Saturday 26 July 2014

Trip to Accrington / Blackburn 26-07-2014

































































BusFromToServiceOperator

439Accrington BSIntack, by Accrington RoadX41Transdev Lancashire United
1301Intack, by Accrington RoadBlackburn Temporary BS6ATransdev Lancashire United
N129 YRMBlackburn Temporary BSAccrington BS46M&M Coaches
203Accrington BSIntack, by Hamer Avenue6ATransdev Lancashire United
17Intack, by Hamer AvenueShadsworth, opp Largs Road5CTransdev Lancashire United
18Shadsworth, adj Largs RoadIntack, by Hamer Avenue5ATransdev Lancashire United
1830Intack, by Accrington RoadAccrington BS7Transdev Lancashire United


Today we decided to revisit Accrington. It had been sunny all week and temperatures had been in the mid to high twenties Celsius. For some unknown reason we hadn't thought about where we were going to go today. Matthew got up at just after 10:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We gave him a choice of familiar Northern destinations to choose from and he chose Accrington. No research was done and we knew the weather was going to be warm and sunny at least until early evening. We set off just before 12:00 onto the A5035. We turned right into Stanley Matthew way and then onto the Westbound A50. We joined the Northbound A500 and we went straight up to the M6. The M6 was busy, but we soon got moving. By the time we had passed the A556 the road was clear and we made good time from here up to the M62. We turn East on the M62 and we joined the clockwise M60 which we did to the M66. We turned Northwards on the M66 which we did up though onto the A56. We travelled the last couple of miles into town along the A680 and we parked on a car park off Abbey Street and we walked into town down to Peel Street. As we turned the corner we saw both of Pilkington Buses Wright bodied Darts pause side by side. R845 VEC was on the #5 Dill Hall circular and R846 VEC was on the #231 to Clitheroe.


Pilkington Bus R845 VEC in Accrington bus station
We walked a few yards further down Peel Street only to find that our usual cafe, the bus stop cafe had closed down! We needed to find a new place to eat... We walked around the corner into Infant Street and there was a chip shop with tables at the back. We asked if they had a toilet and they said no. We were considering taking Matthew to the toilet on Peel Street and walking back when we spotted a cafe called Coffee Beanz next door. We asked if they had a toilet and they said yes. They also did breakfast things so we knew it would be a better place for Matthew to eat. Matthew went to the toilet whilst mum ordered the food. matthew had a breakfast with extra toast washed down with a can of Coke. Whilst we were in the cafe we saw 2 of the 4 buses being used by M&M Coaches in Bridge Street opposite the cafe. Dud M&M Coaches N201 UHH was one of the two buses that work the #46 service. We also saw dud M&M Coaches N125 YHH on the #9 local service. Required Transdev Mainline 1871 was on the #23 to Burnley. Matthew spied some sweet in jars in the cafe so mum brought him 100g of Bubble Gum Bottles. We said Goodbye to mum and we walked across to Bridge Street to look at the parked up buses. We saw required Pilkington Bus Dart R845 VEC which was now parked up between duties on the #5 Dill Circular.


Pilkington Bus R845 VEC in Bridge Street
We also saw M&M Coaches N201 UHH on the #46 to Blackburn.


M&M Coaches N201 UHH in Bridge Street
We then saw M&M Coaches N125 YHH return to work the next local service.


M&M Coaches N125 YHH in Bridge Street
We walked back down onto Peel Street passing dud Pilkington Bus VU52 UEJ on a #11 to Fern Gore. On Peel Street was required Rossendale Easyride 221 on a #484 to Bury.


Rossendale Easyride 221 in Accrington bus station
We were considering which buses to catch, and we hadn't seen any double deckers out for Pilkington Bus today. I thought about doing a Transdev bus up towards the hospital so we could cover the Blackburn outer circle services, which are usually worked by step entranced double decker buses. The first time we had seen these buses was back in August 2013, on our first ride on a Transdev bus 1820. I thought incorrectly that either the #6 or #6A went via the hospital, and we could catch a bus up to the hospital and get on the outer circle there. I think there must have been a major timetable change since then and the #6/6A buses don't go that way any more. I wasn't aware of this so my plan was slightly flawed. It was a little after 14:00 and we saw dud Transdev Lancashire United 1830 on a #6 Hyndburn Circular. At almost the same time we saw required Transdev Lancashire United 1301 on the following #6A. We were just queuing up to catch 1301 when we saw required Transdev Lancashire United 439 on a Blackburn bound X41 service.


