Trip to Uttoxeter 29-05-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
736	Uttoxeter BS	Denstone, adj Hawthorn Close	Swift	Trent Barton
737	Denstone, opp Hawthorn Close	Uttoxeter BS	Swift	Trent Barton
3714	Uttoxeter BS	Sudbury, adj Vernon Arms	1	Arriva Midlands
3710	Sudbury, opp Vernon Arms	Uttoxeter BS	1	Arriva Midlands

Today was in the middle of the college half term holidays so we decided to out on a short trip to Uttoxeter. This was our first trip to Uttoxeter post X50 so we did not really know how things were going to go. I went to work in the morning dropping the main car off at the garage for repairs. Matthew got up around 11:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. I got back from work around 13:00 and after a quick stop we set off in the other car around 13:30. We joined the A5035 and headed towards Longton. We then turned onto the Eastbound A50 which we did up to the edge of Uttoxeter at the junction with the A522. As we traveled the last mile or so along the A522 we passed required Arriva Midlands 3710 on the #4 town service. We knew we would probably pick this up later on the #1. We passed the bus station where we saw a white Streetlite on the Midland Classic run #402 service. We parked up in the car park near the Co-op and we went to the cafe in the precinct for dinner. After using their toilet Matthew had a brunch with two rounds of bread and butter washed down with a glass of Coke. He also had my sausage! After we had finished eating we said goodbye to mum and we walked into the bus station. The only bus there at that time was Trent Barton 736 on the Swift service. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this and he said yes. He took a picture of the bus and we climbed aboard...

Trent Barton 736 in Uttoxeter bus station

We asked the driver where the buses passed and he recommended we go to the Tavern Inn. I wasn't sure where that was so the driver told me he would give us a shout, the bus would tell us where we were anyway... We checked the page to see if the bus was a required one, but it wasn't. We had been on this bus on this service back in December 2013. There are three buses branded for this service and we had already been on two of them. Hopefully the return trip would be required Trent Barton 737... The bus was around 1/3 full but people were dotted all over, so Matthew took a picture of the empty seats behind us.

Inside Trent Barton 736

The bus set off along the A522 towards the Three Tuns before turning at the mini roundabout and appearing at the A50 by the Little Chef roundabout. It took a coupe of minutes to get across the roundabout due to heavy traffic on the A50. I checked nextbuses.mobi for the return bus time and we decided to get off a couple of stops early to be sure. As we traveled along the bus announced the next stop. This is a feature all buses should be fitted with and is very helpful for visually impaired passengers. We headed past the JCB factory and turn into Rocester village. after passing through the village we re-joined the main road before turning into Denstone. When we saw the stop in Denstone with the shelter opposite we decided to get off. We got off the bus and as the bus headed towards Ashbourne Matthew got another picture of this bus.

Trent Barton 736 in Denstone

We got off the bus and crossed the road and we had approximately five minutes to wait. The We saw the bus cross the road at the end before appearing from the street just up the road on the Left. As it got closer we saw it was required Trent Barton 737.

Trent Barton 737 in Denstone

The bus set off back through Denstone and into Rocester before heading back towards Uttoxeter. Crossing over the humped back bridge out of Rocester was very noticeable going back in this direction. We passed 32627 on the #32A to Hanley before we headed over to Tesco. We then headed into town from the railway station end and into the bus station. We waited for the bus to empty but because the end of the service is circular it didn't fully empty. Matthew took a picture of the empty rear of the bus.

Inside Trent Barton 737

We got off and Matthew got another picture of Trent Barton 737.

Trent Barton 737 in Uttoxeter bus station

The was an #1 due in a few minutes, so Matthew used the toilet whilst we waited. A few minutes later dud Arriva Midlands 3714 appeared on the service.

Arriva Midlands 3714 in Uttoxeter bus station

We had been on this bus twice before up to Portway Head back in December 2013. There were quite a few people waiting for the bus, but someone kindly let us onto the bus near the front of the queue. The driver recognised us from one of our previous trip. Matthew was able to get a goo picture inside the near empty Arriva Midlands 3714.

