Trip to Ellesmere Port / Chester 10-10-2020

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
15739	Ellesmere Port BS	Chester BS	X1	Stagecoach Merseyside
21259	Chester BS	Blacon, The Arches School	1A	Stagecoach Merseyside
19570	Blacon, Blacon Parade	Chester BS	1	Stagecoach Merseyside
47655	Chester BS	Wrexham BS	5	Stagecoach Merseyside
21258	Wrexham BS	Chester BS	5	Stagecoach Merseyside
10884	Chester BS	Chester, Zoo main entrance	X1	Stagecoach Merseyside
27263	Chester, Zoo main entrance	Chester, Delamere Street (Stop 3)	1	Stagecoach Merseyside

Today Matthew was in the residential unit and he was going to re-visit Ellesmere Port and Chester. We had checked the weather for today and it was for cool cloudy weather. We gave Matthew a list of places in the North-West and Midlands and from the list he chose Chester and Ellesmrere Port. Matthew got up just after 08:00 and had toast and orange juice for breakfast. before Matthew went to the day centre he watched buses out of the window. whilst waiting for the time to go to the day centre, we saw Temple Street Church RX18 GZW.

Temple Street Church RX18 GZW in Fenton

Matthew went into the living room and we saw white minibus SV59 ZRT.

SV59 ZRT in Fenton

Matthew chilled out in his room until it was time to go to the day centre. we saw red minibus BJ12 OAN.

