Trip to Fenton / Trent Vale 01-08-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
41520	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trent Vale, opp Chubb Way (Unmarked)	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 passing First Potteries 53207 on the #23 on Beaconsfield Drive. At Heron Cross lights we went straight over and the turned right onto Christchurch Street and then to his destination. In Fenton we saw Shelton Care DX53 VCA on a to Freeport Talke.

Shelton Care Group DX53 VCA in Fenton

we 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 Wardle Transport 2249 & 3615 on the X51 service. Running empty was Wardle Transport 2265. On the #1 were First Potteries 60075/081/174 & 175. Seen on the #23 were First Potteries 53207/208 & 209. Seen on the #40 was Copeland's tours MIB 302. At home time we took Matthew onto Christchurch Street and through Heron Cross and along Blurton Road and Beaconsfield Road, getting home around 15:00. At home Matthew had toast and some dandelion & burdock. Around 16:30 we walked all the way to the bus stop on Magdalen Road. Having seen all eight #22's today, we knew the bus was going to be required First Potteries 41520, a recent transfer from Adderley Green to Newcastle depot. As the bus turned the corner we could see it had a small front numbers and was as expected First Potteries 41520.

First Potteries 41520 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 quite full and was filling up even more so Matthew to a picture of the empty seat opposite before it was filled.

Inside First Potteries 41520

We carried on past the Trentham Hotel and we saw First Potteries 40173 on a #21A to Hanley & 43875 on a Dresden bound #22. We turned onto New Inn Lane and we saw First Potteries 41522 on a Hanley bound #21. Opposite the man in space we saw First Potteries 41499 on a Trentham Gardens bound #21B service. We carried on through Trentham and into Hanford before dropping down onto the A34. We crossed under the A500 and as we passed the Black Lion we saw First Potteries 41496 on a Trentham bound #21A. We turned onto Harpfield Road and we got up and got off the bus.

First Potteries 41520 in Trent Vale

We walked back onto the A34 to walk to the pub. On the way we saw First Potteries 65041 on a Stafford bound #101.

First Potteries 65041 in Trent Vale

We waited for a few minutes for mum to arrive and we went into the pub 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 Leons Coaches 211, Parks of Hamilton's national Express liveried coach HSK 644, Glovers coaches AIG 8900 and Clynnog & Trefor YX14 SHZ. Another rarity was classic Scania 60059 on the #101 to Stafford. 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 18:30. 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

Trip to Uttoxeter 24-12-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
3714	Uttoxeter BS	Sudbury, adj Portway Head	1	Arriva Midlands
3615	Sudbury, opp Portway Head	Uttoxeter BS	X50	Wardle Transport
2622	Uttoxeter BS	The Wharf, nr The Fire Station	841	Arriva Midlands
3709	Uttoxeter BS	The Wharf, nr The Fire Station	4	Arriva Midlands
736	Uttoxeter BS	Denstone, adj Hawthorn Close	Swift	Trent Barton
738	Denstone, opp Hawthorn Close	Uttoxeter BS	Swift	Trent Barton
3714	Uttoxeter BS	Sudbury, adj Portway Head	1	Arriva Midlands
4808	Sudbury, opp Portway Head	Fenton, adj Travers Court	X50	Wardle Transport

Today we decided to re-visited Uttoxeter. Usually when we went to Uttoxeter we would go on a Wednesday so we could travel on the Wednesdays only #184 to Weston Coyney operated by Phil Smiths Travel. This bus is now operated by JST International and only runs as far as Cheadle. It is a Tuesday, so we had the chance to do some different buses than we usually cover. Research for today consisted of checking the weather for the trip (cold and sunny), and to have a quick look at some of our previous visits to Uttoxeter on the Blog. Matthew got up around 09:30 today and had some toast and blackcurrant juice for breakfast. Later in the morning he had a Fudge flavoured yoghurt. We set off from home around 12:15 heading out onto the A5035 towards Longton. At Z Carz was M534 RSO which still has missing panels on the nearside of the coach. We turned onto the East bound A50 which we did to the outskirts of Uttoxeter. We did the last mile or so into Uttoxeter along the A522 before parking up behind the bus station. We went to the cafe in the arcade behind the bus station. He visited the toilet and then had a brunch with bread and butter washed down with a can of Coke. After we had finished we headed into the bus station to see what was working. It was around 13:20 and there was a bit of a gap in the service. Bakerbus 254 Arrived on the #428 from Lichfield before going onto the #402 to Burton.

