Trips in April 2023, Part 1
The first half of April was quite busy, with some time off work after Easter I had a few days of exploring the countryside with walks, along with a couple of days of making use of various bus routes in Devon, Essex, Dorset & Kent.
1st April – Buses in Devon/Somerset
Originally, I was meant to be on a railtour on this Saturday staying overnight in Milton Keynes with mum to head towards North Wales, but with that pushed back to September (although I got a refund as accommodation costs that weekend was just crazy money (£150+ for a twin room even in the crap hotels with sound of the motorway). So, I came up with an alternative which changed once the strikes got called off, which was to head towards Devon to do a little loop.
The day began in the rain and an early morning drive to Salisbury (swinging via the Sainsburys in the city centre for supplies) to catch the 07:47 service to Axminster. This was a lightly loaded service most of the way, keeping good times so at Axminster we walked up the hill towards the town centre to board the Stagecoach route 44A service at Trinity Square, opposite the church & Waffle House. Bus 37477, a modern Enviro200, rolled in as we paid the £4 and took seats near the rear where the seats are above the wheels (makes for a better view).
Stagecoach Bus 37477 outside Axminster Station on the 2 hourly Exeter bus
This bus route goes towards Honiton, then Ottery St Mary, going round the edge of Cranbrook before reaching the city centre bus station. My original idea had us having around 25 minutes here, but I noticed a route 355 for Tiverton was due to depart, a lightly loaded Enviro400 Double Decker (Bus 10690). This as the driver put it was the “slow” bus to Tiverton as after going via Exeter St Davids station it headed towards Tiverton following the route of the route 55 service, passing many flooded fields as the River Exe has burst its banks. The difference is that the 355 has little detours down narrow country lanes to serve the villages of Thorverton (no takers) & Silverton (1 passenger boarded), before going towards Tiverton bus station.
I was surprised with this particular bus being a double decker, due to those narrow country lanes and also due to being lightly loaded, as after Exeter there was only one other passenger on the top deck, maybe 2 at the bottom. Anyhow at Tiverton we had 30 minutes, so we eventually located some toilets (not the best signposted) and swung via Boots for lunch. Tiverton is a town on my list to revisit on another day (also to try and do the route 1 bus from Exeter as that goes a different way).
Tiverton Town Council Building
Back at the bus station, and it was onto another lightly loaded double decker, this time First Bus’s 33710 on the limited X22 service to Taunton (3 services each way on a Saturday). An enjoyable little trip out of Tiverton, going via some smaller villages along the way (some more little country lanes), the bus only really picking up passengers at Wellington for the section to Castle Way at Taunton. We had another short walking break before the next bus service, a Dartline Route 20 service (an Optare Solo, YJ20 AYN) for Seaton. This was a particular highlight of the trip as it gives some scenic views on the way towards Honiton, going back towards Wellington before going via Culmstock, Hemyock & Dunkeswell reaching Honiton where the bus got busier again (having slowly emptied out along the way).
After departing Honiton, the bus served some parts of the town before heading towards Colyton, passing the former station at Seaton Junction, after Colyton the bus headed towards Seaton where we alighted outside the Seaton Tramway building. After paying for a single for Colyton, we boarded tram 15 (along with 2 other passengers) for the one-way trip to Colyton, with time at the stops for some photos (a very kind driver allowing me time for some photos). At Colyton, we had time to walk into the village centre for the final bus of the day, the route 885 run by “Axe Valley Mini Travel”.
Seaton Trams 15 & 16 at Seaton Wetlands Halt
I was a bit shocked when a former Metroline London decker (LK59 CXE) rolled in as I wasn’t expecting something that massive. A lightly loaded service which after Colyton did a U-turn back towards Colyford, to bypass Whitford (I presume due to a low bridge) picking up the route near Musbury and then into Axminster station where the 3 passengers on board (including myself & mum) alighted, the end of the bus adventure for the day. We popped via the Tesco Garage close to the station for dinner before making our way to the station for the 18:07-odd train to Salisbury (engineering works between Salisbury & Andover this weekend).
On arrival into Salisbury, we had a gentle walk to the street where I had parked my car earlier that morning for a nice drive home. Even though I went a different way and got stuck behind a motorhome I still beat the replacement bus. An enjoyable day out in Devon, visiting places I haven’t been to before, seeing new sights, finally riding the Seaton Tramway. A good use of the £2 bus fare extension, the weather even improved in the afternoon, so the sun was shining in East Devon.
A former London Bus on am AVMT Buses operated route 885 at Axminster
2nd April – An unexpected trip to Essex
Today didn’t really start off that well, first of all the first train from Andover (the 07:00-odd) got replaced by a replacement bus [which I turned down, not fancying a 06:30-odd bus], then by the time I got to Andover station for the 07:46, I found that it was cancelled due to overrunning engineering works so my original plan (which was to walk the former railway route from Eridge to Three Bridges) got put back into the box, and I came up with an alternative of doing that random Heathrow – Harlow bus.
