Trip to Hinckley 31-05-2014

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
1913	Hinckley, Regent Street (Stand R2)	Burbage, adj Wolvey Road	5	Hinckley Bus / Arriva Midlands
1913	Burbage, adj Wolvey Road	Hinckley, o/s Library	5	Hinckley Bus / Arriva Midlands
2105	Hinckley, Regent Street (Stand R3)	Burbage, adj Horsepool	71	Hinckley Bus / Arriva Midlands
1915	Burbage, adj Horsepool	Hinckley, o/s Library	71	Hinckley Bus / Arriva Midlands
1908	Hinckley, Regent Street (Stand R3)	Burbage, adj Horsepool	71	Hinckley Bus / Arriva Midlands
2201	Burbage, adj Horsepool	Hinckley, o/s Library	71	Hinckley Bus / Arriva Midlands
2557	Hinckley, Regent Street (Stand R2)	Hinckley, o/s Primary School	X55	Hinckley Bus / Arriva Midlands

Today we decided to re-visit Hinckley. We had not really planned where to go this week and the weather was supposed to be dry everywhere so we gave Matthew a choice of some of the usual destinations and he chose Hinckley. No research was done as we already had the timetables loaded onto my phone. Matthew got up around 10:00 and he had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We set off a little after 11:30 and we headed onto the A5035. We went North along Stanley Matthews Way and we encountered a little bit of traffic. There was some kind of strongman event taking part at the Britannia Stadium. We joined the A50 and then the Northbound A500, passing a small traffic jam heading towards the Brit. We came off the A500 at Shelton New Road to fill up with LPG. Whilst there we saw First Potteries 66847 on a #34 service. We headed back onto the A500, and we avoided most of the traffic queuing to got to the Brit by going into the right hand lane. At the end of the A500 we joined the South bound M6 which we did through the Roadworks to Junction 12. We then went East on the A5 for a few miles and we stopped at the truck stop on the right just before the Cannock turning. At the truck stop Matthew used the toilet and then had a breakfast washed down with a can of Coke. After we had finished we got back in the car and carried on east on the A5. South of Cannock we passed Arriva Midlands 2276 on a Cannock bound #2A service. We carried on East and near to Nuneaton we caught up with Arriva Midlands 3802 on a #765 service. We left the A5 near Hinckley and we did the last 3 miles or so into town along the A4666. When we got to town we said goodbye to mum who was driving to Nuneaton to meet us later in theory... We headed through the bus station were we came Across required Hinckley Bus Optare Solo 2568 on layover in between #86's and Grand UK Holidays coach YJ14 BYL.

Grand UK Holidays YJ14 BYL in Hinckley bus station

Further up the bus station was required Stagecoach Warwickshire 36162.

Stagecoach Warwickshire 36162 in Hinckley bus station

We walked up to the toilet block on Station Road and after we had finished there we walked onto Regent Street to see what buses were out today. We saw Hinkcley Bus 2202 on the #75/76 service and then we saw Hinckley Bus 2201 on he 14:15 #71 Burbage service.

Hinckley Bus 2201 in Hinckley

We thought we would stay to see what was on the 14:25 #58 to Lutterworth. When it turned up it was dud Hinckley Bus 1914.

Hinckley Bus 1914 in Hinckley

Hopefully we would be on that bus later when it worked the 17:10 #86 to Nuneaton... Whilst we waited to see what bus was working the #5 Three Pots circular service, we saw Roberts MX57 UPD on the #159 to Coalvile.

Roberts MX57 UPD in Hinckley

On an #81 Earl Shilton service was dud Hinkcley Bus Mercedes minibus 1915.

Hinckley Bus 1915 in Hinckley

On the other side of the road required Hinkcley Bus 1913 came in on the #5 three Pots circular. Matthew went to take a picture and his batteries were flat! We got on the bus and we booked our Hinckley Bus day tickets at £7.50 each. We sat down and the bus left town down Station Road and past Tesco. We crossed under the railway and we climbed up the hill before making a right turn near to the top. When we got to Three Pots I flashed the tickets so that we could straight back on this hourly service. We wound our way through the estates and we appeared back on the main road further down. We went back under the railway line and back into town up Station Road. When we got back into regent Street Matthew waited for the bus to empty before getting a picture inside Hinckley Bus 1913.

Inside Hinckley Bus 1913

He also got a picture of the outside of the bus too now his batteries had been changed...

Hinckley Bus 1913 in Hinckley

Almost immediately on the other side of the road we spied an unusual looking Dennis Dart on the other side of the road. New to this fleet and without decals was Hinkcley Bus MPD Dart 2105 working the #71 to Burbage.

Hinckley Bus 2105 in Hinckley

The bus was quite well filled and we sat down near to the back of the bus. We left town down Station Road again and under the railway line. As we started to climb we turned right on Brookside. At this point Matthew clapped and the driver stopped the bus briefly as he thought we had been bricked. After explaining to the driver what had happened we carried on around the estate and into Burbage. The bus emptied out at the back of the bus and Matthew took a picture of the back seat.

Inside Hinckley Bus 2105

A couple of stops later we were at the Horsepool and we got up and got off. As the bus carried on Matthew took another picture of this bus.