Bakerbus 254 in Uttoxeter bus station

This was the first time we had seen this service since it went over to Bakerbus operation in August. We didn't have to wait long before another couple of buses arrived into the bus station. Arriva Midlands 3708 came in on the #4 town circular service and then Arriva Midlands 3714 arrived on the #1 to Burton.

Arriva Midlands 3714 in Uttoxeter bus station

We decided to do the #1 up too Sudbury for an X50 back. We got on the bus and sat down near then back. Matthew took a picture of the seats behind us.

Inside Arriva Midlands 3714

At 13:35 the bus set off out of town and onto the A50. We then headed up the hill and then into Doveridge. This was the first time we had done a long bus on this service. Previous trip on this service have been on Darts and double deckers. It was quite interesting seeing a bus of this length turn into Bell Lane. The bus carried on towards Sudbury and just after the junction for the A515/A50 we got off the bus and crossed over for the return service. We only had around 5 minutes to wait and then we saw the bus round the corner. It was dud Wardle Transport 3615.

Wardle Transport 3615 in Sudbury

We got on the bus and it was nearly empty, so Matthew took a picture inside the bus when we got on.

Inside Wardle Transport 3615

We sat down near the back of the bus. The bus set off and joined onto the A50 before heading into Uttoxeter. When we got into the bus station we saw another bus arrive. It was required Arriva Midlands 2622. It went on layover for a short while and it was going to do the next #841 to Stafford.

Arriva Midlands 2622 in Uttoxeter bus station

When it was time for the bus to leave it came on stand. I wasn't sure which route the bus was going to take out of town and whether we could catch it or not. It turned out the bus left town towards the bakery so we decided to catch the bus bus a few stops out of town. We got on and Matthew took a picture of the empty rear of the bus.

Inside Arriva Midlands 2622

We sat down near the back and the bus set off out of town. When we got to the bakery we got off. We were trying to use the Firstbus bus app to see if there was a bus due back into town. As we were looking at the phone we saw Wardle Transport 4808 on the X50 to Derby! We walked back into the bus station and we stopped at The Smithfield to say hello to someone. Matthew used the toilet and then we saw Arriva Midlands 3708 arrive. It was coming off the town service and going onto the #1 to Burton. The #1 from Burton came in and it was required Arriva Midlands 3709. This was now going onto the #4 town circular.

Arriva Midlands 3709 in Uttoxeter bus station

We decided to do this out of town to the bakery again. This would give us a chance to do the Trent Barton Swift service later. We got on and sat down near the back. Matthew got a picture of the empty seats behind us.

Inside Arriva Midlands 3709

The bus set off out of town and we got off by the bakery again. We thought about catching the Swift back into town as the logos are on the inbound stops, but luckily as will be seen later we decided to walk back. We turned the corner into the bus station and we were surprised to see the Swift bus already in the bus station. Matthew took a picture of the bus before we walked into the bus station up to the bus.

Trent Barton 736 in Uttoxeter bus station

The bus wasn't quite ready for service. Whilst we were waiting for the driver, we saw First Potteries 65003 on the #32A to Hanley.

First Potteries 65003 in Uttoxeter bus station

When the bus had been readied for service we got on and Matthew took a picture inside the bus towards the rear and we sat down.

Inside Trent Barton 736

The bus set off out of town and past the bakery before forking right and crossing the A50 by MacDonalds. We headed out of town towards Rocester and we turned into town. due to roadworks there was a section of the route that was now one way. I wondered if this would have a bearing on the return service and it did. A lady tried to get on the bus trying to go to Uttoxeter and she had to wait for the other service to come the same way down the road. We came out of the other side of Rocester and then we headed into Denstone. I saw a place where there was a shelter on the opposite side of the road so we got off there. We crossed the road to wait for the return service. The bus appeared roughly on time at 15:10 and it was required Trent Barton 738.

