Trips by Bus and Coach: Your reports

[TheGrandWazoo]

Always interesting to read one of these in what is very much "home turf"

Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the clarification on Picktree and the border.

Also, I must say that the Arriva buses did all run to time and weren't bad in and of themselves. It's clearly that they have been starved of much investment, and it shows. That said, Darlington are due their new EVs soon (I believe a Kite is there for familiarisation) and that will be a big benefit though still quite a backlog to deal with. That isn't meant to sound overly negative; I'm hoping to see Arriva looking a lot better when I next head back north for a trip out.

I really do enjoy reading all the trip reports, and some of the photos are spectacular.

Indeed - I get quite envious reading some of them!

 

[geoffk]

A short trip report but one I have to share.

I recently went to Belfast and the only way of getting there from here is to fly to Dublin and get the coach up to Belfast. So that is what we did, using Translink's Goldliner service X2, which runs non-stop from Dublin Airport to Belfast Grand Central. Booking in advance it was £14 each return, markedly cheaper than Dublin Express or Aircoach and excellent value.

The outward journey was uneventful- the coach was on time, quiet, comfortable, and the air conditioning was working well.

Coming back, clearly demand exceeds capacity on this route. The X1, which runs through to Dublin city centre with a call in Newry, left about 15 minutes late and it was full- the driver was turning people away with the hope of at least letting people have a chance of getting on board in Newry, and not all of them were very happy about being told they had an hour wait. We were booked on the X2 half an hour later and which is non-stop to Dublin Airport where it terminates. It is full but not that full. I'm sure there's a good reason why not, but you'd think Translink would extend the X2 through to Dublin at peak times to improve capacity and avoid the situation where people in Newry have no chance of getting the bus.

Anyway, we get to near Newry and we're funnelled off the A1 due to an RTA. By the slip road we could see an overturned tractor. If we'd gone straight on at the roundabout at the top of the slip road we could have just rejoined the A1 and carried on. But the bus driver, bless him, was new and so he turned towards Newry town centre. He then sees a sign saying "diverted traffic" and turns down a very narrow country lane. He quickly seems to realise he's made a mistake here and tries to reverse out again, where he proceeds to get stuck.

He then went forward for half a mile or so and sees a church. He then tried to turn around in the car park of the church and managed to get even more stuck. The pastor of the church is stood their looking furious and filming the goings on. The poor coach driver takes a small chunk out of the church's gatepost and a much larger chunk out of the side of his coach. The pastor is, by this stage, incandescent with rage, and already on the phone to Translink to tear their ear off. I'm sure he'll still be raging about it now to anyone who'll listen to him down the Lodge.

Luckily two minicoaches appear on the scene and their two drivers eventually manage to help the poor driver get the coach out the way it came in (think the golf buggy scene in Austin Powers) but still facing the wrong way down a narrow country lane. The minicoach drivers assure him he can just about get his bus down the lane if he's careful so off we go, taking more chunks off the bus, and eventually into the centre of Newry. Where the driver- who doesn't know where he is or where he's going- then decides to listen to some clot on the second row who's using Google Maps, rather than just following the big green road sign which said Dublin. The driver at least learned his lesson the second time, mainly because the other 30 people on the bus yelled at him, but not until he'd half tried to go down another road which clearly wouldn't take a coach.

All in all, an hour late to Dublin Airport and I've never seen so many people glad to be off a bus. I just hope the poor driver's colleagues don't mock him too mercilessly. Luckily I'd built in an hour's contingency so I was still able to get my 400 Marlboro Reds before my flight home.

Sorry to read of your experience. The Ulsterbus Coaches are quite big and I can't imagine being in a narrow country lane on one. I had a few days in Belfast in June and made a similar journey from Dublin Airport to Belfast on X2, as the direct flight from Exeter only goes once a week and I didn't want to spend that long away. My outward flight arrived early and, although I'd booked a ticket for the 18.50 X2 service, I was in good time for the 17.50 and, when it pulled in, I asked the driver if I could travel on it. He said no problem as long as I'd paid and wanted to go to Belfast! I'd been advised to book in advance as the service was often busy but there were only around 20 on board. This was my first time across the border by road and I didn't spot exactly where it was before I started seeing British-style road signs and distances in miles. I flew back direct from Belfast City Airport.

 

[NorthOxonian]

Also, I must say that the Arriva buses did all run to time and weren't bad in and of themselves. It's clearly that they have been starved of much investment, and it shows. That said, Darlington are due their new EVs soon (I believe a Kite is there for familiarisation) and that will be a big benefit though still quite a backlog to deal with. That isn't meant to sound overly negative; I'm hoping to see Arriva looking a lot better when I next head back north for a trip out.

Yes - if you'd had a little more time you might have had the chance to experience some of the EVs currently up in Northumberland (which run mostly on the more local services such as the stopping routes through Gosforth) but I have found them fantastic. I did see a "Northumbria Electrics" liveried one in the parking area at the back of Durham bus station when I was there last Saturday, so that may be the one you're on about.

 

[RELL6L]

Interesting to read the report from @TheGrandWazoo in the North East. As your once home turf you know this area much better than me although I have been to some of the places and some of the routes you mention and I do like visiting the area. The 10/X86 through the hinterland of Stillington looks worth a visit sometime. I note the 873 from Durham to Teesdale but most of the route is Durham to Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle to Middleton in Teesdale, all of which I have done. I liked Bishop Auckland when I visited but the bus station (old) was depressing and you are of course right about out-of-town shopping centres. Thanks for your report.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Interesting to read the report from @TheGrandWazoo in the North East. As your once home turf you know this area much better than me although I have been to some of the places and some of the routes you mention and I do like visiting the area. The 10/X86 through the hinterland of Stillington looks worth a visit sometime. I note the 873 from Durham to Teesdale but most of the route is Durham to Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle to Middleton in Teesdale, all of which I have done. I liked Bishop Auckland when I visited but the bus station (old) was depressing and you are of course right about out-of-town shopping centres. Thanks for your report.

I would've expected (nay demanded) that you'd been to Durham, Bishop and the optometrist's capital of Barnard Castle, but didn't know if you'd been to High Force. The services are somewhat sparse; back in the day, you could get a direct bus on a Saturday and summer Sundays from Darlington but can't recall when they stopped.

The new 86 will ensure you don't have the excitement of changing in some random village like Stillington. Stockton to Stillington was a much missed link but not certain the Darlington leg was something people were crying out for.

As it's that time of year, and the weather has been good, I have a couple more trips to share

 

[route101]

Interesting to read the report from @TheGrandWazoo in the North East. As your once home turf you know this area much better than me although I have been to some of the places and some of the routes you mention and I do like visiting the area. The 10/X86 through the hinterland of Stillington looks worth a visit sometime. I note the 873 from Durham to Teesdale but most of the route is Durham to Bishop Auckland to Barnard Castle to Middleton in Teesdale, all of which I have done. I liked Bishop Auckland when I visited but the bus station (old) was depressing and you are of course right about out-of-town shopping centres. Thanks for your report.

I am interested in travelling the Northstar 873 although its either spend a 4 and half hours at High Force or return on the 1145 to Bishop Auckland.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I am interested in travelling the Northstar 873 although its either spend a 4 and half hours at High Force or return on the 1145 to Bishop Auckland.

Very true - not certain why it goes all the way back to Bishop. A couple of short runs to/from Barney would be more appropriate.

