Trip to Widnes / Runcorn 20-08-2016

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
2526	Widnes, Green Oaks	Runcorn BS	110	Arriva NW&W
2525	Runcorn BS	Halton Lea, Hospital stop A	3C	Arriva NW&W
2533	Halton Lea, Hospital stop B	Runcorn BS	79	Arriva NW&W
2519	Runcorn BS	Murdishaw Central	79C	Arriva NW&W
5006	Murdishaw Central	Halton Lea North	2	Arriva NW&W
2523	Halton Lea South	Runcorn BS	110	Arriva NW&W
2540	Runcorn BS	Halton Lea, Hospital stop A	79C	Arriva NW&W
2543	Halton Lea, Hospital stop B	Widnes, Green Oaks	79C	Arriva NW&W

Today we decided to re-visit Widnes. We had checked the weather for today and it was for mainly cloudy weather with some rain, better in the North West. Matthew had been in respite for most of the week. We gave Matthew a short list of destination in the Midlands and North West and from the list he chose Widnes. Matthew got up around 10:00 and had toast and ornge juice for breakfast. We set off just after 11:30 and we ran through Blurton along Beaconsfield Drive. We turned left onto Church Road and left again onto Blurton Road. At Heron Cross we joined the Eastbound A50 to try and avoid the matchday traffic, and we ran up the A50 Link Road onto City Road. We ran down City Road under the railway line and onto the A52. In Stoke we saw McDowell, minibus J111 TMT and Paul's of Stoke coach M221 AGL. We joined the Northbound A500 and going up we saw Global Travel T5 XLA, Barrett's T9 BCL, Bakers BX64 AEN / NUI 7726 / FJ04 ETD, Selwyns SEL 702 and ABC Coaches PO16 HSA. We joined the Northbound M6 and we saw Park's of Hamilton (National Express) LSK 808, Stagecoach trainer X822 ???, Eavesway grey minibus / YJ14 BYG and Grey minibus YJ64 BVA.

YJ64 BVA on the M6

Further up the M6 we passed an unidentified Tyrers coach and an unidentified Charlton mini Coaches minibus. We went west on the M62 a couple of junction and then we went South on the A557 into Widnes. We turned off into town and on the edge of town we saw Cable Cars minibus MX57 SFJ. We parked up in the car park next to the Green Oaks retail park and on the way to the market we saw Halton Transport 88 on a #14C to Hough Green.

Halton Transport 88 in Widnes

We went to the outdoor market and brought some cake whilst mum used the facilities. We went to the market Cafe in the far corner of the market hall and Matthew used the toilet. Matthew had a breakfast washed down with a can of Coke. When we had finished we said goodbye to mum and we walked back out of the market to the bus stops. As we got there we saw required Arriva NW&W 2526 on a #110 to Murdishaw.

Arriva NW&W 2526 in Widnes

We also saw Halton Transport 90 on a #14 to Liverpool.

Halton Transport 90 in Widnes

We decided to do 2526 on the #110 so we walked over to the bus and we got on. We booked Arriva NW&W Daysaver tickets at £.530 and we sat down towards the back of the bus. The bus set off onto Green Oaks Way and we turned right onto Gerrards Street. We ran forwards onto Milton Road and we turned left onto the B5419. As the bus in front was empty Matthew took a picture inside Arriva NW&W 2526.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2526

We went through the old town and across the roundabout onto Victoria Road. We turned right onto Hutchinson Road and we joined the the A533. We crossed over the Jubilee Bridge into Runcorn and we wheeled around onto Station Road and into the old town. We crossed over the canal and past 'The Archers' pub and onto the High Street. We turned into the bus station and we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of Arriva NW&W 2526 before it carried on towards Murdishaw.

Arriva NW&W 2526 in Runcorn bus station

We decided to catch the next Arriva bus towards the hospital. Whilst we waited we saw Halton Transport 15 on a #61A to Huyton.

