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Travel on a Concessionary Pass 2008

Stokenchurch to Land's End by your Editor

June 2nd to 5th 2008
update 26th October 2009

To see the pictures full size just click on the thumbnail

Day 4 - Penzance to Stokenchurch


A map of my homeward journey.
Courtesy Microsoft Autoroute 2007

Thursday, 5th June 2008, and the sun was shining through my window which was a nice change from the deluge of the previous evening. I washed and dressed, packing my case for the journey home. I had charged my batteries on my cameras and arranged a special early breakfast at The Glencree House so that I could be at Penzance bus station in plenty of time for my 08:25 departure on National Express service 504.

The breakfast was good and I met one of the owners of the hotel when she served my meal. I asked for a taxi as I did not fancy the mile or so walk and so paid for the first and only item of transportation in four days travelling.


First Olympian 34858, the one which took me to Land's End and back the previous day,
now on route 5 working the 0750 to the Gwavas Estate leaves Penzance along Market Jew Street.

My driver had been a fisherman and I enjoyed his tales of earlier days in the town, enriched by his wonderful Cornish brogue. His stories of fishing days were saddened by the loss of this once fine industry. I was quite sorry when the short journey was over as I could have listened to him for much longer. The bus station, busy when I left yesterday was now rather quiet and the holiday makers had yet to appear and bring to life this seemingly deserted point in the town.


Early morning at Penzance bus station - "this seemingly deserted point in the town."

I had decided, when planning my trip, that I would return the "quick way" by National Express coach. As a National Express driver I have a pass and was able to book my seat well in advance. The 504 service runs from Penzance to London by way of a number of towns and villages between Penzance and Plymouth before taking the M5 and M4 motorways to Heathrow Airport and London Victoria, with an intermediate stop at Calcot, Reading. The service is generally run by First Devon and Cornwall with a variety of Plaxton bodied Volvos. I had hoped for one of the Trathens Neoplan double deck coaches before I found out that First D&C operated the service.

As I waited for my coach to appear, various buses on services due into the station began to arrive. though all seem to have left their passengers elsewhere. A few double deck services run by First Bus were followed by Western Greyhound seemed quite prolific for a time. They have a presence in Penzance following their acquisition of Sunset Travel back in September 2007. The selection of buses are shown below starting with those from First D&C followed by Western Greyhound.


1/ First 34194 an ex Airbus Olympian arrives at the bus station with the 0731 from Helston.
  2/ First Olympian 39911 arrives with the 0712 from Lands End at Penzance. This bus started life with the Bristol fleet and is a convertible open top.


1/ Western Greyhound 503 - S503SRL, a Mercedes Vario 814D - now nearing its 10th birthday arrives on route 509
working the 0750 from St Just via Tremethick Cross, This is one of only five services on weekdays on this WG route.

2/ Western Greyhound 521 - T961ACC, another Vario on route 508 works the 0752 from Zennor seen arriving in Penzance.
This bus was delivered new to Owen of Nefyn, Gwynedd, North Wales in 1999 for services around Pwllheli and came with the Sunset Travel business.
Sunset was purchased in September 2007.

3/ Western Greyhound 592 WK56SET, a late model Vario also acquired with Sunset Coaches on a school working
has a w/c lift in the rear near side corner and seats 29 passengers. It was previously registered YN56DZE.

A few minutes later my coach is seen arriving at the bus station ready to load for London. It is Volvo 20541 still in the old livery.

There were only a half dozen or so passengers for the 504 boarding at Penzance and the 330 service to Nottingham was also loading at the same time with another Volvo on that diagram. The 330 runs via St Ives, Camborne, Redruth, Newquay and Bodmin arriving at Plymouth around the same time as the 504, thereby offering connections on both services. For reasons I do not now remember, I failed to get a record of which coach was operating the 330 and any pictures. Annoying really but too late now.

On another occasion I must visit the north west coast of Cornwall as I remember a happy childhood holiday at Polzeath and Rock where our hotel was located. We used to go over by ferry to Padstow and on one occasion my parents dropped me by car at Wadebridge and I took the Padstow portion of The Atlantic Coast Express hauled by Drummond T9 30717. This was I think in 1952 and I still have my Ian Allan all regions spotters book suitably marked. I also remember the coaches which were Bullied corridor coaches in green, where I was more used to good old Midland region maroon. Oh and another memory of those wonderful fresh doughnuts on sale from a van on the headland above Polzeath beach so good for surfing, even in those days.

My case was taken by a most efficient driver, Peter, who placed it in one of the small side lockers, the rear locker being used for London baggage. We were soon backing off our stand and thence making our way out of Penzance with a view of the grandeur of St. Michael's Mount, a prominent feature of the coastline at this point.

http://www.penzance.co.uk/descrip/


A last glimpse of the coastline and the bus station in the middle right foreground. One can just make out a Western Greyhound Vario.

We now had a short journey to our first pick up which was Porthleven, an historic and picturesque fishing harbour overlooking Mounts Bay, West Cornwall. We were to pick up a few passengers here and I had time to jump off the coach and take a few pictures which are included below.

http://www.porthleven-online.com/


The weather was really lovely and made for some excellent pictures. Peter is seen helping an elderly passenger.
Everything seemed somehow much slower down in Cornwall and there was time for each passenger.