 

[route101]

Last weekend I took the 888 from Newcastle to Keswick. I have been wanting to do this route for a long time. Living north of the border, the times made it a bit of challenge to get to Newcastle for 9am.

To get to Newcastle I took a Scotrail service from Croy to Edinburgh and short connection onto an LNER to Newcastle. A quick Breakfast Bao bun was procured at a local spot near the coach station.

The 888 departs at 0920 and the coach pulled onto stand just after 9am. The coach was a tired 63 plate ex National Express Levante. I asked for a single to Keswick was given a day return ticket for £35, no £3 tickets here! I think its cash only, despite the driver having one of them portable white ticket machines. There was even paper Cumberland County Council timetables for the 888!

Coming out of Newcastle we picked up a steady stream of passengers then headed to Corrbridge and Hexham. The best bit is the A686 road to Alston and over to Penrith. The first half to Alston was very twisty in places and often in woodland.

At Alston there is a 30 minute break at the Spar Garage.

After Alston we climbed higher to the Hartside Pass. On the descent the view was amazing with Scotland and the Solway Firth one side and the mountains of the Lake District to the left.

A few passengers left us at Penrith and onwards to Keswick via Greystoke.

Arrival was on time at 1240 at a very busy Keswick Bus Station.

After a much needed refreshment, I decided to take a return trip on the open top 78 to Seatoller. First time on this route and very much worth the trip.
To get homeI took the 554 to Carlisle and train up to Scotland.

 

[EYFanatic]

Question - do foreign destinations (even if part of the trip took place in the UK) get to be mentioned here?

Just been reading a few more and I just remembered a heck of a trip when Flixbus used to run the Leeds-Amsterdam service

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Question - do foreign destinations (even if part of the trip took place in the UK) get to be mentioned here?

Just been reading a few more and I just remembered a heck of a trip when Flixbus used to run the Leeds-Amsterdam service

Yeah - crack on

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Aug 2026 ==

Last weekend I took the 888 from Newcastle to Keswick. I have been wanting to do this route for a long time. Living north of the border, the times made it a bit of challenge to get to Newcastle for 9am.

To get to Newcastle I took a Scotrail service from Croy to Edinburgh and short connection onto an LNER to Newcastle. A quick Breakfast Bao bun was procured at a local spot near the coach station.

The 888 departs at 0920 and the coach pulled onto stand just after 9am. The coach was a tired 63 plate ex National Express Levante. I asked for a single to Keswick was given a day return ticket for £35, no £3 tickets here! I think its cash only, despite the driver having one of them portable white ticket machines. There was even paper Cumberland County Council timetables for the 888!

Coming out of Newcastle we picked up a steady stream of passengers then headed to Corrbridge and Hexham. The best bit is the A686 road to Alston and over to Penrith. The first half to Alston was very twisty in places and often in woodland.

At Alston there is a 30 minute break at the Spar Garage.

After Alston we climbed higher to the Hartside Pass. On the descent the view was amazing with Scotland and the Solway Firth one side and the mountains of the Lake District to the left.

A few passengers left us at Penrith and onwards to Keswick via Greystoke.

Arrival was on time at 1240 at a very busy Keswick Bus Station.

After a much needed refreshment, I decided to take a return trip on the open top 78 to Seatoller. First time on this route and very much worth the trip.
To get homeI took the 554 to Carlisle and train up to Scotland. View attachment 209392View attachment 209395View attachment 209393

What an excursion that is!!

I've not done the 888 but have driven it in the car. The first bit to Hexham is perfectly fine. I really enjoy the climb up to Alston from Haydon Bridge as you head up into the Pennines. However, the real joy is, as you say, when you leave Alston towards Penrith. It is absolutely stunning and great that you had fine views courtesy of fine weather.

And then, not content with that, you do the trip to Keswick leaving the Eden Valley and then heading into Lakeland with Skiddaw and Blencathra in front of you before heading up to Seatoller. Very jealous.

I like the way that you gloss over the 554. I guess that in comparison, it seems rather dull but on any ordinary trip, that's a lovely run too.

Thank you for sharing

 

[EYFanatic]

So, this is a good one...


A few years ago, just after it started, I went on the N601 service by Flixbus from Leeds to Amsterdam - a trip that was supposed to take 16 hours but which took a fair bit more in reality on this occasion. The bus started not from Leeds station but Kirkgate as it required extra time sitting there as all passports had to be scanned by the driver and an image sent to the relevant channel crossing company. On this occasion, I boarded and had reserved a seat for the trip at the front on a Yutong (not sure which particular model) by Whippets in full Flixbus livery and decals which I found to be exceptionally well presented, clean, bright and with working air conditioning which was nice on a warm summer's eve. One passenger, a Lithuanian, tried to board but was refused entry because he had no passport which was a condition of boarding and so was turned away. Departure at 17:40 was prompt and we soon flew in and out of Sheffield, Nottingham, Leicester and down to Cambridge where our sole driver handed over to a pair of polish drivers for the rest of the trip.

Onwards into the night did we go to London and due to roadworks that day, we got a sort of free minitour of London before arriving at Stratford where the vast majority of passengers boarded from all walks of life and cultures - I say that not in a bad way, but I was surprised by how many different languages were being spoken. Anyway, we set off late due to somebody getting on who shouldn't have and we went through London again and into the night as we took the M25 and the A282 bridge down to Folkestone for the Eurotunnel and this is where things got funny.

One of the Poles who was driving had been looking in his bag and pockets for something and we eventually found out what it was when passport checks where carried out - he'd left it behind on his kitchen table. This created an issue as we were in the security zone now, so with a member of the Eurotunnel staff standing on the steps, we crept round and out a side exit and drove all the way up to an M20 truck stop where the driver, now being utterly berated by his colleague and accused of being everything from a trained monkey to not being his father's child but that of a dog. Eventually, we dropped him off and this then caused an issue - the other driver rang up Whippets and explained the situation and said that they should have a second driver to share out the driving hours, but the company would be hard pressed to get a driver out of bed, ready and driven down to the terminal at short noticed in the early hours of the morning. He was willing, therefore, if he could have next week off, to do the entire rest of the trip himself though he'd have to stop somewhere along the way. Whippets endorsed this plan and so we went through the procedure again and because we were late had all the passports checked at a small building that looked a bit like a motorway service station in a large car park before the gates/lane queue. We were there for an hour and then boarded the bus and went down to the lane queues were the Eurotunnel radio was being piped over which was pleasent to listen to. The boarding was quick, easy and soon done and we went off under the channel and out the other side.

Because we were now late, we skipped the intermediate stops and kept on the motorway as another Flixbus on a continental only service would pick them up and take them to Amsterdam. We stopped for a break at a BP station of all places for our brave driver who was driving the vehicle like he was the reincarnated ghosts of 303 Squadron and given an hour at this place in Belgium where the vehicle was topped up with fuel and where I managed to persuade the attendant who, bless his heart, was bewildered by a large green coach suddenly stopping in the middle of the night and discharging its entire passenger load to descend on his building for food and drinks, scanned my BP loyalty card in and therefore I clocked a nice total of points... A few weeks after that, it was announced you could no longer do that and I can't help but think that I was to blame! I picked up some iced tea, a ham and cheese sandwich and a tube of pringles if anyone was wondering.