Lancashire United 439 in Accrington bus station
I asked Matthew if he wanted to do this instead and he said yes. So we crossed over the road and got on 'Lancashire United' 439. We booked £4.20 'Spot On' Blackburn day tickets and went upstairs. The bus was empty at the back so Matthew got a picture inside the top deck before we sat down.


Inside Lancashire United 439
We set off out of town and onto the roundabout under the railway arches before joining Blackburn Road. In the distance we could see Transdev Lancashire United 1830 & 1301 running together on the less direct route through Oswaldtwistle. It occurred to me that we would probably get ahead of these buses as we took the more direct route along Blackburn Road. We saw the two buses turn left onto Market Street and we carried on Along Blackburn Road. We passed M&M Coaches N129 YRM going the other way on the #46 to Accrington. A quick check of the page revealed that this bus was required! We decided to get off just down the hill from the Old Mother. We had seen buses turn here in the distance when we did 1831 out of Accrington for 1828 back, back in December 2013. beside if we did miss 1301, M&M Coaches N129 YRM was only 15 minutes behind us. We got off the and Matthew got another picture of Transdev Lancashire United 439.


Lancashire United 439 in Intack
The #6A was due now, but we thought it would be a few minutes late as it was late leaving Accrington. Whilst we waited Matthew had a can of Barr Limeade. It was long before we saw the 2 buses coming down the hill. Luckily for us, required Transdev Lancashire United 1301 was leading. It isn't very often that we know what the bus is before we get on it. As it got closer Matthew took another picture of Transdev Lancashire United 1301.


Lancashire United 1301 in Intack
We flashed our Spot On one day tickets and we sat down near to the back of the bus. The bus set off and we were expecting to turn left at some point and head through Shadsworth to the Hospital. We didn't turn and we carried on towards the centre of Blackburn. We pulled into the bus station and we waited for the bus to empty. Matthew then got a picture inside Transdev Lancashire United.


Inside Lancashire United 1301
As we were coming into the bus station we had seen a Copeland's tours Coach in the distance. We decided we would have time to go check it out before required M&M Coaches N129 YRM returned. As we considered walking up to the coach we saw dud Transdev Lancashire United 1878 on a #1 to Bolton.


Lancashire United 1878 in Blackburn bus station
We walked onto Penny Street and we saw Transdev Lancashire United 2762 between duties. Behind this was required 'Lancashire United' 1872.


Lancashire United 1872 on Penny Street
Behind that bus was required Copeland's Tours MIB 516 on the 'Blackburn Market' day excursion.


Copeland's Tours MIB 516 on Penny Street
We headed back into the temporary bus station and we saw required Rossendale Easyride Solo 52 on a #244 to Rawtenstall.


Rossendale Easyride 52 in Blackburn bus station
Dud 'Lancashire United' 2762 which had been parked up on Penny Street came into the bus station to work the next X41 service to Manchester.


Lancashire United 2762 in Blackburn bus station
We were surprised to see a Stagecoach liveried step-entranced minibus appear in the bus station. It was required Darwen Coach Service N349 AVV on a #12 Highercroft circular service.


Darwen Coach Services N349 AVV in Blackburn bus station
At this point we saw M&M Coaches N129 YRM come into the bus station and drop off passengers at the top of the bus station. The driver looked over as if to acknowledge people were waiting and then he drove off for a few minutes. Whilst we waited Matthew wanted to walk down to a Dart on a #3A service. It was dud 'Lancashire United' 707.


Lancashire United 707 in Blackburn bus station
We had done this bus back when 'Lancashire United' use to operate the #231 to Clitheroe back in back in September 2013. A few minutes later required M&M Coaches N129 YRM re-appeared and Matthew took a picture of this bus.


M&M Coaches N129 YRM in Blackburn bus station
We got on the bus and book single tickets to Accrington at £1.85 each. As we were first on the bus Matthew got a picture of the empty former Stagecoach Minibus.


