Trip to Newcastle / Biddulph 19-03-2016

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
41512	Blurton, opp Ladybank Grove	Longton Interchange	22	First Potteries
112	Longton Interchange	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop Q	The Orange One	D & G Buses
67604	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop Q	Newcastle BS	2	First Potteries
32639	Newcastle BS	Tunstall, adj stop A	99	First Potteries
41501	Tunstall, adj stop B	Newcastle BS	99	First Potteries
2975	Newcastle BS	Hanley BS	164	Arriva Midlands
32634	Hanley BS	Biddulph BS	7A	First Potteries
41501	Biddulph BS	Hanley BS	7A	First Potteries
67603	Hanley BS	Tunstall, adj stop M	3	First Potteries
66849	Tunstall, adj stop B	Hanley BS	99	First Potteries
37158	Hanley BS	Newcastle BS	25	First Potteries

Today we decided to have a local trip. With a few things going over the the weekend we decided to stay local. We check the weather for Saturday and it was for cool cloudy weather. Matthew got up around 10:30 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. I had been out to see what was working the #22. and they were all buses that we had been on previously... Going towards Newcastle around 11:50 would have meant us doing First Potteries Solo 53829. We decided to go toward Longton today on First Potteries 41512. We set off to the bus stop around 11:45 and as we walked down the street we saw First Potteries 41512 going towards the bus stop. We knew it would probably wait for departure time at the main stop, so we jogged around the corner. When we got to the stop Matthew took a picture of First Potteries 41512 before we got on it.

First Potteries 41512 in Blurton

We got on the bus and we booked a Smart Day ticket at £5.30 and we sat down towards the back of the bus. The bus set off along Beaconsfield Drive and at the end we turned left onto Church Road. We continued down through Blurton along Blurton Road and we turned right onto Longton Hall Lane. We continued forwards onto Heathcote Street and we joined the Westbound high level A50. We crossed over the A50 and we entered Longton Interchange off Bath Road. We got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 41512.

First Potteries 41512 in Longton Interchange

We were now heading to Stoke for dinner. We didn't have to wait for long before required D&G 112 appeared on 'The Orange One' to Newcastle.

D&G 112 in Longton Interchange

We got on the bus and we flashed the ticket to the driver. The driver informed us that Smart day tickets are no longer kept in sealed jackets and haven't been for a couple of months now! We sat down towards the back of the bus and the bus left the interchange and turned right onto Baths Road. We turned left under the railway line and we went North-Westwards up King Street. We continued forwards onto City Road and we went under the railway line and into Stoke town centre where we got up and got off the bus. Opposite to us was dud First Potteries 32055 on a #25 to Hanley.

First Potteries 32055 in Stoke

Matthew then took another picture of D&G 112 before it carried on towards Newcastle.

D&G 112 in Stoke

We walked up Church Street and we went into Stoke Cafe where we were going to have dinner. The cafe was very busy today and the lady behind the counter asked a gentleman nice to move onto a table for 2 so that we could sit down. Matthew headed down to the toilet and I ordered the food. Matthew had a small breakfast washed down with a can of Coke. After we had finished eating we headed out onto Church Street and to the Newcastle bus stop. We just missed catching dud First Potteries 32077 which was on a #25 to Keele.

First Potteries 32077 in Stoke

By the time we got to the stop we could see and Enviro 300 approaching. It was one of the early batch with a flip dot display. We have only been on one out of four of these buses previously, we we knew there was a three in four chance of it being a required one. As it got closer we saw that it was dud First Potteries 67604...

First Potteries 67604 in Stoke

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. The bus set off along Church Street and forwards onto Hartshill Road. We ran the mile or so up to Hartshill and to the top of Newcastle. We descended down George Street into Newcastle and we turned left at the roundabout onto Barracks Road. We turned into the bus station and we let the bus empty so that Matthew could take a picture inside First Potteries 67604.

Inside First Potteries 67604

When we got to Newcastle we considered what we could catch next. We saw dud First Potteries 53058 on a #97 to Wolstanton.

