle we were 50 minutes late into Luxembourg, where the stop was shared with Flixbus at the out-of-town Bouillon P+R. I still had enough time to go into the city centre using the free local transport, and took an hour visiting a few landmarks before heading back to the P+R.
1st August: Luxembourg to Colmar (Flixbus N837). This was perhaps the most unpleasant trip I took, but as a simple result of being unable to find any sensible timings to reach Colmar. It left Luxembourg at 1:00 then arrived in Colmar at 4:25, just about enough time to get some sleep but far from a full overnight trip. The coach was operated by Flixbus France on a much longer run from Antwerp to Zurich and was nearly full, with some confusion over seat allocations that didn't seem to match the actual vehicle provided. Arriving so early meant that nothing was open so I ended up sitting outside the rail station for 90 minutes - not an experience I would repeat in a hurry.
6th August: Colmar to Paris (Flixbus N759). I had booked a front window seat on this trip, which promised a double-decker coach. Unfortunately before travel I received an email that the allocation had changed and all seating would be unassigned, which made it all the more disappointing when the coach was in fact a Flix-branded 'decker and the front window seats were already taken. The route was roundabout, stopping about once an hour throughout the night and going as far south as Dijon, but the driver did not mimic the practice I have often seen in Britain of turning all the lights on each time, instead mercifully only announcing each stop via loudspeaker. The bus was about 40 minutes late into Paris, seemingly mostly as a result of taking longer than expected to take on passengers. It was fairly quiet in Colmar but nearly full by Paris, with a surprising level of usage from even the stops at the most antisocial of hours.
7th August: Paris to London (Flixbus 700), London to Swansea (Flixbus 046). Being late into Paris Bercy gave me only 20 minutes to find the bus back to England, but fortunately even with 79 stops this was not difficult, as the London bus left from bay 1. This seemed to be so that enhanced security could be provided for the coach, with a French guard and security fencing around the area such that only passport-checked passengers could approach the vehicle. Bercy really is a rather grim place, buried underground with coaches to a baffling array of destinations - I would have enjoyed some more time there to see what the most interesting ones I could spot were! The bus was relatively quiet and I got a pair of seats to myself, as it seemed did most solo passengers. This used the P&O ferry which was rather inferior to DFDS, with no free meal voucher, and the paid fish and chips being of rather inferior quality. Almost two hours of the trip was taken slogging through London, which does seem rather absurd - although I like having a central interchange it really needs to be something like Bercy where it can be easily accessed from the motorway network if it is to work properly, and it is perhaps the case that a substantial amount of time could be saved by splitting Victoria into two stations for north/west-bound and east/south-bound services. After 90 minutes in London I then boarded my last coach of the month to Swansea. This was the trip I disliked the most of the whole journey, but a large part of this was due to inconsiderate passengers playing music on loudspeaker for most of the journey even when asked to turn it off. This was full for most of the trip, only becoming quieter after Cardiff. Remarkably, after a 26 hour Flixbus trip on one ticket I was only one minute late into Swansea, arriving at 23:46. Both of these were single-deck coaches of fairly unremarkable type, although I didn't record exactly what.
Some overall observations from the experience:
- The vast majority of coaches in Britain, both those I rode and observed, are now extremely well used, with the reduction of the network combined with increasing train prices leaving a network that is perhaps insufficient to cater to high demand.
- NX and Flixbus could innovate more with regard to vehicle types. RegioJet seem able to provide a superior product at a not substantially higher price, and there would seem to me to be some merit in trialling similar vehicles on London-Scotland routes.
- There is still real brand recognition for NX and Megabus, with Flixbus still seemingly mostly used by young people and overseas visitors.
- Best coach: RegioJet 0010
- Worst coach: Flixbus 046, although largely due to incosiderate passenger behaviour
- Longest continuous trip: 26 hours 25 minutes, Colmar-Swansea with Flixbus (£68)
Hope this is interesting as something a bit different for this thread than the more usual trips by local bus through bucolic countryside (although I also enjoy this), and apologies again for the lack of pictures as buses were not my first concern on these trips!