Trent Barton 738 in Denstone

We got on the bus and sat down near the back. Due to the roadwork the bus went past Rocester along the main road and then headed in Rocester from the other end. The lady that tried to get on the bus earlier now got on the correct bus and we did a lap around Rocester before heading into Uttoxeter. The reason we didn't see the Swift coming into Uttoxeter earlier is that the route into town takes in the retail park stopping outside Tesco. After calling at Tesco the bus headed into town and into the bus station. Before we got off Matthew took a picture inside Trent Barton 738.

Inside Trent Barton 738

Opposite us was Bakerbus 257, which was on layover before working the #402.

Bakerbus 257 in Uttoxeter bus station

Matthew got another picture of Trent Barton 738, with Arriva Midlands 3714 sneaking into shot behind it.

Trent Barton 738 in Uttoxeter bus station

There was just time to go to the toilet before getting another picture of Arriva Midlands 3714 which was bout to work the next #1 to Burton.

Arriva Midlands 3714 in Uttoxeter bus station

Matthew was a little unsure about doing this bus, but it was the best way to get for Wardle Transport 4808 on the X50 without waiting in the cold! We set off out of town and through Doveridge. There seemed to be some kind of walk going on which caused us a slight delay. We got to the same point as earlier on the road to Sudbury and we got off the bus. We crossed the road to wait for the X50. I called mum to tell her our plans and how long the bus would take. The bus turned up and as expected it was dud Wardle Transport 4808.

Wardle Transport 4808 in Sudbury

We got on and went upstairs. When we got past the only other person on the top deck Matthew took a picture inside Wardle Transport 4808.

Inside Wardle Transport 4808

We sat down and the bus set off. We joined the A50 and we headed into Uttoxeter and then the bus station. Bakerbus 254 and Arriva Midlands 3709 were both on layerover in the bus station and I took pictures out of the window of the bus. When it was time the bus set off on it's journey towards Stoke-on-Trent. The bus did the A522 through Checkley and into Tean. We had another short pause here before carrying on through Draycott and into Blythe Bridge. We crossed the railway line and then headed over the A50 into Meir Heath. We went out towards Rough Close and then back into Meir along the A520. On the A50 we passed Wardle Transport 2204 on the X51 to Cheadle. This was the first time we had done this service since the route had been revised to take in Longton. We came off the A50 at the East end of Longton before heading down The Strand. As we travelled down The Strand we could see that most of the shops had shut early. The bus went past the bus station before we got back onto the A50. The bus came off the A50 at Heron cross and we did the A50 link road to city road. When we got to Travers Court we got off the bus. Mum had been to drop off a few Christmas presents and was a couple of minutes late picking us up. We were able to see First Potteries 40003/40373 and 42727 on the #23 service. mum picked us up and we headed into Heron Cross via Smithpool Road and Grove Road. We dropped off a few more presents before continuing through Blurton onto the A5035. We did the A5035 to Trenthan and then we did the Northbound A34 up to Trent Vale. We picked up a MacDonalds meal for Matthew before we headed home back down the A34 and A5035. We got home around 18:00. Matthew ate his chicken nugget meal and plain cheesburger washed down with a Coke. We then chilled out watching Christmas Eve televsion and writing the Blog. Matthew chilled out on his computer and is expected to got to bed around 00:00...Mark

Trip to Crewe / Nantwich 21-12-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
4156	Crewe BS	Nantwich BS	84	Arriva NW&W
3615	Nantwich BS	Tarporley, opp Community Centre	84	Arriva NW&W
4078	Tarporley, o/s Community Centre	Nantwich BS	84	Arriva NW&W
2609	Nantwich BS	Crewe BS	84	Arriva NW&W
4490	Crewe BS	Sandbach, o/s Military Arms PH	38	Arriva NW&W