First Potteries 53058 in Newcastle bus station

We walked over to the other side of the bus station and we saw dud First Potteries 32639 on a #99 to Bradeley.

First Potteries 32639 in Newcastle bus station

We decided to do the double decker, but the driver briefly got off the bus. Whilst we were waiting we saw dud First Potteries 41520 on a #72 to Clayton.

First Potteries 41520 in Newcastle bus station

The driver was now back on the bus and we got on and flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver before we went upstairs. The rear of the top deck was empty so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 32639.

Inside First Potteries 32639

We sat down and the bus set off out of the bus station onto Barracks Road. We crossed the roundabout onto the A527 and we headed past the Bramptons towards Wolstanton. After traveling through the village we turned right onto Porthill Bank and down to the A500. We crossed the roundabout and we headed up through Longport to Trubshaw Cross. At the roundabout we turned left onto Brownhills Road and we climbed the hill into Tunstall. We went forwards onto the High Street and at the Northern End we got up and got off the bus. Matthew then took another picture of First Potteries 32639 before it carried on towards Bradeley.

First Potteries 32639 in Tunstall

We headed down to Tunstall Cafe and Matthew went to use the toilet whilst I ordered his food. Matthew had a toffee cheesecake washed down with a glass of Coke. After we had finished eating we said goodbye and we walked outside to see dud First Potteries 41501 on a #99 to Newcastle.

First Potteries 41501 in Tunstall

I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this bus and he said yes, so we crossed the road and jumped on. We flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver and we sat down towards the back of the bus. the bus set off down the High Street and forwards onto Brownhills Road. At Trubshaw Cross we went forwards towards Longport. We passed an unidentified Solus Coach which we believed was carrying Burton Albion fans to the match against Port Vale. We carried on past the Texaco garage and over the A500 onto Porthill Bank. At the top we turned left and we ran through Wolstanton and The Bramptons into Newcastle. We crossed the roundabout and we went onto Barracks Road before we entered the bus station. As we entered the bus station we saw required First Potteries 37159 on a #25 to Keele, the raspberry coloured Volvo First Potteries 66309 and Roseville minibus HV62 OKT. When we got into the bus station we let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 41501.

Inside First Potteries 41501

Once off the bus Matthew took a picture of First Potteries 66309 on a #4A to Kidsgrove.

First Potteries 66309 in Newcastle bus station

before we got down to the bottom of the bus station we also saw required First Potteries 37159 leaving on the #25 to Keele.

First Potteries 37159 in Newcastle bus station

We walked down to the bottom of the bus station and we took a few picture whilst we decided what bus to do next. We saw First Potteries 32054 on a #25 to Hanley.

First Potteries 32054 in Newcastle bus station

We also saw dud D&G Buses 189 on a #94 to Congleton.

D&G 189 in Newcastle bus station

We also saw required Arriva Midlands 2975 on a #164 to Hanley.

Arriva Midlands 2975 in Newcastle bus station

I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this bus and he said yes.We walked up towards the top of the bus station and we got on. Whilst I was sorting out the Smart Day ticket Matthew managed to get past us and beep the horn on the bus. Luckily the driver took it well... We sat down towards the back of the bus and the bus set off out of the bus station. We crossed the roundabout onto the one way system and we joined the A52 for a short while before we joined Shelton New Road. We crossed and joined the A500 and we ran up to the Stoke Road junction. We went through Shelton and Snow Hill and we then joined the ring road and we ran around to Bethesda Street. We entered the bus station up John Street and we let the bus empty before Matthew took a picture inside Arriva Midlands 2975.

Inside Arriva Midlands 2975

Matthew went to the toilet, and we set off towards the John Street car park so that we could take a few bus pictures. On the way we spotted a coach parked up adjacent to the Victoria Hall. Closer inspect reveal the coach to be Pheonix Bussing Setra N77 PBS.

Pheonix Bussing N77 PBS in Hanley

We crossed the road and before we went into the car park we saw First Potteries 37157, which was on layover I the centre of the bus station.