Anyway, after the driver had decided he had had enough of a break, he rounded us all up and we got back on and drove straight on to Amsterdam as darkness gave way to the grey mists of dawn. By the time we got to Amsterdam's outer most parts, we were now in daylight and stuck in traffic. Deciding that being a coach driver was boring and now reverting back to being possessed by a 303 Squadron pilot again, we snuck off at a slip and drove through tiny backstreets, farm tracks and all manner of roads I am still, years on, fairly sure was not entirely legal. Anyway, we got past through the traffic and arrived at Sloterdijk coach station just three minutes behind schedule which, frankly, was a remarkable achievement given all that had happened.

After this, the driver that had forgot his passport was required, by both Whippets and Flixbus, to show that he had the document to his depot manager or supervisor before going to take a coach over on the N601 route which, I learned from other voyages on the service, was always great for teasing by the other drivers who all knew who he was

I used to love the trip as it was long at 16 hours, yes, but it was also very cheap indeed and I hope that Flixbus bring it back as it was always well populated/full up

 

[route101]

Yeah - crack on

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 14 Aug 2026 ==


What an excursion that is!!

I've not done the 888 but have driven it in the car. The first bit to Hexham is perfectly fine. I really enjoy the climb up to Alston from Haydon Bridge as you head up into the Pennines. However, the real joy is, as you say, when you leave Alston towards Penrith. It is absolutely stunning and great that you had fine views courtesy of fine weather.

And then, not content with that, you do the trip to Keswick leaving the Eden Valley and then heading into Lakeland with Skiddaw and Blencathra in front of you before heading up to Seatoller. Very jealous.

I like the way that you gloss over the 554. I guess that in comparison, it seems rather dull but on any ordinary trip, that's a lovely run too.

Thank you for sharing

I wrote this late a night, so might not be too enthusitic about the route when in fact, the views in parts were great.

As for the 554, I fell asleep for a good chunk of the route. I do like the 554 as its handy to get to Carlisle without going via Penrith. The lesser spotted 553 is a good trip too.

 

[Omnidekkalover]

Today I finally got back travelling around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire again after a hiatus.

The first bus was a pronto to Chesterfield (Stagecoach operated 69 plated E400MMC in Beachball livery) which was very punctual if not a bit early on the section into Mansfield, I was very impressed that it didn't lose any time going through Berry Hill on diversion as the A60 was shut by West Notts College going north. When the bus reached Mansfield it went to 3 stands and the driver had to tell a few senior pass holders that it wasn't time yet before leaving Mansfield. Then we set off for the rest of the journey up to Chesterfield. I arrived into Chesterfield a few minutes late which I was starting to get a bit worried as I didn't want to take any chances on the connection for the 170 for Bakewell (all will be revealed) which wouldn't matter in the end as it was running a bit late itself.

The 170 (Stagecoach operated 25 plated E400EV in Local livery) turned up at New Beetwell Street for Bakewell 10 minutes late. The journey out of Chesterfield was uneventful bar the traffic being not the fastest of all time passing through Brampton. Once we got out of Chesterfield the heavens opened up on us. This passed relatively quickly. The rest of the journey was quite uneventful. I got into Bakewell about 5 minutes late which I didn't mind as I had 50 minutes planned in Bakewell.

In Bakewell I had some lunch (Chip cob with an Irn Bru) and walked around a bit before waiting the rest of my wait in the bus shelter in Bakewell due to the threat of rain which thankfully didn't affect me. Anyways, it became time to get on the third bus of the day which was the 172 which goes the scenic way to Matlock from Bakewell quite literally. The bus driver opened the bus for boarding (Andrews of Tideswell operated Private reg. plated Optare Solo in their livery) 5 minutes before departure. I ended up being the only passenger on board from Bakewell to Birchover which I certainly didn't mind. We picked up a few in Birchover itself before getting reasonably busy for the type of route in Winster. We made it into Matlock a few minutes early. Its a route that I would absolutely recommend you do if you are in the Matlock or Bakewell area and have a few hours to spare or want to do a very scenic and rural bus route.

Anyways, in Matlock I had a few more buses to choose from to continue forwards to either Derby on the Transpeak or Chesterfield on the X17. My itinerary would have had the potential connection for the Transpeak to have been very lucky so I decided to play safe at first and head up to Chesterfield on an X17 which is what would've happened if a bus that I shouldn't have been able to catch turned up on time. That bus being the 63 to Chesterfield (Stagecoach operated 74 plated Yutong E12 in Local livery) which left Matlock roughly 10 minutes late. Its a perfectly pleasant route but nothing to write home about scenery-wise in my opinion. Beside the point, we made up about 7 minutes of lost time before we hit the A61 for the second time and hit some roadworks and very quickly learned the most likely reason why the bus into Matlock was running late. I made it into Chesterfield about 10 minutes late where I decamped into the coach station building to wait for the pronto back to Nottingham as it was raining again by this point. I did get the impression that the coach station building would benefit from a bit of a refurbishment and some TLC but I was grateful for some proper shelter at this point.

The last bus of the day was another pronto (Stagecoach operated 69 plated E400MMC in pronto livery) back to Nottingham which was relatively uneventful and I did not have any diversions as the A60 southbound out of Mansfield was open.

I was very happy to get back out on the buses for a day out again after a while and had an enjoyable little day out.

 

[YorkRailFan]

Today I finally got back travelling around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire again after a hiatus.

The first bus was a pronto to Chesterfield (Stagecoach operated 69 plated E400MMC in Beachball livery) which was very punctual if not a bit early on the section into Mansfield, I was very impressed that it didn't lose any time going through Berry Hill on diversion as the A60 was shut by West Notts College going north. When the bus reached Mansfield it went to 3 stands and the driver had to tell a few senior pass holders that it wasn't time yet before leaving Mansfield. Then we set off for the rest of the journey up to Chesterfield. I arrived into Chesterfield a few minutes late which I was starting to get a bit worried as I didn't want to take any chances on the connection for the 170 for Bakewell (all will be revealed) which wouldn't matter in the end as it was running a bit late itself.

The 170 (Stagecoach operated 25 plated E400EV in Local livery) turned up at New Beetwell Street for Bakewell 10 minutes late. The journey out of Chesterfield was uneventful bar the traffic being not the fastest of all time passing through Brampton. Once we got out of Chesterfield the heavens opened up on us. This passed relatively quickly. The rest of the journey was quite uneventful. I got into Bakewell about 5 minutes late which I didn't mind as I had 50 minutes planned in Bakewell.

In Bakewell I had some lunch (Chip cob with an Irn Bru) and walked around a bit before waiting the rest of my wait in the bus shelter in Bakewell due to the threat of rain which thankfully didn't affect me. Anyways, it became time to get on the third bus of the day which was the 172 which goes the scenic way to Matlock from Bakewell quite literally. The bus driver opened the bus for boarding (Andrews of Tideswell operated Private reg. plated Optare Solo in their livery) 5 minutes before departure. I ended up being the only passenger on board from Bakewell to Birchover which I certainly didn't mind. We picked up a few in Birchover itself before getting reasonably busy for the type of route in Winster. We made it into Matlock a few minutes early. Its a route that I would absolutely recommend you do if you are in the Matlock or Bakewell area and have a few hours to spare or want to do a very scenic and rural bus route.

