Trip to Derby / Nottingham 13-11-2021

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
87	Derby BS	Nottingham, (Stop U5)	RA	Trent Barton
170	Nottingham Victoria BS	Kimberley, opp Library	One	Trent Barton
158	Kimberley, Library	Eastwood, opp Library	One	Trent Barton
161	Eastwood, Memorial Garden	Heanor, Market Square	One	Trent Barton
732	Heanor, Market Square	Oakwood, Windmill Inn	H1	Trent Barton
828	Oakwood, Windmill Inn	Derby BS	H1	Trent Barton

Today we decided to re-visit Derby. We had discussed in the week where we could go,somewhere fairly close as the nights had drawn in and we weren't sure how early we could start out. Research consisted of checking the weather which was for seasonably warm weather, with grey skies and some sunshine. Matthew got up around 10:00 and had toast and apple juice for breakfast. We spent some time getting ready and we set off around 11:45. We got in the car and we set off through Blurton and onto Beaconsfield Drive. We turned left onto Church Road and at the roundabout we veered left onto Blurton Road. We ran through Blurton and into Heron Cross and over the A50. At Heron Cross lights we turned left onto Grove Road. We ran forwards onto Wheildon Road and we picked up uncle Dave. We turned around and ran up Wheildon Road and forwards onto Grove. We turned right onto Blurton Road and at the roundabout we joined the Eastbound A50. We ran through Longton and Meir. At Blythe Bridge we followed the A50 to the right and we passed Scraggs minibus 1655 VT coming the other way. As we travelled Eastwards towards the turning we saw Stanton's of Stoke GSU 344 and A&C Coaches YX07 AWN. We came off the A50 onto the A511 and we passed Midland Classic double decker 105 on a #401 to Uttoxeter. We ran the last couple of miles into Hatton and we stopped at the Saltbox Cafe for dinner. For dinner Matthew had a breakfast and washed down with a bottle of Coke. Whilst we ate we saw Midland Classic 8 on a #401 to Burton and Trent Barton 702 on V1 Villager services. When we had finished eating we continued East to Hilton and then we went Northwards back under the A50 and along the A516 into Derby. We entered the town and we ran into the inner ring road and we ran clockwise around town we turned right into Cathedral Road and we followed it around to the left. We ran forwards onto Full Street and we ran forwards onto Morledge. We went past the bus station and around to the other side of the car park. We accidentally went into the staff park area for the recently rebranded derby Ion car park so we came back out and did another circuit of the car park before going into the correct entrance. we parked up on level 3 and we said goodbye to mum before going down the stairs onto the street level. we went under the bridge and we saw Arriva Midlands 3576 on a #2C to Chellaston.

Arriva Midlands 3576 in Derby

We crossed the roads and headed towards the bus station where we saw Trent Barton 701 on a V1 to Burton-on-Trent.

Trent Barton 701 in Derby bus station

Also seen was Arriva Midlands 3571 on a #2C to Chellaston.

Arriva Midlands 3571 in Derby bus station

We walked through the bus station whilst we decided what bus we could catch. We had already decided that we would do Trent Barton buses today. At the other end of the bus station we saw Trent Barton 84 arrive on a Red Arrow service from Nottingham.

Trent Barton 84 in Derby bus station

We walked back to the other end of the bus station and matthew was looking at i4 bus towards Nottingham. On an adjacent stanbd we saw saw a Red Arrow coach pull up so we decided to to that instead. As we got closer we saw it was Trent Barton 87 on a Red Arrow service to Nottingham.

Trent Barton 87 in Derby bus station

We got on the coach and we brought a group zig-zag ticket at £16 before we sat down towards the middle of the coach. We reversed off the stand and we ran through the bus station. We continued onto the Northbound A601 We came off at the next junction and we joined the Eastbound A52. We ran fast along the A52 passing Trent Barton 86 on a Red Arrow to Derby. We crossed over the M1 and passed Toton depot. We continued Eastwards to the edge of Nottingham past the QMC. We crossed the ring road and ran forwards onto the A6200. We continued onto Wollaston Road along the one-way system and we turned left onto the A6008. The bus stopped at a bus stop and most people got off. We had intended to go to the Victoria Bus station, but the driver siad that due to a road closure and buses diverting through the bus station, longer vehicle like the Red Arrow coaches could not safely reverse out of the bus station and therefore are not currently serving the bus station. We got off the coach and we set off on foot towards Victoria Bus station. We crossed over the tram line and we turned left onto Sherwood Street where we saw Nottingham City Transport 997 on a #57 to the Plains Estate.