On our way towards Helston we passed an inbound First D&C service 2 on its way to Penzance. The road at this point was quite narrow and our driver gave way to the double decker as it came by.


Leaving Porthleven we passed First Olympian 34962, another ex Bristol based bus, working the Helston SD service 2A, though for some reason it was displaying 2?


As we approach the town centre of Helston we pass a boating lake in a lovely setting.

We were on our way quite soon and heading for Helston, our next stop. The bustling market town hosts a mixture of Georgian and Victorian architecture. An outstanding feature at the end of Coinagehall Street is The Monument, which was built in 1834 in the memory of Humphry Millet Grylls, a local banker and solicitor whose actions kept open the local tin mine and saved 1200 jobs.


An outstanding feature at the end of Coinagehall Street is The Monument, which was built in 1834.

Also on Coinagehall Street is the Blue Anchor, originally a rest house for monks, which became a tavern in the 15th century. This is possibly the oldest private brewery in the country, selling the strong local brew, Spingo. Further up the street, is one of the oldest buildings in Helston, the Angel Hotel, former town house of the Godolphin family who represented Helston in Parliament for many years.

We leave Helston some six minutes down on schedule and head for Falmouth. There is more to interest the traveller, as to the right of our coach we see the Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station, now a great visitor attraction in the area.


Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station - http://www.goonhilly.bt.com/

Further along the A394, on our left, there are some old tin mine sites and further in the distance is Wendron and we are not far now from The Poldark Mine - http://www.poldark-mine.co.uk/wendron.htm


The view leading towards Wendron.


Passing the Halfway House we meet Mounts Bay OXI499 running from Falmouth near Rame Cross.

As we head onwards to Falmouth I am surprised to see some Llamas in a field to our left and I am reminded of an experience when working for the Dutch airline, Martinair in the late '90s. We operated a flight from either Peru or Chile to the UK with a full MD11 load of Llamas for the UK. I wonder if these animals are some of those we flew in to Stansted?


Llamas in Cornwall.

As we continue our journey was pass by an older bus now used for a free bus service to Asda.


 Seen in a lay-by is Asda free bus YIL7769 - operated by Bluebird Coach Hire http://www.bbchire.co.uk/ 
 

Soon we are nearing Falmouth the first local view of the sea comes into sight and I snap a nice shot for the album. Across the bay we can see Flushing and Falmouth harbour is round to the right of the picture.


As we approach Falmouth we pass First 34195 on the 0920 route 2 to Penzance. This is one of the batch of ex Airbus Olympians now used by First in Cornwall.

Falmouth is a wandering sort of place, as far as I can see and our pick up is at the Berkeley Vale Argos stores. We do not go into interesting part of the town, the old town and docks which is a pity. Having picked up we turn around in a narrow square and make our way towards our next stop at Penryn.


As we head out of town we pass that free Asda bus again heading into town and I still wonder about its history and ownership.


Leaving Falmouth in the direction of Penryn we see a number of First Bus services in the Ponsharden roundabout area.

1/ We catch up with First 46420 near Falmouth.

2/ First 42559 on r 68 Falmouth local service.

We now proceed along the A39 onto the B3292 and into Penryn where our stop is at Penryn Bridge. By the 18th century, there was a large commercial centre along the river, with quays for the coal yards and quarried granite, warehouses for merchants and chandlers’ shops. Today the remaining old buildings are used for other purposes, but, in its heyday, Penryn exported dressed granite all over the world. The stone used in Gibraltar, Singapore and Buenos Aires, among many other places. Closer to home, it was used to construct London Bridge and the South Bank.

It is said a ghostly coach, drawn by headless horses appears just before Christmas each year in Penryn. People must avert their eyes when it passes or they will be spirited away.

Nowadays, the town is more or less connected to the newer port of Falmouth. However it still retains its individuality, partly due to its situation on a promontory between two creeks. It is still a busy little town. Although Falmouth has been the main trading centre for many years, Penryn is still a centre for sailing and so there are still boatyards and chandlers. In addition, many newer industries flourish in the town.


Penryn Bridge with 46420 on route 90 with the 0925 Falmouth - Newquay service. Now we had caught up with 46420!


Leaving Penryn we pass First 42472 on route 68.

We are now nearing Truro, some 38 miles from Penzance which has taken the coach 1½ hours. The only city in Cornwall, although Bodmin is still nominally the county town. Truro’s most striking feature is the Cathedral, with its green spire and gothic appearance. Built at the turn of the century it dominates the Truro skyline with its 250 foot high towers and has some interesting Victorian stained glass windows. The south aisle of the cathedral is what remains of St Mary’s Church, said to be one of the finest pieces of medieval architecture in Cornwall. Its decorative style contrasts with the simplicity of the new part of the cathedral.