Inside M&M Coaches N129 YRM
It turns out that this was our last required M&M Coaches Mercedes 709D minibus. The only other step-entranced minibus that we have not traveled on is a 2000 built Mercedes Vario 0814 X3 MMC. A few more people decided to catch this bus over the 'Lancashire United' bus and once they had loaded we set off out of town onto the A678. We turned onto the A679 Blackburn Road and we went under the M65 and down the hill towards Accrington. When we got into town we turned left into Peel Street. We got off and Matthew got another picture of M&M Coaches N129 YRM.


M&M Coaches N129 YRM in Accrington bus station
We decided to have a small break from the buses. Matthew used the toilet in Peel Street and then we walked up to the other end to visit the paper shop. Matthew brought 2 small bottles of pop and a can of Coke, as well a couple of chocolate bars and a Bakewell slice. We sat outside the paper shop at the aluminum tables and Matthew ate the Bakewell slice and a Toffee Crisp which he washed down with a small bottle of Irn Bru. Just as he was finishing we saw required 'T' reg Volvo B10 Transdev Lancashire United arrive on a #7A service. We walked around the corner and it was still at the set down stop on Blackburn Road.


Lancashire United 203 on Blackburn Road
A few minute later 203 had run around the block to form the next #6A service. We were going to book to Blackburn, but the bus service was only going as far as Intack. Matthew took a picture of the empty bus before we sat down near the back.


Inside Lancashire United 203
I had an idea... The outer circle service crosses over all the main roads around Blackburn. I went and asked the driver if we could get to the hospital on the out circle bus from Intack. He told us that we should make the hourly bus at quarter to the hour and he would stop across the road from the stop. He also mentioned that the opposite working went past the depot on the hour. I sat down and I download the #5A/5C timetable off the Transdev website. The bus set off onto Blackburn Road and we went under the railway and out of town. We turned towards Oswaldtwistle on Market Street and through town. We joined back onto Blackburn Road half way up the bank. We went under the M65 and down through Knuzden. We turned right onto Whitebirk Road... When we had considered doing the out circle earlier in the day and we wondered where the bus crossed the #6/7, we had been a couple of hundred yard from where the bus crossed the road! The bus pulled up outside the depot and we went to get off. The driver pointed out the stop for the #5C and Matthew got another picture of 'Lancashire United' 203.


Lancashire United 203 on Intack
We crossed the road... We had 20 minutes before it was due so we went for a walk down the street to see if we could see the next stop. We saw a couple of stops but we did not know which one the #5C would stop at. Matthew had a bottle of Cherry Coke and then we walked back to the original stop. A small crowd had appeared at the stop. A few minutes later we saw dud Transdev Lancashire United 17 approaching.


Lancashire United 17 in Intack
We got on the bus and flashed our Spot On day tickets. Before we went upstairs Matthew took a picture of the lower saloon.


Inside Lancashire United 17
We went upstairs and sat down. I worked out that if we traveled for around 5 minutes we should be able to cross over the road and catch the #5A back. Our previous run on 'Lancashire United' 17 had been on the #5C back in January 2014. The bus set off across Blackburn Road. We climbed the hill along the B6130 and we turned left onto Fecitt Brow. We turned right onto Rothesay Road and as we got towards the end we had traveled approximately 5 minutes so I decided to get off. We got off the bus and we crossed over the road. We didn't have to wait for more the a couple of minutes and we saw a lime green double decker turn the corner. We knew it was going to be a required bus... As it got closer we saw it was required Transdev Lancashire United 18.


Lancashire United 18 in Shadsworth
We got on the bus and flashed the 'Spot On' day tickets. Meanwhile Matthew took a picture of the lower saloon.


Inside Lancashire United 18
We went upstairs and Matthew took a picture of the upper saloon too.We sat down and the bus set off back through Shadsworth towards Intack. We crossed Blackburn Road and we stopped outside the bus garage. We took a picture of the front of the bus but there was a post in the view. As we were crossing over to walk back onto Blackburn Road anyway, we took another picture of the rear of the bus.


Lancashire United 18 in Intack
We walked onto Blackburn Road and to the first bus stop around the corner. We had about a 10 minute wait for the next #7 back to Accrington. In the meantime, we called mum to tell her we were on the way back into town. Across the road we saw Transdev Lancashire United 404 on a Blackburn bound X41 service.


Lancashire United 404 in Intack
A few minutes later we saw a Wright bodied Volvo approaching. Unfortunately it was dud Transdev Lancashire United 1830.