Halton Transport 15 in Runcorn bus station

A few minutes later we saw an Arriva bus approaching. As it got closer we saw that it was required Arriva NW&W 2525 on a #3C to Halton Lea hospital.

Arriva NW&W 2525 in Runcorn bus station

We decided to do required Arriva NW&W 2525 on the #3C service to Halton Hospital. We got on the bus and we flashed the Arriva Day Saver ticket to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off out of the bus station and we turned right and up the hill. We crossed the canal and we went under the A533. We turned left into Boston Avenue and we ran Eastwards. We turned left into Halton Brook Avenue and then we turned right into Halton Brook Avenue. We went forwards off Halton Brook Avenue on to Brackendale and after crossing over the B5155 onto Halton Lodge Avenue we turned left onto the busway. With Runcorn being radically different, there are three types of Roads. We ran under the A533 central expressway and into the Halton Lea shopping centre. The Eastbound busway calls at the library on an elevated road. After a brief stop we continued to the hospital where the bus terminated. We got off the bus and crossed over the road to stop B. We crossed the road and we saw Arriva NW&W 2533 on a #79 to Hough Green.

Arriva NW&W 2533 in Halton Lea

We got on the bus and we flashed the Arriva Day Saver ticket to the driver. We sat down towards the back of the bus and the bus set off along the busway Westwards. We stopped on the Southside of the Halton Lea shopping centre. We carried on West onto Grangeway. At the end we ran forwards onto Linkway and right onto Laburnum Grove. We turned right onto Windsor Grove and we followed the road around. We ran North up Norleane Crescent and we turned left onto Heath Road. We then did a loop around Langdale Road and Ivy Street before we rejoined Heath Road, this time going Northwards. We continued up the B5155 and we followed the road to the left over the canal. We then travelled via Lena Way into the town centre and into the bus station. We got off the bus and we crossed over to the other side to catch something back West. Across the other side was Arriva NW&W 2537 on a #82A to Liverpool.

Arriva NW&W 2537 in Runcorn bus station

A few minutes later we saw Ashcroft's Travel Solo YK04 KWJ arrive on the #52 Beechwood Circular service.

Ashcroft's Travel YK04 KWJ in Runcorn bus station

The Solo went on layover for a short while. A few minutes later we saw required Arriva NW&W 2545 on a #110 to Murdishaw.

Arriva NW&W 2545 in Runcorn bus station

Matthew didn't want to do this bus. On the opposite saide of the bus station we saw Arriva NW&W 2536 on the #110 to Warrington.

Arriva NW&W 2536 in Runcorn bus station

A few minutes later we saw dud Arriva NW&W 2519 on a #79 to Murdishaw.

Arriva NW&W 2519 in Runcorn bus station

We decided to do this bus rather than pay to go on a Solo! We got on Arriva NW&W 2519 and flashed the Arriva day Saver ticket to the driver. We set off out of town as we had done on the #3C earlier and as we got close to the town hall on Heath Road, we turned right into Ivy Street and left into Langdale Road. We ran through Halton Lodge Norleane Crescent and Linkway. We ran clockwise around Grangeway and we joined the busway and we ran though Halton Lea North close to the library. We decided to go a bit further East to Murdishaw. We ran past the hospital and we traveled East for about a mile and the busway opened out at a turning circle and we guessed we had reached the end of the run. we got up and we let the bus empty before Matthew took a picture inside Arriva NW&W 2519.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2519

We got off the bus and then Matthew then took another picture of Arriva NW&W 2519.

Arriva NW&W 2519 in Murdishaw

After taking a few bus pictures off the footbridge we went into the Co-operative food store. Mathew had a can of Coke and a small bottle of Irn Bru. He also had some Milky Way and some Curly Wurlies. Once we had done our shopping we went to the till and Matthew said hello to the girl behind the counter. Whilst we waited to catch an Arriva bus we saw Halton Transport 36 which went on layover.

