Trip to Ellesmere Port / Chester 28-09-2013

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
3123	Ellesmere Port BS	Chester BS	2	Arriva NW&W
4488	Chester BS	Broughton, Glynne Arms (SW-bound)	X11	Arriva NW&W
2352	Broughton, Glynne Arms (NE-bound)‎	Chester railway station	4	Arriva NW&W
4143	Chester BS	Boughton, o/s Bridge Inn	84	Arriva NW&W
SB23	Boughton, opp Bridge Inn	Chester BS	82	GHA

Today we decided to Chester. We had not visited since back in March, when there was deep snow all around! I didn't do any research except to check the weather, as we only decided on Chester on Thursday night. Matthew got up a little before 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off just before 12:00 and we went along Stanley Matthews way onto the A50. We headed up the A500 stopping in Etruria for LPG. Whilst there we saw 60193 & 41493. We went onto the A53 and back onto the northbound A500. As we joined the M6 we were followed on by Stagecoach Megabus 55004. The motorway was busy and we were passed by a few different buses Leon's Coaches 206 & Happy Days Coaches 226 were going to Manchester United from West Brom. We headed west when we reached the M56 and then north on the M53. We drove into Ellesmere port along the A5032 and we saw GHA MX56 AAZ on the 7 to Rivacre. We also passed GHA SB15 on the #36 to Runcorn. We parked up near the market and we ate in the market food hall. We had to wait for a few minutes, so we went to the toilet.It was a while before we could get a table but eventually we did, (we shared a table with an old couple) and Matthew had a breakfast followed by a Victoria sponge cake. After we had finished eating we said goodbye to mum and walked to the bus station via the shopping centre. We walked out of the shopping centre and we saw Stagecoach Merseyside 28547 parked up in the bus station.

Stagecoach Merseyside 28547 in Ellesmere Port bus station

There was a solitary 'Into the port' GHA bus parked up (YM52 TPO) which we photographed and then we walked up to the top end to wait for a bus. I checked the time of the next 2 and it was due in about a minutes at 14:08. It turned and we saw it was dud Arriva NW&W 3123.

Arriva NW&W 3123 in Ellesmere Port

We got on the bus and sat down near the back. This was a bus that we had done when it was first delivered to Birkenhead back in September 2012. The bus was around 1/2 full and it dropped off a few passengers as we went through the estate before we joined onto the A5117. We carried on down the A41 dual carriageway and then we turned right onto the A5116 and went passed the Hospital ad Morrisons. We carried on passed the stagecoach depot and into the bus station via Northgate. When the bus emptied out Matthew took a picture inside the Arriva NW&W 3123 too.

Inside Arriva NW&W 3123

When we got off the bus Matthew decided to walk to the bus station the long way around passed the library before turning into Princess Street. On the way to settling on our usual perch, We spotted and photographed Stagecoach Merseyside 21258 on the 1A to Blacon.

Stagecoach Merseyside 21258 in Chester bus station

We carried onto the perch and we sat down. We were followed down by MacPhails Van Hool coach LCZ 6332.

MacPhails LCZ 6332 in Chester bus station

We sat around for a few more minutes then we decided to do a bus. Required Arriva 2636 was on the #10 to Connahs Quay and dud Arriva NW&W 4488 was on the #11 to Holywell. We decided to do 4488 on the #11.

Arriva NW&W 4488 in Chester bus station

We waited for a few minutes for the driver to return to the bus and then it started to board. We got on the bus and went upstairs which was empty at the rear. Matthew got a picture of the bus whilst it was empty.

Inside Arriva NW&W 4488

We set of out of the bus station and off towards Hawarden. This was a bus that we had done twice before...First in June 2012 and then again in December 2012! When we crossed over the Dee we noticed there were large amounts of coaches parked up and that the races were on today. We carried on the A5104 and we passed a couple of darts on the #3 and #4 service. We passed required Arriva NW&W 2359 & 2348. We decided to get off at the end of the A5104 and see if we could get a required Dart on one the other service. When we got to the end of the road we got off the bus. Matthew got a picture of Arriva NW&W 4488 before it set off towards Holywell.

Arriva NW&W 4488 in Broughton

We crossed the road (eventually), and waited at the stop on the other side of the road. Whilst we waited we spotted Arriva NW&W 675 on the #12 service.