First Potteries 37157 in Hanley bus station

Once we went upstairs we started taking a few pictures... We saw First Potteries 32057 on a #7A to Biddulph.

First Potteries 32057 in Hanley bus station

We also saw D&G Buses 193, which was occupying one of the layover spaces in the middle of the bus station.

D&G 193 in Hanley bus station

We also saw D&G Buses 145. Only purchased last December, the bus was on one of it's regular turns the #16 to Leek.

D&G 145 in Hanley bus station

Relatively new to the First Potteries fleet, Enviro300 67641 was on a #3 to Talke Pits

First Potteries 67641 in Hanley bus station

One of the more unusual working that we saw today was First Potteries Streetlite 63174, usually found on the #6/6A or #26, was on a #5 to Abbey Hulton.

First Potteries 63174 in Hanley bus station

Whilst we took pictures Matthew ate some Milky Stars and drank a small bottle of Cherryade. We decided to head back to the bus station and visit the Spar shop. In the Spar shop Matthew brought a can of Coke and a small bottle of Irn Bru, as well as a couple of chocolate bars. We paid for the items and then we went back into the bus station whilst we decided what to next. We spotted required First Potteries 32634 on a #7A to Biddulph so we decided to do that.

First Potteries 32634 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down. The bus set off along out of the bus station and down onto Bethesda Street. We went past the museum onto Marsh Street before turning right onto Trinity Street. We turned left onto Stafford Street and the bus loaded up with a few more people outside Lewis's and the 'spikey man' statue. The bus continued up onto Quadrant Road and under the 'Intu Potteries' shopping centre. We crossed the ring Road and went into Townsend and we took the A5272 through Sneyd Green and Smallthorne through to Chell. We turned right onto the A527 and we headed down through Fegg Hays. We climbed the hill up through Brindley Ford and up to Brown Lees. At the industrial estate we turned left through Brown Lees and we crossed over the A527 and we saw D&G Buses 198 on the #93 service to Biddulph Moor. We also saw required D&G Buses 31 on a #94 to Newcastle.. We went around the estate and we came into Biddulph from the East. After joining the high Street we tuned left onto South View before turning right onto Wharf Road. We got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 32634 before it returned to Hanley.

First Potteries 32634 in Biddulph bus station

We went to the toilet and back to the seats. We turned down D&G Buses 32 which was on a 'Nines', and Matthew shared a double Milky way with me and uncle Dave. After chilling out on the bench for a while we walked up to the shelter just before the next #7A was due. We saw it approaching and as it got closer we saw that it was dud First Potteries 41501 for the second time today!

First Potteries 41501 in Biddulph bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver. The bus was empty so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 41501.

Inside First Potteries 41501

We got on the bus and we set off back to Hanley. We ran back through the estates and across the A527 into Brown Lees. We joined the A527 and we headed South through Brindley Ford and Fegg Hayes up to Chell. At Chell we turned left onto the A5272 and we ran through Smallthorne and Sneyd Green to Townsend. After crossing the Hanley ring road we ran down Quadrant Road and into Stafford Street. We went passed the town hall and we entered the bus station along Bagnall Street. Once we got to the bus station we got off. We were now thinking on how to get back to Newcastle. We though we could go back directly, or maybe via Tunstall. When we saw required First Potteries Enviro300 67603 on a #3 service, we decided to head up to Tunstall.

First Potteries 67603 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus which was well loaded and we flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. The bus set off along out of the bus station and down onto Bethesda Street. We went past the museum onto Marsh Street before turning right onto Trinity Street. We turned left onto Stafford Street and the bus loaded up with a few more people outside Lewis's. The bus ran down onto A5006 and we joined Waterloo Road for the run up to Cobridge. We crossed the A53 and we headed down the hill and back up the other side. It was around 16:50 and a few Port Vale fans got on the bus who had left the match early. The vibe seemed to be that they had been beaten quite badly. We carried on out the other side of Burslem up Scotia Road to the edge of Tunstall. We turned left onto A5271. at the bottom of the High Street the bus turned right and at the top end we got up and got off the bus. Once off the bus Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 67603.