However even that got binned as the 08:46 was delayed by around 40 minutes (late departing Basingstoke) so much that the replacement bus for passengers for the 09:46 train had arrived increasing the volume of passengers squeezing onto the 3-coach unit. Just before Basingstoke it was announced it was running nonstop to Waterloo, although I think several passengers in the coach, I was in had no hope to being able to alight due to standing along the aisles. Eventually the train reached London, losing some more time eventually arriving around 50 minutes late, so for me I changed my rough idea and headed underground
A Northern line service took me to Tottenham Court Road, followed by a Central line service to Loughton, making a connection onto the route 418B bus run by Central Connect, a 2 hourly service on Sundays (limited during the week). This was a modern (CE71 GAL) Enviro200 service, annoyingly with vinyls on the rear window so I couldn’t have my usual favourite seat. The bus departed with only myself & 2 other passengers heading into Loughton, before Abridge, Theydon Bois & Epping where the other 2 passengers alighted, with more passengers boarding at Epping underground station
Central Connect Bus CE71 GAL outside Loughton Station on a Route 418B for Harlow
After Epping the bus headed towards Harlow, going via some suburbs of Harlow eventually reaching the bus station. A bit tired looking, but the bus station had working toilets, just needs some TLC, but a good place for photos as there was no screens in the way, although on a Sunday the bus services are more limited. I decided for my next service it was going to be the 2 hourly Harlow – Chelmsford Route 59, operated by Arriva and run with bus 4081 (another Enviro200) and it was reasonably busy from Harlow, dropping some people off along the way out of the town. This bus route was quite nice as it went via the villages (or towns) of Sheering, White Roding, Roxwell with rolling Essex countryside in between. At Chelmsford it terminated outside the main bus station as I headed into the bus station to look up my next move, deciding on a First route 300 service for Basildon, operated by an Enviro400 double decker.
Arriva Bus 4081 at Harlow Bus Station
This service went via Chelmsford city centre (doing a loop outside the bus station to avoid a low bridge underneath the railway station), before heading towards Billericay & Noak Bridge before reaching Basildon in another functional if not a bit tired looking bus station. Not the best for photos due to being enclosed (and some of the windows being covered with advertising vinyls), also it was quite warm so I dread to think what it would be like during the summer months. I didn’t have long at Basildon bus station before jumping onto a route 100 service, ran by First and with a Wright StreetLite (47596). Annoyingly if I held back for the following service 30 minutes later it would have been a double decker but hey-ho.
This was reasonably busy as it headed away from Basildon towards Corringham, Stanford Le Hope & Grays, slowly emptying out as the route went on, after Grays the bus continued to reach the shopping paradise of Lakeside, where I had 45 minutes before the next bus move, so I decided to go for a walk into the shopping centre, via Boots & the toilets to reach Chafford Hundred station where the next bus was starting from.
Basildon Bus Station
Also doing this walk allowed me to photograph some of the rail replacement buses being used by C2C as the line towards Grays was closed with trains turning back (and interestingly a full ticket check took place when passengers boarded the Pitsea bus, I haven’t seen that in a while). The next Ensignbus route X80 service rolled in to empty out before going out empty to lay-over on a side street (I presume normally it would layover outside the station, but couldn’t today due to the rail replacement buses). When it returned it was a modern Wright StreetDeck Hybrid, fleet 178, with a nice interior on the top deck.
Since the bus fare scheme extended, Ensignbus seemed to have joined up (maybe due to being purchased by First Group) which was a nice little bonus as I was expecting a higher fare. The bus departed Chafford Hundred station going back towards Lakeside, before going round the back of Lakeside, calling at Tesco before joining the A282 over the Queen Elizabeth 2 bridge, part of the Dartford Crossing. This gave some excellent views of the industry on the river banks and also of the river itself.
River Thames from Queen Elizabeth II Bridge
The bus turned off before the M25 started and headed towards Bluewater shopping centre via Greenhithe station. My last bus move of the day was onto an Arriva run Fastrack Route A service, with bus 4302 (a Wright StreetLite) for the trip to Dartford via the busway underneath the bridge, via an Amazon warehouse and suburbs of Dartford (Temple Hill) to the bus stops outside Dartford station. I walked to Dartford station, boarding the first available train towards London, a pair of 465s going via Falconwood. I decided to remain on board these networkers to Charing Cross to walk back towards Waterloo, just to waste some time before the next Andover train.