Nottingham City Transport 997 in Nottingham

Matthew wanted to do this bus, but we didn't have the right ticket, We will have to return to Nottingham again in the future just to travel on the Nottingham City Transport buses. We turned right onto Shakespeare Street and at the end we turned left onto Mansfield Road. We could see where the road had been closed to Southbound traffic as a large crane was standing on the road. We turned right onto Union Road and we turned left onto York Street where we saw Trent Barton 824 departing the bus station on a Three service to Mansfield.

Trent Barton 824 in Nottingham bus station

We continued to the bus station and the toilet was closed. We decided to get a bus out of Nottingham as quickly as we c an and we go to a shop out of the city centre to use the toilet. At the top stand was Nottingham City Transport electric bus 941 which was on charge. There were a couple of buses in the bus station and Matthew decided he wanted to do Trent Barton 170. We waited for the bus to be readied for service and Matthew took a picture of Trent Barton 170 on the Rainbow One to Ripley.

Trent Barton 170 in Nottingham bus station

We got on the bus and we placed the Zig-zag group ticket under the scanner before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off out of the bus station onto York Street and we turned right onto Union Road. We turned left onto Mansfield Road and we turned right onto Shakespeare Street. We followed the one-way system to the left onto North Church Street and we turned right onto Burton Street. We turned left onto South Sherwood Street and we turned right onto the A6008. We ran onto the one-way system to the edge of town and we joined the Northbound A610. We ran out of the city through Radford, Bobbers Mill and Whitemoor. We crossed over the A6514 and we ran through Cinderhill. We crossed over a roundabout and the A610 became a dual carriageway and we had a fast run for a short while. We ran up to THe Nuttall pub and we came off the A610 and we joined Nottingham Road. We ran through the village and we crossed the A610 and ran forwards onto the B600. We crossed over the M1 and we ran the last 1/2 or so into the cente of Kimberley where we decided to get up and get off the bus. Once off the bus Matthew took another picture of Trent Barton 170 as it carried on towards Ripley.

Trent Barton 170 in Kimberley

Once off the bus we started to walk towards Sainsbury's. As we started off we saw Nottinghamshire CC SJ67 SWN on a #528 to Solston.

Nottinghamshire CC SJ67 SWN in Kimberley

We crossed over Greens Lane and we walked along the path into sainsburys. Matthew went to the toilet and afterwards we picked up a bottle of Coke and a kitkat and we paid for them at the kiosk. We went outside to uncle Dave and we crossed over Green Lane. We had formulated a rough plan to get back to Derby. The following bus was a bus to Alfreton and was going in the wrong direction, but we could do it as far as Eastwood and then wait for the bus to Ripley behind it. We could then travel back to Derby. We waited for the following bus and a short time later we saw Trent Barton 158 on a Rainbow One service to Alfreton.

Trent Barton 158 in Kimberley

We got on the bus and we placed the Zig-zag group ticket under the scanner before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off along Main Street and we left Kimberley. We ran past the Giltbrook Shopping Park and Ikea and we ran the final mile or so into the centre of Eastwood where we got up and got off the bus. Once of the bus Matthew took another picture of Trent Barton 158 before it continued towards Alfreton.

Trent Barton 158 in Eastwood

We had about 20 minutes to kill until the bus to Ripley was due. We walked to the corner of Queens Road North and we sat on a bench outside the Police station. Matthew ate his Kitkat and we ate crunchies. When we had finished we had a walk along Nottingham Road to see if we could see anything interesting. We saw a sign pointing towards a museum for DH Lawrence, as Eastwood is the town of his birth, but we did not want to go too far in case we missed the bus. We looked on the map and it appeared that the Alfreton bus behind our had caught up and gone past the one we wanted. A couple of minutes in front of our bus we saw Trent Barton 161 on a Rainbow One to Alfreton. Everyone else got on the bus and we had the stop to ourselves for a short while. Eventually our bus appeared and it was as predicted on the map Trent Barton 161 on a Rainbow One service to Ripley.

Trent Barton 161 in Eastwood

We got on the bus and we placed the Zig-zag group ticket under the scanner before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off along Nottingham Road and we headed out of Eastwood. We continued Eastwards along the A608 and we crossed over the A610. We ran past Langley Mill railway station and we stopped outside the Trent Barton bus depot for a driver change. After a quick stop we carried on for a further 1/2 mile into the centre of Heanor where we got up and got off the bus. Once off the bus Matthew took a picture of Trent Barton 161 before it continued to Ripley.

Trent Barton 161 in Heanor

Once off the bus Matthew decided he needed the toilet. We spotted a pub on the other side of the road so we headed in that direction. Matthew visited the toilet and afterwards he had a glass of Coke and brought a poppy with his change. When he had finished his drink we headed outside and crossed back over the square. We had a few minutes to wait for the next H1 service towards Derby. Whilst we waited we saw Notts+Derby 1181 on a #138 to Belper.