Arriva NW&W 675 in Broughton

A few minutes late we saw a Dart head into the shopping centre. A few minutes later it reappeared and headed towards us. As it got closer we could see it was required Arriva NW&W 2352. We got on and sat down near the back. The bus was nearly empty, but it did pick up a few extra passengers going into town. As we headed into Chester we passed another required Dart 2358! Further into town we also passed 2348 on the #3 towards Mold. The bus went around Chester and then headed towards the railway station. When we got to City Road the bus terminated. Matthew got a picture inside 2352 as we got off.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2352

The area was packed with buses and coaches and we could only get a picture between other buses.

Arriva NW&W 2352 near Chester railway station

We walked back along City Road and we saw former Procters van Hool coach HIL7614 which is now with Atlantic Travel of Bolton.

Atlantic Travel HIL 7614 near Chester railway station

We carried on towards gorse stack and we saw Arriva NW&W 4405 on the #1 to Wrexham. we also saw GHA SB30 on the X20 to Winsford. On Gorse Stacks we saw 'Into the Port' liveried Solo X9 GHA on a Mold service. On Delamere Street we saw Walter Martin coach WAL 895.

Walter Martin WAL 895 on Delamere Street

We carried on up Delamere Street and we saw Arriva NW&W gas powered bus 5004 and Arrowebrook MX07 NTT. Matthew decided we were going to walk back to the bus station around the ring road. whilst walking down we saw Stagecoach Merseyside 17502 on the City Sightseeing Tour open top service. We entered the bus station via Hunter Street and we saw required Arriva NW&W 2341 on the #10 to Connah's Quay. I asked Matthew if he wanted to do it and he turned it down. asked if he wanted to go to the toilet and he said yes. Instead of going to the market car park toilets that we usually use he decided he wanted to use the Portaloo's in Northgate! We walked back to the bus station and we sat on our perch whilst we decided which bus to do. We let go required Arriva NW&W 2636 on the #10, required 674 on the #12, required 4485 on the 11, and also required 4061 on the #84. This was followed by required gas bus 5005 on the X30.

Arriva NW&W 5005 in Chester bus station

Matthew decided he wanted another wander around, so we walked out of the bus station through princess Street and onto Northgate. We photographed some buses and coaches by the cinema before walking back to the bus station. by this time mum had arrived in the car from Ellesmere Port. We walked back down to the bus station and we saw Avon Buses 356 on the #22 to West Kirby.

Avon Buses 356 in Chester bus station

Shortly afterwards required Arriva NW&W 4143 arrived on the #84 and actually decided he wanted to catch a bus! The problem was that I hadn't done any research on the Deeside Daysaver Zone so I didn't know how fr east you could travel on the #84! We had to wait for a few minutes for the driver to ready the bus and whilst we waited we saw Arriva NW&W 5003 on the #21 to Runcorn. When the bus was ready the bus loaded up and we got on.

Arriva NW&W 4143 in Chester bus station

We went upstairs and it was already quite full. The bus set off through Chester and picked up even more passengers in Foregate Street. We decided to go a few stops out of Chester. on the way we saw Burland Group minibus X863 BVN. We also passed Arriva NW&W 4489 on an inbound #84! We got off the bus in by The Bridge Inn and Matthew got another picture of it.

Arriva NW&W 4143 in Vicars Cross

Looking at the bus stop timetable we had nearly half an hour to wait for the next #84 which was no surprise, but I didn't want to go too far on the tickets in case weren't valid. The problem was the next bus was a GHA one on the #82, and the alternative was a long wait. Around 17:25 the bus rounded the corner and it was GHA SB23.

GHA SB23 in Vicars Cross

We got on and asked for Chester and it cost us £1.70 each! I nearly died (well I didn't feel too chuffed with paying out those fares...)! Even worse when looked up SB23 in the list it was dud, having previously done it back in October 2011 on our first visit to Northwich, the one and only time we had previously covered the #82. We travel back into Chester along the A51. As we entered Chester we passed Copeland's Tours MIB 346. We then headed up Gorse Stacks and when we got back Matthew took a picture inside this bus.

Inside GHA SB23

He also got another picture of the bus at Chester too.

GHA SB23 in Chester bus station

To make things worse as we walked back to the car we saw required Arriva NW&W 2258 on the #10 to Connah's Quay.