First Potteries 67603 in Tunstall

We crossed the road and we looked at the bus stop timetable. There didn't appear to be another bus towards Newcastle until nearly 18:00. We would have to go back to Hanley to get to Newcastle... There was another #3 due in a few minutes. When it arrived we saw that it was dud First Potteries 66849.

First Potteries 66849 in Tunstall

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. Tye bus set off down the high Street and at the bottom we turned left onto the A5271. We turned right onto Scotia Road and we ran up the hill into Burslem. By now we had found out that Port vale had lost 0-4 to Burton Albion. The bus pulled up outside Swann Bank and there was a queue of people waiting to get on the bus. The bus filled up and I swear I had never seen as many glum faces in one place as were present on the bus right now... The bus set off down Waterloo Road through Cobridge and into Hanley. We ran up Hope street and forwards onto Stafford Street before passing the town hall an entering the bu station along Bagnall Street. When we got to Hanley we let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 66849.

Inside First Potteries 66849

When we got off the bus we had a few choices of buses that we could do to Newcastle. First Potteries 66849 was now about to work a #4 to Kidsgrove via Newcastle, but we didn't want to do the bus we just got off. D&G Buses 196 as on a #17 to Newcastle via Wolstanton & Bradwell that take close to an hour!. We opted to do dud First Potteries 37158.

First Potteries 37158 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver for the final time today. We went upstairs and because the bus was empty Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 37158.

Inside First Potteries 37158

The bus set off out of the bus station and onto Bethesda Road. We crossed over the ring Road and onto Regents Road. We continued forwards onto Cauldon Road and we went down past the university to the railway station. At the railway station we were joined upstairs by an entertaining Villa Fan who was talking about football. having discuss the days Premier League results we got on to the subject of Tony Pulis. I said I though he was a good manager, but not necessarily a great one, and the guy said 'It's like having a girlfriend... Do you want someone who cooks and cleans for you and looks after you, but she might not be a looker or do you want someone attractive and good in bed!'. We ran along the A52 and under the railway line and into Stoke. We climbed the hill into Hartshill and we went through the hospital onto the A34. We cam into town from the south and into the bus station. We got off the bus and Matthew went to the toilet. I forgot to let mum know we were in Newcastle, so we had to wait whilst she drove up. whilst we waited we saw required First Potteries 32078 on a #25 to Hanley.

First Potteries 32078 in Newcastle bus station

On Barracks road we saw City Centre Central taxi minibus VO54 ONR.

City Centre Central VO54 ONR in Newcastle bus station

We also saw the other required First Potteries ALX400 double decker 32079 on a #25 to Keele.

First Potteries 32079 in Newcastle bus station

Mum then appeared and we walked up to where she parked. We got in the car and we went to the roundabout to turn around and go back South. We joined the A34 and we passed an unidentified Hedley Travel coach going the other way. We stopped in Trent Vale at the Riverside Chippy and we got a couple of portions of chips to eat in the car going home. We set off back onto the A34 and we went North on the A500 up to Sideway. We went Eastwards on the A50 which we did up to Longton. We went to see what was parked up at Z Carz this evening. On the spare ground we saw Z Carz maroon Volkswagen S973 OVP.

Z Carz S973 OVP in Longton

We also saw Z Carz Mercedes minibus M372 NWN.

Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton

We turned into Willow Row and we saw Z Carz parked outside the compound BU04 GYW.

Z Carz BU04 GYW in Longton

The compound was full of buses, but there were cars parked in front of them. One of the buses was Z Carz silver LDV CN57 HWA.

Z Carz CN57 HWA in Longton

We got back onto the A50 and we went West to Heron Cross. We travelled through Blurton along Blurton Road and we went forwards onto Church Road. We turned right into Beaconsfield Drive and we got home just before 19:00. For a late tea we had beef, mash and carrots followed by a bakewell tart and custard. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 00:00... Mark