Trip to Fenton / Trent Vale 08-08-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
41497	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trent Vale, opp Collin Road	22	First Potteries
42893	Trent Vale, adj Collin Road	Trent Vale, adj Black Lion	22	First Potteries

Today we decided to go to Trent Vale on the bus. Not before Matthew had been out for the day with his new day service. Matthew got up around 07:45 and had some toast and orange juice and used his computer whilst he waited to be picked up. He was picked up a little before 09:00 and the drove him through Blurton via Finstock Avenue and Beaconsfield Drive. At Heron Cross lights we went straight over and then onto Glebedale Road and then to his destination. Matthew spent the morning in the sensory room and using a computer. For dinner Matthew had sausage chips and gravy. We walked to the local pub and spent the afternoon looking at buses go past. Highlight were seeing First Potteries 65564 on the #1 service and Copelands Tours MIB 302 on the #40. On the way back we saw First Potteries 41070 on a #23 to Hanley.

First Potteries 41070 in Fenton

At home time we took Matthew onto Glebedale Road. On Station Bridge road we passed Shelton Care Group DX53 VCA coming back from Westport Lake. We carried on through Heron Cross and along Blurton Road and Beaconsfield Road, getting home around 15:00. At home Matthew had toast and some cherryade. We had seen all eight #22 turn but there was nothing required at the time we wanted to go out. So we formulated a plan to go a little bit further and then to catch a required bus back! We set off to the bus stop around 15:25 and we walked all the way to Magdalen Road. Whilst we waited for the bus to appear we saw Jayjays Travel Iveco minibus RX57 POV.

Jayjays Travel RX57 POV in Blurton

A few minutes later as expected dud First Potteries 41497 came around the corner.

First Potteries 41497 in Blurton

We got on the bus and booked to Harpfields Road. We sat down towards the back of the bus and we set off onto the A5035. The bus was nearly empty and Matthew took a picture of the back seat behind us. This was a bus that we had done once before back in April 2014 from Blurton to Stoke. The bus carried on towards Trentham and we passed dud First Potteries 43877 on the next #22 to Dresden. In Trentham we passed dud First Potteries 41499 going into Trentham. We carried on through Hanford and onto the A34. As we passed London Road we saw required First Potteries 41522 on another Trentham bound #21 service. We turned of the A34 and a few stops along Harpfields Road we got up and got off.

First Potteries 41497 in Trent Vale

We crossed the road quickly as we only a minute or so before the next Dresden bound bus was due. We predicted that this would be required First Potteries 42893, the last required Dart from the batch that came from Worcester in November 2013. A minute or so later we what looked like 42893 approaching, and as it got closer we saw that it was as expected.

First Potteries 42893 in Trent Vale

We got on and booked to the A34. We were only going about 1/2 a mile along the road around 3 stops distance. We sat down briefly near to the back of a very well filled bus. As such Matthew wasn't able to get a picture inside this one. We got off and Matthew got another picture of this fine example of a Dart.

First Potteries 42893 in Trent Vale

We went straight into the pub as mum had already got there, where Matthew had a brunch with bread and butter followed by toffee sponge pudding with ice cream. Whilst we ate highlights of the passing buses included Bennetts Travel Dart T48 JBA running empty and Jayjays Travel RX57 POV which must have followed us up to the pub! On the #101's, three out of the four turns we saw today were being worked by double deckers. These were First Potteries 32627/32635 & 37160. Also on the #101's was First Potteries Scania 65041. After we had finished eating we called Uncle Dave and we went to pick him up. We drove along the A34 and onto the Northbound A500 going East at the A50. We came off the A50 at Heron Cross and we dropped into Fenton to pick up uncle Dave. We set off back through Heron Cross and through Blurton getting home at around 17:30. Matthew then chilled out watching 'On the Yorkshire Buses' and bus videos on his computer. He then chilled out until bedtime around 00:00...Mark