Trip to Market Drayton / Shrewsbury 24-02-2019

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
207	Fenton, adj Travers Court	Hanley, Hinde Street	64	PMT
207	Hanley, Hinde Street	Newcastle BS	64	PMT
207	Newcastle BS	Ashley, St Johns Church	64	PMT
207	Ashley, St Johns Church	Market Drayton BS	64	PMT
207	Market Drayton BS	Buntingsdale, Stokesay Road	64	PMT
207	Buntingsdale, Stokesay Road	Shrewsbury BS	64	PMT
207	Shrewsbury BS	Ashley, St Johns Church	64	PMT
207	Ashley, St Johns Church	Hanley, Hinde Street	64	PMT

Today Matthew was in the residential unit and he was going to his day service. Matthew had seen on Facebook the POPS were running a trip to Shrewsbury recreating the X64 bus from some time in the 1990's. I had contacted someone at POPS to see if it would be possible for us to do this and they said it would be okay. There was a pick-up near to Matthew residential unit at 08:40 so we arranged to do this trip. Matthew got up around 07:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. We cam to pick Matthew up around 08:30 and we went downstairs and we cut through onto City Road. Almost as soon as we had got onto the road we saw the bus approaching through the fog. As expected it was preserved PMT 207 on the feeder service for the trip.

PMT 207 in Fenton

We trotted up to the bus stop and we were welcomed on board the bus by member of POPS. We sat down near to the front of the bus and we set off down City Road and we ran down to the bottom of the road and we joined the Northbound A52. We ran alongside the railway line and we ran forwards onto Station Road where we had another brief stop. We continued along Station road and we turned right onto College Road. We ran through Shelton and forwards onto Cleveland Road. We continued onto Regent Road and we turned left onto Hinde Street. We stopped at Hinde Street and we were a little early. This gave us chance to get off the bus and get another picture of PMT 207.

PMT 207 in Hanley

We had around 10 minutes here and some used the opportunity to get tea and or a bacon sandwich from the nearby Hinde Street market. We got back on the bus and we waited for the booked departure time. Once everyone was on board we set off along Hinde Street and onto the clockwise ring road. We turned left onto Broad Street and we continued down to Snow Hill. We ran forwards onto Stoke Road and down the hill through Shelton into Stoke. We crossed over the A500 and we joined the Northbound carriageway. At the next junction we came off onto Shelton New Road. We ran through the cross road up to Hartshill and at the roundabout we ran into Newcastle down George Street. We joined the one-way system and at the next roundabout we turned left onto Barracks Road. We turned right into the bus station and we stopped on Stubbs Street to pick up passengers and for another photo stop.

PMT 207 in Newcastle bus station

Once everyone was on board we set off down Stubbs Street and we re-joined Barracks Road. At the roundabout we turned right onto the A34 and at the next roundabout we turned left onto the A53. We ran out of Newcastle and under the M6 and over the A5182 roundabout. We ran through Whitmore and Baldwins Gate and we turned left onto Sandy Lane. We veered right onto Woodside and we ran to the end into Chorlton Hill. We turned right onto the A51 and we ran Westwards past the A53 junction and the Swan with Two Necks. We turned left past The Croft and we re-joined the A53 further down the road. We turned left onto Church Road and we ran into Ashley for another photo stop in Ashley near to the church. We got off and got another picture of PMT 207.

PMT 207 in Ashley

We re-joined the bus the bus and we set off through Ashley onto Gravelly Hill. We rejoined the A53 and we ran into Loggerheads. We continued along the A53 and we veered left onto Newcastle Road. We ran into Market Drayton and we turned right onto Smithfield Road. We turned left onto Frogmore Road and we entered market Drayton bus station. We had a 30 minute break here and Matthew decided to visit the adjacent public toilet. He sat on a bench and ate a chocolate bar and drank a can of Fanta. As we still had town we walked down Queen Street and we visited a cash machine. We returned to the bus and Matthew took a picture of PMT 207.

PMT 207 in Market Drayton bus station

Everyone returned to the vehicle and we got on the bus and set off out off the bus station. We re-joined Frogmore Road and we turned right at the end onto Shropshire Street. We continued forwards onto Shrewsbury Road and at the end we re-joined the Southbound A53. We continued down to the A41 and we turned right, which seemed unusual. We were diverting to a housing estate to where the bus used to serve. we turned left onto Hedley Way and we ran to the end. After doing a turn in the road at the turning circle at the end, we returned to the first bus stop for a photo stop. We got off the bus and we took another picture of PMT 207 before getting back onto the bus.

PMT 207 in Buntingsdale

We set of back to the A41 and we turned right. We turned left onto the A53 and we headed South. a few miles down the road we turned right to run into another village before returning to the A53. We continued through Shabury and past Harlescott and into Shrewsbury town centre. We went under the railway line and we turned right onto the A458. We came up alongside the river and we turned left into the bus station. The bus station was completely shut up as there is no bus service in Shrewsbury on a Sunday. We got off the bus and we were instructed to meet back at the bus station around 15:30. Once off the bus we walked towards the river and we spotted a few coaches in the car park on the other side of the river. We crossed over the road and the river on the cable stay suspension footbridge and we went into the car park. We saw National Holidays NH14 DBH parked up there.

National Holidays NH14 DBH in Shrewsbury

Another coach Next to the National Holidays coach was Kirbys K50 BYS.

Kirbys K50 BYS in Shrewsbury

Also in the car park was another coach, National Holidays NH13 GWH.

National Holidays NH13 GWH in Shrewsbury

We spotted another vehicle on it's own further down the car park. It was dutch minibus Autoverhuur de Mulder PN 474 P.