Inside Arriva Midlands 3714

We decided to do the bus up to Sudbury so that we could visit the shop there. We left town on the A518 up to the A50. We went East and climbed the hill to take the road to Doveridge. We went through the village and we made the sharp turn into Bell Lane with ease. We then headed back onto the road to Sudbury. passing Portway Head and Sudbury Hall. We got off by the shelter at the Derby end of the village and Matthew took a picture of Arriva Midlands 3714 as it headed of towards Burton.

Arriva Midlands 3714 in Sudbury

Once the bus had gone we walked back into the village and went into the shop. Matthew chose a can of Coke, A bounty and an ice pop. After eating the ice pop, Matthew ate and orange flavoured rice crispies square bar and we shared the Bounty. We crossed the road and went to the Uttoxeter bound stop. We still had 15 minutes to wait... The time passed and the bus still hadn't appeared. Around 10 minutes after the bus was due I called mum, because buses always turn up when you are on the phone! It didn't work on this occasion, but a couple of minutes later the bus appeared. As expected it was required Arriva Midlands 3710.

Arriva Midlands 3710 in Sudbury

We sat down on the bus and it carried on through Sudbury and into Doveridge. We passed through the village and onto the Westbound A50 for a fast run down the hill onto the A518 and into Uttoxeter town centre. When we got to the bus station we let the bus empty before getting a picture inside Arriva Midlands 3710.

Inside Arriva Midlands 3710

Matthew used the toilet and when he came out dud Arriva Midlands 3716 made an appearance on the #4 town service.

Arriva Midlands 3716 in Uttoxeter bus station

After Arriva Midlands 3710 & 3716 had the bus station on their respective services there was a bit of a quiet spell. We checked the timetables for the #402 & #842 and there next one was at least 30 minutes later. We tried to check for the next #32/32A service but there wasn't a timetable at the bus station the First Bus app / phone had difficulty finding our position. So we went back to the car to see mum. Mum had just received a call to say that the main car was ready so we got in the car to go and fetch it. We drove out of town and for some reason instead of getting on the A50 I missed the turn and carried on along the A522 towards Tean! Perhaps we were missing the X50... As we went towards Tean we saw required First Potteries 32635 on a Uttoxeter bound #32 service. We carried on through Tean and onto the A50 near Blythe Bridge. We came off the A50 and Longton and we headed down the A5035 to the garage to pick up the other car. Matthew stayed with me in the runabout and mum followed behind with the main car. We got home around 17:30. We stayed in for about an hour and then we went to get a MacDonald from Fenton. On the way we decided to go past Z Carz to see what was there today. The line up was similar to what it had been all week albeit with W221 CDN missing from the front. There were 2 coaches present. These were former Alton Towers coach M534 RSO which was in front of former Ausden Clark Van Hool bodied CNZ 3828.

Z Carz M534 RSO in Longton

At the back of the site was Matthew's former college bus LDV mini M420 UEH.

Z Carz M420 UEH in Longton

Beside this was airport transfers vehicle DL03 HHU.

Z Carz DL03 HHU in Longton

Back in the foreground was the first Mercedes minibus BV51 BNO.

Z Carz BV51 BNO in Longton

Next to this was Mercedes minibus S952 VMY.

Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton

On the end of the row was their light green Iveco minibus HX51 HRU.

Z Carz HX51 HRU in Longton

We turned into Willow Row were we saw a Taxi Fleet minibus PN06 DNN. We turned back onto the A50 and then we did the A50 link road to Victoria Road and Macdonalds. Matthew had a chicken nugget meals and a plain cheeseburger. We drove home back up Victoria Road and the A50 to Heron Cross ad through Blurton. We got home after 19:00. Matthew ate his MacDonalds and then chilled out on his computer 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