Trip to Joiners Square / Trent Vale 10-04-2015

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
DV10 JCU	Blurton	Fenton	Charter	Shelton Care Group
DV10 JCU	Fenton	Joiners Square	Charter	Shelton Care Group
DV10 JCU	Joiners Square	Fenton	Charter	Shelton Care Group
NL61 VSG	Fenton	Blurton	Charter	Shelton Care Group
60069	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trent Vale, opp Chubb Way (Unmarked)	22	First Potteries

Today Matthew was going for tea in Trent Vale but not before he spent the day with his day service. Matthew got up around 08:00 and had toast and juice for breakfast. The bus turned up and it was Shelton Care Group DV10 JCU.

Shelton Care Group DV10 JCU in Blurton

We set off onto the A5035 and headed towards Trentham. We turned into New Inn Lane and then into Pacific Drive. Once we had picked up another service user we headed back onto New Inn Lane and the A5035. We headed along into Blurton and we turned into church Road. We carried on into Blurton Road and across the A50. We went through Heron Cross and onto Heron Street. Having crossed the railway line we turned left onto Christchurch Street and to our destination. In the morning Matthew went into the sensory and spent time using a computer. We went to fetch dinner from the chip shop. For dinner he had sausage chips and gravy from the chips shop. After dinner we went to the pub. Today we went in Shelton Care Group DV10 JCU. We turned onto Glebedale Road and then Crossed over city Road onto Fountain Street. We followed the Road onto William Street. We turned right onto Manor Street and then left onto Victoria Road. We went down Victoria Road and we crossed Joiners Square onto Lichfield Street. When we got to the pub Matthew went to the toilet and then had a drink of Coke. Highlight of the buses included First Potteries Scania 60074 on a #6B to Hanley.

First Potteries 60074 in Joiners Square

When it was time to go back to they day centre we got aboard Shelton Care Group DV10 JCU. We traveled down Palmerston Street and onto the A52. At Joiners Square rundabout we turned left onto Victoria Road. We headed to the top of Victoria road before taking a sharp right turn onto City Road. We turned onto Glebedale Road and to the destination. When it was time to go home we had a different bus... It was Shelton Care Group NL61 VSG. We set off onto Glebedale Road an forward onto Station Bridge Road and Heron Street. In Heron Cross we went straight across onto Blurton Road and over the A50. We carried on into Blurton along Blurton Road and forward onto Church Road. We turned right onto Beaconsfield Road and arrived home just before 15:00. Matthew had toast and a drink of dandelion & Burdock whilst he waited for the time to go out and catch the bus. Today we went to catch the 16:07 to Newcastle and we were expecting it to be dud First Potteries 60069. We set off on foot to the bus stop all the way onto Magdalen Road. As we got there we saw the late running 15:47 to Dresden, which was First Potteries 60068.

First Potteries 60068 in Blurton

We stood at the bus stop and pretty much bang on time we saw dud First Potteries 60069 come around the corner as was expected.

First Potteries 60069 in Blurton

We got on to the bus and we booked to Harpfields Road. We sat down towards the back of the bus and the bus set off onto the A5035. We turned right towards Trentham and as we passed Stanley Matthews Way we saw the back end of D&G 160 stopped outside the Hem Heath pub on the #20 to Hanley. We carried on towards Trentham and we turned right into New Inn Lane. We passed a small procession of buses. First we passed First Potteries 41496 on a #21A to the Trentham Hotel. We then passed First Potteries 40375 which was running out of service. This was followed by First Potteries 60202 on the following #22 to Dresden and then 40023 on a #21B to Trentham Gardens. We ran through to Hanford and down Church Lane onto the A34. The A34 was busy and we saw a couple of buses. Stevens Travel KS56 DSZ was parked on the South side bus stop where the #101 uses stops at, and Edwards Coaches FJ11 GNF in national Express livery was on a #528 to Rochdale. There must have been a problem on the North bound M6 for that coach to be seen on the A34... We carried on into Trent Vale and we passed Lucky Seven taxi minibus SJ55 LSK going the other way. We caught up with Edwards Coaches FJ11 GNF just before we turned right onto Harpfields Road. We got up and got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of First Potteries 60069 as it carried on towards Newcastle.

First Potteries 60069 in Trent Vale

We started to walk towards the A34 and we turned and saw First Potteries 66838 on the short #22 turn to New Inn Lane.

First Potteries 66838 in Trent Vale

The A34 was extremely busy and we saw 3 #101s in quick succession. First Potteries 65040 went south towards Stafford and on the opposite side of the road First Potteries 65037 went North Towards Hanley. Just after these two buses went out of sight a third #101 went south towards Stafford. It was First Potteries 65039.