Hinckley Bus 2105 in Burbage

We had an approximate wait of twenty minutes before the next bus back. We walked around to the gates of the Horspool to see if it was open. It wasn't but the tree stump carving was a little closer to being finished. We walked up to the benches by the war memorial and Matthew had a small bottle of Vimto and a Rice Crispies Squares bar from the supplies in the trip bag. After he had finished we walked back to the stop and we had less than ten minutes to wait. The time passed quickly and the bus appeared.It was dud Hinkcley Bus 1915 that we had seen work up to Earl Shilton around an hour earlier.

Hinckley Bus 1915 in Burbage

We got on the bus and as it was empty Matthew got a picture as we got on.

Inside Hinckley Bus 1915

We sat down and the bus carried on around the estates of Burbage before appearing on the main road from Brookside. We came into town up Station Road and we got off the bus near to the Library. As we walked up towards the toilets on Station Road we saw required Stagecoach Warwickshire 36161 on the #48 to Coventry.

Stagecoach Warwickshire 36161 in Hinckley bus station

Across the road from the bus station we saw Hinckley Bus 2569 on the #58A to Lutterworth.

Hinckley Bus 2569 in Hinckley

After using the toilet we walked into town where we saw a display of steam traction engines and tractors. Matthew then got a picture of one of the traction engines, HO 5832.

Traction engine HO 5832 in Hinckley

We walked onto Regent Street and visited the newsagents where Matthew brought some pop and chocolate. We sat down and Matthew drank a small bottle of Vimto and a double Mikly Way. We then saw Hinckley Bus 2568 on a #86 to Nuneaton.

Hinckley Bus 2568 in Hinckley

At this point we had time to do one round trip to somewhere before doing the 17:10 #86 to Nuneaton. Across the road was dud Hinckley Bus 1908 on the #71 to Burbage. We decided to do this bus.

Hinckley Bus 1908 in Hinckley

We got on the bus and it was empty so Matthew took a picture inside.

Inside Hinckley Bus 1908

We sat down near to the back of the bus an the bus set off out of town. Part way down station Road we caught up with a steam traction engine slowly going down the road. At the bottom of the road the engine driver waived us past as it appeared that the steam engine had failed! We carried on past Tesco and under the railway line and onto Brookside. When we got to the Horsepool we got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of Hinckley Bus 1908.

Hinckley Bus 1908 in Burbage

We checked the timetable and on this occasion we should have had a 30 minutes wait. The wait was a little short as the traction engine had delayed our progress on the bus down. We stood at the stop for around 20 minutes when we saw required Hinckley Bus 2568 on the #58A to Lutterworth.

Hinckley Bus 2568 in Burbage

A few minutes later the bus back to Hinckley turned up. It was dud Hinckley Bus 2201.

Hinckley Bus 2201 in Burbage

The bus was nearly empty so Matthew got a picture inside Hinckley Bus 2201.

Inside Hinckley Bus 2201

We sat down and the bus went through the estate and onto Brookside before going under the railway line and into town up Station Road. The traction engine was still failed outside the Steamin' Billy pub appropriately... We got off the bus outside the Library and Matthew got another picture of Hinckley Bus 2201.

Hinckley Bus 2201 in Hinckley

We walked out of the toilets and along Station Road and we stopped at another shop to pic up pop and chocolate. In town we sat down and Matthew had a Milky Way and a can of Irn Bru. A nearby gentleman joked "don't give him Irn Bru he will be hyper!" I told him he was hyper anyway... The planned had been to catch the 17:10 to Nuneaton to meet mum but Matthew had different ideas. Just before our bus was due required Hinckley Bus 2557 appeared on the X55 to Leicester.

Hinckley Bus 2557 in Hinckley

Matthew decided to make a break for it and he ran towards Hinckley Bus 2557. We got on to the bus, we sat down and refused to get off. We spent a couple of minutes trying to persuade him we had to get off to catch the 17:10. The 17:10 which was dud Hinckley Bus 1914 came and went so we were stuck in Hinckley. In the end we flashed our bus tickets and we went a few stops up the road. We got off the bus on the edge of town and Matthew beeped the horn as he got off. He then got another picture of Hinckley Bus 2557 as it went off towards Leicester.

Hinckley Bus 2557 in Hinckley

We then had to go to Plan B. we called mum to come and pick us up in Hinckley and we started to walk through town and onto the A4666 to meet her. We sat down just outside town on a wall near to a car wash. Uncle Dave pointed out the double yellow line so we walked about another 150 yards to the other side of a bus stop and sat on the wall to wait. Whilst we waited for mum we saw a Leicester bound #158 service. Mum turned up and we got in the car. Mum sat in the fron passenger seat and I drove back home. after turning the car around we headed back down the A4666 and hen onto the A5. We did the A5 all the way through to the M6 and then we turned North. On the M6 we saw A Line coaches 125 LUP. We came off the M6 and went north on the A500 up to the A50. We came off the A50 at Longton to check out what was at Z Carz tonight. First in the row tonight was coach M534 RSO.

Z Carz M534 RSO in Longton

Next to this was light green Iveco minibus HX51 HRU.

Z Carz HX51 HRU in Longton

At the back of the site was red LDV minibus DS51 ZJU. In the front row was Mercedes minibus W221 CDN.

Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton

Last on the spare ground tonight was another Mercedes minibus S952 VMY.

Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton

We turned into Willow Row and in the yard was long term SORN LDV minibus T408 JUX looking a little sorry for itself. We went back onto the A50 and we headed home through heron Cross and Blurton. We got home around 19:15. For a late tea we had bangers and Mash followed by cheesecake. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 00:30...Mark