Trip to Hanley / Madeley Heath 19-02-2016

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
67638	Blurton, opp Ladybank Grove	Longton Interchange	22	First Potteries
YJ59 GHH	Longton Interchange	Hanley BS	50	Scraggs Blue Buses
4993 UG	Hanley BS	Madeley Heath, Opp Meadows School	79	Routemaster Buses
126	Madeley Heath, Adj Meadows School	Keele, Opp Highway Lane	85B	D&G Bus
37157	Keele, Nr Sneyd Arms PH	Hanley BS	25	First Potteries
65033	Hanley BS	Trent Vale, Adj Black Lion	10	First Potteries

Today Matthew was off from his day service. He was nearly better and he had been very good whilst he was at home the 2 days before, so I decided to take him out a bit earlier than usual on our way to the pub. Earlier in the week it had been reported on the Dennis Dart Forum that Routemaster Buses Leyland Tiger 4993 UG had worked on the #89 Mondays only Nantwich to Wrexham service. As Matthew was at home I thought it might be a good idea to cover the 13:40 #79 Hanley - Nantwich just in case the Tiger worked again... Matthew got up around 09:00 today and had toast and orange juice for breakfast, as well as taking his medicine. Around 12:00 we had lunch, which was 1/2 a large omelet washed down with a can of diet Vimto. We set off to the bus stop on Beaconsfield Drive and as we approached we saw required First Potteries 53042 on a #23A so we ran towards the stop with our arms out... The driver wasn't feeling very generous in this instance. We also saw dud First Potteries 67636 on the Newcastle bound #22. Just as it looked like we were going to have to wait 10 minutes for the next #23, we heard a roar from around the corner... It was dud First Potteries 67638 on the #22 to Longton running a couple of minutes late.

First Potteries 67638 in Blurton

We decided to do this bus rather than wait, we could always get off in Blurton or even got to Longton and catch something else to Hanley. We got on the bus and we booked to Longton. As we traveled though Blurton along Beaconsfield Drive I looked up the time of the next #6 to Hanley. There was a #6 at 13:13 that was due into Hanley at 13:29... 11 minutes before the #79 was due to leave. We turned left onto Church Road and at the roundabout we went forwards onto Blurton Road. The seats behind us were empty so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 67638.

Inside First Potteries 67638

At the bottom of Blurton Road we turned right onto Longton Hall Road and we headed up the hill onto the A50. We along the top level and we turned right onto Baths Road. We went past Tesco and we entered the Interchange. Once we got there we got up and got off the bus. We went outside of the Interchange and Matthew got another picture of First Potteries 67638 as it loaded up on Stand 1.

First Potteries 67638 in Longton Interchange

As we were taking a picture of the Enviro 300, as well as seeing D&G Bus 191 on the #40 mount Pleasant circular. We saw required Scraggs Blue Buses YJ59 GHH on the #50 to Hanley. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do the Scraggs bus or wait for the First Potteries #6 service. He chose to do Scraggs versa YJ59 GHH so we walked over to it and Matthew took a picture before we got on it.

Scraggs YJ59 GHH in Longton Interchange

We got on the bus and booked to Hanley and Matthew honked the horn! Luckily the driver saw the funny side of it... We sat down towards back of the bus and the bus set off out of the interchange and onto Baths Road. We waited at the lights for a short while and we saw dud First Potteries 63096 on the #6 to Hanley that we would have done had we not seen the Scraggs Versa. We turned left onto King Street and then right onto Goldenhill Road. We crossed Newmount Road and we went forwards onto Annette Road. We then turned right onto June Road and followed it around to the left before turning left onto Fenpark Road. We passed the Pool Dole pub an we headed down the hill past Fenton mast down onto king Street. We turned right and we went down through Fenton past KFC. As we turned right onto Victoria Road we saw Diverted First Potteries 53124 on a #23 to Blurton, and F&G Bus 191 on a #40 to Longton. Both buses were diverted due to the closure of Station Bridge Road in Heron Cross. We went down the hill to Joiners Square and across the roundabout onto Lichfield Street. We passed the pub where Matthew would normally be on a Friday afternoon and we joined the clockwise ring road. At Bethesda Street we turned right and we entered the bus station via John Street and Lidice way. when we got into the bus station we let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside Scraggs YJ59 GHH.