Arriva NW&W 2258 in Chester bus station

We went to the car where mum was waiting with sausage rolls and pop. We set off out of the bus station and clockwise round the ring road to the A56. We did the A56 north up to the M53 and then onto the eastbound M56. We did this to the m6 and then headed South. The coaches that we had seen going North Leon's 206 and Happy Days 226 went south with jubilant West Brom fans after there win against Manchester United... We got onto the southbound A500 which we did down to the A50 and into Longton. At the Z Carz depot we saw 5 buses on the spare ground. Newest Mercedes minibus S952 VMY was at the front.

Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton

Next the this were 2 coaches. The first was Scania D104 XAN.

Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton

Next to this was M534 RSO, which has had the purple decals added to the front and sides.

Z Carz M534 RSO in Longton

At the rear of the land was the coach ALZ 8539, and the last bus on the land was LDV minibus R920 WNT.

Z Carz R920 WNT in Longton

We had a look in the Willow Row compound we saw LDV minibus T408 JUX. We turned around and Matthew got another picture of R920 WNT from the other side.

Z Carz R920 WNT in Longton

We headed back along Longton Hall Road and into Blurton. We passed First Potteries 40017 on the #22 and 53828 on the #23. We got back just after 19:00. For a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash followed by Cheesecake. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 12:30...Mark

Trip to Ellesmere Port / Chester 08/12/2012

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
3006	Ellesmere Port BS	Chester BS	2	Arriva NW&W
2631	Chester BS	Chester, opp Sealand Road P&R	10	Arriva NW&W
2357	Chester, opp Sealand Road P&R	Chester BS	10	Arriva NW&W
4488	Chester BS	Queensferry, Deeside Leisure Centre (NW-bound)	X11	Arriva NW&W
2629	Queensferry, Deeside Leisure Centre (SE-bound)	Chester BS	10	Arriva NW&W

Today we decided to go to Chester. We hadn't been to Chester for 6 months, and since we had been I had heard alot had changed. We did no research for this trip as we have been to Chester many times. In hindsight, perhaps it would have been good idea to have done some today. We checked the weather the evening before and it was to be cold with rain! Matthew got up around 10:30 and had his breakfast of toast and orange juice. We set off around 12:00 and we headed to heron Cross. We then headed west on the A50 up to the A500. We headed to North up to the M6 and then onto the westbound M56. Just outside Chester we turned onto the northbound M53 which we did to the outskirts of Ellesmere Port. We then did the road into town past the railway station and then onto Civic Way and we parked up near the market. We used the toilets in the market before going to the foodcourt. It took a fewminutes before we got an empty table, but we sat down and ordered food from Cafe Bellamy. Matthew had a breakfast and me and Uncle Dave had sandwiches. Mum had a toasted tea cake. After we had eaten we walked up to the bus station. The GHA staff bus was Optare minibus MB29. We got a picture and then went across to wait for the Chester bus. We noticed that the travel office was open so I decided to pick up a timetable for the 1,2 and X2. I asked Matthew which buses he wanted to catch and he said 'Arriva'. The next bus to Chester was conveniently an Arriva one on a #2 service. We went up to the top of the bus station to get a picture of the bus when it arrived. A couple of minutes later Arriva NW&W 3006 rounded the corner and Matthew got a picture.

Arriva NW&W 3006 approaching Ellesmere Port bus station

Not too surprising this bus was required as we haven't been on too many of these Birkenhead based Pulsars. We booked our Deeside rovers and settled back to enjoy the journey. This was the first time we had done a #2, and it took me by surprise when we turn off the main road onto the estate. Then I remembered that this service had replaced the old #3 Rivacre service that we used to do back when it was Step entranced Darts and Olympians. WE passed a few of the newer First Scania's and another Birkenhead Pulsar on a #2. We also passed First Dart 41068 on a X2 service we got to Chester and the busemptied out Matthew got his empty bus picture of Arriva NW&W 3006.

Inside Arriva NW&W 3006

We then went over to our usual perch when in Chester and took a few pictures of the buses. The first thing of interest we saw was dud First Manchester 34260. A bus that we have had once before in Bury back in January 2011, but never whilst in Chester.

First Manchester 34260 in Chester bus station

We let go Arriva NW&W 2635 on one #10 service, and then let go dud Arriva Solo 689 which we had been on on the same weekend last year 12 months ago. We said we would do the next #10 whatever it was, and the next one was required Arriva NW&W 2631.