Today we decided to go to Crewe to try and get a ride on step entranced double decker Arriva NW&W 3615. Matthew had been in respite this week and we didn't decide where we were going until Friday night. Very little planning was done for the trip other than to check the weather which was forecast for sunny and dry with rain later. Matthew got up just after 10:00 today and had toast and blackcurrant juice for breakfast. We set off at around 12:15 today. We drove onto the A5035 and onto Stanley Matthew Way. We then got onto the A50 passing an unidentified Aimee's coaches minibus going the other way. We got onto the Northbound A500 which we did up to the A5020. We then drove into Crewe. There was some traffic around the railway station as usual and then we turned into Edlestone Road and drove into the town centre parking in Delamere Street around 13:00. We walked through the bus station towards Les's Fish Bar. On the way we saw Arriva NW&W 4078 on stand about to work the 13:00 to Chester. We sat down in the chip restaurant and we order our food. Matthew went to the toilet and the food arriweved. He had Chips beans and sausage with 2 round of bread and butter washed down with a cup of Pepsi. After we had finished eating headed back to the bus station were we saw Arriva NW&W 4156 about to work the #84 to Nantwich.

Arriva NW&W 4156 in Crewe bus station

We decided to do this bus so we could see what was working the #84 service a bit quicker. Arriva NW&W 4156 was a bus we last did back in February 2013. We got on the bus and booked our Arriva Daysaver tickets. We then went and sat upstairs. The bus set off out of town and along Edleston Road. Part way along we passed the bus we come for, Arriva NW&W 3615 working an inbound #84 service. We turn right onto Nantwich Road and we headed out of Crewe. We then turned left into Willaston before retuning onto the A534 and heading into Nantwich. When we got to Nantwich the bus empties out and Matthew took a picture inside Arriva NW&W 4156.

Inside Arriva NW&W 4156

We got off Arriva NW&W 4156 and we saw saw GHA SL13 which was on layover. We took a picture of this and then started to walk out of the bus station.

GHA SL13 in Nantwich bus station

We also took another picture of Arriva NW&W 4156 too.

Arriva NW&W 4156 in Nantwich bus station

We knew Arriva NW&W 3615 would be on the next Chester bound service so we decided to wait at Nantwich. Whilst we waited we decided to go and use the toilet in the Market and to pick up some spearmint chew from the still opposite the toilets. We walked back to the bus station and we only had a few minutes to wait. Whilst we waited we saw D&G 124 and GHA Solos SL06 & SL14 arrive before required Arriva NW&W 3615 rounded the corner and entered Nantwich bus station on the #84.

Arriva NW&W 3615 in Nantwich bus station

We got on the bus and went upstairs. As it was the shortest day of the year and we knew we wouldn't have long before it went dark we decided to do the bus to Tarporley before returning back towards Crewe. The bus stormed through the Cheshire countryside along the A51 and then onto the A49. We then turned into Tarporley village. we saw a petrol station with a Spar shop so we decided to get off there.

Arriva NW&W 3615 in Tarporley

After we had taken a picture of Arriva NW&W 3615 we crossed over the road and went to the Spar shop. Matthew brought some chocolate bars as well as some of the cheap bottles of pop and a can of Coke. We walked back to the bus stop and the bus towards Crewe was now due. A few minutes later dud Arriva NW&W 4078 reappeared.

Arriva NW&W 4078 in Tarporley

We got on the bus and went upstairs. We decided to stagger our journey and to do this to Nantwich. 4078 put in a really spirited performance... It seemed to travel quite quickly along the A51 toward Nantwich. We had only been on this bus once before when we did the bus from Littleton to Chester on the #84 back in November. When we got to Nantwich we got off and we got another picture of this fine beast.

Arriva NW&W 4078 in Nantwich bus station

We also got a picture of GHA SL06 which was now on layover in the bus station.

GHA SL06 in Nantwich bus station

We decided to visit the toilet again and when we retuned to the bus station we saw dud Arriva NW&W 4042 on the next #84 to Chester.

Arriva NW&W 4042 in Nantwich bus station

Also in the bus station was one of D&G MCV Evolution buses on the #45 to Crewe. It was required D&G 132.

D&G 132 in Nantwich bus station

Behind D&G 132 was Arriva NW&W 2609 on the #84 to Crewe. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this bus back to Crewe and he said yes.

