Trip to Chorley / Leyland 07-02-2015

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
15583	Chorley TI	Horwich, Lee Lane/The Crown (Stop A)	125	Stagecoach Lancashire
15571	Horwich, Lee Lane/The Crown (Stop B)	Chorley TI	125	Stagecoach Lancashire
47326	Chorley TI	Towngate, Tesco (Stand F)	109	Stagecoach Lancashire
47333	Towngate (Leyland), Tesco (Stop B)	Chorley TI	109	Stagecoach Lancashire
15570	Chorley TI	Adlington, o/s Library	125	Stagecoach Lancashire
15573	Adlington, By Church Street	Chorley TI	125	Stagecoach Lancashire

Today we decided to re-visit Chorley. The weather was forecast for cold and cloudy in all directions, so we could choose to go wherever we wanted to within reason. Matthew got up just after 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We gave Matthew a list of places to go and he chose Chorley. research consisted of looking at Google Maps to look at directions and a quick check of past Blog posts to see what ticket we need to buy. we set off just before 12:00 and we headed onto the A5035. We turned right onto Stanley Matthews Way and we passed D&G Solo 134 on the Blurton Plumline. We carried on down until we reached the A50 and we went West to the A500. Once we got to the A500 we went North. On the way North we passed coach WNF 26 going the other way. We got on the Northbound M6 and we saw Clayton Cunningham Travel minibus V938 ECU. We carried on North and we came off the M6 at Junction 27. In standish the Road to the North was Blocked so we travelled East to the A6. We came into town along the A6. On the edge of town we turned into Fleet Street car park so that we could go eat in Big Lamp chippy. Matthew had sausage egg and chips and a can of Coke. After we had finisged eat we drove into town and attempted to park in the square car park adjacent to the bus station. It was full, so we decided to leave mum with the car whilst she went shopping elsewhere. We said goodbye and we set off on foot to the bus station. On the way we saw Stagecoach Lancashire 34745 on the #109 to Preston.

Stagecoach Lancashire 34745 in Chorley interchange

As we got into the bus station Transdev Lancashire Untied 567 arrived on the #24 from Blackburn.

Transdev Lancashire United 567 in Chorley Interchange

There was Nothing else in the bus station so we decided to have a walk around the bus station and have a look at the coaches on rail replacement. We also saw Stagecoach Lancashire Dart 34743 which was on layover.

Stagecoach Lancashire 34743 in Chorley interchange

Across the road on rail replacement work was Brethertons BC05 JVU.

Brethertons BC05 JVU in Chorley

The bus station had now filled up a little. On a #125 to Bolton was required Stagecoach Lancashire 15579.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15579 in Chorley interchange

On a #362 to Wigan was required Arriva NW&W 2687.

Arriva NW&W 2687 in Chorley interchange

On a #1 service to Coppull was dud Stagecoach Lancashire Solo 47331.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47331 in Chorley interchange

We headed back to the bus station and we saw Stagecoach Lancashire 47327 on a #7 to Croston.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47327 in Chorley interchange

Back in the bus station we were considering doing the #109 to Leyland, but when it came in it was dud Stagecoach Lancashire 34620.

Stagecoach Lancashire 34620 in Chorley interchange

We then saw dud Stagecoach Lancashire 15583 on a #125 to Bolton.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15583 in Chorley interchange

We decided to do Stagecoach Lancashire 15583 as we had only been to Horwich once before from this direction. This is a bus that we first had back in June 2013 from the other end of Horwich to Bolton. We got on the bus and we booked Chorley Dayrider Plus tickets at £4.50. We went upstairs and as the bus was empty Matthew took a picture inside Stagecoach Lancashire 15583 before we sat down.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 15583