Arriva NW&W 2631 in Chester bus station

The driver went off for a quick break as they often do on #10's so we had a little more time.We then saw a couple of First Solo's that we had never see before. The first one being First Manchester 50280 on a #51 service.

First Manchester 50280 in Chester bus station

The was followed almost immediately by First Manchester 40309on a #5 service.

First Manchester 40309 in Chester bus station

Then a #82 service came in. This was the first time we had seen a double decker on this service and it was being worked by W469 BCW.

GHA W469 BCW in Chester bus station

The driver had now returned to the bus bus so we ambled across to 2631. We got on and sat near the back of the bus. It was quite full when the bus left the bus station, so there were no opportunities to take a picture inside. We decided to do this bus to the Welsh border and then catch something back. We got off at Sealand Road by the P&R site. First Manchester 69490 was unloading and e were able to get a picture of this before crossing the road to wait for the next inbound #10. A quick check of the timetable told us we had around 10minutes to wait. The rain had held off so far but it was still quite cold and waiting was not much fun. A few minutes later and we saw a Dart round the corner. As it got closer we saw it was required Arriva NW&W 2357.

Arriva NW&W 2357 on Sealand Road

We got on and sat near the back on this near empty bus, As we travlled in we saw the only other Arriva Dart we saw and that was dud Arriva NW&W 2355. When we got back and the bus emptied out Matthew got a picture inside the empty refurbished Dart.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2357

The Dart unloaded by the cinema, and so we took a few pictures as we walked back down. One picture was of GHA single decker SB38 on the X20 Winsford service.

GHA SB38 in Chester bus station

We walked down to our perch and we saw GHA T112 KGP SB44 was on a #82 Tarvin service. There were 2 Arriva buses in the bus station. Dud Arriva NW&W 4488 was on the X11 service and required Arriva NW&W 2630 was on the #10 service. I thougt we were going to 2631 on the #10, but Matthew changed his mind at the last moment and decided to do 4488. That was ok because need to leave something left to do so there are reasons to come back! We got on 4488 and sat upstairs near to the staircase. It was now fully dark and we couldn't really see much of the journey. When we got to the Roundabout and saw Asda we decided to get of at the next stop. We got off and Matthew got a picture of 4488 as it sped off into the distance.

Arriva NW&W 4488 by the Deeside Leisure Centre

We crossed the road and walked to the stop. The sign on the bus said there was a bus due at 17:08. We could see an orange display in the distance so we knew we wouldn't have to wait long. As it got closer we saw it was a Cadet 2. As it got closer we saw it was required Arriva 2629. We sat down near the back of this near empty inbound service. The bus did pick up a few passenger as it went into town. There was an accident at the junction of Sealand road and Stadium Way, and the bus divert via Stadium Way, Cheyney Road and Bouvene Street before rejoining it original route. When we got back Matthew got a picture of the inside of this Cadet 2.

Inside Arriva NW&W 2629

We then got off and got a picture of the outside of this bus.

Arriva NW&W 2629 in Chester bus station

We also saw one of First Manchester new arrivals 66703 on a #16 Saltney service. It was time to got to the toilet before heading back to the car. Matthew tucked into a Greggs sausage roll and we set off for home. We headed around the ring road before heading North up the A56. We got onto the M53 and then turned onto the Eastbound M56. near Warrington we got onto the Southbound M6 and then onto the A500.Matthew decied he want ed to swing by the First garage in Newcastle and so we headed south down the A34. As we passed we saw First 32627 ear the front of the garage. We then did the A53 out of town, cut across to the stoke road and then headed down Shelton New Road. We got back on the Southbound A500 and then onto the Eastbound A50. At longton we got off this road and went past the Z Car depot. There were only 3 vehicle here. They were D104 XAN, W344 WNS and BV51 BNO. We then headed down Longton Hall Road and then home. we got back at 19:05. We the settled down for a late tea of Sausages and Mash. Matthew then sat on his computer until bedtime...Mark

Trip to Ellesmere Port / Chester 02-06-2012

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
3010	Ellesmere Port BS	Chester BS	401	Arriva NW&W
2354	Chester BS	Sealand, Western Avenue (NW-bound)	10	Arriva NW&W
7533	Blacon, Western Avenue (cnr)	Chester BS	10	Arriva NW&W
2572	Chester BS	Chester, opp Sealand Road P&R	10	Arriva NW&W
2354	Chester, opp Sealand Road P&R	Chester BS	10	Arriva NW&W
4488	Chester BS	Queensferry, Solar Services (N-bound)	11	Arriva NW&W
4484	Queensferry, Solar Services (S-bound)	Chester BS	11	Arriva NW&W
2948	Chester BS	Hoole, opp Pipers Lane‎	X30	Arriva NW&W
VN52 KXM	Hoole, Pipers Lane (cnr)‎	Chester BS	21	Widnes Commercial Motors