Anyways, in Matlock I had a few more buses to choose from to continue forwards to either Derby on the Transpeak or Chesterfield on the X17. My itinerary would have had the potential connection for the Transpeak to have been very lucky so I decided to play safe at first and head up to Chesterfield on an X17 which is what would've happened if a bus that I shouldn't have been able to catch turned up on time. That bus being the 63 to Chesterfield (Stagecoach operated 74 plated Yutong E12 in Local livery) which left Matlock roughly 10 minutes late. Its a perfectly pleasant route but nothing to write home about scenery-wise in my opinion. Beside the point, we made up about 7 minutes of lost time before we hit the A61 for the second time and hit some roadworks and very quickly learned the most likely reason why the bus into Matlock was running late. I made it into Chesterfield about 10 minutes late where I decamped into the coach station building to wait for the pronto back to Nottingham as it was raining again by this point. I did get the impression that the coach station building would benefit from a bit of a refurbishment and some TLC but I was grateful for some proper shelter at this point.

The last bus of the day was another pronto (Stagecoach operated 69 plated E400MMC in pronto livery) back to Nottingham which was relatively uneventful and I did not have any diversions as the A60 southbound out of Mansfield was open.

I was very happy to get back out on the buses for a day out again after a while and had an enjoyable little day out.

Thank you for a very interesting report.

I was also in the Peak District recently. Last Friday, I used the 170 and found the air-conditioning on the Stagecoach E400EV from Chatsworth to Bakewell lovely. It made for a cooler journey than all windows open on a TM Travel E400 from Sheffield!

I also used the 172, although I only travelled from Bakewell to Winster. With it being the penultimate journey from Bakewell, I was the only person onboard until Elton, where the bus picked up 1 Person (ENCTS). Having used the quicker and more frequent TransPeak between Bakewell & Matlock, I'd also recommend the 172 for a more scenic journey. Although tracking as a Solo, I had an E200 which made turning after Birchover onto the main road slightly challenging, the bus ended up having to reverse back up the embankment to turn onto the main road to continue to Elton.

There are quite a few buses I'd love to try in the Peak District, namely the 173 from Bakewell to Castleton, 58 from Buxton to Macclesfield (once the route past the Cat & Fiddle has reopened), 442 from Buxton to Ashbourne, 65 from Buxton to Sheffield and 257 from Bakewell to Sheffield. I'm hoping to use the 272 this autumn from Sheffield to Castleton and I'm looking forward to it!

 

[JD2168]

Thank you for a very interesting report.

I was also in the Peak District recently. Last Friday, I used the 170 and found the air-conditioning on the Stagecoach E400EV from Chatsworth to Bakewell lovely. It made for a cooler journey than all windows open on a TM Travel E400 from Sheffield!

I also used the 172, although I only travelled from Bakewell to Winster. With it being the penultimate journey from Bakewell, I was the only person onboard until Elton, where the bus picked up 1 Person (ENCTS). Having used the quicker and more frequent TransPeak between Bakewell & Matlock, I'd also recommend the 172 for a more scenic journey. Although tracking as a Solo, I had an E200 which made turning after Birchover onto the main road slightly challenging, the bus ended up having to reverse back up the embankment to turn onto the main road to continue to Elton.

There are quite a few buses I'd love to try in the Peak District, namely the 173 from Bakewell to Castleton, 58 from Buxton to Macclesfield (once the route past the Cat & Fiddle has reopened), 442 from Buxton to Ashbourne, 65 from Buxton to Sheffield and 257 from Bakewell to Sheffield. I'm hoping to use the 272 this autumn from Sheffield to Castleton and I'm looking forward to it!

I’ve done the 257 route in full, it is very scenic once you get past the Sheffield boundary

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

Lovely write up.

I'm another with a vote for the 172. In spring 2022 (a time of daffodils and Ukraine flags), I went from Bolsover to Chessie, and then to Bakewell on the 170 before getting a Hulleys Dart MPD on the 172 from Bakewell to Matlock. Very scenic and I think I was the only passenger for part of it, enjoying the spring sunshine. Very much recommended.

To think that I used to live in Burton on Trent for a few years, and I never went to the Peak District. Instead I preferred to travel around the Black Country on elderly Metrobuses and Lynxes... what was I thinking?

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: Monday at 10:23 ==

**** EAST ANGLIAN TRAVELS - PART 1 ****

Once a year, I travel to East Anglia for a former work colleagues reunion. I usually have the chance to fit in a trip and over the last few years, it has invariably ended up with me in Great Yarmouth via some convoluted route or another. However, this year, I decided to take an extra day off (so two trips) and to try somewhere other than Norfolk (lovely as it is). I hope you enjoy the write ups...

I've travelled on many a trip and on a quick check of the post Covid era, there's a concentration of them in my native North East, my adoptive South West, and South Wales. However, Lincolnshire has never featured... until now, inspired by @RELL6L doing a trip there albeit in the north of the county a couple of years ago. Even then, it was a slightly truncated day but it's better than nothing. I began the day across the border in Wisbech, parking the car and walking the short distance to the bus station. It was very quiet as I waited for my first bus, the First Excel service to Peterborough. I paid my three pounds and went upstairs. There were a few things that I noticed - for what I thought would be a peak hour bus (arriving Peterborough about 0830), it was remarkably quiet with only c.15 passengers. The scenery was really quite nice for the Fens as we sped across and despite these vehicles being 6 years old and prone to the odd ADL rattle, this one was really quite good. The seats really are excellent on these machines and it was a nice, fast trip along the A47 past harvested fields. We arrived into Peterborough bus station having done a circuit via the rail station (where no one exited) despite this being a long standing RailLink service. Peterborough reeks of a bygone age - the bus station and adjoining shopping centre feel so 1980s. The Stagecoach fleet, which I remarked upon during my last trip report in 2022, is equally aged. Not showing its age as much as the bus station but dominated by 14-16 year old vehicles that looked really downbeat. Every other operator (TMS, Centrebus, First and, of course, Delaine) has much newer fleet than Stagecoach. More than that, Stagecoach has really retreated so that country routes are much sparser than they used to be.



First bus of the day was a First bus... the lovely Excel was nicer than normal but quieter



The 1980s grimness of Peterborough bus station

Fortified with a Greggs bacon roll and a coffee, I got my next bus as Peterborough wasn't a place to visit that day. Delaine aren't in the fare cap but you can buy a £5.90 day ticket so I did that. I was getting the Peterborough to Stamford bus and it was a 2020 ADL e200mmc which is a fave of theirs. It had the customary Delaine moquette and laminates and we followed one of their ADL deckers on the Bourne route before we headed towards Stamford. A lady driver, she was pretty smart with her driving and kept to time despite the surprising number of passengers collected from the villages en route as I finally broke my Lincs bus duck. We must have arrived in the market square with over 20 passengers - good for a Thursday morning. I had time to buy a pork pie (!) from a notable local butchers to take back home with me and wander round the town. Basically, if you want to visit a chocolate box market town, Stamford is absolutely stunning. I've been before and was still entranced with its beauty. Very much recommended with its architecture, fine churches, and smart shops. My second Delaine bus was parked up at the bus station but the route to Spalding serves the same stop in the market place (not the bus station) and was a bit of an oddball bus. Volvo B8RLEs are usually found with MCV bodies but few have Wright bodies and even fewer with the updated stealth front. This one is unique with Delaine and again, we headed through surprisingly pleasant countryside to Market Deeping which seemed to be a major point for losing and gaining passengers. After there, we were back into the flatter Fens and arrived on time into Spalding though Delaine avoids the town's bus station.