Autoverhuur de Mulder PN 474 P in Shrewsbury

Once we had seen all the buses in the car park we walked back to the river and walked along to Welsh Bridge. We had a quick look at the boat on the other side of the bridge before crossing over the Welsh Bridge and going to the wetherspoons pub for dinner. Matthew went to the toilet and then found a table near to the door. Matthew had a chicken burger and fries washed down with a glass of Coke. For afters Matthew had chocolate fudge cake and ice cream. Once we had finished we headed off towards the railway station. On the way we were passed by Lloyds Coaches Y302 KBN doing rail replacement bus service work.

Lloyds Coaches Y302 KBN in Shrewsbury

further along the road we saw Lloyds Coaches YG17 STZ also on rail replacement work.

Lloyds Coaches YG17 STZ in Shrewsbury

We continued to the railway station and and Matthew decided he wanted to go to the toilet. We were able to go into the railway station so we spotted a pub across the road. Matthew used the toilets and afterwards we stopped for a quick 1/2 of Coke. Once we had drunk the drink we went outside to meet up with uncle Dave again. We headed under the railway line and towards the site of the old Arriva bus garage. We passed the Morris Lubricants building the and the fire station and we got to the site. There was no sign that it had once been a bus garage. We walked back into town and as we passed the Morris Lubricants building we saw white minibus EU67 VME heading North.

EU67 VME in Shrewsbury

We got to the railway station and we tried to go up by the castle to get a few pictures. the path had been closed and Matthew nipped onto the near platform of the station, but there was no toilet on that platform. We headed into town to find somewhere use a toilet and we spotted Lloyds Coaches LC62 WYN.

Lloyds Coaches LC62 WYN in Shrewsbury

I was about to take Matthew into a pub when he spotted a coffee shop across the road. Matthew used the toilet and afterwards he a bottle of Coke and and Lemon polenta cake. Once we had finished we rejoin-ed uncle Dave and we walked around to the bus station. We spotted a coach on layover there. As we got closer we saw it was Lloyds Coaches BU16 UYL.

Lloyds Coaches BU16 UYL in Shrewsbury bus station

We also took a picture of PMT 207 as it was quiet and there was no one around.

PMT 207 in Shrewsbury bus station

We had just under an hour so we did another lap of the Welsh Bridge, riverside and footbridge before we stopped at Wetherspoons for one last toilet stop and swift 1/2 of Coke. When we had finished the drink we headed back to the bus station where people at started to gather. We boarded the bus and we waited for the last few passengers to appear. Once everyone was aboard the bus set off out of the bus station onto the A458. We ran forwards onto the A528 and we went under the low arched bridge that had prevented the use of a double decker on the run. We turned left onto the A5191 and we headed North towards Harlescott. We ran forwards onto the A53 and we went through Shawbury and Northwards. We missed the diversion to serve the town to the North of the A53 and the Buntingsdale housing estate off the A41 and we continued up towards Market Drayton. We veered right onto Shrewsbury Road and we ran into Market Drayton. This time we didn't stop at the bus station and we continued along Frogmore Road and Smithfield Road. We turned left onto Stafford St and we continued up to the A53. We ran through Loggerheads and we turned right onto Gravelly Hill. We ran into Ashley and we stopped in the final location for a photo stop Northbound through Ashley with the church in the background. We got off the bus and Matthew took another picture of PMT 207

PMT 207 in Ashley

We got back on the bus and we set off through Ashley onto Church Road. We re-joined the A53 and we ran Northwards for a short distance before turning left up towards Blackbrook. We turned right onto the A51 and we run past the Swan with Two Necks and continued along the A51 to Hill Chorlton. We turned left and we ran up to Baldwins gate, re-joining the A53. We ran up through Whitmore and up the final few miles of the A53 into Newcastle. At the edge of Newcastle we turned right onto the A34 and left onto Barracks Road before veering left into the bus station. We stopped to drop off a few passengers before continuing towards Hanley. Mum had called to ask if we would get off the bus in Hanley and she would pick us up. This would give her a chance to see Matthew. We re-joined Barracks Road and we went onto the one-way system. We joined the A52 and we run up to Hartshill. We veered left onto Shelton New Road and we stopped briefly near to the old Gilberts furniture shop. We continued down Shelton New Road through the traffic lights and we turned right to join the Southbound A500. We came off the A500 at Stoke and we turned left onto Stoke Road. We ran under the railway line and up through Shelton. We ran forwards onto Snow Hill and we turned right onto College Road. We turned left onto Cleveland Road and forwards onto Regent Road. We turned left onto Hinde Street and when the bus stopped we got up and got off the bus. Once off the bus we walked up to the car park on Lichfield Street where mum had parked. We walked onto the ring road and Matthew wanted to go to the toilet so we stopped at the bus station. After he had used the facilities we walked across Lichfield street to the car park where mum was parked up. We got in the car and we set off onto Lichfield Street. We crossed over the ring Road and we ran down to Joiners Square. We crossed the roundabout onto Victoria Road and we ran up the hill into Fenton. At the roundabout we turned sharp right onto City Road and left onto Glebdale Road. We ran forwards onto Station Bridge Road and forwards again onto Heron street. In Heron Cross we turned right onto Grove Road. We dropped down into Fenton and we dropped off uncle Dave. Once we had dropped him off we returned up to Smithpool Road and right onto Temple Street and back to the residential unit. We went upstairs with Matthew and we spent a few minutes with him before we said goodbye. Matthew drank a can of Irn Bru. For tea Matthew had sausage chips and gravy followed by a Bakewell tart. Later on Matthew chilled out in his room. He watched television and used his computer. Matthew had a bath and then had toast for supper. He then chilled out in his room until bedtime around 23:00... Mark.