Todays was the first day of a 3 day holiday to Chester! The weather today was overcast but dry. We set off around 12:00 today and as usual we headed towards Ellesmere Port. After stopping for LPG in Longport, we set off northwards up the A500. As we approached the M6, we could see that the Northbound traffic was running slow. The motorway all the way up junction 19 was very slow, but we stuck with it and eventually we reached the M56. We hit traffic again just before the Daresbury junction and this time I decided to come off. We came off at junction 11 and went round in what seemed like a big circle and then got back on the M56 at junction 12. We then carried on on our usual route of M56, M53 and then the A5032 into Ellesmere Port. We are in town just before 14:00. We ate in the market as we almost always do. There seemed to be a few less tables than usual and so we had to wait for a few minutes. When we did order to food came very quickly. After dinner we went to the bus station. we got there around 14;20 which was just too late for the chester service. as such we had a bit of time to take a few pictures. The GHA crew bus was Dennis Dart N725 KGF as can be seen here.

GHA N725 KGF in Ellesmere Port bus station

Also between turn was Helms B6 P710 BTA in all over white livery.

Helms P710 BTA in Ellesmere Port bus station

After we had taken these pictures we went to the top corner of the bus station the view all the buses coming in and out. Arriva NW&W 2436 was on a Liverpool bound #401 and First Manchester 60054 was also out on #1's too. After a short wait we could see a Pulsar 2 in the distance. As we have only been on 3 of the Birkenhead example there was always going to be a good chance of it being a required one. When it got closer Matthew got a picture of what turned out to be required Arriva NW&W 3010.

Arriva NW&W 3010 approaching Ellesmere Port bus station

The journey down was swift but uneventful. We reached chester just before 15:00. Matthew waited for the bus to empty so he could get a picture of the inside of this bus.

Inside 3010

We sat down in our usual spot for a few minutes to see what was out. We saw dud First Manchester 34260, now sporting a all over advert. There was one of the new Arriva double decker on the 11, and then Arriva 2354 was seen on a #10 to connah's Quay. We looked up to see if this bus was required and it was. we asked Matthew if he wanted to do it and he did.

Arriva NW&W 2354 in Chester bus station

We decided to do this to the border of Wales so we didn't have to buy Matthew a Deeside rover at this point. The journey was quick and it had now gone slightly overcast again. When we got off we crossed over the busy Sealand Road to wait for the bus back. We had just missed Arriva NW&W 2359 which was required but as it was a V reg it's a fairly safe bet we would come across this again. We waited around 15 minutes by the side of the busy road and eventually we culd see a bus a mile or so in the distance. before it got to us we saw another unrefurbished bus heading out of Chester which Matthew went to photograph. As he was taking a picture of that bus we could see our bus was was also an unrefurbished example. As it got closer we saw it was required beast Arriva NW&W 7533. I had heard that this bus was still in service in Chester but this was the first time we had seen it and it was dropped on the bus by accident. The bus itself was running fine although the interior was starting to show it's age a little. A really nice touch was the Arriva turquoise coloured seat frames with I think made it look quite smart. When we reached Chester Matthew waited for an empty bus to photograph this soon to be scrapped bus.

Inside Arriva NW&W 7533

We also got a good picture of the outside of the bus too.

7533 in Chester bus station

We decided to let 7533 go whilst we had a quick toilet stop and I got some sausage rolls for later. Whilst i was getting the sausage roll Matthew was able to get a picture of First Manchester 34260 which we had seen earlier.

First Manchester 34260 in Chester bus station

Also seen and photographed was First Manchester 34228.

First Manchester 34228 in Chester bus station

We waited for the next #10 which was required Arriva NW&W 2572. We leapt off our seat and went across to the stop do catch this bus. We decided to go one stop shorter this time so that we weren't in such a dangerous position at the side of the road. When we got off Matthew got a good picture of Arriva NW&W 2572.

