Trip to Newcastle / Biddulph 28-01-2017

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
67159	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	22	First Potteries
67154	Trentham, adj Man-in-Space	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop R	21	First Potteries
66303	Stoke-upon-Trent, adj stop Q	Newcastle BS	25	First Potteries
41493	Newcastle BS	Tunstall, Adj Stop A	99	First Potteries
140	Tunstall, Adj Stop B	Newcastle BS	94	D&G Bus
66306	Newcastle BS	Hanley BS	4	First Potteries
41501	Hanley BS	Biddulph BS	7A	First Potteries
41520	Biddulph BS	Hanley BS	7A	First Potteries
65040	Hanley BS	Newcastle BS	25	First Potteries

Today we decided to stay local as mum was feeling a little under the weather. We checked the for day and it for for dry and cloudy with rain shower moving in in the late afternoon. Matthew got up around 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We decided do catch the 12:21 departure towards Newcastle today. We set off on foot to the bus stop all the way onto Magdalen Road. A few minutes later our bus appeared and it was unusually a First Potteries E200 MMC which are branded for the #21/23. As it got closer we noticed that it looked a little different... It was in fact required new First Potteries 67159 which had only been in service for a couple of days!

First Potteries 67159 in Blurton

We got on the bus and we purchased a Smart Day tickets at £5.30 before we sat down and the bus set off onto the A5035 where we turned right. We passed Stanley Matthews Way and we crossed the railway line and we entered Trentham where we saw First Potteries 53122 on a #22 to Longton. W before turning right into New Inn Lane and we passed First Potteries 67154 on a #21 to the Trentham Hotel. As we approached the Man in Space we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 67159 before it continued on towards Newcastle.

First Potteries 67159 in Trentham

Having seen First Potteries 67154 on the #21 we knew it was going to be our bus forwards to Stoke. A quick check of the Buses I Have Travelled on page revealed the First Potteries 67154 was was of only 3 buses of the batch that we had been on before today. A short while later the bus returned off the A5035 and it was as expected dud First Potteries 67154 on a #21 to Hanley.

First Potteries 67154 in Trentham

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver. The bus was nearly empty so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 67154 before we sat town towards the back of the bus.

Inside First Potteries 67154

The bus set off up New Inn Lane and into Hanford passing First Potteries 67642 on the fianl #22 turn. We turned right into Wilson Road and then we turned left onto Church Lane. We lane down the hill and we joined the Northbound A34 where we saw Destination Courtesy Travel minibus MV58 MFA and white minibus R2 OGO. We crossed under the A500 into Trent Vale and we turned right into London Road by the black Lion passing First Potteries 67158 on the #21 to the Trentham Hotel. We ran the couple of miles into Stoke town centre where we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture First Potteries 67154 before it carried on towards Hanley.

First Potteries 67154 in Stoke

Once off the bus we walked along Campbell Place and around the corner into Church Street and into the Stoke Cafe. Matthew went to the toilet and then we ordered breakfast. Matthew had a breakfast washed down with a can of Coke. The surreal nature of the day continued as whilst we ate our dinner a large group came into the cafe. Amongst the group were non other than Jeremy Corbyn and Gareth Snell, the new Labour candidate for the Stoke Central seat. Such was the size of the party that a few were standing outside the cafe waiting for a seat. Once we had finished eating, we left the cafe and the people outside came in, eager to re-gain the seat. On the way to the Newcastle bus stop we bumped into uncle Rob. We let dud D&G Bus 113 go which was on 'The Orange ONE' in the hope of something better or required turning up on the #25 or #11. Going to other way towards Longton we saw First Potteries 32650 on a #11 to Hanley. A few minutes later we saw a bus approaching and it was an early First Potteries Volvo B7RLE. As it got closer we saw that it was dud First Potteries 66303.

First Potteries 66303 in Stoke

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver before we sat town towards the back of the bus. We set off along Church Street and forwards onto Hartshill Road. We climbed the hill and we ran through Hartshill turning left onto The Avenue, WE turned onto Hilton Road and we turned right into the City General hospital. After passing through the ground we turned right onto the A34 and we ran into Newcastle from the Southern end. We crossed the roundabout onto Barrack Road and we entered the bus station. As it was a through bus the bus didn't empty out so we got up and got off the bus. The area around the bus station was being re-paved and barriers up around these area, so there were part of the bus station that we couldn't get to like the bench at the Southern end. On Stubbs Street we saw D&G Bus 41 on layover, presumably in between #85 Crewe services.

D&G 41 in Newcastle bus station

The benches at the top end of the bus station were still accesible, so we decided to go up there whilst we decided what we were going to do next. On the way up there we saw D&G Bus 49 arrive into the bus station on a #17 to Wolstanton.

D&G 49 in Newcastle bus station

We didn't have a particularly good view from behind the lamp posts. A few minutes later we saw First Potteries 37158 on a #11 to Hanley.