Lancashire United 1830 in Intack
We got on the bus and we sat down somewhere in the middle of the bus. The bus set of up the hill though Knuzden and we crossed under the M65. As we went down the hill er turned right to go into Oswaldtwistle. We headed through Ossy town and onto Market Street before rejoining Blackburn Road for the run into Accrington. We called mum to tell her when we were going to arrive in town, and we carried on along the road. As we approached the railway arch we noticed that the bus was empty in front of us some Matthew took a picture.


Inside Lancashire United 1830
The bus carried on under the railway and we turned right into Peel Street. We got off the bus and mum was waiting for us. Matthew used the toilet and then we walked around the corner into Abbey Street where mum had moved the car to. Waiting at the car was Pound bakery sausage rolls (Greggs had run out), and a can of Irn Bru. He also helped mum to drink her cold can of Dandelion & burdock. We left town along the A680 and we stopped at the garage just before the A56 for LPG. We joined the A56 and we carried on south onto the M66. We joined onto the anti-clockwise M60 and then continued onto the M62. When we got to the M6 we turn South and went down to the A500. As we went through Wolstanton we passed Copeland's Tours MIB 394 which probably would have been returning on one of either the Southport or Blackpool excursions. We carried on down to the A50 and we went east to Longton where we came off to see what was parked up at Z Carz. There were a few vehicle parked up tonight. First there was coach Scania D104 XAN.


Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton
Next to the coach we saw Volkswagen minibus OV05 WSW.


Z Carz OV05 WSW in Longton
Next to the VW minibus was Mercedes Minibus W221 CDN.


Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton
Next in the row was Ford minibus FP06 WTW.


Z Carz FP06 WTW in Longton
This was followed by the first of two Mercedes Minibus. First Was Z Carz S952 VMY.


Z Carz S952 VMY in Longton
Then we saw Z Carz M372 NWN.


Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton
We turned into Willow Row and there were two LDV minibus in the compound. First was long term SORN T408 JUX. This was followed by M420 UEH.


Z Carz M420 UEH in Longton
We tuned around and got back on the A50. As we joined the main carriage way we saw an old army ambulance and we followed it onto the A50. We came off the A50 at Heron Cross and we passed lightning Travel minibus T2 DLT before heading into Blurton. As we went through Blurton we passed First potteries 41502 on the last #22 to Longton of the day. We got home just before 19:30. For a late tea Matthew had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a cake bar. He then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 00:45. It was quite a successful day and Matthew was very well behaved... Mark

Saturday 19 July 2014

Trip to Newark-on-Trent 19-07-2014




































































BusFromToServiceOperator

33208Newark BSBalderton (Notts), opp Meadow Road2Stagecoach East Midlands
33208Balderton (Notts), opp Meadow RoadNewark BS2Stagecoach East Midlands
PO51 UMWNewark BSBalderton (Notts), adj Smith Street24Centrebus
47843Balderton (Notts), opp Smith StreetNewark BS3Stagecoach East Midlands
33766Newark BSNewark (Notts), adj Beastmarket Hill28Stagecoach East Midlands
17738Newark (Notts), opp Beastmarket HillNewark BS28Stagecoach East Midlands
47462Newark BSHawtonville (Newark), adj Lilac Close3Stagecoach East Midlands
47842Balderton (Notts), opp Baines AvenueNewark BS2Stagecoach East Midlands