Halton Transport 36 in Murdishaw

A few minutes later we saw Arriva NW&W 5006 #2 Halton Lea circular.

Arriva NW&W 5006 in Murdishaw

We decided to do this bus, so we got on and we flashed the Arriva day Saver ticket to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. As this was a service we hadn't done before we immediately covered new ground. The #1 and #2 Halton Lea circulars run completely on Busways, The #1 being the clockwise service and the #2 being the anti-clockwise. We set off North out of Murdishaw central along the busway and we past near to Runcorn East railway station. We ran around the Windmill Hill area of town and then we went into a more familiar section than we had cover on a Runcorn bound #110 service. We travelled through Castlefield and past the McColls store and then we ran into Halton Lea. The bus emptied out a little and Matthew took a picture of the empty rear of Arriva NW&W 5006.

Inside Arriva NW&W 5006

We decided to get off at the Halton Lea North terminal as we had never been there before. We got up and got off the bus and Matthew got another picture of Arriva NW&W 5006 as it carried on back towards Murdishaw.

Arriva NW&W 5006 in Halton Lea

We went down an flight of stairs and underneath the busway and we entered the shopping centre. We guessed where the toilet where from our previous visit, but we approached then from the opposite direction. In the center of the mall was a 'Halton's got talent' competition going on. Matthew visited the toilet and from the 5 minutes we were near to the competition we can safely say the Halton didn't have talent... We walked through the rest of the bus station and we followed the smell of the Subway shop which is situated near to the South bus terminal. We went up an escalator and into the bus station an we saw Arriva NW&W 2552 on a #21 to Chester.

Arriva NW&W 2552 in Halton Lea

A few minutes later we saw dud Arriva NW&W 2523 on a #110 to Warrington.

Arriva NW&W 2523 in Halton Lea

Matthew decided that we were doing this bus. We got on the bus and we flashed the Arriva Day Saver ticket to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We traveled back through Castlefields via the busway. The bus emptied out a little and Matthew took a picture of the empty seat behind us on Arriva NW&W 2523.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2523

We headed back into Runcorn via the busway through Astmoor. When we got back into Runcorn Matthew took another picture of Arriva NW&W 2523 before it carried on towards Warrington.

Arriva NW&W 2523 in Runcorn bus station

We decide to go East one last time before we returned to Widnes, so we crossed over the bus station to wait for the next Eastbound Arriva bus. Whilst there we saw Halton Transport 87 on a #14A to Murdishaw.

Halton Transport 87 in Runcorn bus station

A few minutes later we saw a bus approaching and it was required Arriva NW&W 2540 on a #79C to Murdishaw.

Arriva NW&W 2540 in Runcorn bus station

We got on Arriva NW&W 2519 and flashed the Arriva day Saver ticket to the driver. We set off out of town as we had done on the #3C earlier and as we got close to the town hall on Heath Road, we turned right into Ivy Street and left into Langdale Road. We ran through Halton Lodge Norleane Crescent and Linkway. The bus emptied out and Matthew took a picture inside Arriva NW&W 2540.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2540

We ran clockwise around Grangeway and we joined the busway and we ran though Halton Lea North close to the library. We continued East and when we got to the hospital we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of Arriva NW&W 2540 as it carried on towards Murdishaw.

Arriva NW&W 2540 in Halton Lea

We crossed over to Sop B and we waited for the next bus back. A few minutes later we saw required Arriva NW&W 2543 on a #79C to Liverpool.