Stamford - my bus stop visible in the distance


An uncommon machine - Delaine's sole B8RLE/Wright

It was good that it does because not only did it mean I had chance to walk through the town centre, the stop is just near a blue plaque dedicated to Frank Pick - the man behind the tube map, Johnson font and the bullseye logo, the appointment of Charles Holden as architect between the wars was born in Spalding. Who'd have known that a man so pivotal in the design of London's transport (and London in many ways) was from a sleepy Lincolnshire town. To be honest, modern Spalding is rather tired and the bus station was the third one to have barely changed for the last 40 years. The large water tower next door has been refurbished and painted and that looks rather splendid. Spalding is very much a frontier town with two Stagecoach Opcos and Brylaine being the main operator from the north. I was now in £3 fare mode and got on the long standing 505 towards Kings Lynn. My steed was a recently repainted e400 that sort of embodies what I think of a malaise with Stagecoach. I don't like the dark blue livery, and the bus itself was a 17 year old ex Manchester machine with tired standard seats working a route that really should have better fleet on it but Stagecoach just hasn't invested like it used to. On leaving Spalding, we did a loop around a large out of town retail development... no wonder the town is a bit quiet.


Who'd have thought it...



Spalding water tower next to the bus station - nicely repainted and love the Tulip motifs

The 505 is a long standing route. It was always hourly in ye olden days but now runs very half hour across the Fens. We were late leaving Spalding and our seemed like a recently qualified one so was a bit hesitant. We did a loop around the village of Moulton that allowed a good few of the windmill there, and then headed to Holbeach, arriving 10 mins late. I got off at the stop by a Hyrox gym...but the building had been the local Lincolnshire Road Car depot until closing in 1989. I wandered back up the road but Holbeach is really hasn't much to excite me. The bus stop is opposite another called the Interchange shelter but that's a misnomer - apart from a DRT service and some schools journeys, the 505 is the only bus in Holbeach so how much interchanging goes on? I caught the next 505 to Long Sutton which had been the home of Stagecoach's local base until a few years ago. If I thought Holbeach was quiet, Long Sutton was really quiet. It has a population of about 5k but it seemed like a film set with so few people about. My second 505 had been new to the Lincoln to Skegness with really nice "leather" seats and USBs though a little long in the tooth and my final bus of the day would a similar type but slightly older.



More Holland in South Holland - Moulton windmill



One of the e400s on the 505 - one of 4 different liveries apparently in use that day with Stagecoach steel blue, the now replaced standard, and two variants of InterConnect

The 50 runs from Long Sutton to Wisbech but the timetable is based around schools trips so this was the last off peak south to Wisbech. In fact, the pattern of duties around that area is defined by schools services and the various works services to food factories as this is peak produce territory. That said, our bus headed around the Fens with some of the last fields still awaiting wheat to be harvested, rather than green things. It was a lovely trip with me as one of the few passengers as we swayed around narrow Fenland roads and villages, most of which were prefixed with Tydd. It was a delightful relaxing trip through big open skies before finally arriving back at Wisbech, handily getting off early to be reunited with my car.


Not the best photo but I liked the sign (not usually a risk when driving) and definitely shows you're in the Fens

My day had been short and a bit expensive but worth it nonetheless. The South Holland part of Lincolnshire around the Fens is a bid odd. The towns are beautiful with impressive architecture but perhaps the money isn't there these days; they're a bit down at hell. Certainly, bus services have always struggled though the 505 used to justify regular new vehicles but it's now a motley collection of e400s of various ages in a range of colour schemes. Delaine continue to provide a superb service and they also served the nicest town on my travels in Stamford. Just a shame that there's no multi-operator ticket but then again, I suspect it would be rather niche in terms of usage.

I really did enjoy my hop around south Lincolnshire. Hope you enjoyed the write up and the photos. From one end of East Anglia, the next trip is the other extreme...

 

[RELL6L]

Today I finally got back travelling around Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire again after a hiatus.

The first bus was a pronto to Chesterfield (Stagecoach operated 69 plated E400MMC in Beachball livery) which was very punctual if not a bit early on the section into Mansfield, I was very impressed that it didn't lose any time going through Berry Hill on diversion as the A60 was shut by West Notts College going north. When the bus reached Mansfield it went to 3 stands and the driver had to tell a few senior pass holders that it wasn't time yet before leaving Mansfield. Then we set off for the rest of the journey up to Chesterfield. I arrived into Chesterfield a few minutes late which I was starting to get a bit worried as I didn't want to take any chances on the connection for the 170 for Bakewell (all will be revealed) which wouldn't matter in the end as it was running a bit late itself.

The 170 (Stagecoach operated 25 plated E400EV in Local livery) turned up at New Beetwell Street for Bakewell 10 minutes late. The journey out of Chesterfield was uneventful bar the traffic being not the fastest of all time passing through Brampton. Once we got out of Chesterfield the heavens opened up on us. This passed relatively quickly. The rest of the journey was quite uneventful. I got into Bakewell about 5 minutes late which I didn't mind as I had 50 minutes planned in Bakewell.

In Bakewell I had some lunch (Chip cob with an Irn Bru) and walked around a bit before waiting the rest of my wait in the bus shelter in Bakewell due to the threat of rain which thankfully didn't affect me. Anyways, it became time to get on the third bus of the day which was the 172 which goes the scenic way to Matlock from Bakewell quite literally. The bus driver opened the bus for boarding (Andrews of Tideswell operated Private reg. plated Optare Solo in their livery) 5 minutes before departure. I ended up being the only passenger on board from Bakewell to Birchover which I certainly didn't mind. We picked up a few in Birchover itself before getting reasonably busy for the type of route in Winster. We made it into Matlock a few minutes early. Its a route that I would absolutely recommend you do if you are in the Matlock or Bakewell area and have a few hours to spare or want to do a very scenic and rural bus route.

Anyways, in Matlock I had a few more buses to choose from to continue forwards to either Derby on the Transpeak or Chesterfield on the X17. My itinerary would have had the potential connection for the Transpeak to have been very lucky so I decided to play safe at first and head up to Chesterfield on an X17 which is what would've happened if a bus that I shouldn't have been able to catch turned up on time. That bus being the 63 to Chesterfield (Stagecoach operated 74 plated Yutong E12 in Local livery) which left Matlock roughly 10 minutes late. Its a perfectly pleasant route but nothing to write home about scenery-wise in my opinion. Beside the point, we made up about 7 minutes of lost time before we hit the A61 for the second time and hit some roadworks and very quickly learned the most likely reason why the bus into Matlock was running late. I made it into Chesterfield about 10 minutes late where I decamped into the coach station building to wait for the pronto back to Nottingham as it was raining again by this point. I did get the impression that the coach station building would benefit from a bit of a refurbishment and some TLC but I was grateful for some proper shelter at this point.

The last bus of the day was another pronto (Stagecoach operated 69 plated E400MMC in pronto livery) back to Nottingham which was relatively uneventful and I did not have any diversions as the A60 southbound out of Mansfield was open.

I was very happy to get back out on the buses for a day out again after a while and had an enjoyable little day out.

Interesting report. I agree the 172 is a very attractive route between Bakewell and Matlock, great views and delightful villages.

There are quite a few buses I'd love to try in the Peak District, namely the 173 from Bakewell to Castleton, 58 from Buxton to Macclesfield (once the route past the Cat & Fiddle has reopened), 442 from Buxton to Ashbourne, 65 from Buxton to Sheffield and 257 from Bakewell to Sheffield. I'm hoping to use the 272 this autumn from Sheffield to Castleton and I'm looking forward to it!