Today we decided to visit Newark-on-Trent for the first time. The weather for today had forecast widespread heavy thunderstorms, so we left picking where to go until the morning. Matthew had suggested going to Northampton, but it was just a bit too far to go for an afternoon out. I got up early on Saturday morning and reassessed the weather situation. Matthew had correct on suggesting a destination East of us as to the best place to go. I tried to see what the forecast for Newark was, and it was for sunny intervals between 14:00 and 18:00 which should be OK for our visit. I asked Matthew if he wanted to go to Newark and he said yes. Other than check the weather little research was done. Apart from Stagecoach East Midlands buses, I had no idea what we would see today. I downloaded a bus map of Newark from the Nottinghamshire County Council website and e-mailed to myself so I had it on my phone. It had been raining all morning and it was still raining when Matthew got up at around 10:30 today and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. we set off around 11:45. We headed out onto the A5035 and turned left to go towards Longton. When we got to the edge of town we crossed and joined the Eastbound A50. It was raining hard now and the surface water on the road was making driving quick difficult. We passed Z Carz GL04 CVE. When we got to the Little Chef roundabout at Uttoxeter we saw First Potteries 32633 on a #32A to Hanley. We carried on East on the A50 and we passed City Buses & Coaches LT02 XLJ going the other way. The rain continued to pour. When we got to the M1, we joined the Eastbound A453. This road is currently in the middle of a road widening scheme, and there are speed restrictions in place. It was probably a good job as the spray from passing vehicles was horrendous! When we got to the edge of Nottingham we passed a few Nottingham City Transport vehicles. These were Nottingham City Transport 965, 716 and 948 which was on a service 48 to Clifton. It was around 13:00 as we passed through the Clifton area of town. As we got to the A52 the rain turned torrential. As we left the road to Nottingham, car of the road above us were causing spray to come over the side of the road and down onto to us on the A453! It was difficult to see where we were going... When cars passed us the spray was so bad that it took a few seconds before we could see out of the front window again even with the wipers on fast! We got onto the Eastbound A52 and we carrie on around the City until we reached the other side of the ring road. We carried on East on the A52 until we got to the junction with the A46. As we carried on North to Newark the rain started to ease off and by the time we had done the last mile into Newark along the B6166 it had stopped raining and the sun was coming out! We decided to park and eat at Asda. We missed the turning the first time around and we passed Stagecoach East Midlands 33405 on the #3A service and 18034 was parked in the bus station on layover. We turned around on a roundabout near to the castle and we headed back to Asda and parked up. By the time we found a space and parked up it was nearly 14:00. We went up to the cafe on the top floor and used the toilets. Matthew had sausage chips and beans with a bap, washed down with a cup of Coke. We got to the bus station around 14:25 and the bus station was nearly empty. We went around the top and there was an area where you could look into the bus station and take pictures. We had just missed seeing required 18034 depart on the 14:20 #28 to Mansfield. We then saw an interesting Dart, Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 on a #2 to Balderton.


Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 in Newark bus station
We got on the buses and because we thought we may go on a longer run we brought the Explorer tickets at £5.80. We sat down near the back of the bus. As we left the bus station we saw required Stagecoach East Midlands 33405 on a #3A service, and 33766 was arriving on a #29 from Southwell. We set off out of town along London Road. After around a mile or so we turned right into Hawton Lane. We turned back on ourselves and when we got to Wilfred Avenue we got back up and flashed the tickets for the return journey into town. We crossed over London Road and we went around the other half of the estate before joining back onto London Road along Baines Avenue. We went back into town and into the bus station. When we got back we waited for the bus to Empty and Matthew got a picture inside Stagecoach East Midlands 33208.


Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 33208
We got off the bus and Matthew went to the toilet. There was a bit of a gap in the service right now. I had thought there was a 15:20 #28 to Mansfield, but the next one was at 15:50. There was a #24 service to Grantham which I had assumed was also a stagecoach service. When it arrived I was surprised to see a plain cream coloured bus PO51 UNW.


Centrebus PO51 UMW in Newark bus station
We could see that it used to be a Kimes bus as there was the outline of the sticker still visible on the front of the bus. There was a few minutes to departure. We looked at a timetable on the wall and we could see it was the last #24 of the day from here. It did however go along London Road road. Matthew wanted to do the bus so we thought we could pay for this run and catch a Stagecoach bus back. We got on and booked singles to Balderton, from the tickets we learned that we were on a Centrebus vehicle! We went upstairs and there were people front and back of the bus, so Matthew took a picture of the empty seats opposite us.


Inside Centrebus PO51 UMW
Just before we left the bus station, a Travel Wright Optare Excel arrived into the bus station. It was former Trent Barton V199 ERA. We left the bus station and headed off down London Road. It was only a short journey of around a mile and half, and when we saw the petrol station opposite we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another better picture of Centrebus PO51 UNW before it carried on South to Grantham.


Centrebus PO51 UMW in Balderton
We crossed the road to wait for the next Newark bound service. We hadn't passed anything when we went South and there were people at the bus stop so we though there might be something due. A minute or two later we saw a Stagecoach solo SR approaching. When knew it would be required as we havn't dome any of this type belonging to Stagecoach. As it got closer we saw it was Stagecoach East Midlands 47843.