Arriva NW&W 2609 in Nantwich bus station

We got on and sat down near the back. Consulting the 'Buses I have travelled on' page It turned out the 2609 was required! We now only need 4 Winsford based Centros. We returned back via Willaston and the A534 and then down Edleston Road into Crewe town centre. When we got into the bus station Matthew waited for the bus to empty before getting a picture inside Arriva NW&W 2609 too.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2609

When we got to Crewe we watched a few buses come in and go out. Arriva NW&W 4078 and now transferred onto the #31 to Northwich, possibly swapping for required Arriva NW&W 2614 which was now on the #84. Matthew decided that he fancied a bit of a walk around town so we headed off into the shopping centre before walking around the town centre and back into the bus station. As we got back into the bus station and we saw required Arriva NW&W 4490 arrive on the #38 from Macclesfield. We decided to do this back out towards Sandbach.

Arriva NW&W 4490 in Crewe bus station

We waited for 5 minutes whilst the driver had a quick break before readying the bus for service at 16:35. We got on the bus and went upstairs. It was empty towards the back so Matthew got a picture inside 4490 too.

Inside Arriva NW&W 4490

The plan had been to do this bus to Wheelock and the catch the #38 back with would almost certainly be required 4491. matthew decided that he needed the toilet again, so we decided we go to Sandbach and use the toilet there. This would mean that we would just miss the #38 and would have to wait 30 minutes for the next bus back Crewe. I phoned mum to tell her our plans and she said she would come up to us and pick us up from Sandbach. We arrived in Sandbach and as predicted we just missed Arriva NW&W 4491 on the #38 to Crewe. We went to use the toilet and then we went to the chip shop and we shared a portion of chips between me, Matthew and uncle Dave. Matthew had a whole jumbo sausage too. This was washed down with a can of Fanta. Whilst we ate we saw Arriva NW&W 2503 on the #37 to Northwich. We also saw D&G 164 on #78 to Nantwich.

D&G 164 in Sandbach

Just after we had finished eating it started to rain, and rain hard. The main stop was filling up with passengers waiting for the next Crewe service so we retreated to the stop for the Macclesfield bus. Mum eventually turned up after around 30 minutes. She had gotten a little lost following the GPS! We walked over to the car and got in. We then saw dud Arriva NW&W 4099 on the #37 to Crewe. We set off home via the A534 which we did East to the M6. We went down the motorway one junction to the A500 and then we headed to Longton on the A50 to see what was parked up at Z Carz. There were a few vehicles parked up here this week. At the front of the row was coach M534 RSO which appeared to be having some work done.

Z Carz M534 RSO in Longton

As can be seen there are a few boy panels missing from nearside of the coach.Next to this was Scania coach D104 XAN.

Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton

Next to this was OV05 WSW which was parked in the shadow of the coach. Besides this was Mercedes minibus BV51 BNO.

Z Carz BV51 BNO in Longton

Behind a few parked cars was Mercedes minibus W221 CDN. In the Willow Row compound was airport transfer minibus DL03 HHU and SORN LDV minibus T408 JUX. We headed back onto the A50 which we did to Heron Cross. We headed home via Blurton Road and the A5035, passing First Potteries 40029 on the #23. We got back home at 18:30. For a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a Manchester Tart. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 00:30...Mark

Trip to Hanley / Tunstall 09-11-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
42892	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Newcastle BS	22	First Potteries
37158	Newcastle BS	Hanley BS	25	First Potteries
254	Hanley BS	Tunstall, adj stop M	20	Bakerbus
3615	Tunstall, adj stop A	Bradeley, opp Crediton Avenue	91	Wardle Transport
4802	Bradeley, opp Moorland View	Hanley, adj stop J1	19	Wardle Transport

Today we decided to stay locally as mum had thing to do later. No research was done except to check the weather. and this was for a bright sunny day. It was quite cold as we headed into winter with a maximum temperature of 8' predicted. Matthew got up early for a Saturday at around 09:00. I had been out to check what buses were on the #22's so we would know what was out before we set off. First Potteries 42892/894 were both out and required, the other bus being dud First Potteries 40016. Also seen were First Potteries 40003/375/42726/727 on #23's and Wardle Transport 3616/4813 were out on the #46. I then went to pick up uncle Dave. I headed through Blurton into Heron Cross and then into Fenton. After picking up uncle Dave I returned back through Heron Cross passing First Potteries 42726 on a 23A and we then carried on into Blurton. We worked out that if we wanted to go get required First Potteries 42892 we would have to got out to get the 12:20 from Longton to Newcastle. We left the house around 12:20 and we headed to the bus stop. As expected we saw First potteries 42894 heading into Longton just before our bus was due. I flagged it down for a neighbour who was 100yds away from the stop when the bus appeared. Around 13:32 as expected required 42892 rounded the corner and we flagged it down.

