Trip to Newark-on-Trent 19-07-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
33208	Newark BS	Balderton (Notts), opp Meadow Road	2	Stagecoach East Midlands
33208	Balderton (Notts), opp Meadow Road	Newark BS	2	Stagecoach East Midlands
PO51 UMW	Newark BS	Balderton (Notts), adj Smith Street	24	Centrebus
47843	Balderton (Notts), opp Smith Street	Newark BS	3	Stagecoach East Midlands
33766	Newark BS	Newark (Notts), adj Beastmarket Hill	28	Stagecoach East Midlands
17738	Newark (Notts), opp Beastmarket Hill	Newark BS	28	Stagecoach East Midlands
47462	Newark BS	Hawtonville (Newark), adj Lilac Close	3	Stagecoach East Midlands
47842	Balderton (Notts), opp Baines Avenue	Newark BS	2	Stagecoach East Midlands

Today we decided to visit Newark-on-Trent for the first time. The weather for today had forecast widespread heavy thunderstorms, so we left picking where to go until the morning. Matthew had suggested going to Northampton, but it was just a bit too far to go for an afternoon out. I got up early on Saturday morning and reassessed the weather situation. Matthew had correct on suggesting a destination East of us as to the best place to go. I tried to see what the forecast for Newark was, and it was for sunny intervals between 14:00 and 18:00 which should be OK for our visit. I asked Matthew if he wanted to go to Newark and he said yes. Other than check the weather little research was done. Apart from Stagecoach East Midlands buses, I had no idea what we would see today. I downloaded a bus map of Newark from the Nottinghamshire County Council website and e-mailed to myself so I had it on my phone. It had been raining all morning and it was still raining when Matthew got up at around 10:30 today and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. we set off around 11:45. We headed out onto the A5035 and turned left to go towards Longton. When we got to the edge of town we crossed and joined the Eastbound A50. It was raining hard now and the surface water on the road was making driving quick difficult. We passed Z Carz GL04 CVE. When we got to the Little Chef roundabout at Uttoxeter we saw First Potteries 32633 on a #32A to Hanley. We carried on East on the A50 and we passed City Buses & Coaches LT02 XLJ going the other way. The rain continued to pour. When we got to the M1, we joined the Eastbound A453. This road is currently in the middle of a road widening scheme, and there are speed restrictions in place. It was probably a good job as the spray from passing vehicles was horrendous! When we got to the edge of Nottingham we passed a few Nottingham City Transport vehicles. These were Nottingham City Transport 965, 716 and 948 which was on a service 48 to Clifton. It was around 13:00 as we passed through the Clifton area of town. As we got to the A52 the rain turned torrential. As we left the road to Nottingham, car of the road above us were causing spray to come over the side of the road and down onto to us on the A453! It was difficult to see where we were going... When cars passed us the spray was so bad that it took a few seconds before we could see out of the front window again even with the wipers on fast! We got onto the Eastbound A52 and we carrie on around the City until we reached the other side of the ring road. We carried on East on the A52 until we got to the junction with the A46. As we carried on North to Newark the rain started to ease off and by the time we had done the last mile into Newark along the B6166 it had stopped raining and the sun was coming out! We decided to park and eat at Asda. We missed the turning the first time around and we passed Stagecoach East Midlands 33405 on the #3A service and 18034 was parked in the bus station on layover. We turned around on a roundabout near to the castle and we headed back to Asda and parked up. By the time we found a space and parked up it was nearly 14:00. We went up to the cafe on the top floor and used the toilets. Matthew had sausage chips and beans with a bap, washed down with a cup of Coke. We got to the bus station around 14:25 and the bus station was nearly empty. We went around the top and there was an area where you could look into the bus station and take pictures. We had just missed seeing required 18034 depart on the 14:20 #28 to Mansfield. We then saw an interesting Dart, Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 on a #2 to Balderton.

Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 in Newark bus station

We got on the buses and because we thought we may go on a longer run we brought the Explorer tickets at £5.80. We sat down near the back of the bus. As we left the bus station we saw required Stagecoach East Midlands 33405 on a #3A service, and 33766 was arriving on a #29 from Southwell. We set off out of town along London Road. After around a mile or so we turned right into Hawton Lane. We turned back on ourselves and when we got to Wilfred Avenue we got back up and flashed the tickets for the return journey into town. We crossed over London Road and we went around the other half of the estate before joining back onto London Road along Baines Avenue. We went back into town and into the bus station. When we got back we waited for the bus to Empty and Matthew got a picture inside Stagecoach East Midlands 33208.

Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 33208

We got off the bus and Matthew went to the toilet. There was a bit of a gap in the service right now. I had thought there was a 15:20 #28 to Mansfield, but the next one was at 15:50. There was a #24 service to Grantham which I had assumed was also a stagecoach service. When it arrived I was surprised to see a plain cream coloured bus PO51 UNW.