The bus set off out of the bus station and we headed South on the A6. A few miles South of town the bus usually takes the A673 Bolton Road, but the road is currently closed. We continued South along the A6 adjacent to the canal and we came into Adlington, where there is also roadworks. We turned left onto Railway Road and then we turned right onto the A673 in Anderton. We continued South on the A673 and we crossed under the M61. We passed the bottom end of Rivington Reservoir and then we headed into Horwich. The ticket is only valid to the pub at the north end of town so as we approached the roundabout we got up and then got off the bus. Matthew then took another picture of Stagecoach Lancashire 15583 before it carried on South to Bolton.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15583 in Horwich

We crossed the road to wait for the next bus. According to the timetable there are 5 #125 an hour to Chorley and a single #517. There was a #517 due first before the next #125 at 14:46. Whilst we waited for our bus we saw a few First and Arriva buses on the roundabout including First Manchester Volvo B10 66194 on the #575 which was in the new 'Olympia' livery. We then saw South Lancs Travel Dart 7 on the #517 to Blackrod. A few minutes later a bus arrived and it was dud Stagecoach Lancashire 15571. We got on the bus and flashed the Dayrider tickets before going upstairs. Two dud buses out of two so far... This was a bus that we first had from Walton-le-Dale to Preston back in October 2013. which is a little unlucky. We realised that if we got back to Chorley for 15:10 we would make the next #109 service. The bus set off across the roundabout and up the A673. We passed the reservoir and under the M61 and we came into Anderton. We turned left and went towards Adlington before turning right onto the A6. We climbed the hill and went past Frederick ice cream parlour an made the final run into town. We got into the bus station around 15:05 and we saw dud Stagecoach Lancashire 47326 on the #109.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47326 in Chorley interchange

We also had the choice of doing required Stagecoach Lancashire 15584 which was on a #125, but we fancied going to Leyland for ice cream. So we turned it down and got on dud Stagecoach Lancashire 47326. We flashed the tickets and we sat down near to the back of the bus. The bus set off out of the bus station and onto the Northbound A6. We turned into left into Union Street. The bus started to load so Matthew took a picture of the empty seats opposite him in case he didn't get another opportunity.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 47326

Stagecoach Lancashire 47326 is a bus we first had from Leyland to Chorley back in February 2014. The bus carried on West along the A581 and we passed Tesco and saw dud Stagecoach Lancashire 47329 on a #2 to Coppull. We crossed he railway line and we turned North onto the A49. In Euxton we turned East on Euxton Lane and we headed out towards Buckshaw village. Going North though the village we turned West to head into Leyland. We crossed the M6 and the railway and we headed into town along St Andrew's Way where we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of Stagecoach Lancashire 47326 as it carried towards Preston.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47326 in Leyland

We walked around the back of Tesco's and we saw coule of buses on Towngate. We spotted Fishwicks 28 on a #111 to Preston

Fishwick's 28 in Leyland

This was followed by required Stagecoach Lancashire 47335 on a #109 to Chorley.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47335 in Leyland

We went to Ice Dreams and Coffee Beans for our usual ice cream. Matthew visited the toilet before having a vanilla cornet (£1.60). Once we had finished we headed out onto Towngate to wait for the bus back to Chorley. We headed ack onto Towngate to wait for the next Chorley bus. Stagecoach Lancashire 34620 turned up and we got on it, not realising it was on a #113 to Wigan! We got back off to wait for the #109 and when it turned up it was dud Stagecoach Lancashire 47333.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47333 in Leyland

We got on the bus and we flashed our Dayrider Tickets and we sat down near to the back of the bus. Stagecoach Lancashire 47333 was a bus that we last had in August 2014 from Chorley to Leyland. The bus set off towards and through Buckshaw Village before heading through Euxton. We turned onto the A581 and we headed into town. When we got into the bus station we waited for the bus to empty and Matthew took a picture inside Stagecoach Lancashire 47333.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 47333

We needed to catch something quickly if we were going to get another couple of buses in before we went home. Matthew went to the toilet and when he came out we saw required Transdev Lancashire United 1302 on the #24 to Blackburn. Matthew wanted to do this but we didn't have the right bus tickets. On local service #2 to Coppull was Stagecoach Lancashire 47332.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47332 in Chorley Interchange

We considered what to catch next... Two bus came in that were both Bolton bound. Required Stagecoach Lancashire 15580 came in first followed by dud Stagecoach Lancashire 15570.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15570 in Chorley interchange

Stagecoach Lancashire 15580 must have been late because it dropped off passengers only and went straight out. We were left with Stagecoach Lancashire 15570. We decided to do this dud bus as we were running out of time. We got on the bus and we flashed the tickets before going upstairs. there were people front and back on this bus so he didn't take a picture inside. As we waited to go required Stagecoach Lancashire 34783 pulled in alongside us on the #109 to Preston.

