Trip to Cannock / Walsall 15-10-2022

Bus	From	To	Service	Operator
6748	Cannock BS	Bloxwich, Victoria Avenue	X51	National Express West Midlands
4565	Bloxwich, Victoria Avenue	Walsall St Pauls BS	31	National Express West Midlands
4331	Walsall St Pauls BS	Aldridge, Shopping Centre	7	National Express West Midlands
3303	Aldridge, Shopping Centre	Walsall St Pauls BS	6	National Express West Midlands
4570	Walsall St Pauls BS	Walsall, Moss Close	7	National Express West Midlands
4331	Walsall, Moss Close	Shelfield, Somerfield Close	10	National Express West Midlands
4318	Shelfield, Somerfield Close	West Brownhills, Howdle's Lane	10	National Express West Midlands
4334	West Brownhills, Howdle's Lane	Walsall St Pauls BS	10	National Express West Midlands
6746	Walsall St Pauls BS	Cannock BS	X51	National Express West Midlands

Today we decided to re-visit Cannock. We wanted a realtively closed by trip, and we made the decision on Friday night to go to Cannock. Research consisted of looking up the current price and validity of The Knot ticket and checking the weather, which was for mailnly dry weather with sunshine and showers. Matthe got up around 10:30 and had toast and apple juice for breakfast. We got ready to go out and we left arounbd 11:50. We set off thr Blurton 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. Once we had picked up uncle Dave, we continued down Wheildon Road and we joined the Northbound A500. We turned right onto City Road so that we could joined the Southbound A500. Whilst we waited to joined the A500 we saw former Shelton Care Group minibus DY08 FFX going the other way. We joined the Southbound A500 and we ran Southwards through Hanford down to the M6. We joined the Southbound M6 and we headed through Staffordshire. Travelling down the motorway we saw 2 unidentified Megabus coaches, an unidentified Catterall's of southam coach, an unidentified green and grey coach, silver minibus YT14 CVY, unidentified National Express Transport Services coach, Destination Courtesy YE17 AHA. We came off the M6 at junction 12 and we joined the Eastbound A5. We went for a couple of miles before stopping at the Truckers Rest truck stop. Matthew went to the toilet and mum ordered dinner for us. For dinner Matthew had a full English breakfast washed down with a can of Coke. We got back into the car and we re-joined the Eastbound A5. JUst before we got to the A4601 we saw Robinson's 284 parked up by DFS. We turned left onto the A4601 and we headed Northwards into town. We ran forwards onto the A34 and we ran past the bus station. We stopped along the road where we could and we said goodbye to mum. We walked back to the bus station and we saw Butler Brothers BUT 2B in the layby outside of the bus station.

Butler Brothers BUT 2B in Cannock bus station

We walked around the bus statio and Matthew went to the X51 stop. There wasn't one due for around 20 minutes so we headed into the shopping centre and Matthew used the toilet. Afterwards we returned to the bus station. Whilst we were waiting we saw Chaserider 191 on a #26 Pye Green circular.

Chaserider 191 in Cannock bus station

A few minutes later another caoch appeared. It was Hammonds YN65 XCU and it was possibly going to Woverhampton Wanderers as they were playing at home.

Hammonds YN65 XCU in Cannock bus station

Another coach that came past the bus station was Nottingham Coaches BX05 UVC.

Nottingham Coaches BX05 UVC in Cannock bus station

A short time later we saw the bus approaching. As it got closer we saw it was National Express West Midlands 6748 on a X51 to Birmingham.

NX West Midlands 6748 in Cannock bus station

We got on the bus and we booked National Express Group Daysaver for just £7! We went upstairs, and as the rear of the bus was empty Matthew took a picture inside National Express West Midlands 6748.