Arriva NW&W 2572 on Sealand Road

We crossed the road to wait for the return service. Whilst we were waiting we also saw First Manchester 69486 on a #31 park and ride service, and Town Lynx MX09 AOL on a #6 to Chester. When the bus turned up it was Arriva 2354, which was not even required for the day!

Arriva NW&W 2354 on Sealand Road

We got back and at least Matthew was able to get a picture of the inside of this unrefurnished beast.

Inside 2354

At this time we were picked up by mum who had booked us in to our B&B for the next 3 nights, Laburnum House in St Anne's Street. We drove back to the B&B and had some sausage rolls and a bit of a chill out before we decide on what we were going to do this evening. For tea we had some small fish and a portion of chips between the 4 of us. we set off a little after 18:00 to see what we could do on the 10/11 corridor, we also thought about how we could do the interesting service #21 operated by Widnes Commercial Motors. When we arrived there was a brand new double decker on the 11 service, As we have never been on any of the new batch of double deckers it was bound to be required. Closer inspection revealed it was Arriva NW&W 4488

Arriva NW&W 4488 in Chester bus station

We got on the bus and as we were going to going into wales now we brought Matthew a Deeside rover too. We decided to do the bus to Queensferry Asda, then at least if we miss the return 11 we could do a #10 instead. There was a time for the bus towards Chester at Queensferry but not for the Holywell bound service, so we had to guess if it was going to make it. It was now damp and trying to rain. We set off and the journey was quite quick. On route we passed Rhyl based Dennis Dart MPD 844. We arrived in Queensferry with about 3 minutes to spare, but the Chester bound bus was already at the stop! We had a quick look around to see where we had to go, and due to limited pedestrian access we had to go about 200 yds to get to the other stop. We ran as fast as we could and luckily we made it. it was required Arriva NW&W 4484. We got on and went upstairs. The journey back was unevetful and when we got back to Chester Matthew got a good picture of this bus.

Arriva NW&W 4484 in Chester bus station

We now had a short wait for the 19:30 X30 Runcorn service. The plan was to do this bus towards Frodsham, and depending on how far the Deeside rover was valid, or how much 2 adult singles cost, we would do this accordingly. The bus came in and it was required Arriva NW&W 2948.

Arriva NW&W 2948 in Chester bus station

After a short time we got on the bus and asked the relevant questions. The Deeside rover was only valid on Hoole Road and the singles would be about £3 each, so we decided to go just to the end of Hoole Road. When we got off Matthew got another picture of this bus.

2948 on Hoole Road

because we had gotten off still in Chester, we had around 45 minutes to wait for the Widnes Commercial Motors run #21 service. We decided to use the time to have a quick wander around. We set off along the Hoole Road towards chester, and we had thought we could cut through to Kingsway to visit the Co-op, a shop we had visited before. Part way down i decided to use my map function on my phone to find where we were and then to find Kingsway. It turned out we had just passed manning lane South which joins onto Kingsway. So we went back a few yards and went across an old railway bridge to reach Kingsway. We passed the old turning point of the #53 service which we remember being used when we first visited Chester back in 2008. After a quick shop in the Co-op, we head back to the Hoole Road. We saw First Manchester 40182 on the last Firstbus run service of the day. Matthew decided he wanted to visit the toilet so we end up having to direct him down onto the old disused railway line and to use the bushes! We got back to the stop on Hoole Road at 20:15, 10 minutes before the #21 was due. At this point we had an impromptu picnic at the bus stop. the Coca Cola we had purchased a few minutes early must have been shaken up a little on the journey back as when he opened the bottle it exploded up his arm! We polished off the bottle and within a few minutes we could see a white minibus coming around the A41 roundabout. as we have never been on one of the Widnes vehicles, unless we were very unlucky it was going to be required. Closer inspection revealed required VN52 KXM.

WCM VN52 KXM on Hoole Road

We got onto this unusual vehicle and sat down. as far as I am aware, we have never been on one of these unusual Rohill bodied minibuses before. The bus only had 15 seats on it, all with seatbelt plus apace for a wheelchair. It also had what seemed like a disproportional destination display on the front. It was a very nippy vehicle to say the least. When we got to Chester, we were able to take pictures of this bus, now displaying #53 Kingsway for it's next journey.

VN52 KXM in Chester bus station

We then walked back to the B&B to retire for the night. I uploaded my pictures to Flickr and we started to write up the blog before going to bed...Mark.