Arriva NW&W 2543 in Halton Lea

We got on the bus and we flashed the Arriva Day Saver ticket to the driver for the final fine today. The bus set off along the busway Westwards and we stopped on the Southside of the Halton Lea shopping centre. We carried on West onto Grangeway. At the end we ran forwards onto Linkway and right onto Laburnum Grove. We turned right onto Windsor Grove and we followed the road around. We ran North up Norleane Crescent and we turned left onto Heath Road. We then did a loop around Langdale Road and Ivy Street before we rejoined Heath Road, this time going Northwards. We continued up the B5155 and we followed the road to the left over the canal. We then travelled via Lena Way into the town centre and into the bus station. After a brief stop we set off up the High Street and we passed close to the Waterloo pub as was and we joined the A533. We crossed over the Mersey and we ran into the old town of Widnes up Victoria Road. We crossed over the roundabout and we ran through a bus lane into the Asda car park. We joined onto Gerrard Street past Marks & Spencers and we turned left onto Green Oaks Way. We we got to the bus stops by Green Oaks we got up and got off the bus. Once we got off the bus Matthew took another picture Arriva NW&W 2543 before it carried on towards Liverpool.

Arriva NW&W 2543 in Widnes

We walked over to mum and we got in the car. Matthew had a Greggs sausage roll washed down with a small bottle of Irn Bru. We set off onto Green Oaks Way and we went North to the roundabout and did a u-turn. We went South to Tesco where we filled up with diesel at the petrol station. We got back onto Lugsdale Road and we joined the Northbound A557. We ran the 3 or so miles up to the M62 and we joined the Eastbound road. Traveling back along the M62 we saw Vision travel double decker N590 BRH. We then joined the Southbound M6. Going down the M6 we saw an unidentified Bell Vue coach and unidentified red white Routemaster. As we travelled South we caught up with a short wheelbase coach. As we got closer we saw that it was Finesse Travel BIG 7662.

Finesse Travel BIG 7662 on the M6

We joined the Southbound A500 and we saw Bagnalls minicoach BAG 563S & Bakers coach BN63 NYC. At Sideway we joined the Eastbound A50 which we did up to Longton. We ran up to Z Carz to see what was parked up there this evening. In the front row we saw Z Carz Ford minibus FP06 WTW.

Z Carz FP06 WTW in Longton

Next to that was Z Carz silver Renault minibus DS07 LSN.

Z Carz DS07 LSN in Longton

On the front of the row was Z Carz white LDV minibus PN06 ONM.

Z Carz PN06 ONM in Longton

In the second row we saw Z Carz white Iveco minibus GK02 NWJ.

Z Carz GK02 NWJ in Longton

We turned the corner into Willow Row to see what was in the compound. Closest to the gate was Z Carz white Ford minibus GL04 CVE.

Z Carz GL04 CVE in Longton

We re-joined the A50 and we ran West up to Heron Cross and we came off onto Blurton Road. We ran through Blurton and we turned right onto Church Road and then right onto Beaconsfield Drive. We got home just before 18:30. For a late tea we had banger and mash with carrots followed by a jam filled shortbread biscuit. We then chilled out on the computer and watching telly until 01:00... Mark

Trip to Ellesmere Port / Chester 04-06-2011

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
2409	Ellesmere Port BS	Chester BS	401	Arriva NW&W
2130	Chester BS	Golftyn, Boathouse Inn (NW) (NW-bound)	10	Arriva NW&W
2360	Golftyn, Boathouse Inn (SE) (SE-bound)	Chester BS	10	Arriva NW&W
2530	Hoole Road / Newton Lane	Chester BS	X30	Arriva NW&W
2351	Chester BS	Shotton, Ash Grove (NW) (NW-bound)	X11	Arriva NW&W
2570	Shotton, Ash Grove (SE) (SE-bound)	Chester BS	10	Arriva NW&W
2523	Chester BS	Hoole Road / Dene Hotel	X30	Arriva NW&W

We planned this weekend a few weeks ago. We asked Matthew where he wanted to go for his birthday weekend and he chose Chester. Mum booked an hotel for the Saturday night and we set off at little early than usual at around 11:00. Heading North along the A500 there was a slight delay around Wolstanton due to broken down vehicles. We filled up with LPG in Longport, and we carried on North at around 11;40. The journey was relatively uneventful, although traffic was slow in several places. We passed First Manchester 41068 heading east along the M56. At the junction of the M56 and M53 there had been a serious motorbike accident and there seemed to be a large party of catholic priests in attendance. We arrived in Ellesmere port around 13:00 and we ate in the market food court as per usual. 2 breakfasts, a sausage sandwich, 2 teacakes and 3 drink cost us £11 from café Bellamy. After dinner we had about 15 minutes in Ellesmere Port bus station before dud 2409 appeared on 401 to Chester. This bus came in from the opposite direction presumably due to the road works on the end of Civic Way.