Inside NX West Midlands 6748

We set off out of the bus station and we turned around at the roundabout and we went Eastwards along the A34. At the roundabout we turned left onto the A5190. We past the railway station and at the McArthur Glen Shopping Centre we turned left onto The Northbound A460. We veered left into the retail park and pulled into the bus stop and we returned back Southwards down the A460. We turned left onto Votager Drive and we entered the Orbital Retail Park. We followed Voyager Drive to the left and we turned left onto Orbital Way. We rejoined the Southbound A460 and we crossed over the M6 toll road onto the A34. We turned right onto Hilton Lane and we turned left onto Gorsey Lane. At the roundabout we turned left onto Holly Lane and at the end we turned right onto the A34. We Headed Southwards for a mile or so before turning right onto right onto Turnberry Road and we ran past the pub One Man and his Dog. We turned left onto the B4210 next to Bloxwich North railway station and we travelled Southwards. We turned left onto the A4124 by the Sir Robert Peel pub and we turned right onto Sand Bank. We followed the road around to the left onto Wolverhampton Road and we turned right onto Bloxwich High Street and we got up and got off the bus. Once off the bus Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 6748 as it continued towards Birmingham.

NX West Midlands 6748 in Bloxwich

We had a walk around to see what we might catch. We saw Rotala Diamond 30966 on layover in between runs on the #326 service to Bilston.

Rotala Diamond 30966 in Bloxwich

We saw National Express West Midlands 2128 on a #29 to Walsall. We but it pulled off before we got to it. We walked back to the High Street and we saw a Walsall bound bus approaching. It was National Express West Midlands 4565 on a #31 to Walsall.

NX West Midlands 4565 in Bloxwich

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down. We set off along Bloxwich High Street and we ran forwards onto the B4210. We ran the 2 or so miles down the road into Walsall and we crossed over the ring road. We ran forwards onto Stafford Street and at the roundabout we veered slight left onto St Pauls Road. We turned left onto Hatherton Street and we entered the bus station through the North Eastern corner. We ran around to stand C and we got up and got off the bus. Once off the bus we had a walk around the bus station. We walked onto the steps overlooking stands A and B and the South End of St Pauls Street. We saw National Express West Midlands 4318 on a #10 to Brownhills.

NX West Midlands 4318 in Walsall bus station

Matthew was looking at Bustimes.org and was looking at the fleetlist for National Express West Midlands. He brought it to my attention that there were only a handful of Dennis Tridents based at Walsall left int service. We had just seen one so we headed over to the middle stands. We saw another one arrive unexpectedly. We saw National Express West Midlands 4331 on a #7 to Castlefort.

NX West Midlands 4331 in Walsall bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down. We did not see 4331 on the map becasue the transponder for the bus must not be working and it does not show up on the map. When it was departure time the bus set off out of the bus station and on to Hatherton Street and forwards onto Hatherton Road.We turned left onto Lichfield Street and we crossed over the roundabout We continued up Lichfield Street and at the next roundabout we turned right onto Mellish Road where we saw Premier minibuses TXI 878 & N19 EXC. We ran forwards onto Aldridge Road and we ran out of town along a fast rural section of Road. We veered slight left onto Walsall Road and we ran North Eastwards through Pool Green. At the edge of the by-pass we turned right onto Portland Road and left onto Anchor Road. At the North end we got up and got off the bus. Matthew got another picture of National Express West Midlands 4331 as it continued towards Castlefort.

NX West Midlands 4331 in Aldridge

We headed across the road to the pub and Matthew went to the toilet. Afterwards We had a glass of Coke. After we had finished our drinks we went outside to uncle Dave. There was already a bus a the bus stop so we had a brisk walk down towards the stop. As we got closer we saw it was National Express West Midlands 3303 on a #6 to Walsall.

NX West Midlands 3303 in Aldridge

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down. We set off along Anchor Road and we ran forwards onto Portland Road. We turned left onto the A454 and we ran South-Westwards towards Walsall. After a couple of miles we turned left onto the A461 and we headed Southwards. We crossed the A4148 and we ran forwards onto Lichfield Street. We continued onto Bridge Street and into the centre of town and we ran around the South side of the bus station and entered the bus station from the West side. When we got into the bus station we got up and got off the bus. We had a walk around and we took a few bus pictures before deciding what to do next. We saw Rotala Diamond 32240 on a #31 to Mossley.