First Potteries 65039 in Trent Vale

I had forgotten to text mum to tell her we had got on the bus, so she was a little late in setting off. We sat on the wall and waited a few minutes for her to turn up. When mum turned up we went into the pub. Matthew had a brunch with bread and butter followed by toffee sponge pudding with ice cream. Whilst we ate highlights of the passing buses were Global Coaches GL11 OES? and the Travellers Choice 7962 IL?. After we had finished eating we went out to the car. We called Uncle Dave and we went to pick him up. We drove along the A34 and onto and A500. The a500 was at a stand still and we saw three unidentifield coaches. A Longmynd Coach, A Pearsons Coach and a Tesco liveried coach. We were also passed by D&G Versa 171 running out of service. We went East on the A50 and going into Heron Cross before we headed into Fenton. After we had picked up uncle Dave, we headed up to Heron Cross and through Blurton. Passing through Blurton we saw First Potteries 53209. We carried on down Beaconsfield Drive getting home around 17:50. Matthew then chilled out watching bus videos and using his computer before bedtime around 00:00... Mark

Trip to Burnley / Padiham 04-04-2015

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
2755	Burnley BS	Altham, by Simon Jersey	152	Transdev Lancashire United
404	Altham, by Simon Jersey	Burnley BS	152	Transdev Lancashire United
1869	Burnley BS	Padiham, by St James Place	23	Transdev Burnley & Pendle
2759	Padiham, by Post Office	Burnley BS	152	Transdev Lancashire United
715	Burnley BS	Burnley, by Harold Avenue	1	Transdev Burnley & Pendle
286	Burnley, by Harold Avenue	Burnley BS	1	Transdev Burnley & Pendle

Today we decided to re-visit Burnley. We had checked the weather and the weather was forecast for fare weather in all directions. We gave Matthew a list of destinations from the North West and Midlands and from these he chose Burnley. Matthew got up around 09:45 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off a fraction before 12:00 and we headed onto the A5035. We turned Northwards onto Stanley Matthews Way and we joined the Westbound A50. We went North on the A500 which we did up to the M6. Traffic was a little slow when we joined the M6. We passed through the roadworks and the and the traffic improved a little. As we got close to Knutsford Service we were caught up by Greenline coach 4076 branded for service 758 Brent Cross to Victoria on a Northbound excursion.

Green Line 4076 on the M6

At junction 21A we joined the Eastbound M62. Just before we got to the M60, we were caught up by Plymouth based Target Travel YIL 9895 on a day trip.

Target Travel YIL 9895 on the M62

This Northern Irish registration had been carried by one of their Darts until very recently. We joined the clockwise M60 through the 50mph roadworks and we did this around to the M66. On the M66 we were able to get back up to speed again and we did the M66 / A56 Northwards until we reached the M65. We went eastwards 2 junctions along the M65 before coming into Burnley town centre along the A671. We parked adjacent to the bus station and we set off on foot to the Atlantis cafe for dinner. On the way we took a few bus pictures. The first bus to pass us was Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1861 on a #22 to Padiham.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1861 in Burnley

We also saw Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1066 on a #27 to Clitheroe.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1066 in Burnley

Outside the exit to the bus station we saw Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1071 on a #25 to Keighley.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1071 in Burnley bus station

This was followed by Wrightbus demonstrator ERZ 2028.

Wrightbus ERZ 2028 in Burnley bus station

This bus on loan to Transdev Burnley & Pendle was operating a #1 to the Stoops Estate. Finally we saw another new Wrightbus Streetlite, 601/602/603/605/606/609 which was on a #4 to Harle Syke.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 605 in Burnley bus station

We headed into the Atlantis Cafe and Matthew as usual headed straight for the toilet at the top of two very long flights of stairs! After he had finished we headed down to the dinner which was quite full... Probably as busy as we have ever seen this place. Matthew had a breakfast Washed down with a cup of Coke. After we had finished eating we said goodbye to mum and we headed around the outside of the bus station to take a few bus pictures. We saw required Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2776 on a X43 to Nelson.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2776 in Burnley bus station

We then saw required Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1866 on a #22 to Padiham.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1866 in Burnley bus station

We also saw dud Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1868 on a #28 to Skipton.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1868 in Burnley bus station

We first had this bus back in February 2014 from Whitegate to Burnley on a #22 service. We then saw dud Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2777 on a X43 to Manchester.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2777 in Burnley bus station

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2777 was the first 'Witch Way' double decker we rode on when they were brand new back in November 2013. In the time it took us to eat our dinner, Transdev Burnley & Pendle 605 was back in the bus station on the next working.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 605 in Burnley bus station

We walked into the bus station and we considered what we could catch. As we though about our next bus we saw dud Transdev Lancashire United 2755 coming into the bus station on a #152 to Preston.

