Class 33
Established Member
- Joined
- 14 Aug 2009
- Messages
- 2,362
I started going to some bus rallies last year. Something I wish I'd have done years ago, as it gives good opportunity to ride on buses I remember riding on back in the good ol' days - when buses had much more character than the modern buses nowadays. Things like Lodekka's, VR's, RE's, Olympians, etc.
I have only been to just three bus rallies. Two in Bristol, and one in Plymouth.
Bristol Bus Rally & Running Day - Brislington Park & Ride
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I thought this was pretty good. With a good variety of heritage single and double deckers running. The route each bus ran seemed to be just one route though - from Brislington down the Bath Road past Temple Meads and into the City Centre and back again via the same route - a journey of about 40 minutes. Could have done with there being a few different routes at least to add some variety. But all in all, pretty good.
Bristol Harbourside Bus Rally & Running Day
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This was excellent. With a good variety of heritage single and double deckers running, as well as some coaches like the Leyland Leopards. A good variety of different routes available too. From a short City Centre and Temple Meads circular route, through to routes running out to the Bristol suburbs such as Patchway, Avonmouth, and Stockwood, and even some routes running out into Somerset. Excellent overall.
Western National Preservation Group Bus & Vehicle Rally at Plymouth
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Found this one a bit dissapointing to be honest. Whilst they did have a good number of heritage buses and some coaches running, a number of them I found to be too modern and were of no interest to me. Also it seems that the routes the vehicles were running was just a short circular route around The Hoe and the City Centre - only about a 15-20 minute journey. And also this gave no opportunity to get the vehicles running to any half decent speeds, most of the time the vehicles would have got up to no faster than 20mph! However near the end of the day I was lucky enough to get a ride on a Bristol VR which was running out to the Plymouth suburb of Hooe - about an hour's journey there and back, which I really enjoyed.
All in all though I found this one a bit dissapointing. If you're fairly local to Plymouth it may be worth a visit. But it's not worth travelling long distance for in my opinion.
Out of those three bus rallies I've been to though, I'm dissapointed that I haven't been able to ride on a bus which I haven't rode aboard for over 21 years now - a Leyland National single decker. This is a bus I REALLY want to ride on again! They have had these buses on display, but there seem to be none running for public use. Anyone know which bus rallies these buses are very likely to be running?
Anyone else able to post short summaries of good and not so good bus rallies you've been to?
I have only been to just three bus rallies. Two in Bristol, and one in Plymouth.
Bristol Bus Rally & Running Day - Brislington Park & Ride
----------------------------------------------------
I thought this was pretty good. With a good variety of heritage single and double deckers running. The route each bus ran seemed to be just one route though - from Brislington down the Bath Road past Temple Meads and into the City Centre and back again via the same route - a journey of about 40 minutes. Could have done with there being a few different routes at least to add some variety. But all in all, pretty good.
Bristol Harbourside Bus Rally & Running Day
-----------------------------------------
This was excellent. With a good variety of heritage single and double deckers running, as well as some coaches like the Leyland Leopards. A good variety of different routes available too. From a short City Centre and Temple Meads circular route, through to routes running out to the Bristol suburbs such as Patchway, Avonmouth, and Stockwood, and even some routes running out into Somerset. Excellent overall.
Western National Preservation Group Bus & Vehicle Rally at Plymouth
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Found this one a bit dissapointing to be honest. Whilst they did have a good number of heritage buses and some coaches running, a number of them I found to be too modern and were of no interest to me. Also it seems that the routes the vehicles were running was just a short circular route around The Hoe and the City Centre - only about a 15-20 minute journey. And also this gave no opportunity to get the vehicles running to any half decent speeds, most of the time the vehicles would have got up to no faster than 20mph! However near the end of the day I was lucky enough to get a ride on a Bristol VR which was running out to the Plymouth suburb of Hooe - about an hour's journey there and back, which I really enjoyed.
All in all though I found this one a bit dissapointing. If you're fairly local to Plymouth it may be worth a visit. But it's not worth travelling long distance for in my opinion.
Out of those three bus rallies I've been to though, I'm dissapointed that I haven't been able to ride on a bus which I haven't rode aboard for over 21 years now - a Leyland National single decker. This is a bus I REALLY want to ride on again! They have had these buses on display, but there seem to be none running for public use. Anyone know which bus rallies these buses are very likely to be running?
Anyone else able to post short summaries of good and not so good bus rallies you've been to?
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