Rotala Diamond 32240 in Walsall bus station

We had a look at the map and we saw National Express West Midlands 4578 was doing the next #10 to Brownhills West. We considered doing this but the queue for the bus was very long. We decided to wait for the next bus as we could see National Express West Midlands 4318 approaching Walsall on a #10. Whilst we were waiting we saw National Express West Midlands 4570 on a #7 to Castlefort.

NX West Midlands 4570 in Walsall bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver before we went upstairs. The rear of the bus was empty so Matthew took a picture inside of National Express West Midlands 4570 before we sat down.

Inside NX West Midlands 4570

When it was departure time the bus set off out of the bus station and on to Hatherton Street and forwards onto Hatherton Road.We turned left onto Lichfield Street and we crossed over the roundabout We continued up Lichfield Street and at the next roundabout we turned right onto Mellish Road where we got up and got of the bus. Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 4570 as it continued towards Castlefort.

NX West Midlands 4570 in Walsall

We set off on foot back towards Lichfield Road so we could wait for the next #10 to Brownhills West. On the way to the stop we passed a yard with 2 minibuses in. We saw Premier N19 EXC and Premier TXI 848.

Premier TXI 848 in Walsall

We crossed over Lichfield Road and we walked Northwards to the first bus stop. We waited for the next bus to Brownhills West, which we expected to be National Express West Midlands 4318. Almost straight away we saw 2 buses approaching. As it got closer we saw that the approaching bus was National Express West Midlands 4333 running out of service, this was followed by National Express West Midlands 4331 on a #10 to Brownhills West.

NX West Midlands 4331 in Walsall

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down. We did not see 4331 on the map becasue the transponder for the bus must not be working and it does not show up on the map. We set off Northwards along Lichfield Road and we ran through Rushall. We looked on the bus map and required National Express West Midlands 4318 was showing on the map as being about to work the 16:00 Walsall to Brownhills West a mere 12 minutes behind us. We decided to get up and get off the bus in Shelfield so that we could catch the bus behind. Once off the bus Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 4331 as it continued towards Brownhill West.

NX West Midlands 4331 in Shelfield

We waited at the stop and we watched the bus depart Walsall on the map so that we knew it was on it's way. Whilst we were waiting we saw National Express West Midlands 4333 heading back South on a #10 to Walsall.

NX West Midlands 4333 in Shelfield

It must have run empty and picked up the path of a Southbound service to get in front of National Express West Midlands 4331. A few minutes later we saw the bus approaching. It was as expected National Express West Midlands 4318 on a #10 to Brownhills West.

NX West Midlands 4318 in Shelfield

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down. We set off Northwards up Lichfield Road and we continued Northwards into Walsall Wood and we turned left onto the B4152. We turned left onto the A452 and we crossed over the Wyrley and Easington canal. We ran through the centre of Brownhills past the new McDonalds and the giant mirrored miner statue and we headed past Brownhills Comoon where we could see deer in the woods. At the big roundabout we turned right onto the Eastbound A5. We waited at the stop for a few minutes before continuing Eastwards along the A5. We ran Eastwards for about 3/4 of a mile and a further 2 stops and we got up and got off the bus. Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 4318 as it continued back towards Walsall.

NX West Midlands 4318 in West Brownhills

Once we had got off the bus we headed to the shops on Howdle's Lane and we Matthew brough a can of Cherry Coke, a 29p shops own can of cola and a chcolate bar. We walked back to the bus stop and Matthew drank his can of shops own cola. A short time later we saw the bus approaching. As expected it was National Express West Midlands 4334 on a #10 to Walsall.