Transdev Lancashire United 2755 in Burnley bus station

We decided to catch this bus despite it being one we had been on before... We last rode on this bus from Blackburn to Accrington back in January 2015. We got on the bus and we booked Burnley area day tickets at £4.20 each. We went upstairs and the bus was nearly empty but people were randomly distributed along the top deck. As we sat and waited departure we saw dud Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1069 on one of the adjacent stands.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1069 in Burnley bus station

The bus set off through town and out along St James's Street. We joined Westgate followed by Westway. We crossed the M65 and we headed A671 towards Padiham. The bus wasn't emptying out so Matthew took a picture of the seats opposite as we passed through Whitegate.

Inside Transdev Lancashire United 2755

From previous trips we knew we could go to Altham Business Park to catch the bus back. We carried on into Padiham and across the river. We headed up the hill and then we turned to head towards Altham. We headed West and we crossed the A6068 though the set of lights. We carried on a short distance West and we turned into the Business Park. When we got to the appropriate stop we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of Transdev Lancashire United 2755 as it headed off towards Preston.

Transdev Lancashire United 2755 in Altham

We had around 5 minutes to wait for the return bus. Matthew had time to eat a Galaxy Caramel which he shared with uncle Dave and I. A few minutes later dud Transdev Lancashire United 404 made an appearance.

Transdev Lancashire United 404 in Altham

We got on the bus and we flashed our Burnley day tickets to the driver. We went upstairs and and we sat down. We had first been on Transdev Lancashire United 404 back in November 2013 from Accrington to Haslingden. The bus set off out of the Business park and we headed East towards Padiham. We crossed over the crossroads with the A6068 and we headed into the East end of town. We we down the hill and over the river before leaving Padiham to headed towards Whitegate. We headed down the A671 and we crossed over the M65 and ran into town. When we got to the bus station we let the bus empty before Matthew took a picture inside Transdev Lancashire United 404.

Inside Transdev Lancashire United 404

We got off the bus and Matthew went to the toilet. Once he had done we had a look to see what we could catch next. There was a required 'Witch Way' double decker on the X43 to Manchester and required Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1869 on a #23 to Accrington.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1869 in Burnley bus station

We decided to do Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1869, so we got on the bus and flashed the Burnley day ticket to the driver. We sat down near to the back of the bus. Whilst we waited for departure time, Matthew photographed the required bus on the X43 Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2774.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2774 in Burnley bus station

The bus set off through town and out of town along St James's Street the same as the #152. We headed over the M65 and along the A671 Westward out of Burnley. The bus was quite full and Matthew photographed the empty rear seat as we passed through Whitegate.

Inside Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1869

When we got to Padiham we turned left towards the railway just before the river. We got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1869 before it carried on towards Accrington.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1869 in Padiham

We walked back onto the main road and we saw Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1859 on a #23 to Burnley.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1859 in Padiham

We decided to cross the river and walk up the hill to find a shop. As we started to climb the hill we saw Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1839 returning to Burnley on a #22 service.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 1839 in Padiham

Near the top of the hill on the right hand side of the road was a bargain booze. Matthew had a couple of chocolate bars and a can of Coke and we set off down the hill to have a picnic at the bus stop before we head back to town. On the way down we saw required Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2759 on the #152 to Burnley. It stopped at the bottom of the hill and we walked down towards it. As it the bus was there we decided to forgo the bus stop picnic and catch the required bus, but not before he had taken a picture of it!

Transdev Lancashire United 2759 in Padiham

We got on the bus and we flashed the Burnley day ticket at the driver before we headed upstairs. The bus headed through Whitehead and we paused for a while outside the Tom Bobbin pub. We crossed the M65 and we headed through town before going into the bus station. We let the bus empty and Matthew took a picture inside Transdev Burnley & Pendle 2759.

Inside Transdev Lancashire United 2759

It had now gone 16:00 so we had time to do one quick out and back before we went home. There were a couple of Darts in the bus station, so we decided to do one of those. Required Transdev Burnley & Pendle 715 was on a #1 to the Stoops estate.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 715 in Burnley bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the Burnely day tickets to the driver. We sat down near to the back of the bus and the bus set off out of the bus station around 16:20. The bus set off through town and out of St james's Street. We then doubled back along towards the bus station on Hammerton Street. We crossed the canal and we joined Trafalgar Street. we turned left by MacDonald onto Burnham gate and we ran parallel to the railway for a short while. We turned left onto Coal Clough Lane and we crossed the railway line. We left the lane to run a round a block of houses and we returned to Coal Clough Lane before we turned left onto the A646. We headed into the Stoops estate and the driver change the blind for the return journey. The bus hadn't emptied so Matthew took a picture of the empty rear seat behind us.

