Trip to Trent Vale 18-04-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
65727	Magdalen Road, Blurton	Trent Vale, opp Chubb Way (Unmarked)	22	First Potteries

Today was by and large a bit of a chill day. Matthew had been in respite the day before and we decided that we would catch the bus up to Trent Vale to meet mum. Matthew got up around 10:30 after I went up to see him in his room and then he had toast and orange juice for breakfast. He spent most of the say on his computer catching up on what had been going on in Flickr for the last few days. For dinner I made him an omelette with some oven fries. I had been viewing what buses were out on the #22. Out of the three buses out today running a Saturday service, there was only one required one and that was First Potteries 65727. There is a rumour that this batch of Scanias are about to depart to Adderley Green. We find it easier to get Newcastle Scanias in, which we used to get on the #22A when it returned to Newcastle, and of late on the #22 when the service went over to be predominately worked by these buses. Once they go to Adderley Green they will be slightly harder for us to get. We worked out that 65727 would be on the 16:20 Longton - Newcastle departure, so we texted mum to arrange to meet in Trent Vale at the appropriate time. Just after 16:00 Matthew got dressed and we left the house and walked all the way to the stop on Magdalen Road. As we waited we were expecting to see the Longton bound #22 go past just before our bus arrived. As expected we saw First Potteries 66842 round the corner and Matthew got a picture of it.

First Potteries 66842 in Blurton

A few minutes later, First Potteries 65727 rounded the other corner and I flagged it down whilst Matthew got a picture of the bus.

First Potteries 65727 in Blurton

We booked our tickets and we sat down near the back of the bus. The bus pulled out onto the A5035 and we headed into Trentham. We then passed D&G 174 on the Trentham Plumline, before we saw First Potteries 40155 on the #21A Hanley service. We turned onto we Inn Lane and we could see a #21 to Hanley in front of us. We didn't manage to catch up with this bus as our bus kept stopping to let people off. When we got into Hanford the last off the people in front of us got off the bus and Matthew took a picture facing forwards.

Inside First Potteries 65727

At the top of Church Lane we passed 60059 on a Trentham bound #21 and we headed down the hill to join the A34. As we went towards the A500 we passed First Potteries 65035 on a southbound #101. This was followed quickly by First potteries 65732 on the third and final #22 turn. As we pulled over to the centre of the road to ,turn into Harpfields Road and we rang the bell and we stood up and got off the bus. Matthew got another picture of First Potteries 65727 before it headed off towards the hospital.

First Potteries 65727 in Trent Vale

We walked back onto the A34 and back to the pub where mum was waiting in the car in the pub car park. Inn the pub Matthew had his usual meal. It was sausage egg and chips with extras of bacon and bread and butter. This was followed by toffee sponge pudding and ice cream. After we had finished eat we went back to the car and gave Uncle Dave a call. Matthew had a conversation with him on the phone and then we set off to go and pick him up. We headed South on the A34 until we reached the A500. At the A500 we went North and then onto the Eastbound A50 which we did to Heron Cross. We went into Fenton and picked up Uncle Dave before we went back through Heron Cross. Here we saw T2 DLT near to the Lightning Travel base and we headed through Blurton. We caught up First Potteries 65727 again and we also caught up with First Potteries 40373 on a #23 to Newstead. Coming the other way was First Potteris 66842 on the Longton bound #22: We got home a little after 18:00. We chilled out, did a bit of gardening, watched the telly and Matthew watched bus videos on his computer. For a snack later on we had some lemon Meringue pie. Matthew continued to chill out on his computer and he went to bed around 00:00...Mark