NX West Midlands 4334 in West Brownhills

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver before we went upstairs and sat down. We set off along the A5 and we turned right onto Chase Road. We turned right onto the B4155 and we ran towards the roundabout with the mirrored miner statue. We turned left on the A452 and onto the High Street. We passed National Express West Midlands 4333 on the following #10 to Brownhills West. We continued down the High Street and over the canal and we turned right onto the B4152. We ran to into Walsall Wood and we turned right on to Lichfield Road. We ran Southwards through Shelfield and Rushall and we saw JKT International YN16 WUC. Further down the road we saw Rushall Day Centre SF15 DCE plus 2 other unidentified minibuses. We crossed the A4148 and we ran forwards onto Lichfield Street. We continued onto Bridge Street and into the centre of town and we ran around the South side of the bus station and entered the bus station from the West side. As we entered the bus station we saw National Express West Midlands 4348 on a #70 to Bloxwich. When we got into the bus station we got up and got off the bus. We manged to get to the bus station in time for a bus we weren't expecting to see. Matthew needed the toilet so we went to use the facilities. When we came out the bus was still on the stand and loading up. It was National Express West Midlands 6746 on a X51 to Cannock.

NX West Midlands 6746 in Walsall bus station

We got on the bus and we flashed the National Express Group Daysaver ticket to the driver for the final time today before we went upstairs and sat down. The bus set off out of the bus station and onto St Pauls Road. We continued onto Stafford Street and we crossed over the ring road onto the B4210. We continued Northwards for around 2 miles and we veered right onto A34. We ran along the high street and as we were about to turn left onto Wolverhampton Road we saw National Express West Midlands 4348 on a #70 to Walsall. We continued onto Sand Bank and we turned left onto Bell Lane. We re-joined the Northbound B4210 and we headed past Bloxwich North railway station. We turned right onto Turnberry Way and we ran to the end. We turned left onto the Northbound A34 and we headed up to Landywood. We turned left onto Holly Lane we turned right onto Gorsey Lane. We turned right onto Hilton Lane and then left onto the Northbound A34. We crossed the M6 toll and we ran Northwards up the A460. We turned right onto Votager Drive and we entered the Orbital Retail Park. We followed Voyager Drive to the left and we turned left onto Orbital Way. We rejoined the Northbound A460 and we ran up to the McArthur Glen retail outlet village. After looping around to the stops for McArthurs Glen we rejoined the Southbound A460. We turned right onto the A5190 and we ran to the edge of the town centre. We went Westwards onto the ringway and at the roundabout we turned left onto the A34 before turning left into the bus station. Once off the bus Matthew took another picture of National Express West Midlands 6746 before it returned to Birmingham.

NX West Midlands 6746 in Cannock bus station

We had a walk around the bus station and we saw Chaserider 1 on a #26 Pye Green circular service.

Chaserider 1 in Cannock bus station

We crossed over the A34 and we headed to the car park where mum was parked up. We got in the car and Matthew had a large can of Irn Bru. We set off out of the car park and we turned left onto the A34. We followed the A34 to the left and stopped outside the shops whilst mum nipped into uncle Chucks. After a few minutes mum returned to the car and we set off towards Penkridge to go to get some chips. We continued Southwards along the A34 and we turned right onto Delta Way. We turned right onto Longford Road and we crossed over the A4601. We continued North-Westwards out of town and we ran forwards onto Hatherton Road. We ran forwards onto Parkside Lane and we koined the B5012. We ran through Pillaton and over the M6 before entering Penkrideg from the East. We turned right onto the A449 and right at the next turn by the church. We parked up in the car park and I went to the Olympic Fish Bar. Matthew had sausage chips and gravy. We at the food in th car and after we had finished we re-joined the Northbound A449. We ran up to the motorway and we joined the Northbound M6 at junction 13. As we travlled Northwards up the motorway it was dark and we passed wuite a few coaches including an unidentified Ridle's coach. We came of the motorway at junction 15 and we joined the Northbound A500. We ran through Hanford up to Stoke and we came off the A500. We turned right onto City Road and right again to go Southwards onto the A500. We veered left onto Wheildon Road and we went to uncle Dave's. We dropped off uncle Dave and Matthew got out to use the toilet. Once we had dropped off uncle Dave we set off onto Wheildon Road and past the former Regent pub which is now up for sale. We ran forwards onto Grove Road and we saw green minibus R482 NDM parked up. 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 the A5035 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 00:00... Mark