Inside Transdev Burnley & Pendle 715

We got to the edge of the Stoops estate on Harold Avenue so we decided to get off to wait for the next bus. Matthew took another picture of Transdev Burnley & Pendle 715 before it returned towards Burnley.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 715 in Stoops Estate

Whilst we waited Matthew had a flake and a bottle of coke from out of the trip bag. We went around the corner onto the A646 to see if there were any other buses that we could catch but there wasn't, so we returned to the stop that we got off the bus. The 15 minutes went by quickly and then we saw required Versa Transdev Burnley & Pendle 286 approaching.

Transdev Burnley & Pendle 286 in Stoops Estate

We got on the bus and it was empty so Matthew took a picture inside Transdev Burnley & Pendle 286.

Inside Transdev Burnley & Pendle 286

We flashed the Burnley day tickets to the driver for the final time today and we sat down near to the back of the bus. The bus set off onto the A646 and we headed South Eastwards towards Coal Clough Lane. We turned into the lane the then we headed into the houses on the right hand side before joining back onto Coal Clough Lane closer to town. We crossed the railway line and we joined Burnham Gate. At the end we turned left onto trafalgar Street and we turned left at the roundabout to head into town. So that we run through town via St James's Street we went North Eastwards onto Hammerton Street. We ran into town and we got to the bus station. The bus paused before we went on stand. This gave Matthew the opportunity to take a picture of Holmeswood Dart S9 BOS which was on a #65 service.

Holmeswood S9 BOS in Burnley bus station

We went onto the stand and we got off the bus. We met with mum and we went to the newsagents. Matthew had a can of Coke and a chocolate bar. Matthew used the toilet and we went out of the bus station. Before we went to the car on Croft Street we saw dud First West Yorkshire 66746 on a #589 service.

First West Yorkshire 66746 in Burnley bus station

We got in the car and Matthew ate a sausage roll. We set off out of town via Trafalgar Street and the A671 and we joined the M65. We went two junction up to the A56 and we headed South to the junction with the A680. We filled up with diesel and we got Matthew a bottle of Irn Bru out of the car boot. We re-joined the A56 and we carried on Southwards. The A56 became the M66 and we did the down to the M60. We went anti-clockwise until we got onto the M62. We then saw a coach ahead of us. We caught it up and we saw it was Maynes of Buckie KM12 GSM carrying the david Urquhart livery.

Maynes of Buckie KM12 GSM on the M62

We joined the Southbound M6 and the coach went North. On the M6 we saw another couple of coaches running together. We overtook them and we sat behind a slower car in front of us so the the coaches would go past us. The first coach to pass us was Clynnog & Trefor KBC 1V.

Clynnog & Trefor KBC 1V on the M6

Behind this was another Clynnog & Trefor coach, JSU 986.

Clynnog & Trefor JSU 986 on the M6

The coached headed off onto the M56 and we continued South on the M6. It was a little busy around junction 19 but we picked up speed again until we got to the roadworks at junction 17. We left the M6 at junction 16 and we went Southwards along the A500. As we passed the Wolstanton area we saw Bakerbus 194 going the way. It had been doing rail replacement work earlier in the day. We joined the Eastbound A50 and we did this up to Longton so that we could check out what was on Z Carz tonight. Still under repair was Z Carz Mercedes minibus M372 NWN.

Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton

Next to this was Ford airport transfers minibus Z Carz MJ03 DPU.

Z Carz MJ03 DPU in Longton

Finally we saw Z Carz Iveco minibus GK02 NWJ.

Z Carz GK02 NWJ in Longton

We turned into Willow Row to see if there was anything in the compound. We saw Z Carz Mercedes minibus S952 VMY.

Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton

We headed back onto the A50 and we came off it again in Heron Cross. We went through Blurton along Blurton Road and Church road before turning into Beaconsfield Drive. We got home around 19:10. 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 01:00... Mark

Trip to Ellesmere Port / Trent Vale 03-04-2015

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
NL61 VSG	Blurton	Fenton	Charter	Shelton Care Group
NL61 VSG	Fenton	Blue Planet, Ellesmere Port	Charter	Shelton Care Group
NL61 VSG	Blue Planet, Ellesmere Port	Blurton	Charter	Shelton Care Group
41494	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trent Vale, opp Chubb Way (Unmarked)	22	First Potteries

Today Matthew was going for tea in Trent Vale but not before he spent the day with his day service. Matthew got up around 08:00 and had toast and juice for breakfast. The bus turned up and it was Shelton Care Group NL61 VSU.