Stagecoach Lancashire 34783 in Chorley interchange

We set off and we went South on the A6. We ha decided that we were going to go to Adlington and get a bus back. We passed the closed A673 and we followed the canal before coming into Adlington. We were stopped at the lights in the roadworks and a bus went past going the other way. We turned the corner and crossed the railway and we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of Stagecoach Lancashire 15570 as it climbed the hill towards Anderton.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15570 in Adlington

We decided to walk back into toan and visit the Co-op there. We crossed over the road and we saw a coach at the traffic lights. We decided to walk up to and get a picture of Redline Coaches Volvo coach 17 RED

Redling 17 RED in Adlington

We went to the Co-operative food store and we brought a can of Coke, a double Milky Way and a Kinder Egg. We walked up to the stop on Westhoughton Road opposite a church converted into an Indian Restaurant. We didn't have to wait for long before we saw a bus approaching. It got closer and we saw it was dud Stagecoach Lancashire 15573.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15573 in Adlington

We got on the bus and we flashed the tickets for the last time. We actually managed to do it. We had six buses and non of them were required... And that with a 130 mile round trip to get to the buses in the first place. I think that is the first time that has happened when we have been on short local trips. We went upstairs and Matthew got a picture inside Stagecoach Lancashire 15573 before we sat down.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 15573

This was a bus that we had been on before from Horwich to Bolton back in August 2013. In fact we did Stagecoach Lancashire 15570 for Stagecoach Lancashire 15573 on that day too. It's the third bus that we have previously done from that date today! The bus set off North up the A6 along side the canal. We past the closed junction with the A673 and we headed up the hill into town. When we got there we got up and got off the bus. We set off on foot to the car and we saw Stagecoach Lancashire 34602 on the #115 to Preston. Back at the car mum was waiting with Greggs sausage rolls.We set off South down the A6 and we turned at Wigan Road. We briefly stop at the end of the road to get some pop out of the boot before continuing to Standish. We too a different route back to the M6 along the A5209 before getting on the motorway at junction 27. We headed South and it was now completely dark. The motorway was clear and we had a good fast run down to junction 16 with the exception of the roadworks near to Sandbach. We got onto the Southbound A500 and we came off at the A50. We did the A50 to Longton and we came off to see what was at Z Carz tonight. by the A5035 we saw First Potteries 60193 on the #22 from Dresden to Newcastle. There was one minibus on the spare ground near to the depot. This was Z carz Mercedes minibus CE02 LYX.

Z Carz CE02 LYX in Longton

We turned into Willow Row and there was omly on bus in the compound. We headed back onto the A5 and we came off at Heron Cross. In Blurton we passed First Potteries 60073 on the #22 to Dresden before we turned into Beaconsfield Drive. We got home around 19:00. For a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash with carrots followed by coconut cake. He then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 03:00... Mark

Trip to Chorley / Leyland 16-08-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
15574	Chorley TI	Horwich, Lee Lane/The Crown (Stop A)	125	Stagecoach Lancashire
15581	Horwich, Lee Lane/The Crown (Stop B)	Chorley TI	125	Stagecoach Lancashire
47333	Chorley TI	Towngate, Tesco (Stand F)	109	Stagecoach Lancashire
34620	Towngate (Leyland), Tesco (Stop B)	Chorley TI	109	Stagecoach Lancashire
15578	Chorley TI	Clayton Green, opp Pines Hotel	125	Stagecoach Lancashire
15574	Clayton Green, opp Sheep Hill Lane	Chorley TI	125	Stagecoach Lancashire