18th July: Oxford to Birmingham (National Express 160), Birmingham to Sheffield (National Express 131). The Oxford to Birmingham coach corridor has seen dramatic reductions over the past few years which meant that the 160 (one of just 4 remaining trips from 15 two years ago) was entirely full on this section of the trip, although the start of school holidays doubtless also helped here. The connection in Birmingham is also much worse than it used to be, so I was waiting near Digbeth for two hours. NX does seem to have a strategy of changing all cross-country routes to involve a change at Birmingham, so it is disappointing that the connections aren't better. Both vehicles were standard Levantes and ran to time, indeed the timetable was perhaps over-generous to Sheffield.
21st July: Sheffield Meadowhall to Glasgow (Megabus M20). This is one of only two remaining Megabus routes into England since the Cardiff M19 stopped earlier this summer. Despite this it was completely full within England with many taking shorter trips such as Sheffield-Durham, suggesting that Megabus still enjoys significant brand recognition that they are perhaps failing to capitalise on. It was slightly quieter past Newcastle, but still well over half full with many passengers sitting next to strangers. Vehicle was one of the 2024 Volvo 9700DDs - very nice vehicles, but not enormously well presented by Megabus. The installed next stop screen was displaying irrelevant messages in French (?) for the whole drive, and the top deck at least could perhaps have done with a clean. The bus was 20 minutes late into Meadowhall and this had increased to 40 minutes late by Glasgow.
29th July: Glasgow to Milton Keynes (National Express 594). This was unusually busy for an overnight trip from Scotland in my experience, but this is perhaps a result of combining the 'via MK' and 'via Heathrow' trips from Glasgow. Another standard Levante which arrived on time despite a closure on the M6 forcing a diversion around Coventry. Interestingly the comfort break was at Norton Canes on the M6 Toll which seemed a long way south, suspect this may have been a simple result of the roadworks unless anyone knows of this being standard? Arrived to Milton Keynes at 4:25 to see around 30 people in the station despite the early hour. It really is unfortuate that NX have closed the terminal building overnight, as the station is busy at all hours and the outside area can be very unpleasant to wait in in inclement weather.
30th July: Milton Keynes to Oxford (Stagecoach X5). The X5 is much reduced from its former stature as a high-quality Oxford-Cambridge coach route, and likely to suffer further reductions once the East-West Rail line opens. This was an Enviro400 driven by a new driver, who did a fairly good job despite being visibly uncertain on the route. Unfortunately the vehicles are just not sufficient for the distances travelled, and it was harder to spend 2.5 hours on these seats than the preceding 6 hours from Glasgow. If the X5 is to survive railway competition it will need better vehicles - Stagecoach could perhaps take a cue from the recent upgrades to the X40 that have seen tri-axle Volvos introduced. The route does feel like something of a slog despite being fairly direct, with the roundabouts of Milton Keynes certainly not helping matters. The overlapping traffic flows make it difficult to know what to do with the route - ideally I would like to see a proper Oxford-Cambridge coach reintroduced to supplement whatever local buses survive EWR, but I suspect this is rather unlikely.
31st July: Oxford to London (Stagecoach TUBE), London to Luxembourg (RegioJet 0010). The Oxford Tube is a clear contrast to the X5, and demonstrates what short distance coach routes can achieve with sustained investment. The 2021 Volvos remain in good condition but are nonetheless expected to be replaced within the next 2-3 years, and the Tube forms the undisputed backbone of the Stagecoach Oxford business. Rare lack of traffic on the A40 meant I had time to spare in London, useful in establishing the slightly unintuitive location of the RegioJet coach stop (Bulleid Way). This was the nicest coach I've ever been on, leagues above anything we have in Britain. The 2+1 seating on the top deck provides masses of extra space with much more comfortable seats than NX or Flixbus, and the amenities on board are very impressive, including a coffee machine and an entertainment system in every seat. I was expecting to use the EuroTunnel but instead ended up on the DFDS ferry, where each passenger was given a free meal voucher. The vast majority of passengers seemed to be Czech and travelling to Pilsen or Prague, the only other intermediate stop being Brussels where nearly half the coach took a smoke break! Perhaps as a result of using the ferry rather than the shuttle we were 50 minutes late into Luxembourg, where the stop was shared with Flixbus at the out-of-town Bouillon P+R. I still had enough time to go into the city centre using the free local transport, and took an hour visiting a few landmarks before heading back to the P+R.