Inside Scraggs YJ59 GHH

We had around 10 minutes to kill now. There wasn't enough time to use the toilet, visit the shop or go and take pictures from the car park. So we went outside to have a look at First Potteries 63096, which had now caught us up. We had First Potteries 63096 back in August 2015 from Bentilee to Meir. Whilst we were there we saw D&G Bus Dart 193, which was on the #16 to Leek.

D&G 193 in Hanley bus station

We went back inside the bus station ans we walked down to the bottom and back. Matthew said hello to a couple of people and we went and sat at Stand B whilst we waited for the bus to appear. The stand that we were sitting at mainly has buses arriving and then going on layover. The #79 is the first bus due off this stop, and all the other departures are National Express coaches. 13:40 came and went, and as we had never done this service before we were beginning to get a bit worried in case it had departed from somewhere else. There didn't appear to be anyone else waiting for this bus either... Whilst we waited we also saw one of D&G's newest arrivals. D&G 100 is an Enviro 200 in all over white, it was on the #41 to Birches Head. Even though I knew there was a possibility it could the Routemaster Buses Leyland Tiger, I was still expecting a two-tone green Dart to come around the corner. When it did eventually turn up we were pleased to say it was indeed Routemaster Buses Leyland Tiger 4993 UG!

Routemaster Buses 4993 UG in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and we book to Madeley. The bus was nearly empty, and so Matthew took a picture inside Routemaster Buses 4993 UG.

Inside Routemaster Buses 4993 UG

We sat down near to the front of the bus and the bus set off out of the bus station and down John Street. We turned right onto Bethesda Street and Left onto Broad Street. We crossed over the ring road and we went down through towards Snow Hill before turning right onto Shelton New Road. The bus went down Shelton New Road and up into Newcastle on the most direct route there is between the two towns. The bus was booked 10 minutes from Hanley to Newcastle which is a fast town. We came up the hill, through the traffic lights and over the roundabout onto George Street. We past one of Grandma's old pubs and we dropped down into Newcastle town centre. We turned left onto Barracks Road and then right into Newcastle bus station. In the bus station the Leyland Tiger turned a few heads and a few kids wanted to know if there ticket was valid on the bus. The bus set off out of the bus station and we ran around the southern end of the town and onto the Northbound A34. We took the A53 for a short distance and then we joined the A525. We went past Hampton's Scrapyard and we climbed the hill up towards the university. Unlike most other services, the buses misses Keele out altogether and we went fast along the Keele Village by-pass, well as fast as as 22 year old Tiger could do uphill... We crossed under the old Silverdale to Madeley railway and we came into Madeley Heath. We had checked the time of a return bus, and there was around a booked waited of around 10 minutes in Madeley had we been running on time. We decided to get off before we crossed under the M6, and when at a junction we veered left to stay on the A525 we decided it would be a good place to get off the bus. As we approached the stop we saw someone waiting for the return bus on the opposite side of the road. We got up and got off the bus, and Matthew took another picture of Routemaster Buses 4993 UG, most interesting bus of the year so far as it carried on towards Nantwich.

Routemaster Buses 4993 UG in Madeley Heath

We crossed the road and we waited less than 2 minutes before we saw a bus approaching. It was a D&G Cadet so only a one in 5 chance of it being a required bus... As it got closer we saw that it was dud D&G 126.

D&G 126 in Madeley Heath

We got on the bus and we booked to Keele. Matthew saw that the bus was empty and so he took a picture inside D&G Bus 126.

Inside D&G 126

We sat down towards the back of the bus and the bus set off along the A525 through Madeley Heath. We passed under the railway line and we turned right onto Station Road to run into the village. As we approached the Sneyd Arms we saw a First double decker at the village terminus. We got up and got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of D&G Bus 126 as it carried on towards Newcastle.

D&G 126 in Keele

We strolled across to the bus at the village stop, and it was dud First Potteries 37157. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this bus or wait for the next one and he chose to do this bus. Matthew took a picture of First Potteries 37157 before we got on it.

First Potteries 37157 in Keele

We got on the bus and we booked to Hanley before going upstairs. As the top deck was empty, Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 37157 before we sat down.