BJ12 OAN in Fenton

We went downstairs to the car and we set off onto Temple Street where we saw Temple Street Church RX18 GZW. We turned left onto Christchurch Street and we turned left onto City Road. We turned right and went past Fenton Manor Sport Centre before turning onto Victoria Road and we crossed over the A52 at Joiners Square. We ran up Lichfield Street past the site of the new housoing development. We turned left onto the ring road and we turned left onto Etruria Road. At the roundabout we turned left onto the Westbound along the Westbound A53. In Etruria we turned right onto the Northbound A500. We travelled North to the M6 and we hit a little bit of traffic. As we got on the M6 As we travelled North. At junction 20 we got onto the Westbound M56. Traveling towards the M53 we saw Easycoach 217 and an unidentified Longmynd Travel coach. We got onto the North M53 and we came of after 2 junctions onto the A5032. We ran trough Ellesmere Port and we turned left into Civic Way, passing Stagecoach Merseyside 19571 on the X8 to Chester. We turned left onto Wellington Road. We parked up near to the market and we went into the building. This time we tried a different tactic to get a table in the market food hall. I took Matthew to the toilet. When we got back to the food court we found a table. We went to order the food and we guarded the chair. Matthew had a breakfast washed down with a can of Coke. When we had finished eating and we walked past the shops up to the bus station. As we walked up we remembered that Arriva NW&W had pulled out of the quality bus partnership on the #1/2 services. We started to walk up towards the Chester bus stop and we saw required Stagecoach Merseyside 15739 on a X8 to Chester. We got on the bus and we booked Merseyside Dayrider Plus tickets at £4 each before we went upstairs and sat down. The bus set off out of the bus station onto Wellington Road and we turned left onto Stanney Lane and we ran past The Grace Arms, which was a pub we used to eat at back when we first started to visit Ellesmere Port. We continued down the road for around 1/2 mile and then we turned left into the Coliseum Retail Park. We continued into the adjacent Cheshire Oaks designer outlet and we saw Attain YN14 PLZ, Grayways YR10 HOL, Worleys FC04 LDA, an unidentified Woodcocks coach and an unidentified Slacks coach. We got onto the A5117 and we ran Westwards to the A41. We ran South and where we would normally turn right we went straight on towards Chester Zoo. We turned into the zoo and we saw Maxfield Coaches MXI 3319. We came back out of the Zoo and continued South down the A41. We travelled along the northern by-pass and then we turned right onto the A56 for the run into town. We turned into Station Road and we saw Helms 121 and 128 outside the station on City Rail Link Shuttle services. We turned right onto City Road and we saw Arriva NW&W 4639 on a X4 to Mold. At the end of City Road we went around The Bars and onto Forgate Street. We continued onto St Oswald's Way and we ran past the end of Frodsham Street before going into the new bus station straight off St Oswald's way. Once we pulled up on a stand we got up and got off the bus. The new bus station was light and airy if a little basic. We went to use the toilets and we were disapointed that the disabled toilets don't use the stand RADAR key so I had to escort Matthew to the Gents. Once we had used the facilities we walked onto the Gorse stacks road side and where the bus stops used to be the bus station had been left open on that side to add to the number of stands in the bus station. On the Gorse Stacks side we saw Stagecoach Merseyside 47712 on a #5 to Huntington. As there was nothing else Stagecoach around that we wanted to catch we decided to do a #1 or #1A to Blacon. A few minutes later we saw required Stagecoach Merseyside 21259 on a #1A Blacon circular service. We got on the bus and we flashed the Stagecoach Merseyside Dayrider Plus to the driver before we saw down towards the back of the bus. We set off out of the bus station onto Gorse Stacks and we ran onto George Street. At the end we turned right onto Northgate Street and we crossed over the ring road onto the A5116. We veered left on the one-way system and we ran forwards onto the A540. We ran past Chester University and we hit traffic as we got to the edge of town. Coming the other way we saw white minibus D5 DJJ. At the roundabout after seeing a near miss between two cars we turned left onto Blacon Avenue. We travelled Westwards for around a mile and when we got to the shops we got up to get off the bus. We turned left onto Saughall Road where we got off the bus. Once we got off the bus we walked across to the shops. We went into the Spar shop and Matthew brought a can of Cherry Coke as well as a couple of chocolate bars. Once we had finished shopping we walked over to the stop on Blacon Avenue to wait for a bus back to Chester. A few minutes later we saw Stagecoach Merseyside 19570 on a #1 to Chester. We got on it and we flashed the Stagecoach Merseyside Dayrider Plus tickets to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off along Blacon Avenue and we had a long run of around 2/3 of a mile down to a roundabout. This part of the run was peppered with quite severe speed bumps which was doing us and the bus no good at all! We crossed the roundabout onto the A540 and we had another run of around 1/2 mile up to Liverpool Road. We ran around the one-way system and passed The former Stagecoach bus depot which is new a student housing consent. We into town along Northgate. We crossed over the ring road on Northgate and we turned left onto Delamere Street. We continued down onto George Street and onto Gorse Stacks and into the bus station. Matthew went to the toilet again and then we had a look around at what bus we could catch next. We saw it was Stagecoach Merseyside 47655 on a #5 to Wrexham. We got on the bus and we flashed the Stagecoach Merseyside Dayrider Plus to the driver before we saw down towards the back of the bus. We set off along Gorse Stacks and turned right into Frodsham Street. We stopped to take on more passengers and then we went forwards onto the A51. We travelled through Boughton and we crossed the A115. We travelled through Boughton Heath. At the roundabout we turned right and we ran down the A41. We turned right onto Caldy Valley Road and we headed down the