| Bus | From | To | Service | Operator |
| MIB 978 | Brunswick Street, Newcastle | St George's Field Coachpark, York | Charter | Copelands Tours |
| G336 CSG | York Clifford's Tower | York Clifford's Tower | Tour | York Pullman |
| G336 CSG | York Clifford's Tower | York railway station | Tour | York Pullman |
| E313 MSG | York, Nunnery Lane car park (opp) | York Clifford's Tower (opp) | Tour | York Pullman |
| G337 CSG | York, Stonebow Stop B | York Clifford's Tower (opp) | Tour | York Pullman |
| MIB 978 | St George's Field Coachpark, York | Brunswick Street, Newcastle | Charter | Copelands Tours |
Earlier this week we decided to book on our 2nd Copeland's Tours trip of the year so far to York. Preparation for the trip included printing section of the York bus map and printing out a load of First York Timetables along with Arriva service 415. I had looked up the price of the York Pullman City Tour, but I initial dismissed this as not an option. As it was a longer trip we decide to do this coach from it's last scheduled pickup of Newcastle. As we were unable to park in Brunswick Street, I dropped everybody off and put the car in the Vue car park for the day. Of course, as soon as i left a space became available in the street! Matthew enjoyed watching a procession of coaches and bus coming down the street for the few minutes we had to wait before our coach turned up at around 08:50. When the bus turned up it was not the one Matthew wants most desperately to travel on, but it was required... MIB 978. the route from Newcastle was A34,A500,M6 and then M62 After around an hour on the road, we stopped at the Birch Service station on the M62. here we stopped for a quick toilet stop and we visited the shop where Matthew purchased the latest issue of 'Buses'. When we went to the toilet we used our RADAR key as always to access what we thought was the disabled toilets. I could hear voices from the other side so I slowly opened the door. What the door actually was, was a shorter route to the toilets. When mum came around to the toilet from the other side I don't think she saw the funny side... We got to the toilet proper and used the key again. after the toilet stop Matthew photographed our trusty steed before we boarded the coach for the rest of the journey.
Copeland's tour MIB 978 in Birch services (Matt)
We continued out journey West, and as the coach climbed up the bank on Saddleworth Moor, I'm sure we slowed to around 30mph! Over the other side and we continued at a better speed. Joining the A1(M) then A64 and A19. We arrived at the St. George's field coach park at around 11:45. On the way in we passed a pub called the Mason's Arms a I suggested we ate there. We sat outside on a table where Matthew could see the buses go past and i went in to see a menu. Due to the food being not stuff Matthew liked and the fact that most main meals were £8 plus, we decided to just get 2 plates of chips to share and 3 drinks. A portion of chips cost £3.25 and the food and drink altogether cost £11.30! Whilst we waited for the food, Matthew took a few pictures.
York Pullman double decker M209 VSX on Fishergate (Matt)
After eating we had to make a decision on what to do. Mum wasn't feel very well, and was concerned with how far she was going to have to walk to get there. I had said we should have walked out of town towards the next bus stop to catch something inbound, but as the decision seemed counter intuitive, we ended up walking into town. It was a warm humid day with hazy sunshine and the walk was hard going. We got as far as Clifford's Tower, where we were struggling to read the York bus map whilst walking and keep Matthew happy. The map consists of coloured numbers by the stops and it was hard to try and work out where buses were actually going in relation to where we were and what buses stopped at the nearest stop. As mum was really struggling today we made the decision to do the York Pullman city tour. There was a bus at the stop G336 CSG, so we got the tickets and boarded the bus.
York Pullman City Tour G336 CSG in Tower Street (Matt)
Unusually, Matthew wanted to sit downstairs and we had to persuade him to go upstairs and sit in the open air. Having not been to York since the early 80's apart from one brief visit to Railtrack to remove a giant camera, doing the tour bus was a good thing. we spent over an hour on the first tour bus doing one complete circuit and then getting off at the railway station. We left mum on the bus so she could go further round towards the shops. As we got off Matthew photographed the tour bus as it pulled off into the distance.
After over a complete circuit, we see G336 CSG pull away from the railway station (Matt)
After we got off by the railway station we decided to have a walk around and take a few bus pictures. We decided to walk towards the wall and along Station Road. As we passed under the city wall, we saw a First Volvo double decker on a lay over.
First Yorkshire N&W 30960 on a layover off Station Road from it's X4 duties (Matt)
We carried on a short way along Station Road and then got on the wall where it is level with the road. We then walked along the wall towards Nunnery Lane taking some pictures off the wall of buses as we went.
Yorkshire Traction 705 taken off the wall on Station Road (Matt)
When got off the wall in nunnery lane, We used the facilities in the car park and then crossed the road to catch the next tour bus. Whilst we waited we saw several other York Pullman buses on the 44 service, a coach and also a Routemaster! The next tour bus was E313 MSG. Matthew was a little surprised and didn't get a good picture here. we sat downstars on this bus for a short while. As we learned from the last run the bus stops in St. Leonards Place for a good 10-15 minutes, we got off for a drink and to take pictures.
Deadly rivals! York Pullman City Tour E313 MSG stands alongside City Sightseeing Tours 4010 off St Leonards Place (Matt)
Back on the bus we went upstairs in the covered section. It was warm, but at least we weren't in direct sunlight. We called mum to see where she was. She hadn't done to much with her feeling ill and was now waiting in front of Clifford's Tower, so we decided to do the bus around to their to meet her. When we got off. we had about an hour and 30 minutes before the coach was leaving. I thought it would be a good idea to get some food before the return journey and to see if we could get one more bus. mum was the only person that knew where Greggs was as she had been before. Matthew was dragging me out in front and I didn't now where I was going. he ended up dragging me down Spurriergate. I eventually got him to stop and we head back towards the Tower and then we saw a sign for a place called Chico's. We didn't find Chico's, but we did find sandwich shop opposite Tesco Express where we did get a rice crispy slice and a Shortbread caramel slice and some pop. I decided to go up towards The Stonebow, which is somewhere I knew I could get the Tour bus from. it just so happened to be where Greggs was and we were able to get some sausage rolls too! Whilst waiting for the tour bus, we saw Volvo B6 40571 on a #12 service.
First Volvo B6 40571 on a #12 to Acomb Park (Matt)
A few minutes later, required G337 CSG turned up, and we had amanged to get all 3 tour buses out today.
Our last tour bus of the day G337 CSG in the Stonebown (Matt)
We got off by Clifford's Tower again, and then started to walk back toward the coach park. As we went we saw several buses including a Scraggs (of Stoke) minibus.
Scraggs VT 9389 in York (Matt)
He also photographed Volvo double decker 30965...
First Yorkshire N&W 30965 on a #4 University service (Matt)
We go back to the coach a little early, so we decide to sit down on the bank of the Ouse and eat our sausage rolls before returning to the coach. We set off a fraction before 17:00 On the journey back, we hit traffic outside York, but by the time we were back on the A1(M) we had a clear run. We stop at Birch services again. Where the were a couple of Mayne coaches parked up.
Mayne 53 in Birch Services (Matt)
Mayne 54 in Birch Services (Matt)
We were back in Newcastle around 20:00 and we walked back to the Vue car park. After dropping Uncle Dave home. We got home around 20:40. today was a good trip and we could have done thing differently, but I think we made the best decision considering we couldn't remember the City or work out which buses went where within the City. If we return again any time soon we will have a much better idea about which buses to catch in this strange City. more of Matthew's photographs from this day can be found here...Mark
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