Today we decided to re-visit Chorley. Once again we left it until Saturday morning to decided where we were going to make sure we had the weather. We gave him a list of Northern destination to choose from and Matthew chose Chorley. Research consisted of downloading tametables and maps from the stagecoach website as well as creating an excel spreadsheet with the current allocation of buses based at the Chorley depot. Matthew got up at 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off a little before 12:00 and we headed out onto the A5035. we turned right onto Stanley Matthews Way and passed the Britannia Stadium where Stoke City were getting ready for their first game of the season. We turned west onto the A50 and then North onto the A500. From Stoke we followed Z Carz S952 VMY up the A500 and Matthew took a picture of it somewhere near Talke. We turned onto the Northbound M6 and it was quite busy. Traffic was stop start for quite a way up. Whilst in the traffic we saw Neoplan demonstrator coach OU14 SWN.

Neoplan demonstrator coach OU14 SWN on the M6

We carried on North and just South of Knutsford we passed an accident on the Southbound carriageway. All that delay for rubbernecks! From junction onwards we made good time. We came off the M6 at junction 27. We stayed West of the M6 briefly until we crossed under the M6 on Pepper Lane. We joined onto the A49 North of Standish and we turned onto the B5251 to head into town. On the edge of town we turned into Fleet Street car park so that we could go eat in Big Lamp chippy. By the time we had got there they had closed the cafe. Matthew went to the toilet and we had the food to take away. Matthew had chips sausage and gravy on a tray washed down with a can of Coke. After we had finished eating we drove the car up to the A6 and into the car park by the main shopping centre. The car park was busy as they had closed off about 1/4 of the space for resurfacing. We said goodbye to mum and we walked over to the interchange. When we got there there were 2 required double deckers on the #125 service. Stagecoach Lancashire 15577 was on the #125 to Preston and 15574 was on the #125 to Bolton. We decided to do the later so that we could got to visit Horwich for the first time from the North.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15574 in Chorley interchange

We got on the bus and we booked Chorley Dayrider Plus tickets at £4.50 each. We then went upstairs and sat down. Matthew took a picture of the empty bus behind us.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 15574

The bus set off out of town and Southwards along the A6. On the edge of town we passed required Stagecoach Lancashire 47332 on a #1B service. Further South towards Adlington we saw dud Stagecoach Lancashire 15567 on a #125 to Preston. We passed through Adlington and passed required Stagecoach Lancashire 15840 going North. As we started to climb towards Horwich spotted the Crown pub which was the Southern edge of the Chorley Dayrider Plus ticket, so we got up and got off the bus. Before it carried on Southwards to Bolton Matthew got another picture of this bus.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15574 in Horwich

We crossed the road and walked over to the Northbound stop. This was not our first visit to Horwich. We had visited the other end of town from Bolton back in August 2013. If we were to make a map of where we had been on buses, we were 3 bus stops short of a continuous run from Leyland to Prestwich! A run which is at least 25 miles and takes nearly 3 hours! On the roundabout we saw First Manchester buses on the #575 service from Bolton. Two of these were First Manchester Volvo's 69145 & 69150. Going South on a #125 we saw dud Stagecoach Lancashire 15839.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15839 in Horwich

A few minutes later a bus appeared from around the corner and it was required Stagecoach Lancashire 15581.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15581 in Horwich

We got on the bus and flashed our tickets. We went upstairs and the bus set off North. We passed through Adlington and we passed Stagecoach Lancashire 15569 going the other way. We got into town and we saw Avalon coach RUI 6737 on rail replacement work. When we got to the interchange we got up and got off. We decided to go for a walk around the bus station to take a few pictures. As we left the interchange we saw dud Stagecoach Lancashire 47329 arriving on a #3 service from lower Adlington.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47329 in Chorley

We had been on Stagecoach Lancashire 47329 on our first ever visit to Chorley back in June 2013. We watched Transdev Lancashire United 566 depart on a #24 to Blackburn. We also saw Fishwicks 40 on a #119 to Preston. when we got to the corner of the bus station and the A6 we saw BV Coach Hire FN52 GUG head North on rail replacement work.