I have done all these and I recommend every single one of them. Stunning on the 58 across the Cat and Fiddle. The 442 is lovely at Hartington and the section around Earl Sterndale offers some superb views. A great area to travel. Add in the infrequent 108 from Buxton to Leek (which continues to Ashbourne) and the 61 from Buxton up to Whaley Bridge gives a great network of routes. Circuits you could do would be: (1) Sheffield > Castleton > Bakewell > Sheffield; (2) Buxton > Macclesfield > Whaley Bridge > Buxton; (3) Buxton > Ashbourne > Matlock > Buxton.

**** EAST ANGLIAN TRAVELS - PART 1 ****

Once a year, I travel to East Anglia for a former work colleagues reunion. I usually have the chance to fit in a trip and over the last few years, it has invariably ended up with me in Great Yarmouth via some convoluted route or another. However, this year, I decided to take an extra day off (so two trips) and to try somewhere other than Norfolk (lovely as it is). I hope you enjoy the write ups...

I've travelled on many a trip and on a quick check of the post Covid era, there's a concentration of them in my native North East, my adoptive South West, and South Wales. However, Lincolnshire has never featured... until now, inspired by @RELL6L doing a trip there albeit in the north of the county a couple of years ago. Even then, it was a slightly truncated day but it's better than nothing. I began the day across the border in Wisbech, parking the car and walking the short distance to the bus station. It was very quiet as I waited for my first bus, the First Excel service to Peterborough. I paid my three pounds and went upstairs. There were a few things that I noticed - for what I thought would be a peak hour bus (arriving Peterborough about 0830), it was remarkably quiet with only c.15 passengers. The scenery was really quite nice for the Fens as we sped across and despite these vehicles being 6 years old and prone to the odd ADL rattle, this one was really quite good. The seats really are excellent on these machines and it was a nice, fast trip along the A47 past harvested fields. We arrived into Peterborough bus station having done a circuit via the rail station (where no one exited) despite this being a long standing RailLink service. Peterborough reeks of a bygone age - the bus station and adjoining shopping centre feel so 1980s. The Stagecoach fleet, which I remarked upon during my last trip report in 2022, is equally aged. Not showing its age as much as the bus station but dominated by 14-16 year old vehicles that looked really downbeat. Every other operator (TMS, Centrebus, First and, of course, Delaine) has much newer fleet than Stagecoach. More than that, Stagecoach has really retreated so that country routes are much sparser than they used to be.



First bus of the day was a First bus... the lovely Excel was nicer than normal but quieter



The 1980s grimness of Peterborough bus station

Fortified with a Greggs bacon roll and a coffee, I got my next bus as Peterborough wasn't a place to visit that day. Delaine aren't in the fare cap but you can buy a £5.90 day ticket so I did that. I was getting the Peterborough to Stamford bus and it was a 2020 ADL e200mmc which is a fave of theirs. It had the customary Delaine moquette and laminates and we followed one of their ADL deckers on the Bourne route before we headed towards Stamford. A lady driver, she was pretty smart with her driving and kept to time despite the surprising number of passengers collected from the villages en route as I finally broke my Lincs bus duck. We must have arrived in the market square with over 20 passengers - good for a Thursday morning. I had time to buy a pork pie (!) from a notable local butchers to take back home with me and wander round the town. Basically, if you want to visit a chocolate box market town, Stamford is absolutely stunning. I've been before and was still entranced with its beauty. Very much recommended with its architecture, fine churches, and smart shops. My second Delaine bus was parked up at the bus station but the route to Spalding serves the same stop in the market place (not the bus station) and was a bit of an oddball bus. Volvo B8RLEs are usually found with MCV bodies but few have Wright bodies and even fewer with the updated stealth front. This one is unique with Delaine and again, we headed through surprisingly pleasant countryside to Market Deeping which seemed to be a major point for losing and gaining passengers. After there, we were back into the flatter Fens and arrived on time into Spalding though Delaine avoids the town's bus station.



Stamford - my bus stop visible in the distance


An uncommon machine - Delaine's sole B8RLE/Wright

It was good that it does because not only did it mean I had chance to walk through the town centre, the stop is just near a blue plaque dedicated to Frank Pick - the man behind the tube map, Johnson font and the bullseye logo, the appointment of Charles Holden as architect between the wars was born in Spalding. Who'd have known that a man so pivotal in the design of London's transport (and London in many ways) was from a sleepy Lincolnshire town. To be honest, modern Spalding is rather tired and the bus station was the third one to have barely changed for the last 40 years. The large water tower next door has been refurbished and painted and that looks rather splendid. Spalding is very much a frontier town with two Stagecoach Opcos and Brylaine being the main operator from the north. I was now in £3 fare mode and got on the long standing 505 towards Kings Lynn. My steed was a recently repainted e400 that sort of embodies what I think of a malaise with Stagecoach. I don't like the dark blue livery, and the bus itself was a 17 year old ex Manchester machine with tired standard seats working a route that really should have better fleet on it but Stagecoach just hasn't invested like it used to. On leaving Spalding, we did a loop around a large out of town retail development... no wonder the town is a bit quiet.


Who'd have thought it...



Spalding water tower next to the bus station - nicely repainted and love the Tulip motifs

The 505 is a long standing route. It was always hourly in ye olden days but now runs very half hour across the Fens. We were late leaving Spalding and our seemed like a recently qualified one so was a bit hesitant. We did a loop around the village of Moulton that allowed a good few of the windmill there, and then headed to Holbeach, arriving 10 mins late. I got off at the stop by a Hyrox gym...but the building had been the local Lincolnshire Road Car depot until closing in 1989. I wandered back up the road but Holbeach is really hasn't much to excite me. The bus stop is opposite another called the Interchange shelter but that's a misnomer - apart from a DRT service and some schools journeys, the 505 is the only bus in Holbeach so how much interchanging goes on? I caught the next 505 to Long Sutton which had been the home of Stagecoach's local base until a few years ago. If I thought Holbeach was quiet, Long Sutton was really quiet. It has a population of about 5k but it seemed like a film set with so few people about. My second 505 had been new to the Lincoln to Skegness with really nice "leather" seats and USBs though a little long in the tooth and my final bus of the day would a similar type but slightly older.



More Holland in South Holland - Moulton windmill



One of the e400s on the 505 - one of 4 different liveries apparently in use that day with Stagecoach steel blue, the now replaced standard, and two variants of InterConnect

The 50 runs from Long Sutton to Wisbech but the timetable is based around schools trips so this was the last off peak south to Wisbech. In fact, the pattern of duties around that area is defined by schools services and the various works services to food factories as this is peak produce territory. That said, our bus headed around the Fens with some of the last fields still awaiting wheat to be harvested, rather than green things. It was a lovely trip with me as one of the few passengers as we swayed around narrow Fenland roads and villages, most of which were prefixed with Tydd. It was a delightful relaxing trip through big open skies before finally arriving back at Wisbech, handily getting off early to be reunited with my car.


Not the best photo but I liked the sign (not usually a risk when driving) and definitely shows you're in the Fens

My day had been short and a bit expensive but worth it nonetheless. The South Holland part of Lincolnshire around the Fens is a bid odd. The towns are beautiful with impressive architecture but perhaps the money isn't there these days; they're a bit down at hell. Certainly, bus services have always struggled though the 505 used to justify regular new vehicles but it's now a motley collection of e400s of various ages in a range of colour schemes. Delaine continue to provide a superb service and they also served the nicest town on my travels in Stamford. Just a shame that there's no multi-operator ticket but then again, I suspect it would be rather niche in terms of usage.