EnsignBus Bus 178 (LX71 AON) at Bluewater
I reached Waterloo in good time, swinging via Sainsburys for dinner and taking a seat in the front coach of a 6-coach train for Andover. Good thing this was 6 coaches as it was still quite busy, would dread to think how busy it would have been if it was a single unit. These 159s took me to Andover (nice nonstop run from Clapham to Basingstoke), where I drove home to relax for the remainder of the day. The day might have started out rubbish forcing multiple changes of plans, but I’m glad I stuck with heading to London as at one point I did consider asking for a refund on my tickets to drive towards Romsey to do something in South Hampshire.
7th April – A Good Friday walk in Wiltshire
Engineering works in the Basingstoke area meant I would have to head west, and after some thinking & research into what bus routes were operating on this bank holiday decided on the Kennet & Avon canal. The day began with the 07:50-odd train from Andover (a pair of 159s) which took me to Salisbury allowing me time to pop out to visit Sainsburys for lunch items before heading back to Salisbury station to board a 2 coach 165 on a Cardiff service. I was lucky to get a seat unlike most who boarded after me on what was a very busy train, one I dread to think how uncomfortable it would have gotten after Trowbridge where I alighted with a large crowd waiting.
I headed towards the County Hall bus stop to catch the Stagecoach operated route 49 service towards Devizes (Gold branded decker 15967, the bus would continue to Swindon), it was a run along memory lane from my youth going out of Trowbridge and towards Devizes. I decided to alight at the bus stop called Canal Bridge rather than in the town centre for it gave easy access to the canal. My walk started along the towpath heading west towards Devizes wharf, then towards Caen Hill (a flight of 29 locks in 2 miles, always was hard work when my family had a boat based in this area).
Caen Hill Locks on Kennet & Avon Canal
The towpath was busy in places, but was mostly solid ground, a few places with puddles from the rain earlier in the week (even muddy in some places, but nothing major). The path quietened down the further along I got into the rural areas, getting a bit narrow in places but nothing that bad (although I wouldn’t like to ride a bike along the path). I reached the Seend area, dropping down a further flight of locks, in the beautiful sunshine, carrying on passing the many swing bridges in this area (both for farm tracks and various footpaths which cross the canal).
My walk continued over the modern aqueduct over the A350 Semington bypass (bringing back memories of when it was built with the canal getting temporary shifted away with a small loop). I carried on over the former junction with the Wilts & Berks Canal, with various info boards about the plans to rebuild that canal on a new alignment towards Melksham due to the original route being lost since the canal closed.
Kennet & Avon Canal in the Semington area
After Semington the canal towpath walk returned to rural Wiltshire countryside, nice and peaceful with some scenic views. I reached Staverton (on the outskirts of Trowbridge) where I decided to stop to have lunch near the marina. An area which has massively changed in the last 20 years with housing popping up on what used to be wasteland. I continued along the canal towards Bradford on Avon, another area which has massively changed in terms of new housing, but the lock area remained the same as I remembered it from years back. This area the canal bank was very busy with moored boats, mix of lived on house boats, hire boats & boats out for trips.
I managed to cross the busy road at Bradford on Avon, passing the Lock side café (and the pub), as the towpath was quite busy in this area with both foot traffic & cyclists. I carried on, dodging the muddy puddles to reach Avoncliff where I decided to end the walk. Part of me was tempted to carry on to Bath to beat my record for longest walk but I decided against that as I wouldn’t mind having more time to explore both Avoncliff & Dundas aqueducts when I do the canal walk. I headed to the station at Avoncliff which has very short platforms and very busy (as other passengers were out enjoying the sunshine on this Good Friday).
The platforms at Avoncliff Station
The 2 coach 165 for Weymouth rolled in and it was a bit of a tight squeeze due to the local door, but I think everybody managed to get on. I managed to get off at Trowbridge to await the following Portsmouth train (deciding on Trowbridge over Westbury due to being a same platform change). Thankfully the following Portsmouth train was a 5 coach 166+165 combo which had plenty of seats, I went for the 165 for the run to Salisbury, giving my phone a much-needed boost of power. At Salisbury with 50 minutes to waste before the next Andover train I popped out of the station to do a small walk towards Waitrose & Sports Direct before a pair of lightly loaded 159s took me to Grateley where the car park was near enough empty. I dread to think how busy the trains would have been had it not been for engineering works in Basingstoke, with passengers deciding against playing replacement coach roulette.
An enjoyable walk along the towpath, beautiful weather (although I regret not taking my hat to protect my forehead against the sun), a nice trip along memory land of my youth.
8th April – Wiltshire Bus Tripping
Originally my idea was to head towards Trowbridge by train again, but when I noticed the next couple of Cardiff trains were 2 coach 165s, I decided to change my mind when I arrived at Salisbury, parking on a side street close to the railway station. Instead of catching a train, I headed towards the city centre to board a route 2 bus operated by Salisbury Reds (an Enviro 200, 2727) purchasing a Wiltshire Day Ranger bus ticket (£9.50 valid on most operators within Wiltshire with some extensions into Frome/Bath).