First Potteries 37158 in Newcastle bus station

A few minutes later we saw First Potteries 41496 come into the bus station about to work a #98 to Ball Green.

First Potteries 41496 in Newcastle bus station

We also saw Arriva Midlands 3696 on the #164 to Hanley.

Arriva Midlands 3696 in Newcastle bus station

We decided we would do the next Tunstall bound service and we had just missed dud D&G bus 137 on the #94 Congleton service. A few minutes later we saw another dart come into the bus station and it was dud First Potteries 41493 on the #99 to Bradeley.

First Potteries 41493 in Newcastle bus station

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 out of the bus station and onto Barracks Road. We crossed the Jubilee Roundabout and onto the A527, where we saw First Potteries 53207 on an inbound #97 service. We continued through May Bank & Wolstanton and to Porthill. We ran down the hill and we crossed the A500 and we ran into Longport. At Trubshaw Cross we turned left onto Brownhills Road and we climbed the hill into Tunstall town centre past the new building on the left. We went straight onto Tunstall High Street and at the top of the High Street we got up and got off the bus. Matthew then took another picture of First Potteries 41493 before it carried on towards Bradeley.

First Potteries 41493 in Tunstall

Once off the bus bus we walked down the High Street to Tunstall Cafe. Matthew went to the toilet and I ordered him a can of Coke. They had ran out cheesecake. Once he had finished his drink we went out of the cafe and across the road to the bus stop opposite. Almost immediately a bus turned up and it was required D&G Solo 140 on a #94 to Newcastle.

D&G 140 in Tunstall

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver. The bus was nearly empty so Matthew took a picture inside D&G Bus 140 before we sat town towards the back of the bus.

Inside D&G 140

Matthew was well behaved and didn't even try and beep the horn! We ran down the High Street past the new building on the right and forwards onto Brownills Road. We continued down the hill and at Trubshaw Cross we continued down through Middleport into Longport. We crossed over the A500 and we climbed up Porthill Bank. At the top we turned left and we ran through Wolstanton and May Bank. We ran into Newcastle and we crossed the Jubilee roundabout onto Barracks Street. We went into the bus station and we got up and got off the bus. once in the bus station we had a look around to see what we might be able to catch. On Stubbs Street we saw D&G Bus 38 on layover, presumably in between #85 Crewe services.

D&G 38 in Newcastle bus station

We looked around to see what we could catch to Hanley next. There was an #4A in the bus station and a #4 just coming in. We went over to First Potteries 63179 which was on the 4 bus by the time Matthew had taken his picture it had pulled off. Almost Immediately First Potteries 66306 pulled in on the adjacent stand.

First Potteries 66306 in Newcastle bus station

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 out of the bus station and onto Barracks Road. We crossed the Jubilee Roundabout and onto the A53. We ran into Basford and we passed an unidentified Paul S Winson coach. As we ran towards Hanley we passed a mixture of Scania's and Enviro300's on the #4/4A's. They were First Potteries 65728/65733/67633/67636. We ran down into Etruria and over the A500. We continued along the A53 and we turned left onto Forge Lane. We ran out along the Lane and we crossed over the canal before we returned back into Etruria along festival Way. We crossed under the A53 onto Etruria Road. We ran into Hanley and into the bus station. The entire journey was made unpleasant by a group of 'adults' that were old enough to know better. As this is Matthew's Blog I won't discuss the details here any further. Once off the bus we went to the toilet and then headed up to the car park to take a few bus pictures. Just before we went into the car park we saw First Potteries 37159 on a #32 to Uttoxeter.

First Potteries 37159 in Hanley bus station

We went into the car park and 'up the stairs mister' so we could get a few bus pictures. On layover were D&G Bus 171 and First Potteries 41500.

First Potteries 41500 in Hanley bus station

A few minutes later we saw First Potteries Volvo B7LRE 66851 on a #18 to Leek.

First Potteries 66851 in Hanley bus station

Whilst we were in the car park Matthew had a Milky Way. There are only four 02 reg Solo's left in service as far as I know. First Potteries 53123 was on a #5 to Abbey Hulton.

First Potteries 53123 in Hanley bus station

We had seen a First Potteries Dart on #7A to Biddulph, so we figured by the time we walked back and had been to the shop it would be nearly time for the next one. We walked past the Victoria Theatre and back into the bus station and we stopped at the shop. Matthew had a can of Coke and a small bottle of Irn Bru as well as a couple of chocolate bars. After we had paid for the goods we walked down to the stand to wait for the bus. A couple of minutes later we saw dud First Potteries 41501 pull onto stand.