Centrebus PO51 UMW in Newark bus station

We could see that it used to be a Kimes bus as there was the outline of the sticker still visible on the front of the bus. There was a few minutes to departure. We looked at a timetable on the wall and we could see it was the last #24 of the day from here. It did however go along London Road road. Matthew wanted to do the bus so we thought we could pay for this run and catch a Stagecoach bus back. We got on and booked singles to Balderton, from the tickets we learned that we were on a Centrebus vehicle! We went upstairs and there were people front and back of the bus, so Matthew took a picture of the empty seats opposite us.

Inside Centrebus PO51 UMW

Just before we left the bus station, a Travel Wright Optare Excel arrived into the bus station. It was former Trent Barton V199 ERA. We left the bus station and headed off down London Road. It was only a short journey of around a mile and half, and when we saw the petrol station opposite we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another better picture of Centrebus PO51 UNW before it carried on South to Grantham.

Centrebus PO51 UMW in Balderton

We crossed the road to wait for the next Newark bound service. We hadn't passed anything when we went South and there were people at the bus stop so we though there might be something due. A minute or two later we saw a Stagecoach solo SR approaching. When knew it would be required as we havn't dome any of this type belonging to Stagecoach. As it got closer we saw it was Stagecoach East Midlands 47843.

Stagecoach East Midlands 47843 in Balderton

We got on the bus and sat down near the back. As far as I am aware this is only the second Solo SR we have been on, the other one being Arriva NW&W 712, which we did through torrential rain from Clockface to St Helens back in October 2013. The bus went back up London Road into town. It was looking like we would get back to the bus station in time to do the 15:50 #28 towards Mansfield. The bus got into the bus station a few minutes before the #28 was due.We waited for the bus to empty and Matthew got a picture inside the now empty Stagecoach East Midlands 47843.

Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 47843

We got off the bus and as the #28 hadn't arrived we went to take a few pictures. We saw marshalls of Sutton-on TRent V270 DRV in the bus station.

Marshalls V270 DRC in Newark bus station

We also saw Travel Wright V199 ERA to take a picture as it was still on layover.

Travel Wright V199 ERA in Newark bus station

We sat down in the bus station and Matthew had a drink of Irn Bru. Just then required Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 came in to work the 15:50 #28 service to Mansfield.

Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 in Newark bus station

We got on the bus and flashed our Explorer tickets to the driver. We sat down near the back. As the bus set off I checked the timetable. The next bus was due off at 17:10 so I thought we would have possibly journey each way of up to 40 minutes. I checked the timetable and it appeared we were going to pass a bus just outside of town and the one after that didn't get back until 17:47. We had to get off the bus... We had stopped at the level crossing by Newark Castle station to wait for a train to pass. Matthew took a picture of the empty back seat behind us with the castle in the background.

Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 33766

When the bus set off across the crossing we rang the bell to get off. Matthew took another picture of Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 as it carried on towards Mansfield.

Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 in Newark

Right behind us was Marshall Solo V270 DRC on a #39B to Tuxford. We crossed the road and I thought I had seen a bus go passed when we crossed the railway. We had a clear view of the road so decided to walk a few yards up to the signal box. On the way we saw Travel Wright Solo KX53 SGV on a #32 to Ollerton.

Travel Wright KX53 SGV in Newark

We took a picture of the Signal Box whilst we were in this part of town...

Newark signal box

We walked back to the stop thinking we may have missed the bus. A few minutes later we could see a Stagecoach ALX400 double decker distance. As it got closer we saw it was dud Stagecoach East Midlands 17738.

Stagecoach East Midlands 17738 in Newark

We got on the bus and flashed our tickets. We went upstairs and sat down. We had last been on this bus in from Mansfield to Warsop back in February 2013. It was only a five minute journey back to the stop opposite the bus station. If we had known how thing were going to pan out we wouldn't have purchased an Explorer ticket! When we got to the stop everyone else got off too, so Matthew took a picture of the empty top deck of Stagecoach East Midlands 17738.

Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 17738

We got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of Stagecoach East Midlands 17738.

Stagecoach East Midlands 17738 in Newark

We waled back to the bus station and Matthew went to the toilet. He spent quite a bit of time in there. When he came out we shared a bottle of Tango orange from the vending machine. We walked around to the outside of the bus station and we took a few pictures. We saw Marshalls of Sutton-on-Trent Solo MX09 AOS in a plain cream livery on a #37 to Retford.

Marshalls MX09 AOS in Newark bus station

We then saw required Stagecoach East Midlands 47462 on a #3 to Hawtonville. We decided to do this, so we walked back into the bus station and Matthew took a picture.