This bus took me towards Devizes going via the A36 until the Stapleford area, where it went via Berwick St James & Winterbourne Stoke to reach Shrewton and the A360 road. I got off this bus at the Wick Lane bus stop to the south of the town, crossing over the road to board a little Solo operated by Faresaver (bus YJ66 ANX) on a route 87 towards Trowbridge. The driver didn’t want to accept my Wiltshire Day ticket (but to Faresavers credit after a complaint made via the website, they offered a fast refund of the extra £2 ticket I was forced to purchase). This bus goes via some small villages, following the B3098 to reach Westbury before going towards Trowbridge, an enjoyable route of looking out of the window.
Faresaver Bus YJ66 ANX in Trowbridge
In Trowbridge I popped to Sainsburys (to visit the toilet & to get lunch supplies) before catching another Faresaver bus on a route X34 service (Bus YX17 NRO on a Frome – Chippenham service). It was quite busy when it rolled in from Frome but had a good turnover of passengers at Trowbridge town hall, before it made its way out of the town going via Hilperton & Paxcroft Mead (little villages on the outskirts of Trowbridge), with most stops having either someone boarding or alighting. The bus continued towards Semington, going via the village centre (and the bus gate), then towards Melksham where it lost quite a bit of time due to heavy traffic.
By the time the bus reached the picture photocard village of Lacock it was 30 minutes late (shame you don’t get delay repay on the buses!), and I started my walk heading towards the Avon Valley Walk via some footpaths across some beautiful scenery to reach the Wilts & Berks Canal which had been restored for a short section with work being carried out to restore the locks at Pewsham. I carried on along the Avon Valley walk heading towards Chippenham, following a mixed-use path which did eventually meet up with the River Avon to take me into Chippenham town centre. I continued along the path towards Monkton Park as the cycle route went one way and I carried on along a grassy footpath doing a small curve along the riverside to reach a housing area.
Wilts & Berks canal between Pewsham & Lacock
I walked via the housing estate to pick up the start of the Chippenham – Calne railway path, a mixed used path along the trackbed of the former Calne branch line, an enjoyable walk in the countryside with a short section of walking along a quiet lane in the Stanley area. I continued along the railway line path as it went via some woodlands before crossing over the main road on a rebuilt bridge, passing the remains of the station platform at Black Dog Halt (woof!). The path continued towards Calne with part of the Wilts & Berks canal popping up again, even featuring an old boat in a lock (infilled with stones).
I reached the end of my walk at the Sainsburys, swinging for some dinner items & some more drink (and to make use of the toilet) before making my way to the bus stop for a Stagecoach route 42 service (bus 36378) which went towards Marlborough. A lightly loaded bus once outside the Calne suburbs but a scenic run via a white horse in Cherhill & the stones in Avebury. The bus went via some villages (no custom from the likes of West Overton or Manton) but an enjoyable way to look out in areas I have never visited before (most will stick to the main A4 road which bypasses these little villages.
Bridge over the Calne Branch Line, Stanley
The bus terminated at Marlborough, giving me 50 minutes before the next Salisbury bus, so after a little explore, I sat on a bench near the church to relax & have dinner before heading to the bus stop outside Lloyd’s bank for some photographs of some of the various bus routes before the Salisbury Reds X5 bus rolled in from Swindon (decker 1505). This was another enjoyable bus route, featuring some steep hills to go towards Pewsey then Upavon, following the A345 road having some little detours via some of the villages along the way, before reaching Amesbury then towards Salisbury where it terminated.
I swung via Sainsburys to pick up something for Sunday morning before walking to my car to drive home, after an enjoyable walk from Lacock towards Calne via Chippenham, plus a couple more unusual bus routes in Wiltshire, which I wouldn’t have done had I decided to use the trains.
Salisbury Reds Bus 1505 (HF59 FAO) in Salisbury city centre
9th April – A trip to Medway
My good friend Dan has recently moved from Edinburgh to the Chatham area so with a reasonably priced hotel sourced it was a good chance to head towards Medway with mum to have a little catch-up and to see his new place. Along with covering a couple of bus routes in Kent and to visit the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch railway on the Monday.
The day began with a drive to Romsey, parking in the car park next to the town library (because after-all it was free parking), following a 158 to Southampton Central where we changed to a single voyager on a Didcot Parkway service. I was completely surprised that on departure this voyager had 6 passengers on board (in standard class), and that included me & mum. This voyager took us towards Guildford, nonstop (other than for signals) via Havant, the platform at Southampton was very busy so I suspect the London train following would have been a bit busy. This lightly loaded voyager took us to Guildford where it arrived a couple minutes early allowing an unofficial connection to the Redhill stopper. Only unofficial with the revised timings, as it was originally an official connection when it was running to Manchester before the bridge between Didcot & Oxford broke.