I really did enjoy my hop around south Lincolnshire. Hope you enjoyed the write up and the photos. From one end of East Anglia, the next trip is the other extreme...

Most interesting report. An area I have travelled a few times. Peterborough bus station and area is pretty miserable but it is OK near the cathedral and river. Stamford is definitely a gem - an outstandingly attractive town. Good that you had the time to explore properly because there are many decent parts of the town centre to see plus the area near the river. I recommend Stamford to anyone. In terms of architecture and general pleasantness the best places in Lincolnshire are Lincoln, Stamford and Louth. I hope you continue to explore the county.

I have not done the route from Stamford to Spalding via Market Deeping, one for the to-do list. Spalding is OK but parts of the centre - especially the bus station - are rather depressing. I am interested to see what has been done to the water tower which was a bit of a blot on the place. Then the 505. I did something similar a few years ago when the route was every 20 minutes, stopping off at Holbeach and Long Sutton on my way to Kings Lynn with 20 minutes in each. It was about enough to be honest, rather uninspiring places. It was a bit lucky because my first bus then broke down shortly after I had left it so on my second one we picked up the stranded passengers who had been on the first one not far on from Holbeach. When I did the 50 to Wisbech it was still the days of Norfolk Green and probably an Optare Tempo. The fens are quite interesting and hills in very short supply. Love the road sign!

I really like Wisbech, the area around the river has some fabulous buildings even though parts of the town are not so affluent. When I was last there I took a bus to Spalding via Holbeach Drove which used to be possible in this direction only just on Thursdays as the market bus out of Wisbech then continued to be in position for a schools bus out of Spalding. A double decker as well!

I look forward to hearing about the other end of East Anglia. Good to see some more services continuing to appear in Norfolk - there will soon be a new 67 every 2 hours between Swaffham and Downham Market through hinterland villages which haven't had a service in generations. New places to try!

 

[YorkRailFan]

I have done all these and I recommend every single one of them. Stunning on the 58 across the Cat and Fiddle. The 442 is lovely at Hartington and the section around Earl Sterndale offers some superb views. A great area to travel. Add in the infrequent 108 from Buxton to Leek (which continues to Ashbourne) and the 61 from Buxton up to Whaley Bridge gives a great network of routes. Circuits you could do would be: (1) Sheffield > Castleton > Bakewell > Sheffield; (2) Buxton > Macclesfield > Whaley Bridge > Buxton; (3) Buxton > Ashbourne > Matlock > Buxton

Thank you for these itineraries. I think (1) would be the most accessible from where I am, with a simple return train journey to Sheffield. I would love to try the others though!

 

[TheSel]

Great reports above. Thanks for sharing.

@Omnidekkalover @YorkRailFan @TheGrandWazoo and @RELL6L in particular - I picked up on several comments about the 172, 'the pretty way' between Matlock and Bakewell. I thought you might like to see my pic below, from 28 January 1986. Silver Service '83' - LRN307J - a Marshall bodied Bristol RESL6L, new to Ribble, picks up a passenger at Elton Crossroads after heavy snowfall.

 

[RELL6L]

Great reports above. Thanks for sharing.

@Omnidekkalover @YorkRailFan @TheGrandWazoo and @RELL6L in particular - I picked up on several comments about the 172, 'the pretty way' between Matlock and Bakewell. I thought you might like to see my pic below, from 28 January 1986. Silver Service '83' - LRN307J - a Marshall bodied Bristol RESL6L, new to Ribble, picks up a passenger at Elton Crossroads after heavy snowfall.

View attachment 210244

Fabulous! Great picture, I can almost hear it. Whatever makes you think I love REs?

 

[YorkRailFan]

Great reports above. Thanks for sharing.

@Omnidekkalover @YorkRailFan @TheGrandWazoo and @RELL6L in particular - I picked up on several comments about the 172, 'the pretty way' between Matlock and Bakewell. I thought you might like to see my pic below, from 28 January 1986. Silver Service '83' - LRN307J - a Marshall bodied Bristol RESL6L, new to Ribble, picks up a passenger at Elton Crossroads after heavy snowfall.

View attachment 210244

Thank you for sharing this amazing picture. Perhaps a Heritage Tour of some sort through the Peak District is needed?

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I look forward to hearing about the other end of East Anglia. Good to see some more services continuing to appear in Norfolk - there will soon be a new 67 every 2 hours between Swaffham and Downham Market through hinterland villages which haven't had a service in generations. New places to try!

Norfolk has done a great job in restoring lost links, creating new ones and enhancing infrastructure though some are in very thin territory. Around Norwich, they've really improved some of the evening headways around Norwich that used to drop alarmingly after 1800.

Thanks for @TheSel for sharing that photo. Bet inside that bus was no warmer than the exterior. I know @RELL6L's allegiance - it was mainly Gardner engines on my childhood REs.

 

[ChrisC]

Having read a number of interesting reports recently from the North East, I thought it was time that I reported on my few days staying in Darlington at the beginning of June. Except for passing through Darlington on the train occasionally, it is a town and an area which I have never explored. The main reason for wanting to stay in Darlington was to visit the Hopetown and Locomotion railway museums, but I booked a 5 night stay to enable me to explore a bit more. I also wanted to have a day in Durham, a city that I had not visited for at least 30 years.

First impressions as a first time visitor were not good. Having arrived at Darlington Station the exit towards the town centre, through an old subway and a station entrance full of rubbish and looking half derelict and unused was not a good introduction. It was also dull and drizzly and the walk up the street towards the town, and crossing the busy roads, made me wonder if I had made a big mistake choosing Darlington for a 5 night stay. My doubts about staying in Darlington soon changed when I reached my hotel The Townhouse on Hound Gate, right in the centre of the town, close to the Market Place and bus stops. The small hotel was in a lovely old Georgian building and the food including breakfast in the seafood restaurant on the ground floor was fantastic. From my room I had a pleasant view of a green space and the house which was the home of Edward Pease, the father of the railways. During my 5 night stay I got to really like the centre of Darlington. Some parts, like so many towns these days were a bit run down and the large empty Binns Department store didn’t help, but I liked the pedestrianised area and Market Place and explored some of the narrow streets with lots of interesting independent shops and eating places.


The view from my hotel wimdow towards the home of Edward Pease.


Darlington Old Market Hall

On my first day I decided to visit Durham. There was a narrow street opposite my hotel which led straight to the bus stops which was very handy. My first bus was the frequent Arriva number 7 bus which runs every 20 minutes during the day between Darlington and Durham taking around 1 hr 15 mins to complete the journey. The somewhat old and tired single decker was to set the scene for much of my bus travel with Arriva during my stay. I must say that although tired looking they were clean and the drivers were generally very friendly. After heading northwards out of Darlington along North Road and a section through open countryside passing over the A1M motorway junction the outskirts of Newton Aycliffe were reached. Except for seeing it on maps and knowing that Hitachi had a train building factory there I knew nothing about Newton Aycliffe. I was not prepared for the size of the area it covered with its industrial estates and huge sprawling housing estates. The bus seemed to be going round various parts of the town for ages and it must have been at least 15 minutes before it eventually came out the other side. Ferryhill seemed quite a pleasant little town and the countryside became more rural and hilly as the bus crossed the River Wear at Sunderland Bridge. The route into Durham was through some very pleasant residential areas. I’d only previously been to Durham twice before and then by train so arriving in the city centre at the bus station was a change. It was also good to know that I would not have to climb back up to the railway station at the end of my visit.