Inside First Potteries 37157

The bus set off through the university campus, and we went around the main square before turning right up the hill past the science park. We joined the A525 and we headed down the hill towards town. After crossing the roundabout and Hampton's scrap yard we turned left into Orme Road. We bounced over the speedbumps and we went into town along the bottom end of the A525 where we saw First Potteries 32055 on a Keele bound #25. We turned right onto the A34 and left onto Barracks Road. We stopped in the bus station for a few minutes and then we carried on towards Hanley. We set off out onto Barracks Road and we went South on the A34 before turning into the hospital. We trundled through the hospital grounds passing ABC Supreme N806 CRJ. We ran up to Hartshill Road via Hilton Road and The Avenue. We went down Hartshill Road into Stoke town centre and we continued onto Church Street and over the A50 before passing under the railway line. We followed the A52 to the left and we went forwards onto Station Road before turning right onto College Road. At the top off College Road we continued onto regent Road before turning left onto Bethesda Street. We crossed the ring road and we entered Hanley bus station via John Street and Lidice way. When we got to the bus station we got up and got off the bus and Matthew used the toilet. We then set off on foot to the John Street car park so we could take a few bus pictures. On the way we saw D&G 132 on a #16 to Leek.

D&G 132 in Hanley bus station

Once we were in the car park we started to take some more bus pictures. we saw D&G 196 which an unusual vehicle on the 'Nines' service and not one off the usual yellow branded buses.

D&G 196 in Hanley bus station

We also saw First Potteries 37160, which was going on layover before working a #32 to Uttoxeter.

First Potteries 37160 in Hanley bus station

We also saw D&G 141 on the 'Nines', also an unusual surprise.

D&G 141 in Hanley bus station

One of many First double deckers we saw today was First Potteries 32632 which was on a #8A to Endon.

First Potteries 32632 in Hanley bus station

Matthew had a small bottle of Cherryade and a double Milky Way bar. As it was cold and trying to rain we decided to head back to the bus station to see what buses we could do. On the way we saw dud First Potteries 32639 which was on layover, about to work a #7A to Biddulph.

First Potteries 32639 in Hanley bus station

When we got to the bus station we went into the shop where Matthew had a can of Coke, a small bottle of Irn Bru and couple of chocolate bars to stock up the trip bag. When we had finished shopping I gave Matthew a choice of doing the #10 or the #21/21A to get to Trent Vale. As we walked down to the relevant stands we noticed that dud First Potteries 65033 was on the #10 to Stafford. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this or wait for the next #21 and he chose to do the Raspberry coloured Scania. Matthew got a picture of First Potteries 65033 before we got on it...

First Potteries 65033 in Hanley bus station

We booked to Trent Vale and we sat down towards the back of the bus before it set off out onto John Street. We turned right onto Bethesda Street and left onto Broad Street. We crossed the ring Road and we headed towards snow hill where we saw silver Volkswagen transporter T55 MLG. We turned right onto Shelton New Road and we headed down through Etruria and up the hill into Newcastle as we had done on the Leyland Tiger earlier. We Joined George Street and we ran down into town before entering the bus station off Barracks Road. After a brief stop in the bus station we went South down the A34. as we passed the hospital we saw ABC Supreme minibus E331 UYC. We continued into Trent Vale and when we got to the pub we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 65033 as it carried on towards Stafford.

First Potteries 65033 in Trent Vale

We got to the pub before mum did, and whilst we waited we saw required First Potteries 67637 on the #22 to Longton.

First Potteries 67637 in Trent Vale

Going North towards Newcastle, we saw dud First Potteries 67636 on the 3rd and final #22 turn. Mum arrived at the pub and as we walked in we saw Robinson's PO62 GHY going North. In the pub 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 ABC Supreme minibus N806 CRJ and First Potteries 65730 & 66839 on #10's both going Southwards towards Stafford. After we had finished eating we went to the car and we saw Lucky Seven PO60 YGU. Matthew called uncle Dave to tell him we were on the way. We set off down the A34 and then went onto the Northbound A500. At Sideway we went Eastwards on the A50 passing an unidentified Ellison's coach. We headed though Heron Cross and we went into Fenton. We then saw First Potteries 53124 on a #23A to Blurton. After picking uncle Dave up we went back up to Heron Cross passing First Potteries 42554 on a Hanley bound #23A service. We crossed the A50 into Blurton. We traveled through Blurton along Blurton Road and forwards onto Church Road. We turned into Beaconsfield Drive and we got home around 17:20. Matthew then chilled out on his computer and had some of the ginger cake that he helped to bake earlier in the week. Matthew went bedtime around 00:00... Mark