220019 at Guildford
We transferred to the Redhill stopper which was busy with passengers for both Chilworth & Gomshall, lots of walking of the North Downs I presume, we changed at Reigate onto a 377/3 which started at Reigate for Tonbridge, forgetting that Reigate is one of those awkward stations which require use of two sets of ticket barriers to change platforms (I was surprised they were both in operation in all fairness). This 377 reversed in platform 0 at Redhill to head towards Tonbridge (ticket gates open) where I saw a pair of Networkers on a fast London service. The last train of the day for us was a pair of 375s on a Tunbridge Wells terminator (engineering works between Tunbridge Wells & Hastings) which unusually went into platform 1 [probably easier for the replacement buses which were all that side of the station].
375603 at Tunbridge Wells
The first bus of the day was an Arriva operated route 7 service (with bus 4108, an Enviro 200) to Maidstone, going via Tonbridge & Mereworth for a different view compared to using the train. At Maidstone we went via Wendys for a late lunch before catching another Arriva bus, this time a double decker on a route 101 towards Chatham (bus 6477). A fast run featuring a dual carriageway and a steep hill! We alighted at the bus station, having a gentle walk towards the waterfront before a route 166 (with another decker, this time 6557) on a trip to the south of the town near Capstone Country Park, where we had a short walk to Dan’s place to spend the next few hours talking stuff.
A taxi took us from his house (as it was after the buses started to wind down due to being a Sunday) to the King Charles hotel near Gillingham. After checking in, I had a little walk in the Great Lines Heritage Park to the “Field of Fire” to an area overlooking the town, a place I will need to return during daylight hours but looks good at night. I returned to the hotel to rest for the remainder of the day.
View of Chatham at night from the Field of Fire
10th April - Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Line
After a peaceful night sleep and a lovely breakfast, we headed out into the rain to walk to Gillingham station, swinging via a couple shops for drinks. A pair of 375s took us to Canterbury East, where we exited the station to walk along the city walls to reach the bus station before boarding a Stagecoach Route 16 bus (decker 15181) to take us towards Hythe. An enjoyable run via an area of Kent I’ve never visited, although the rain did mean views were more limited at times, the sun did come out for the run from Folkestone towards Hythe where there were some sea views.
At Hythe, we had a short walk to the railway station of the RH&DR, the narrow-gauge line which runs from Hythe to Dungeness, to take the next departure towards Dungeness. A busy train due to having a coach party on board but we got an empty carriage nearer the front. Steam engine number 5 “Hercules” was at the business end of the train for an enjoyable ride across the countryside. The Covid era plastic dividers within the coach compartments does make each compartment feel smaller than it is, not the best if you are in a larger group.
Hercules (Loco Number 5) on the RH&DR at Hythe Station
Had the weather been better, we would have stepped back a train at Dungeness after a little explore of the area, but where the rain had stopped the wind was quite strong, so we remained on board for the trip back towards Hythe. An extended stop at the New Romney stop as the engines was swapped over with Number 2 “Northern Chief” taking charge for the fast (that is what it felt being so close to the ground) run towards Hythe, where we said farewell to Dan as he headed towards Dover.
RH&DR Loco Number 2 (Northern Chief) at Hythe Station
A trip towards Sainsburys to grab supplies for dinner before we headed towards the bus stop outside Red Lion Square. Hythe is on my massive list to revisit, only to walk the Royal Military Canal path, but who knows when I will actually get round to visiting the area again. The next bus was another Stagecoach decker, branded as “Wave” on a route 102 towards Rye (bus 10716). A bus route which I would recommend for the runs along the sea front before across the wilderness of the Dungeness National Nature Reserve before a military firing range before picking up the sea front again in the Camber area.
At Rye, we headed towards the station (sadly the route 102 doesn’t connect that well with the route 101 towards Hastings, which is something else on my list to do at some point). A very busy 171805 rolled in and we managed to get seats in the former 1st class area at one end of the train (it seems when Southern changed the 4 coach 171s to 3 coach units, one of the first-class compartments got made standard class with the removal of all signs & stickers to match the ‘new’ 171/8s which only have first class at one end.
Stagecoach Bus 10716 (SN66 VWE) in Rye
As this Eastbourne service got delayed by around 7 minutes at Rye due to a late running Ashford train, I decided it wasn’t worth the gamble at Hampden Park, so we bailed at Ore, having dinner sat on the platform. The next Brighton train rolled in from the reversing siding and it was 387213, so a slight novelty of having a 387 from Ore, especially on a fast service between Bexhill & Eastbourne. This 387 took us into Brighton where we headed to platform 2 to board a 377 on a Portsmouth Harbour service (377416). This took us to Portsmouth & Southsea, running a bit late due to a level crossing issue around Durrington, however not so late that the connection was at risk to 166218 running a Cardiff train, which took us to Romsey.