hill towards Boughton Heath. We ran through Huntington and we turned left onto the B5130. We turned left onto Sandy Lane through Saighton. We turned right onto Chapel Lane and we headed Southwards through Alford. We continued through Churton and we ran along Chester Road through Holt. We headed South Westwards along the A534 and we ran Forwards onto Holt New Road. We ran forwards onto A534 and we ran into Wrexham. When we got to the bus station we got up and got off the bus. Once off the bus Matthew decided he wanted to go to Sainsbury for cake. We set off on foot out of the bus station onto Regent Street. We crossed over the railway by Wrexham General railway station and we continued Northwards. We continued onto Mold Road and we walked past the university and turned right onto the B5101. We entered the retail park and we walked over to the site of the new McDonald's. We continued to Sainsbury's and Matthew used the toilet. We went to the cafe and Matthew had a slice of cake and a cup of Coke. When we had finished we returned to the bus station on foot. We set off onto the B5101 and we turned left onto Mold Road andn we continued onto Regent Street. Once at the bus station we waited for a bus back towards Chester. A short time later we saw Stagecoach Merseyside 21258 on a #5 to Chester. We got on the bus and we flashed the Stagecoach Merseyside Dayrider Plus tickets to the driver before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off out of the bus station onto Regent Street and we ran around the one way system onto Powell Road. We turned right onto Chester Road and we turned left onto Holt Street. We turned right on to Market Street and we ran around the roundabout. We re-joined Holt Road anbd we headed Easrwards out of town. We ran forwards onto A534 and we saw Arriva NW&W 2145 on a #7 to Wrexham. We ran through Holt and we continued Northwards up Chester Road through Aldford. We continued along Chapel Lane and we ran through Saighton. We ran Northwards up Sany Lane and into Huntington. We turned right into the Caldy Valley estate and we ran around Caldy Valley Road. We ran through Boughton Heath past Sainsbury's and we turned left onto the A5115. We ran forwards onto the A51 and we headed around THe Bars roundabout onto City Road. We went past the railway station and we heded along Hoole Road to the roundabout. We crossed the roundabout onto Gorse Stacks and we entered the bus station where we got up and got off the bus. A few minutes later we saw required Stagecoach Merseyside 10884 on the X1 to Liverpool. A few minutes later we we got on the bus and we flashed the Stagecoach Merseyside Dayrider Plus tickets to the driver before we went upstairs. Whilst we waited for departure time we saw required Arriva NW&W 3143 on a #1 to Blacon. We set off out of the bus station onto Gorse Stacks. We crossed the ring road onto the A56 and we ran past the railway station. We ran North through Hoole and. We turned left onto the A41. We ran North and where we turned right into Chester Zoo where we got up and got off the bus. We waited at the stop and a few minutes later a bus to Chester appeared. It was required Stagecoach Merseyside 27263 on a #1 to Chester. We got on the bus and we flashed the Stagecoach Merseyside Dayrider Plus tickets to the driver for the last time before we sat down towards the back of the bus. Matthew ate the chocolate bar we had given him just before the bus turned up. We set off up the Chester Zoo We ran South along the A41 and we turned right onto Heath Road. We continued onto Mill Street and we joined the Southbound A5116. We ran into Chester and over the ring road onto Northgate. We turned left into Delamere Street and we got up and got off the bus. Once off the bus we walked up Delamere Street and we turned left onto Upper Northgate Street. We turned right on Hunter Street and we walked back up to the old bus station and we met up with mum. By the time we got to the old bus station the coaches that we had seen earlier had all gone. There was a large crowd waiting by the bike racks. We went to the toilet in the car park and then we went back to the car and Matthew had a Greggs sausage roll and a can of Fanta orange. We set off out of the car park and onto the clockwise ring road and we passed the sight of the new bus station. We went up the We ran up the A56 through Hoole. A41 got onto the Northbound M53. At the next junction we got onto the eastbound M56. It was now properly dark as we ran through the Cheshire countryside. We overtook LDV minibus AE06 NSU somewhere South of Runcorn. Near to Warrington we joined the Southbound M6. We got onto the A556 and then we went down to the A50. We travelled South through Knutsford. We continued to Holmes Chapel and down into Kidsgrove. We carried on South towards Tunstall and we turned left onto the A527. In Fegg Hayes we turned right onto Oxford Street and we ran through Chell Heath past Matthew's old school. In Smallthorne we turned right onto Ford Green Road and at the roundabouts we turned left onto the A5272. We followed the road through Sneyd Green and Northwood and down to Bucknall. We turned right onto the A52 and at Joiners Square roundabout we turned left onto Victoria Road. At the top of the hill we turned right onto City Road and we ran down the hill to Smithpool Road. We turned left and left again onto Temple Street and back to the residential unit. Matthew went up to his room to use his computer and watch buses. For a late tea Matthew had a chicken burger from kfc. He also had some fries and a cup of Coke. Later on we went downstairs and we set off onto Temple Street. In the distance we saw Temple Street church RX18 GZW. We walked onto Temple Street and we turned right onto Christchurch Street. We continued walking to the day centre. At the day centre we saw Shelton Care Group SF59 JCY parked up at the day centre. We went to the day centre and after spending some time baking. We made a cake and afterwards Matthew used the facilities. We returned to the residential uinit. We walked along Baker Street past the of the new housing development. We turned right onto Christchurch Street. We returned onto Temple Street and back to the residential unit. When Matthew got back we went upstairs and went up to his room. Later on Matthew had a bath and then had toast for supper. He then chilled out in his room until bedtime around 23:00... Mark.