First Potteries 41501 in Hanley bus station

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. Bizarrely the last time that we did the bus to Biddulph it was also First Potteries 41501 back on Christmas Eve 2016! We set off out of the bus station and we ran down John Street. We turned right onto Bethesda Street and we crossed Broad street onto Marsh Street. We turned right onto Trinity Street and we stopped on Stafford Street to to pick up more passengers before we left town along Quadrant Road. We crossed over the ring road and we headed out of town towards Sneyd Green along Town Road. We continued to Smallthorne roundabouts and we continued forwards onto High Lane. At the end of High Lane we turned right onto the A527 and we ran down the hill through Fegg Hayes and up into Brindley Ford. We continued up towards Knyperlsey and we turned left onto Brown Lees Road. We ran through the estate and we crossed over the A527 and into the Biddulph estate. We went passed the barley Mow and we turned left onto St John's Road. At the end we re-joined the A527. We entered the town at Wharf Road and we stopped at the bus station. Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 41501 before it returned to Hanley.

First Potteries 41501 in Biddulph bus station

Once off the bus we went to the toilet. When we came out we saw required D&G Bus 45 about to work a #9 to Newcastle.

D&G 45 in Biddulph bus station

We decided not to do this, and to make up for the earlier disappointment of not having cheesecake, we decided to go and see if we could get a cake from Wrights Pies. We walked around the corner onto High Street and a few hundred yards South. Just as we got to the shop the staff were coming out as it was closing for the evening. We walked back to the stop and we saw D&G Bus 45 about to depart. Matthew turned it down again and we decided to wait at the stop for the next #7A. Whilst we waited Matthew had a Crunchie. A few minutes later the bus turned up and it was dud First Potteries 41520.

First Potteries 41520 in Biddulph bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart Day ticket to the driver. The bus was empty when we got on it so Matthew took a picture inside First Potteries 41520 before we sat down towards the back of the bus.

Inside First Potteries 41520

The bus set off onto the High Street and we turned left onto Wells Street. We ran around the estate and we crossed over the A527 at Knypersley We ran along the normal route through Brown Lees and we rejoined the A527 by the industrial estate. We ran down through Brindley Ford and to Fegg Hayes. We ran up the hill to Chell and we turned left onto High Lane. We ran back through Smallthorne & Sneyd Green into Hanley. We got off the bus and on one of the adjacent stands was dud First Potteries 32649 which was about to work the next #32 service to Uttoxeter.

First Potteries 32649 in Hanley bus station

When we got back to the bus station we went to look for a bus to get us to Newcastle where we arranged to meet mum. At the bottom of the bus station we saw a #25 to Keele. Closer inspection revealed it was dud First Potteries 65040.

First Potteries 65040 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the Smart day ticket to the driver for the last time today before we saw down towards the back of the bus. As we were leaving the bus station we saw National Express FJ11 RDU on the #540 service. Last time we rode on First Potteries 65040 back in October 2016, it was still carrying the Evening Sentinel advert. We ran down John Street onto Bethesda street and we crossed over the ring road. We ran down through Shelton along Cauldon Road and we turned left onto Station Road outside the railway station. We went forwards onto A52 and we followed the road around to the right and under the railway line. We crossed over the A500 ans we ran into Stoke centre along Church Street. We went out of the other side of Stoke and up Hartshill Road into Hartshill. We turned left into The Avenue and we ran down to Hilton Road and we turned right into the hospital. We ran through the hospital and we turned right onto the A34. We ran up to Newcastle and forwards onto Barracks Road at the roundabout. We came into the bus station from the South and we got up and got off the bus. It was now fully dark. On the way out of the bus station we saw D&G 115 on a #74 to Park Site.

D&G 115 in Newcastle bus station

We walked across Barracks Road and we met up with mum in the car park. Mum was waiting with Wrights sausage rolls and a small bottle of Irn Bru. We set off down barracks Road and onto the A34. We went past the hospital into Trent Vale and we stop at the chip shop to pick up some chips to share between us. Once we had finished we continued South to the A500 and then we went North up the A500 to Sideway. We went East on the A50 and we came off at Longton to see what was parked up at Z Carz this evening. In the first row was Z Carz Ford minibus FP06 WTW.

Z Carz FP06 WTW in Longton

Also in the first row was Z Carz Renault minibus PE10 MJK.

Z Carz PE10 MJK in Longton

Nearest vehicle in the first row was one of Z Carz new arrivals, Vauxhall minibus DG10 VMJ.

Z Carz DG10 VMJ in Longton

In the second row was Z Carz Renault minibus BU04 GYW.

Z Carz BU04 GYW in Longton

We turned into Willow Row to see what was parked in the compound tonight. In the compound we saw Z Carz Mercedes minibus LV52 TZY.

Z Carz LV52 TZY in Longton

We got back onto the A50 and we ran fast to Heron Cross before going onto Blurton Road. We ran through Blurton and right onto Church Road before we turned right onto Beaconsfield Drive. We got home around 18:30. for a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a millionaire's shortbread. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until 00:00... Mark