387213 at Ore Station
A gentle walk back to the car park, followed by a relaxing drive home. An enjoyable couple of days in Kent, the RH&DR had been on my list to do for a while and was an enjoyable trip.
11th April – Visiting Dorset by Bus
I had the week off work (more enforced leave due to the kitchen being closed), so I had a few ideas what to do, one featured a couple of weekday only bus routes, so it was a good chance to head towards Dorset. The day began with a drive to the London Road Park & Ride site in Salisbury, and as the sun was out (with rain expected in the afternoon) I decided to have a gentle walk into the city centre rather than catching the bus, swinging via Sainsburys for a bacon sandwich before making my way to Endless Street, but not before some bus photos in the city centre.
My first bus move was the more limited Damony Coaches operated Route 20 service to Blandford Forum, formed of an Enviro200 bus (2732). Damony are one of the sub-brands of Go-Ahead South. The bus was lightly loaded as it made its way out of the city and onto the A354. This bus went via some villages along the way, mainly Coombe Bissett & Sixpenny Handley before reaching the suburbs of Blandford Forum, picking up quite a crowd as it headed towards the town centre where the bus did have a good turnover of passengers as it formed a route X12 service for Weymouth, going via Puddletown towards Dorchester (with some fast running along the A35). The bus did get quite busy along this section but did empty out at Dorchester before continuing towards Weymouth going via Littlemoor & Overcombe to approach Weymouth going along the seawall (although you couldn’t see the sea as the wall is quite tall).
Damory Bus 2732 (HF65 AYM) in Salisbury City Centre
Anyhow at Weymouth, my first port of call was the toilets, before having a random time-wasting walk in the town making my way via Tesco for lunch and back to the bus stops at Kings Statue for the First Bus operated X54 for Poole (bus 33969). I was glad I got to the bus stop nice and early for there was a good crowd waiting for the bus when it eventually rolled up, a lot of passengers wanting Durdle Door & Lulworth Cove (although I can’t help thinking it wasn’t the best of days to visit as the heavy rain soon arrived as the bus made its way out of Weymouth. They would have got soaked going down the many steps to reach the beach.
The bus wasn’t the quickest leaving Weymouth, but at least being a double decker, I could see the sea better. Some nice views along the way as it did empty out at both Durdle Door & Lulworth Cove (both I believe get a much-improved service over the summer months with even Morebus getting in on the act with a Lulworth bus from Poole). The route took the bus via Wool & Wareham, then some other smaller places along the way towards Poole, doing a loop via Poole Quayside before terminating into Poole bus station. One thing I noticed at Poole is how frequent the “M1” & “M2” bus routes are, near enough every 7 minutes, using a mix of single deck buses & double deck buses, with some of the double deckers in UniBus colours, including a Pride Bus.
Unibus (More) Bus 1688 (HJ22 UXY) at Poole Bus Station
Originally, I had planned to head towards Swanage, but decided against it due to the poor weather forecast, so decided on an alternative plan to take the next X6 service towards Ringwood, which was departing in 50 or so minutes so I popped into the modern shopping centre alongside the bus station, even swinging via Poole station getting lucky with a passing 701. I returned to the bus station to board my first Morebus (another brand of Go-Ahead South). This was a Scania OmniCity Decker, 1120 on a X6 for Ringwood, quite busy when I boarded but it did empty out along the way as it goes via the Poole suburbs, Ferndown, West Moors & Verwood. At Ringwood this particular service forms an extension for Bournemouth so some nice fast running along the A338 towards Bournemouth, as it went via the hospital & Lansdowne to terminate on Westover Road.
I had 25 minutes before the next Salisbury bus so went towards the seafront, mainly to find a toilet, going via Lower Gardens to reach the pier. After a quick photo I returned towards the bus stop as it was still raining and it was onto a X3 service towards Salisbury, run with an Enviro400 (1653) with a few table seats on the top deck, however I couldn’t get comfortable with the seats (felt like the base had collapsed). Anyhow this bus took me back towards Salisbury, going via Boscombe, Ringwood & the A338, only diverting to serve Fordingbridge. An enjoyable run (other than those seats).
Bournemouth Pier
At Salisbury, I had a short wait before the final PR7 bus route of the evening, run with Salisbury Reds 2727 which took me to the London Road Park & Ride site (after this PR7, the P&R site is served by the “R2” service heading away from the city centre). After returning to my car, I drove back into the city centre to visit Sainsburys to make use of a couple of the “Nectar Prices” offers I saw they had before I drove home. An enjoyable day, other than the weather but that was forecasted so I can’t complain too much, probably won’t be the last time I buy a “Go-Ahead South” explorer ticket for £10.