2409 in Ellesmere Port (Matt)

When we got to Chester Matthew photographed the inside of the bus.


Inside 2409 (Matt)

Today Matthew had quite a long stay in Chester bus station and took loads of pictures. First seemed to be short of running midi buses, with the only Marshals seen out being 41069/71/72. 41068 was seeing heading East earlier. 40014 is current in Birkenhead as can be seen here. This resulted in 3 double decker working in service plus another one making a passing appearance. First to appear was 34228 on 5's and 21's, then 34224 appeared and then went out empty. 30077 made an appearance on the 53's and 51's and then 30069 appeared on 5's and 21's aswell.


30077 on a 53 to Kingsway (matt)


30069 on a 21 Hunts Cross (Matt)


34228 on 5 to huntington (Matt)

After around an hour of observing buses in the bus station, I persuaded Matthew to do a 10 to Shotton. The next 10 was required 2130. It was a hot day and perhaps doing this service was a mistake. The bus was quite full and the heaters were on to stop the bus from overheating. It did cool slightly when we were travelling at speed through Sealands, but it was still quite uncomfortable. Matthew got a shot of the bus as it powered away into the distance.


2130 heads towards Connnah's Quay

After we bailed, we crossed the road and we didn't ave to wait long for a #10 returning to Chester. The first one to turn up was 2360. Unbeknown to us we has been on this bus last time we did the #10 buses.


2360 in Shotton (Matt)

As is often the case, Matthew photographed the inside of the bus on arrival at Chester.


Inside 2360 (Matt)

When we arrived back in Chester, it had gone 1600 and mum had driven down from Ellesmere Port. We decided to have a sausage roll break, and to drive to the hotel on Hoole Road and book in for the evening. We had a quick toilet stop and then decided to catch a bus back into chester to have a quick ride around aod a few more buses. The next bus south was at 17:22 and was a x30 from Runcorn. After a short wait 2530 turned up to take us to Chester bus station.


2530 heading South West along Hoole Road (Matt)

This bus has been refurbished inside but does not carry the interurban livery. The refurbished inside can be seen here.


Inside 2530 (Matt)

When we arrived in Chester I ran to get lottery tickets and Matthew sat and took bus pictures. We decided to do a 10 or an X11 to Shotton, so we looked what was out. The 17:55 10 was which was not required, the 18:00 X11 was 2351 which was required.


2351 in Chester bus station (Matt)

We did this to the stop just before Shotton railway station. as we waited the bus we let go came past 'not in service' running back empty to the depot. there was also a 12 due just before our bus that only went as far as the depot. this was one of the usual Solo's. Eventually our bus turned up and it was dud 2570! It was quite pleasant in this bus in the early evening belting along Sealands with a cooling breeze coming through the windows.


2570 in Chester bus station (Matt)

When we returned to chester we had about 30minutes ti kill before the 19:35 X30. We generally hung out and took more pictures. One interesting bus was the WCM minibus on the 21 to Runcorn.


WCM minibus T734 WPA leaves for Runcorn on the #21 service (Mark)

Eventually time passed and 2523 arrived to work the 19:35


2523 arrives in Chester bus station (Matt)

The bus took us back along the Hoole Road, and Matthew took a picture as it headed North.


2523 departs North towards Runcorn (Matt)

After we got back to the hotel, we had chips and sausage for supper from the chip shop in Kingsway, Afterwards Matthew used his net book to upload pictures to Flickr... Mark