Shelton Care Group NL61 VSG in Blurton

We set off onto the A5035 and headed towards Trentham. We turned into New Inn Lane and then into Pacific Drive. Once we had picked up another service user we headed back onto New Inn Lane and the A5035. We headed along into Blurton and we turned into church Road. We carried on into Blurton Road and across the A50. We went through Heron Cross and onto Heron Street. Having crossed the railway line we turned left onto Christchurch Street and to our destination. Today as it was good Friday they had arranged a trip to the Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port. The had a quick toilet stop and they got back in Shelton Care Group NL61 VSG for the journey to the Aquarium. We set of onto Glebedale Road and then left onto City Road. At the bottom of City road they joined the Northbound A500. We did the A500 up to the M6 and then we headed North. Due to the bank holiday traffic it was slow going. We passed Roseville taxi Mercedes minibus PN14 BHE. We joined the Westbound M56 which we did over to the M53. We did one junction North up Cheshire Oaks and then we went went West along the A5117 through Little Stanney and we turned North to go to the Blue Planet Aquarium. We parked upa nd went into the Aquarium. After Matthew had been the toilet they headed around the two floor of the building looking at all the different types of fish.

Fish in Blue Planet Aquarium

They next bunch look similar to Rainbow Trout.

Fish in Blue Planet Aquarium

This one looks a bit like a Catfish.

Fish in Blue Planet Aquarium

Matthew spent some time around the giant jaw of a dead shark before moving onto the rock pools.

Fish in Blue Planet Aquarium

One we had finished in the aquarium we went to MacDonald for a late dinner. We headed North in Cheshire Oaks and stopped at the MacDonalds there. Matthew had a burger and fries and a drink of Coke. After we had finished eating we went to set off back. In the distance we saw Stagecoach Merseyside 21254 on a #1 service.

Stagecoach Merseyside 21254 in Ellesmere Port

We set off back onto the M53 and then East on the M56. We travelled east to the M6 and we started to go South towards the A500 traffic was so busy that we decided to come of the M6 at junction 17 and go east along the A534 to Congleton. At Congleton we saw D&G eVoloution 32 on a #38 to Crewe. We headed South down the A527 and through Biddulph. We dropped somebody off near to the centre of town and then we carried on along the A527 down past the top of Tunstall and onto the A500. We went South down to the A50 and then we went East as far as Stanley Matthews Way. We went South towards Hem Heath and then right towards Trentham along the A5035. We turned into New Inn Lane and on Constance avenue and we dropped of another service user before heading back onto the A5035. We turned into Magdalen Road and Matthew was dropped of around 16:45! After a quick stop for toast and dandelion and burdock we headed off to the stop all the way down on Magdalen Road to catch a bus to Trent Vale. As it was Good Friday traffic was quiet in Stoke-on-Trent and the buses had been running to time all day. It was raining a little but the bus turned up bang on time. As expected it was dud First Potteries 41494.

First Potteries 41494 in Blurton

We got on the bus and it was nearly empty. I booked to Harpfields Road and Matthew photographed the empty rear of the bus.

Inside First Potteries 41494

We sat down near to the back of the bus and the bus set off onto the A5035. There was only one required bus out on the #22 today, and we passed it almost immediately. It was First Potteries 66313 in Cherry Route livery. We turned into New Inn Lane and we carried on through Trentham and into Hanford. We headed down church lane and we passed First Potteries 41520 on a #21 to Pacific Drive. We joined the A34 and we wen under the A500 and into Trent Vale. We passed London Road and then we turned into Harpfields Road. We got up and got off the bus. Matthew then took another picture of First Potteries 41494 as it carried on towards Newcastle.

First Potteries 41494 in Trent Vale

We were running a little late and mum had gone ahead to the pub to order the food. As we walked up to the pub we saw 65036 going towards Hanley on a #101 service. Eventually met mum and Matthew had a brunch with bread and butter followed by toffee sponge pudding with ice cream. Whilst we ate highlights of the passing buses was First Potteries 65027 and an unidentified Grand Tourer tri-axle coach in a blue livery. 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. We went East at the A50. We came off the A50 at Heron Cross and we dropped into Fenton. After we had picked up uncle Dave, we headed up to Heron Cross and through Blurton, getting home around 18:30. Matthew then chilled out watching bus videos, eating a slice of coconut cake and using his computer before bedtime around 00:00... Mark