12th April – A trip to London
The idea of today was a trip to London to cover the soon to be withdrawn (although by the time this blog post goes up, they would have been withdrawn) bus routes 507 between Waterloo & Victoria & 521 between Waterloo & London Bridge, as well as the evening peak X68 limited stop bus. The day began with the 08:59 service from Grateley, a 159+158 combo which was quite busy when it rolled into Grateley and only got busier the closer to Basingstoke it got. Changing to platform 4 took a few minutes due to the congestion and it was onto a busy pair of 444s. I got a seat by boarding near the rear, but I suspect the front coaches were rather cosy, especially after Woking. Although the way I decided the weather was nice enough (other than the wind) to do a short walk.
At Waterloo, I headed towards the Cab Road bus stops where I knew the 507 would depart from, and it was onto an electric Enviro200 (SEe7), a bus which doesn’t have that many seats (lot more standing room) for the trip towards Victoria bus station. Quite slow at times due to traffic caused by roadworks around Westminster, but it’s central London, slow running buses are to be expected. At Victoria I headed towards the Victoria Line to take me to Tottenham Hale, where after swinging via Tesco outside the station I started my walk.
Go Ahead London Bus SEs7 (LJ16 NNM) outside London Waterloo on a route 507
This walk took me to the Lea Navigation, to continue where I left off last December, heading north along the canal towpath. Started off residential before turning industrial with some rural in between. The worse section was near the North Circular where the towpath got quite narrow (although I presume cyclists would use the road). The industrial area gave way to some more rural (near a golf course) before returning to industrial before giving way to residential. It was a canal walk of multiple views, as I came away from the canal near Enfield Lock to meet up with coverage from a walk, I did last May.
River Lee Navigation in Lower Edmonton
I arrived at Enfield Lock a minute or so after a London train had departed (lost time trying to cross over a busy road) so I had 15 minutes to wait before dud 720570 rolled in for Stratford, just as the rain started to arrive. I took this 720 to Tottenham Hale, changing to the Victoria line back to Victoria to take another route 507 bus to Waterloo, this time on ‘SEe17’. I got a bit lost at Waterloo heading towards the bus stops at Tension Way, just missing a route 521 service so it was a 10-minute wait before bus ‘SEe24’ rolled round to form the next London Bridge service, which did an interesting route. Over Waterloo Bridge before taking the Strand underpass then towards Holborn, then St Pauls before London Bridge bus station. Certainly, a different view of central London, especially with the slow running due to traffic.
However, time wasn’t on my side as I eventually located the entrance to the underground station at London Bridge, making my way to the Northern line to jump on the first southbound train to take me to Elephant & Castle, where a fast walk took me to the main-line station, where I just gambled on what platform to use for the Sevenoaks service as the passenger information screens were just saying about weekend engineering works rather than what platform for what train. I guessed correctly and it was onto 700008 for the run to Nunhead, pushing this 700 over ten miles.
View from Nunhead Station
I returned on the next train, this time a Welwyn Garden City service, formed of 700007 to take me to St Pancras, where I swapped platforms to wait before 700003 rolled in on an East Grinstead service, my final 700 needed for ten miles so I was happy the chase was over for another class of train. This 700 took me to London Bridge, where after fighting my way off the train it was to Charing Cross on a triple 375. Originally, I was going to walk to Leicester Square to take the Piccadilly line towards Russell Square, but the Piccadilly line had fallen over so it was onto a route 91 bus (EHV3) for the slow crawl towards Russell Square, making my way to the bus stop where the X68 would start from (better chance of the prime front seats starting at the start).
The next X68 rolled in, formed of bus MHV18 (a Volvo EvoSeti), getting quite busy as it made its slow route from Russell Square towards Waterloo, with several announcements from the driver that the next stop was West Norwood. It was now time for the non-stop section heading south via Brixton before resuming the calls with most stops being requested with the bus emptying out. A gentle tour of South London (with the Norwoods, then Selhurst, terminating outside West Croydon bus station), certainly an interesting way to reach West Croydon.
Go Ahead London Bus MHV18 (BU16 OZC) at Russell Square on a Route X68
I walked towards East Croydon (sadly no trams were running today due to engineering works), swinging via Sainsburys for dinner. At East Croydon the next train towards London Bridge was a triple 171 from Uckfield, 810 leading 728 with 201 on the rear. I headed to the Charing Cross platforms for the first available train, a 466+465+465 combo to Waterloo East, walking across to Waterloo to board a pair of 159s on the 20:20 service. These sprinters took me back to Grateley where I had a gentle walk home to relax for the remainder of the evening. An enjoyable day in London, an unexpected walk along the Lea Navigation, a couple bus routes ridden plus clearing my 700s for mileage needs.