Notts+Derby 1181 in Heanor

A few minutes later the bus came around the corner and it was Trent Barton 732 on a H1 service to Derby.

Trent Barton 732 in Heanor

We got on the bus and we placed the Zig-zag group ticket under the scanner. The bus was empty at this point so matthew took a picture inside Trent Barton 732 before we sat down towards the back of the bus.

Inside Trent Barton 732

We set off along Market Street and we passed party bus K155 YPB parked up on the other side of the road. We ran up to the roundabout and we turned left onto the Westboind A608. We ran through Smalley and continued Southwards through Morley. It was now really dark and the bus travelled quickly down the A608 between villages. We decided to break the journey and wait for the bus behind so that we could bget a 6th bus in for the day so as we approached the Northern edge of civilisation we decided to get up and get off the bus. Matthew took a picture of Trent Barton 732 as it continued towards Derby.

Trent Barton 732 in Oakwood

Going the other waay we saw a former Lothian double decker race Northwards. The bus, SN08 BXX is now owned by Skills of Nottingham and was seen on a private service. It turned out that we had been to Oakwood before... We visited the other side of the village back in January 2017, when we did Notts + Derby 257 to Oakwood on a #11 service. Whilst we waited we also saw Trent Barton 734 go Northwards on a H1 service. Whilst we waited for the bus Matthew ate a crunchie from the trip bag. A short time later we saw the bus approaching. It was Trent Barton 828 on a #H1 service as expected.

Trent Barton 828 in Oakwood

We got on the bus and we placed the Zig-zag group ticket under the scanner for the final time today before we sat down towards the back of the bus. We set off Southwards and we ran through Breadsall Hilltop and over the A61. We ran past the Meteor Retail Park and we turned right onto Mansfield Road. We crossed over the railway line and at the roundabout we followed mansfield Road to the left. We ran Southwards parallel to the railway line before joining the A601 and crossing over the Derwent. We turned right into Morledge and we entered the bus station. We ran to the stops at the far end and we pulled up in one of the bays. Matthew took a picture inside Trent Barton 828 before we got off the bus.

Inside Trent Barton 828

Once off the bus we decided to take a few pictures before we returned to the car. We saw Trent Barton 101 parked up on layover.

Trent Barton 101 in Derby bus station

Also seen was Skills of Nottingham BV66 WPA on a National Express service #440 to London.

Skills of Nottingham BV66 WPA in Derby bus station

We walked out of the bus station and we stood at the end for a short while. We saw Trent Barton 86 on a Red Arrow service to Nottingham.

Trent Barton 86 in Derby bus station

We crossed over Morledge and we headed under the bridge. We saw Arriva Midlands 2333 on a #2A to Chellaston.

Arriva Midlands 2333 in Derby

We walked up the stairs and we met up with mum at the car on level 3. We decided that we would drive to a chip shop just off the road home so we set the Sat Nav to take us out of town. We came out of the car park and we turned right The Cock Pitt. We ran clockwise around the town and we turned left onto Uttoxeter New Road. We ran past the hospital and we ran forwards onto the B5020. We crossed over the A38 and we ran into Mickleover. We stopped at the chip shop in the cente of town and I brought chips. Matthew ate sausage chips and gravy in the car washed down with some cherry coke. When I had finished eating we continued towards home. We set off onto the B5020 and we ran forwards onto Etwall Road. We crossed over the A516 before joining the Westbound A516. We ran the 3 miles or so down to the A50 and we joined the Westbound carriageway. We ran past Uttoxeter and to the edge of the by-pass and we folled the A50 to the left and towards Meir. We ran past the Copeland's Tours garage and we saw their new double decker coach parked up. We continued past Longton to Heron Cross and we came off the A50 to drop uncle Dave off home. We turned right onto Blurton Road and at the traffic lights we turned left Grove Road. We ran ran forwards onto Wheildon Road and we stopped at uncle Dave's. Matthew went in as he was desperate for the toilet. He also updated uncle Dave's calendar with the details of today's trip. We said goodbye to uncle Dave and we set off back to Blurton. We set off onto Wheildon Road and we ran forwards onto Grove Road. We turned right onto Blurton Road and we crossed over the A50. We continued through Blurton and we turned right onto Church Road. We turned right onto Beaconsfiels Drive and we got back to Blurton around 20:00. Matthew chilled out on his computer and we did some of the Blog. We also wrote a few emails and generally used the computer to entertain ourselves. We watched TV and Matthew got ready for bed. Matthew settled down around 00:30... Mark