First Potteries 42892 in Blurton

We got on and booked a Smart Day ticket before sitting down near the back of the bus. We headed out onto The A5035 and into Trentham. We passed First Potteries 40155 on the #21A. We turned into New Inn Lane and we passed Trentham bound 61238 on the #21. We headed through Hanford and down Church Lane onto the A34. Here we passed First Potteries 40016 on the 3rd #22 turn. We went through Trent Vale and we headed towards the Hospital along Harpfields Road. We passed through the hospital and back onto the A34. We then headed into Newcastle and into the bus station. When we got to the bus station we let the bus empty and Matthew got a picture inside First Potteries 42892.

Inside First Potteries 42892

When we got into the bus station we saw First Potteries 37158 on the next #25 to Hanley. We decided tho have a quick walk around to see what was about. First Potteries 32633 was heading towards Keele on a #25.

First Potteries 32633 in Newcastle bus station

Wardle Transport 3615 was parked up in between #91 duties. First Potteries 65732 was on a #34 turn and Wardle Transport 4806 on the next #91 to Bradeley.

Wardle Transport 4806 in Newcastle bus station

We also saw D&G 129 on the Crewe bound #85 and D&G 173 on the Hanley bound #85. We decided to have a run on required 37158 on the #25 to Hanley. Once in Hanley we could go get chips! Matthew took a picture of First Potteries 37158 and then we got on it.

First Potteries 37158 in Newcastle bus station

We got on the bus and we went upstairs. The bus was quite full so matthew sat with uncle Dave and I sat on my own a few seats away. The bus left Newcastle on the A53 and then onto George Street. The bus then headed though Hartsill. We headed into Stoke passing 37160 & 37156 on #25's. Having been buses that once did the very intense X1 service, I expected the batch of B7TL's from East Anglia to be worn out. 37158 seemed a very nice bus and seemed to be in tip top condition. We carried on through Stoke and past the railway station. Here we passed Wardle Transport 4895 on the X50 to Derby. We carried on through Shelton and into Hanley. When we reached the bus station we let the bus empty out and Matthew got a picture inside First Potteries 37158.

Inside First Potteries 37158

We got off the bus and we headed to the toilets. After using the facilities we walked down to the chip shop on Cheapside. After getting the chips we headed to John Street multi-storey car park to watch buses whilst we ate our chips. Matthew washed his chips down with a can of Ben Shaw's dandelion and burdock. We then took a few bus pictures. A recent transfer from Wardle Transport to Scraggs was required Optare Solo YJ54 BSX.

Scraggs YJ54 BSX in Hanley bus station

The bus still has it's old Wardle Transport fleet number on it (2545). We also saw First Potteries 40028 on a #8B to Brown Edge

First Potteries 40028 in Hanley bus station

Seen in the layover area of the bus station was required First Potteries 41522.

First Potteries 41522 in Hanley bus station

Other sightings of interest were First Potteries 40173 on the #23A to Blurton, Bakerbus 205 on the X5, Bakerbus 194 was on the #2 to Bentilee. Wardle Transport 4808 was on the #19 to Bradeley. We decided to walk down to the bus station to see what we could catch out of Hanley. We spent around 15 minutes waiting for something interesting to do and then we decided to do a Bakerbus on the #20 up to Tunstall. Matthew was probably thinking of last time we did this and got a cake in the cafe by the bus stop! We had turned down required First Potteries 32633 on a #20A and we were considering doing dud First Potteries 65729 on the next #20 to Crewe. The bus station was incredibly busy and buses were going on stands all over the place. When our bus was due off we saw it take two laps of the bus station just a get a stand nearby where it supposed to be! It turned out to be required Bakerbus 254, which was our first Bakerbus Streetlite we were about to ride on.