13th April – Pretending to be a train in Wiltshire
With the weather forecast being much improved compared to the other days this week, it was a day for a long walk along the disused railway route from Marlborough towards Swindon, part of the former Midland and South Western Junction Railway which closed in the 1960s. The day began with a drive to Ludgershall to catch a Stagecoach Route 80 bus (Gold branded 15857) on one of the limited Ludgershall services (most terminate at Tidworth, also because Ludgershall has more parking available than in Tidworth).
This bus route goes from Ludgershall into Tidworth via Perham Down before heading north along the A338 towards Burbage, going via the village centre before the A346 into Marlborough where I alighted in the town centre to begin my walk (a nice run via Savernake Forest). Due to the lay of the land to pick up the disused railway path I headed south towards the housing estates, crossing over the river Kennet, soon though I joined the railway path (via a steep climb). For the next couple of hours, I followed the path, it was a reasonable quality of path, bit muddy & puddles in places due to the rain but nothing that bad.
Old M&SWJR railway bridge underneath Poulton Hill Road in the Marlborough area
The path was quite scenic in places with the countryside but wasn’t the quietest due to the main A346 from Marlborough towards Swindon not being that far away. The path did drop down a few times where old bridges have been removed over the years but mostly crossing farm tracks or other footpaths (including the Ridgeway National Trail), with a short distance of walking along a road in the Ogbourne St George area where the railway had disappeared. The second part from Ogbourne towards Chiseldon was a lot quieter in terms of both road noise & other path users. At the Chiseldon end of the path, I continued in the village, heading towards the Washpool woodlands, picking up another mixed-use path which went via some delightful woodland, a good time as any to pause for my lunch in the quiet woodlands listening to the birds.
Path within the Stockbridge Copse, north of Chiseldon
After lunch I continued along the path as it reached the M4, crossing the busy motorway on a bridge which long ramps which went round and round. It was quite exposed on that footbridge with the wind making itself known and I was glad to come down the ramps on the other side where there was more shelter as I followed the path towards Coate Water Country Park, which features a large reservoir. A place on my list to revisit, mainly when the little railway is in operation (as it seems to only run-on Sundays & bank holidays). When I was in the park, there was a sudden rain shower, only lasted a few minutes but was quite unexpected, thankfully at the time I was in the “Tree Collection” area.
On exiting the park, I followed some roads towards Lawn Woods (a very nice area with a couple of lakes), before reaching the Old Town picking up the start of another old railway line path (Midland and South Western Junction Railway again) around the location of the former Swindon Town railway station (now underneath a business park). Once more the path quality was quite decent, few areas of mud & standing water but otherwise an enjoyable path giving some views of the countryside with houses building. It wasn’t the quietest due to being close to the M4, but I could still hear bird song.
Swindon Old Town Railway Path (former M&SWJR line), Swindon
This path took me towards Rushey Platt where there used to be junctions onto the main railway line, I did a couple of double backs to reach part of the Wilts & Berks canal which had been restored, walking to the end of the restored section in Wichelstowe. After reaching the end I did another double back to follow the canal to the opposite end, before following what is shown as the “Southern Flyer” path, or “Canal Walk” as it follows the course of the old canal. This took me into the main shopping area of Swindon, where after swinging via Tesco I headed to the bus station to catch the 17:15 route 80 service.
Wilts & Berks Canal, Swindon
When I got to the bus stand it was meant to be departing there was a large crowd waiting, and for a moment I was a bit worried they all wanted the Tidworth bus. Thankfully another bus rocked up (a staff bus service) which soaked up the waiting passengers. Eventually Stagecoach bus 15971 rolled in and I boarded, heading upstairs to rest my poor feet and enjoy the run out of Swindon (bit slow in places due to traffic) before going across the M4 with this bus route going via the villages of Chiseldon, Draycot Foliat & Ogbourne St George before re-joining the main A346 for the run towards Marlborough where the bus managed to gain back the time it lost in Swindon (at one stage it was 15 minutes late).
The bus got busier after Marlborough as it climbed the steep hill away from Marlborough (doesn’t help that there was a bus stop near the bottom so doesn’t get a running start), but the bus made it up the hill, into Savernake forest, swinging via Burbage before running along the A338 via the Collingbournes to reach Tidworth, terminating near Tesco. I had a short wait at this bus stop before the next Activ8 service rolled in to take me to Ludgershall, Stagecoach’s 10700 bus which has been vinyled to celebrate 40 years of “Hampshire Bus”. In Ludgershall I headed to the car park and had a relaxing drive home. An enjoyable walk along a couple of railway line paths, with some other paths thrown into the mix and a canal walk, certainly there are some nice areas of Swindon.
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