Stagecoach East Midlands 47462 in Newark bus station

We flashed the tickets at the driver and Matthew got the driver to beep the horn. We sat down near to the back. The bus set off out of town and down Albert Street. At this point I wasn't sure what we were going to do so I looked at the Newark Town bus map. The #3 was only evety 30 minutes, so if we got off and waited for the next one it would be quite a wait. The bus did seem to go quite close to Balderton so we decided, so if we got off at the closest point, we could walk over to Balderton and there would be a bus every 15 minutes back. As we turned into the estate Matthew took a picture of the empty back seat in Stagecoach East Midlands 47462.

Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 47462

When we got to Cherry Holt I judged us to be at the closest point to Balderton and we got off the bus. As the bus carried on back towards Newark, Matthew got another picture of Stagecoach East Midlands 47462.

Stagecoach East Midlands 47462 in Hawtonville

The phone rang and it was mum asking how we were getting on. We told her our plans and she told us if we were back by 17:00 she would have to move the car. We set off foot to Balderton. On the road between Trinity Road and Bowbridge Road we saw Marshalls of Sutton-on-Trent Solo YG02 FWL on a #77 service.

Marshalls YG02 FWL in Hawtonville

We got onto Hawton Lane and it was long and straight with a bridge over something in the distance about 3/8ths of a mile away. We walked up the Lane and there was a farming equipment store, a pile manufacturers and a builders yard on the left of the road. We got to the bridge and it was an old disused railway line that had been converted into a cycle path. We could see houses in front of use and eventually we go to the corner were the #2 & #3 buses turned around. I asked Matthew if he wanted to go right onto Lansbury Road or continue along Hawton Lane. We carried on towards the main road. It was now approximately 17:00. We looked at the timetable but it was hard to read as it was a timetable for the whole route and not from this stop and we didn't know at what timing point we were at. We stopped at a shop and Matthew brought a small bottle of Irn Bru and a can of Coke for later. He also brought some chocolate. We got outside and we saw the #3 bus go passed. As we got close to London Road we then saw required Stagecoach East Midlands 47842 on the #2. When knew if we walked to the main road we could head this bus off. We got to the stop on London Road and we sat down. Matthew drank the bottle of Irn Bru and a minute or so later Stagecoach East Midlands 47842 appeared from Baines Avenue and we flagged it down.

Stagecoach East Midlands 47842 in Balderton

We got on the bus and we flashed the tickets for the last time. We sat down near the back. It was almost empty except for one other person. Mum had texted to say she had moved the car and we carried on into town along London Road. The other lady got off the bus and got into an argument with the folding doors as she got off. When we got into the bus station we got up and Matthew got a picture inside Stagecoach East Midlands 47842. We then saw Travel Wright Dart D27 (GX04 ASU).

Travel Wright GX04 ASU in Newark bus station

Matthew went to the toilet for one last time and we set off on foot the short distance to the car on Castle Gate. As we passed the end of the bus station we saw Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 again.

Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 in Newark bus station

Further along Lombard Street we saw Cotswold CVS SF06 BLX on the #41B service.

Cotswold CVS SF06 BLX in Newark

We rounded the corner and we saw the car. At the car mum was waiting with Greggs Sausage rolls and Matthew had a large can of Irn Bru. We needed to turn the car around to head back South, so we turned at the roundabout as we did earlier when we missed the entrance to Asda. We need to get a couple of cans out of the boot and we decided to stop to get some chips too. We had 2 portions between the 4 of us. Whilst mum was getting the chips we saw Stagecoach East Midlands 18034 arrive back in town on the #28. Just as mum got back to the car the heavens opened again and once again it was so heavy the road was under water and visibility was poor. We managed to make the right turning onto the B6166 and we got onto the Southbound A46. The rain stopped and by the time we joined onto the westbound A52 it was sunshine all the way home. On the outskirts of Nottingham we went around the south of the City on the A52 before joining the a453 at Clifton. On the A453 we stopped for a quick splash and dash of petrol in case we ran out of LPG. We carried on along the A453 and it was much more pleasant in the evening sun than it had been earlier in heavy rain! We crossed the M1 at the big roundabout to join the Westbound A50 and we had a good run all the way up to Longton, where we left the A50 to see what was at Z Carz. There were 6 vehicles visible at the site tonight. First there was Volkswagen minibus S973 OVP.

Z Carz S973 OVP in Longton

Then we saw Scania coach D104 XAN.

Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton

Next in the row was Volkswagen minibus OV05 WSW.

Z Carz OV05 WSW in Longton

The there was a row of three Mercedes minibuses with different body manufacturers. First there was former Thompson W221 CDN.

Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton

Then the was BV51 BNO.

Z Carz BV51 BNO in Longton

Lastly there was former Phil Smiths Travel M372 NWN

Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton

We turn into Willow Row and we saw M420 UEH in the compound along with long term SORN LDV minibus T408 JUX. We headed back onto the A50 which we did to Heron Cross. We saw Lightning Travel T2 DLT and then we saw First Potteries 53830 on a #23 service. We got home at 19:30. For a late tea we had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a cake bar. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 01:00... Mark