1st August: Luxembourg to Colmar (Flixbus N837). This was perhaps the most unpleasant trip I took, but as a simple result of being unable to find any sensible timings to reach Colmar. It left Luxembourg at 1:00 then arrived in Colmar at 4:25, just about enough time to get some sleep but far from a full overnight trip. The coach was operated by Flixbus France on a much longer run from Antwerp to Zurich and was nearly full, with some confusion over seat allocations that didn't seem to match the actual vehicle provided. Arriving so early meant that nothing was open so I ended up sitting outside the rail station for 90 minutes - not an experience I would repeat in a hurry.
6th August: Colmar to Paris (Flixbus N759). I had booked a front window seat on this trip, which promised a double-decker coach. Unfortunately before travel I received an email that the allocation had changed and all seating would be unassigned, which made it all the more disappointing when the coach was in fact a Flix-branded 'decker and the front window seats were already taken. The route was roundabout, stopping about once an hour throughout the night and going as far south as Dijon, but the driver did not mimic the practice I have often seen in Britain of turning all the lights on each time, instead mercifully only announcing each stop via loudspeaker. The bus was about 40 minutes late into Paris, seemingly mostly as a result of taking longer than expected to take on passengers. It was fairly quiet in Colmar but nearly full by Paris, with a surprising level of usage from even the stops at the most antisocial of hours.
7th August: Paris to London (Flixbus 700), London to Swansea (Flixbus 046). Being late into Paris Bercy gave me only 20 minutes to find the bus back to England, but fortunately even with 79 stops this was not difficult, as the London bus left from bay 1. This seemed to be so that enhanced security could be provided for the coach, with a French guard and security fencing around the area such that only passport-checked passengers could approach the vehicle. Bercy really is a rather grim place, buried underground with coaches to a baffling array of destinations - I would have enjoyed some more time there to see what the most interesting ones I could spot were! The bus was relatively quiet and I got a pair of seats to myself, as it seemed did most solo passengers. This used the P&O ferry which was rather inferior to DFDS, with no free meal voucher, and the paid fish and chips being of rather inferior quality. Almost two hours of the trip was taken slogging through London, which does seem rather absurd - although I like having a central interchange it really needs to be something like Bercy where it can be easily accessed from the motorway network if it is to work properly, and it is perhaps the case that a substantial amount of time could be saved by splitting Victoria into two stations for north/west-bound and east/south-bound services. After 90 minutes in London I then boarded my last coach of the month to Swansea. This was the trip I disliked the most of the whole journey, but a large part of this was due to inconsiderate passengers playing music on loudspeaker for most of the journey even when asked to turn it off. This was full for most of the trip, only becoming quieter after Cardiff. Remarkably, after a 26 hour Flixbus trip on one ticket I was only one minute late into Swansea, arriving at 23:46. Both of these were single-deck coaches of fairly unremarkable type, although I didn't record exactly what.
Some overall observations from the experience:
- The vast majority of coaches in Britain, both those I rode and observed, are now extremely well used, with the reduction of the network combined with increasing train prices leaving a network that is perhaps insufficient to cater to high demand.
- NX and Flixbus could innovate more with regard to vehicle types. RegioJet seem able to provide a superior product at a not substantially higher price, and there would seem to me to be some merit in trialling similar vehicles on London-Scotland routes.
- There is still real brand recognition for NX and Megabus, with Flixbus still seemingly mostly used by young people and overseas visitors.
- Best coach: RegioJet 0010
- Worst coach: Flixbus 046, although largely due to incosiderate passenger behaviour
- Longest continuous trip: 26 hours 25 minutes, Colmar-Swansea with Flixbus (£68)
Hope this is interesting as something a bit different for this thread than the more usual trips by local bus through bucolic countryside (although I also enjoy this), and apologies again for the lack of pictures as buses were not my first concern on these trips!