Bakerbus 254 in Hanley bus station

We got on the bus and as it was empty Matthew got a picture inside Bakerbus 254 straight away.

Inside Bakerbus 254

We sat down near the back of the bus and the bus set off out of town. We headed down Albion Street and the onto marsh Street. We then headed up Trinity Street and onto Stafford Street. The bus only had 5 passengers on it as we left hanley and headed up towards Burslem. We got up to the bus lane and then we made better progress. When we reached Tunstall we got off and behind us was our last required First Potteries MPD 43875 heading up to Biddulph on the #99.

First Potteries 43875 in Tunstall

We walked down the street to the cafe and Matthew went to use their toilet. Afterwards he had a piece of toffee cheesecake washed down with a glass of orange Tango. After he had finished we went outside and we saw required First Potteries 37159 on the #99 to Newcastle.

First Potteries 37159 in Tunstall

Behind this was required Wardle Transport 4896 on the #91 to Newcastle. This is our last required Trident from this batch and once again Matthew turned it down because it was going in the wrong direction!

Wardle Transport 4896 in Tunstall

The next #91 to Bradley was required Wardle Transport 3615.

Wardle Transport 3615 in Tunstall

I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this and he said yes. This was the first bus from this batch of 4 Volvo B10's that had arrived from Arriva Yorkshire a few months ago. We got on the bus and booked to Bradeley village. The bus set off and we headed down through Pitts Hill and up over High Lane to Fegg Hayes. The bus went through Chell Heath and into the estate before heading towards Bradeley. We decided to get off on the main road and not go to Bradeley village so that we had a choice of buses. The bus was empty at this point so Matthew got a picture inside Wardle Transport 3615.

Inside Wardle Transport 3615

We got off the bus and Matthew got another picture of this fine beast.

Wardle Transport 3615 in Bradeley

We did a check on nextbuses.mobi to see what was due. There was a #9 at 16:18 and a #19 at 16:31. We saw Bakerbus 268 heading the other way on a #9 to Biddulph. Having not seen a #29 on the site we didn't know if it still ran. So we were taken by surprise when First Potteries 60079 made an appearance.

First Potteries 60079 in Bradeley

We turned it down as I thought it was a dud bus. It turned out that First Potteries 60079 was required! Next bakerbus 247 appeared almost silently...

Bakerbus 247 in Bradeley

It was a required bus as we have only ever been on one of these hybrids albeit several times. We turned it down as we were hoping for something more interesting on the #19. We saw the #19 heading the other way and it was required Wardle Transport 4802. Whilst we waited for it to return another First bus made an appearance on the #29. It was dud First Potteries 61553. A few minutes later we saw Wardle Transport heading down Moorland View from Bradeley village. The bus turned the corner and we got on the bus.

Wardle Transport 4802 in Bradeley

We went upstairs and Matthew took a picture of the empty top deck.

Inside Wardle Transport 4802

The bus headed towards Smallthorne and then turned onto Ford Green Road. We turned left onto Community drive and then we worked our way across to the A53. We crossed the A53 and we headed up Milton Road passing Wardle Transport 4808 on a #19 and also First Potteries 40155 on a #18 to Leek. We headed into Hanley and we got off the bus at the top of John Street. We crossed over the road and went into the car park to meet mum who was waiting for us. matthew had a sausage roll followed by a Manchester Tart. We drove out of Hanley down Lichfield Street and across Joiners Square to Victoria Road. We did the A50 link road and then onto the A50 to Longton so we could check out what was parked up at Z Carz today. There were only 3 buses parked on the spare ground. These were Mercedes minibus S952 VMY.

Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton

Next to this was another Mercedes with a different body style, Z Carz W221 CDN.

Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton

Lastly was another Mercedes minibus, M372 NWN.

Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton

We turned into Willow Row to see if there was anything in the yard. LDV minibus T408 JUX, which hasn't moved for a month or two appeared to be receiving some attention. We headed back onto the A50 and we did this up to Heron Cross. We then went through Blurton. We got home around 17:30. For tea we had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a toffee yoghurt. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime...Mark