BV Coach Hire FN52 GUG in Chorley

We carried on walking around the outside of the bus station. The hedges around the outside of the bus station appeared to have been trimmed down from our previous visits so it was much easier to take pictures. Whilst there we took another picture of the bus we had just ridden on, Stagecoach Lancashire 15581.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15581 in Chorley interchange

Parked next to this was dud Arriva NW&W 2680, which has been refurbished and given the Sapphire treatment.

Arriva NW&W 2680 in Chorley interchange

This is basically an upgrade to the seats and Wifi installed and plugs to charge up phones and laptops! The bus looked very different to when we had it back in June 2012. By the time we had walked around the bus station and Matthew had been to the toilet it was around 15:10. A quick check on the departure board revealed that there was a #109 to Preston via Leyland, so we decided to hang around and see what was going to work this bus. The bus eventually cam on stand at around 15:25 and it was a little disappointingly required Stagecoach Lancashire Solo 47333. We decided to do this bus despite it being a Solo as we could go and get an ice cream in Leyland. We got on the bus and as it was nearly empty at this point Matthew took a picture of the empty seats behind us.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 47333

Just before we set off Stagecoach Lancashire 47330 arrived on a #109 from Preston. The bus had filled up and was nearly full. The bus set off out of town and we headed towards Euxton Balshaw Lane railway station and then onto the Northbound A49. We carried on Northward for a while before turning East on Euxton Lane. We turned left to run past Buckshaw Village and then left again for the run in along the B5248. By this point the bus had almost completely emptied out. When we got to Tesco in Leyland we got up and got off the bus.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47333 in Leyland

We got off the bus and set off around the back of the Tesco extra store and onto Church Road. We were heading for the ice cream shop which we first encountered in February this year. The shop Ice Dreams and Coffee Beans is located in a small arcade of shops just off Church Road. When we got there Matthew used there toilet and he had a small cone of vanilla ice cream. We went outside to site at the aluminium chairs and tables on the pavement. Matthew often photographs foods he likes...

Ice cream... Yum!

Whilst me and Matthew had been in the shop uncle Dave had spied a #109 to Chorley. as the buses run 20 minutes and 40 minutes apart and we hadn't passed a #109 as we traveled up. We thought there might be another one due. We had never causght the bus from outside Tesco, but we new it came past from our previous trips. We visted the chip shop next door to the ice cream parlour and brought a can of Coke and two small bottles of pop. We walked over to the first stop and this was for the #110 and #11 services. At the next stop we saw that there was #109's as well as other services such as the #113 from Preston to Wigan. A look at the stop revealed that the bus was due in 3 minutes! The time past very quickly and we spied a Dart approaching. We assumed it would be required as we have never had any of the ADL / Plaxton bodied Darts from Chorley. As it turned the corner we saw it was required Stagecoach Lancashire 34620.

Stagecoach Lancashire 34620 in Leyland

We got on this nearly empty bus and we sat down near to the back. The bus set off back towards Buckshaw Village. We passed the wicker man and I tried and failed to get a picture though the bus window. The bus carried on South the Euxton and we ran into Chorley and into the interchange. When we got to the interchange Matthew waited for the bud to empty before taking a picture inside Stagecoach Lancashire 34620.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 34620

We got off the bus and we saw required Stagecoach Lancashire 47327 which was departing on a #109 to Preston.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47327 in Chorley interchange

We waited for the next pair of buses on the #125's. Whilst we waited Matthew drank one of the bottle of pop that we had brought in Leyland earlier. Stagecoach Lancashire 15581 was on the next Bolton bound #125 but we had been on this bus earlier. Required Stagecoach Lancashire 15578 was on the next Preston bound #125 so we decided to do this bus. We flashed our tickets and went upstairs. Matthew photographed the inside of the top deck as it was empty from behind the staircase.