Stagecoach East Midlands 47843 in Balderton
We got on the bus and sat down near the back. As far as I am aware this is only the second Solo SR we have been on, the other one being Arriva NW&W 712, which we did through torrential rain from Clockface to St Helens back in October 2013. The bus went back up London Road into town. It was looking like we would get back to the bus station in time to do the 15:50 #28 towards Mansfield. The bus got into the bus station a few minutes before the #28 was due.We waited for the bus to empty and Matthew got a picture inside the now empty Stagecoach East Midlands 47843.


Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 47843
We got off the bus and as the #28 hadn't arrived we went to take a few pictures. We saw marshalls of Sutton-on TRent V270 DRV in the bus station.


Marshalls V270 DRC in Newark bus station
We also saw Travel Wright V199 ERA to take a picture as it was still on layover.


Travel Wright V199 ERA in Newark bus station
We sat down in the bus station and Matthew had a drink of Irn Bru. Just then required Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 came in to work the 15:50 #28 service to Mansfield.


Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 in Newark bus station
We got on the bus and flashed our Explorer tickets to the driver. We sat down near the back. As the bus set off I checked the timetable. The next bus was due off at 17:10 so I thought we would have possibly journey each way of up to 40 minutes. I checked the timetable and it appeared we were going to pass a bus just outside of town and the one after that didn't get back until 17:47. We had to get off the bus... We had stopped at the level crossing by Newark Castle station to wait for a train to pass. Matthew took a picture of the empty back seat behind us with the castle in the background.


Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 33766
When the bus set off across the crossing we rang the bell to get off. Matthew took another picture of Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 as it carried on towards Mansfield.


Stagecoach East Midlands 33766 in Newark
Right behind us was Marshall Solo V270 DRC on a #39B to Tuxford. We crossed the road and I thought I had seen a bus go passed when we crossed the railway. We had a clear view of the road so decided to walk a few yards up to the signal box. On the way we saw Travel Wright Solo KX53 SGV on a #32 to Ollerton.


Travel Wright KX53 SGV in Newark
We took a picture of the Signal Box whilst we were in this part of town...


Newark signal box
We walked back to the stop thinking we may have missed the bus. A few minutes later we could see a Stagecoach ALX400 double decker distance. As it got closer we saw it was dud Stagecoach East Midlands 17738.


Stagecoach East Midlands 17738 in Newark
We got on the bus and flashed our tickets. We went upstairs and sat down. We had last been on this bus in from Mansfield to Warsop back in February 2013. It was only a five minute journey back to the stop opposite the bus station. If we had known how thing were going to pan out we wouldn't have purchased an Explorer ticket! When we got to the stop everyone else got off too, so Matthew took a picture of the empty top deck of Stagecoach East Midlands 17738.


Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 17738
We got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of Stagecoach East Midlands 17738.


Stagecoach East Midlands 17738 in Newark
We waled back to the bus station and Matthew went to the toilet. He spent quite a bit of time in there. When he came out we shared a bottle of Tango orange from the vending machine. We walked around to the outside of the bus station and we took a few pictures. We saw Marshalls of Sutton-on-Trent Solo MX09 AOS in a plain cream livery on a #37 to Retford.


Marshalls MX09 AOS in Newark bus station
We then saw required Stagecoach East Midlands 47462 on a #3 to Hawtonville. We decided to do this, so we walked back into the bus station and Matthew took a picture.


Stagecoach East Midlands 47462 in Newark bus station
We flashed the tickets at the driver and Matthew got the driver to beep the horn. We sat down near to the back. The bus set off out of town and down Albert Street. At this point I wasn't sure what we were going to do so I looked at the Newark Town bus map. The #3 was only evety 30 minutes, so if we got off and waited for the next one it would be quite a wait. The bus did seem to go quite close to Balderton so we decided, so if we got off at the closest point, we could walk over to Balderton and there would be a bus every 15 minutes back. As we turned into the estate Matthew took a picture of the empty back seat in Stagecoach East Midlands 47462.


Inside Stagecoach East Midlands 47462
When we got to Cherry Holt I judged us to be at the closest point to Balderton and we got off the bus. As the bus carried on back towards Newark, Matthew got another picture of Stagecoach East Midlands 47462.


Stagecoach East Midlands 47462 in Hawtonville
The phone rang and it was mum asking how we were getting on. We told her our plans and she told us if we were back by 17:00 she would have to move the car. We set off foot to Balderton. On the road between Trinity Road and Bowbridge Road we saw Marshalls of Sutton-on-Trent Solo YG02 FWL on a #77 service.