It must be around 30 years since I last visited but do like Durham and it has one of my favourite cathedrals in England. I find the huge round pillars amazing and I love the view of the Cathedral from the train and also from the river below. It’s a lovely historic city to explore but it was very busy. I had a walk along the riverside path and a visit to Crook Hall Gardens which seem so rural and yet are so close to the city centre. I like the fact that Durham is a relatively small city and views of the surrounding countryside are never far away. I also intended to visit the Durham Botanic Gardens but for some reason they were closed when I arrived. I found a bus stop near the garden entrance and it was on the Arriva number 6 route out of Durham towards Spennymoor and Bishop Aukland. It was a very busy single decker but I did manage to find a seat towards the back. The bus joined the number 7 route passing back over the River Wear again at Sunderland Bridge before turning off towards Spennymoor. After having a look at bus timetables I decided to get off the bus in Spennymoor, get something to eat and drink from Greggs before boarding the Arriva number 8 back to Darlington. This bus passed through Ferryhill but then took a different route to Newton Aycliffe via Ferryhill Station and Chilton. I was then taken a slightly different route around Newton Aycliffe including Aycliffe Village before returning to Darlington.


The well known view of Durham Cathedral from the riverside walk.


A view towards the cathedral from Crook Hall Gardens

Heavy showers were forecast for the next day so I decided to set out to visit Locomotion Railway Museum in Shildon and then on to Hopetown Museum on my way back into Darlington. I travelled out to Shildon on the Arriva number 1 which was a very rattly old single decker. The bell didn’t sound very well and the driver took me past my stop at Locomotion in Shildon. He apologised and said thank goodness these buses will be going in a few weeks. I enjoyed my visit to the museum including a walk to some old historic buildings up beyond Shildon Railway Station. I never got to see anything of Shildon as I travelled back towards Darlington on the Arriva number 5 which enabled me to get off on North Road near the Hopetown Museum. This bus took me on an even longer tour of more parts of Newton Aycliffe. I wish now that I had got off the bus on one of my trips to have a walk around Newton Aycliffe town centre as it did look quite interesting for a new town. There was torrential rain just as I arrived at Hopetown so I don’t think that I really saw the outside of it at its best. The museum was quite interesting but I think I preferred Locomotion.

The next day was another day when heavy showers were forecast but the weather looked better to the east. I decided to first visit the town of Yarm which I had remembered once seeing from the train passing over the viaduct and it looked an attractive place. To reach Yarm I had to catch a Stagecoach number 6 bus which runs hourly via a very roundabout route via Yarm to Stockton. This was a very modern Yutong electric single decker which was a complete contrast to all my previous Arriva buses. This route came out of Darlington past the new station entrance and passed a number of retail parks and industrial estates. The route then through a few villages and past the somewhat deserted site of Teeside Airport before crossing the River Tees into the very attractive town of Yarm with its wide main street. I had an interesting walk by the river and under the railway viaduct. The extensive strong flood protection barriers and the height of them above the level of the river were amazing.


Flood barriers by the River Tees at Yarm

After visiting Yarm I decided to make my way over towards the coast at Hartlepool via Stockton. I got to Stockton on the frequent and direct Arriva number 7 instead of continuing on the Stagecoach number 6. I didn’t really see much of Stockton except for passing through and changing buses but it did look as though it had seen much better days. I travelled from Stockton to Hartlepool on another modern Stagecoach electric Yutong on the 36 route. I didn’t find this route very inspiring passing through lots of housing estates and various run down areas of Billingham, although it was an areas completely new to me. Hartlepool was another town which had obviously seen better days although some of the buildings were quite impressive. I enjoyed a walk around the Marina but disappointed that access to the historic quayside was only possible as part of a visit to the Royal Navy Museum. I had a long journey to make back to Darlington and so couldn’t justify paying to go into the museum for a very short visit. It looked an interesting museum and somewhere perhaps for a future visit.

I decided to travel back to Darlington via Durham. I hadn’t realised that there were a number of routes I could have taken and had only noticed the hourly Stagecoach number 59 which departs from Hartlepool Station and takes around 90 minutes for the journey. This was a rattling old single decker and there were never more than a dozen passengers on the bus during any part of the journey. This was a journey I found extremely interesting as it passed through many villages which were once mining villages in the Durham Coalfield. As the bus passed through the villages of Trimdon Colliery, Trimdon Grange, Trimdon, the amazingly named Deaf Hill, Kelloe and Coxhoe, I couldn’t help but compare the area with the ex mining areas of Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and South Yorkshire which I know so well. They are certainly surrounded by beautiful countryside and are quite isolated in what seems like a very rural area. There are run down areas but what did strike me was just how many of the houses were so well kept with many wonderful gardens full of flowers. There still seemed to be a pride in the villages unlike the dereliction particularly seen in some of the similar villages in South Yorkshire. There was, however, an abundance of flags on lamp posts and on houses, even more so than in areas closer to where I live in Nottinghamshire, which does suggest that support for the Labour Party is perhaps not what it was. After getting something to eat in Durham I got a very busy late running Arriva number 7 back to Darlington. This was the only double decker bus I travelled on during my stay in Darlington.

My last day in the area was a day of lovely sunny weather so I decided to take a trip out to Barnard Castle and on to Middleton in Teesdale. The journey out to Barnard Castle on the Arriva X75, which runs via the very attractive village of Staindrop was not really the pleasant journey it ought to have been. The bus was driven at an alarmingly fast speed even on the narrow winding road into Staindrop and at times I found it quite worrying the speed he approaches bends with little visibility. After leaving Staindrop he had to brake sharply when he met a van coming towards us, and one elderly lady fell off the seat and banged her head, The driver stopped and was obviously quite concerned but the lady although shaken said she was ok. When we got off the bus at Barnard Castle there was a general conversation about how he was driving too fast, and I was not the only one aboard who had observed him speeding straight past some waiting passengers at a bus stop just outside the village of Gainsford without stopping.

I did like Barnard Castle. Such a lovely old town. The visit to the castle ruins was also interesting. On the advice of the owner of my hotel I went to visit the Bowes Museum just outside the town centre. Despite paying quite a high price to get in I didn’t actually stay long. The building is magnificent and the history of the place is very interesting. The general layout of the museum and contents I found a bit tired and dated. The trip up to Middleton in Teesdale seemed much more inviting than a somewhat stuffy museum on a sunny day.


The very impressive building containing the Bowes Museum.

The small single decker 95 bus to Middleton operated by Weardale Motor Services was quite a change from Arriva and Stagecoach. The very friendly driver, who seemed to know all the locals, did not seem surprised when his machine didn’t accept my Nottinghamshire ENTCS pass. I have driven up Teesdale a few times in the past but it was nice to travel up the valley by bus. I stayed in Middleton for well over 2 hours enjoying sitting outside the fish and chip shop for lunch, a walk around the village and a longer walk along by the river. I got the bus back to Barnard Castle which travelled by a slightly different route down the other side of the valley. Then it was the Arriva X76 bus back to Darlington at a much more comfortable speed than my outward journey. I was quite surprised how affluent the western side of Darlington is on the road in from Barnard Castle.


The River Tees at Middleton in Teesdale

I did enjoy my few days based in Darlington, and the longer I was there the more I liked Darlington town centre. Last week I was in Hull for a few days travelling around East Yorkshire, especially towards the coast, so hopefully another report coming soon. Next month I will be spending a week in a completely new area for me. I will be in Carmarthen having a week exploring by bus using a West Wales Weekly Rover ticket.