Inside Stagecoach Lancashire 15578

We decided to go a bit further North than we had done previously. The bus set off out of town and we joined onto the A6 opposite Asda. The ticket was valid up to the M6. We passed our prevois Northern limit which was Moss Lane in Whittle-le-Woods. We carried on North along the A6 for a good couple of miles and we decided to get off before we got to the motorway. We got up and got off and Matthew took another picture Stagecoach Lancashire 15578 before it carried on North towards Bamber Bridge and Preston.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15578 in Clayton Green

We crossed the road on what was a busy fast moving section of the A6. When we got to the stop we saw we had a 10 minute wait. The time passed quickly as we waited for the bus and we saw another double decker approaching. As it got closer we saw that it was dud Stagecoach Lancashire 15574.

Stagecoach Lancashire 15574 in Clayton Green

We flashed our tickets to the driver and reconised us from earlier when he sold us the tickets on our first run on Stagecoach Lancashire 15574! The bus carried on South down the A6 and I called mum to tell her we were on the last bus of the day. Mum was already at the bus station as she needed to use the toilet there! I checked the result of the Stoke vs Aston Villa game and disappointingly Stoke had lost one nil... The bus got back into the interchange and we got off Matthew went to the toilet and then we visited to shop where Matthew had some pop and chocolate an a large cola bottle chew. We set off back to the car taking pictures on the way. In the interchange we photographed Stagecoach Lancashire 47335 on a #2 to Coppull

Stagecoach Lancashire 47335 in Chorley interchange

Outside the interchange on the end stand we saw Tyrers SJ54 GDA which was on a #14 to Buckshaw village.

Tyrers SJ54 GDA in Chorley interchange

Seen earlier in the day but not photographed, we saw Transdev Lancashire United 270 on the #24 to Blackburn.

Transdev Lancashire United 270 in Chorley

Another bus and service which we ha seen earlier in the day but not photographed was Stagecoach Lancashire 25228 0n the #115 to Preston.

Stagecoach Lancashire 25228 in Chorley

We then stood at the exit of the bus station to take a few pictures. We took another picture of Stagecoach Lancashire 47335 as it left on the #2 service to Coppull.

Stagecoach Lancashire 47335 in Chorley

We walked back to the car and waiting for us were some Greggs sausage rolls and Matthew had a 500ml bottle of Irn Bru. We set off out of town down the A6. As we climbed out of town towards Horwich we passed Grayway SF06 WMB on rail replacement works followed by Tyrers R469 RRA on a #13 service. We carried on until we reached Frederick's ice creams and we turned right onto the A5106. We did this road until we reached the South End of Standish and then we turned right to head into town. In the centre of Standish we turned left to head onto the M6. On the M6 just North of juntion 21A we caught up with Mikro Coaches TAZ 9612 which was heading back to its home base in Crewe. We joined the A500 at junction 16 we went South through Stoke-on-Trent and onto the Eastbound A50. We passed an unidentified Bakers coach before coming off the a50 at Longton to check out what was parked up at Z Carz. Nearest to the A50 was Mercedes minibus M372 NWN.

Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton

Next to this was former Alton Towers Transport coach M534 RSO.

Z Carz M534 RSO in Longton

There was an unidentified whit minibus behind the coach and next to the coach was red LDV minibus DS51 ZJU.

Z Carz DS51 ZJU in Longton

Next in the line up was Mercedes minibus BV51 BNO.

Z Carz BV51 BNO in Longton

Finally we had Ford minibus FP06 WTW.

Z Carz FP06 WTW in Longton

We turned right into Willow Row and in the compound were YE52 UZX and long term SORN LDV minibus T408 JUX. We headed back onto the A50 and we came off the A50 at Heron Cross. After a quick stop on Blurton Road we headed through Blurton and we caught up with First Potteries 43876 which was waiting time on Beaconsfield Drive. We got home at just after 19:00. For a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash followed by a flapjack. He then chilled out on his computer and also watch yesterdays 'On the Yorkshire Buses' before going to be at around 01:00... Mark