Marshalls YG02 FWL in Hawtonville
We got onto Hawton Lane and it was long and straight with a bridge over something in the distance about 3/8ths of a mile away. We walked up the Lane and there was a farming equipment store, a pile manufacturers and a builders yard on the left of the road. We got to the bridge and it was an old disused railway line that had been converted into a cycle path. We could see houses in front of use and eventually we go to the corner were the #2 & #3 buses turned around. I asked Matthew if he wanted to go right onto Lansbury Road or continue along Hawton Lane. We carried on towards the main road. It was now approximately 17:00. We looked at the timetable but it was hard to read as it was a timetable for the whole route and not from this stop and we didn't know at what timing point we were at. We stopped at a shop and Matthew brought a small bottle of Irn Bru and a can of Coke for later. He also brought some chocolate. We got outside and we saw the #3 bus go passed. As we got close to London Road we then saw required Stagecoach East Midlands 47842 on the #2. When knew if we walked to the main road we could head this bus off. We got to the stop on London Road and we sat down. Matthew drank the bottle of Irn Bru and a minute or so later Stagecoach East Midlands 47842 appeared from Baines Avenue and we flagged it down.


Stagecoach East Midlands 47842 in Balderton
We got on the bus and we flashed the tickets for the last time. We sat down near the back. It was almost empty except for one other person. Mum had texted to say she had moved the car and we carried on into town along London Road. The other lady got off the bus and got into an argument with the folding doors as she got off. When we got into the bus station we got up and Matthew got a picture inside Stagecoach East Midlands 47842. We then saw Travel Wright Dart D27 (GX04 ASU).


Travel Wright GX04 ASU in Newark bus station
Matthew went to the toilet for one last time and we set off on foot the short distance to the car on Castle Gate. As we passed the end of the bus station we saw Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 again.


Stagecoach East Midlands 33208 in Newark bus station
Further along Lombard Street we saw Cotswold CVS SF06 BLX on the #41B service.


Cotswold CVS SF06 BLX in Newark
We rounded the corner and we saw the car. At the car mum was waiting with Greggs Sausage rolls and Matthew had a large can of Irn Bru. We needed to turn the car around to head back South, so we turned at the roundabout as we did earlier when we missed the entrance to Asda. We need to get a couple of cans out of the boot and we decided to stop to get some chips too. We had 2 portions between the 4 of us. Whilst mum was getting the chips we saw Stagecoach East Midlands 18034 arrive back in town on the #28. Just as mum got back to the car the heavens opened again and once again it was so heavy the road was under water and visibility was poor. We managed to make the right turning onto the B6166 and we got onto the Southbound A46. The rain stopped and by the time we joined onto the westbound A52 it was sunshine all the way home. On the outskirts of Nottingham we went around the south of the City on the A52 before joining the a453 at Clifton. On the A453 we stopped for a quick splash and dash of petrol in case we ran out of LPG. We carried on along the A453 and it was much more pleasant in the evening sun than it had been earlier in heavy rain! We crossed the M1 at the big roundabout to join the Westbound A50 and we had a good run all the way up to Longton, where we left the A50 to see what was at Z Carz. There were 6 vehicles visible at the site tonight. First there was Volkswagen minibus S973 OVP.


Z Carz S973 OVP in Longton
Then we saw Scania coach D104 XAN.


Z Carz D104 XAN in Longton
Next in the row was Volkswagen minibus OV05 WSW.


Z Carz OV05 WSW in Longton
The there was a row of three Mercedes minibuses with different body manufacturers. First there was former Thompson W221 CDN.


Z Carz W221 CDN in Longton
Then the was BV51 BNO.


Z Carz BV51 BNO in Longton
Lastly there was former Phil Smiths Travel M372 NWN


Z Carz M372 NWN in Longton
We turn into Willow Row and we saw M420 UEH in the compound along with long term SORN LDV minibus T408 JUX. We headed back onto the A50 which we did to Heron Cross. We saw Lightning Travel T2 DLT and then we saw First Potteries 53830 on a #23 service. We got home at 19:30. For a late tea we had bangers and mash with carrots followed by a cake bar. Matthew then chilled out on his computer until bedtime around 01:00... Mark