The city’s heritage is as a market town and port dating back over 800 years, booming during the tin mining era. Nowadays the port is mostly used for pleasure cruises along the tributaries of the River Fal to Falmouth and St Mawes. Cruising out of Truro, one passes the Lighterage Quay, a long quay where such cargoes as scrap metal and cement are still loaded.

http://www.enterprise-boats.co.uk/


Truro and a Bristol VR with Enterprise Boats - used when tidal conditions do NOT permit a landing at the quay in Truro,
the FREE Enterprise Bus link to Malpas will depart from Town Quay, Truro at : 10.00am - 11.00am - 14.00pm - 15.00pm - 17.00pm
Bristol VR fans please note to check the tide before riding on this VR.

We pass by the pagoda roofed bus station, turn left and round into our stand at 09:54. I am interested to see if First have made impressions on Truronian since the take over. Certainly the Truronian web site makes for interesting reading. First are now becoming more prominent in their old area.  http://www.truronian.co.uk/  I have taken the liberty of including their web site header here as it is so very attractive.


One of the Truronian Darts which now carries First Bus fleet numbers, 42232.


A First coach operating Truronian service T1 to St Agnes. According to the timetable this is an "easy access" service.

Truro bus station is a rather friendly place, compact with lots of movements, making for an interesting location to watch the bus world go by, even more interesting in the days ahead when Truronian seems set to disappear and be but a memory.


A First Dart, 42935 loads for Penzance showing off some informative branding.


A double decker , Olympian 31313, too tight into the corner for a better picture takes a breather between journeys.


Richard Warwick says this Transit minibus RA04YGX at Truro was used as staff transport. Truronian, before their demise, used transit minibuses to serve the local villages that real sized buses couldn't fit into,
 (quite a lot of narrow streets through some villages and even towns down here) 
 


Our coach waits time at Truro, though in the end we did leave a few minutes late.


Now I presume this is the pre national fleet number, 6316, on 20541?

Shortly after 10:00 we leave Truro and head northwards towards Plymouth and our rendezvous with the 330 which has taken a more northerly route through Cornwall towards that city in Devon. We shall call at Probus, Grampound, St Austell, St Blazey, Lostwithiel and Liskeard before reaching Plymouth, still some 60 minutes away.


Just before we reach the turn off for Probus we pass another First Volvo in National Express livery and our driver tells me
that 20518 is probably coming back from MOT at Plymouth. One wonders if it did indeed work a local service 17A?

Some five miles out of Truro we come to the turn off for Probus, where the B3275 leaves the A390 heading towards an oddly named Truck Hill.

http://www.ukvillages.co.uk/village/Probus-Cornwall

Probus is a civil parish and village in the Carrick district of Cornwall, in the United Kingdom. It is famous for having the tallest church tower in Cornwall. The tower is 129 feet (39 m) high, and richly decorated with carvings. The place name originates from the church's dedication to Saint Probus.


We stop to pick up in Probus, though most people are waiting for the local bus.

Probus lies very close to Cornish Main Line but because of their nature, local residents were satisfied with its bus service and did not want a railway station.

We now press onwards and towards our next stop at Grampound. En route we pass yet another bus returning southwards from MOT in Plymouth, this time one of the open top Volvo Citybus models now used on the 300 service around the Land's End route.


As we come into Grampound we pass 38000 on its way to Penzance from MOT in Plymouth.

Grampound with Creed lies in the centre of Cornwall, sheltered in the beautiful valley of the River Fal. Settled since prehistoric times, from within the ancient parish of Creed and the old manor of Tybesta, Grampound grew as the main crossing place on the Fal, a focus for travellers and traders moving between west Cornwall and England. Thus Grampound became one of the most important towns in Cornwall with a rich and vibrant history. The main A390 road now runs through the town, bringing with it the problems of traffic, but Grampound remains a beautiful location with a rich community life and spirit.


Here we board one elderly gentleman who seems a happy soul and looking forward to his journey.

We now head northwards towards St Austell and pass yet another coach heading south. The A390 is quite busy now and on summer weekends must be quite a trial for drivers running to a timetable, such as our National Express service.


A Travellers choice coach PE55WLJ on a Trafalgar tour passing us between Grampound and St Austell.
Travellers I think operates out of Carnforth in Lancashire?


As we enter St Austell we pass an Alero, YJ56ASU, seen on my way down yesterday.
This time it is in service on the Park & Ride route.


As we get nearer to the stop at the rail station a Western Greyhound Vario - WX04BUS - on route 529 waits at the road junction.

The old market town of St Austell is just a few miles from the coast and is one of Cornwall's biggest towns. It was for centuries an important mining town but it was a discovery in the mid 18th century that really put the town on the map.
 William Cookworthy, a chemist from Devon, discovered massive deposits of kaolin (a form of decomposed granite), or china clay in the area. The mineral is used in not only the production of porcelain but a whole host of industries including paper, pharmaceuticals and textiles. The extraction of china clay became the mainstay of local industry and accelerated the growth of the town from the eighteenth century onwards. One estimate puts the value of the industry at the time at around £15 billion in today's money.

The china clay industry is now in decline with cheaper foreign sources now being used. However the industry not only changed the town itself but has left its mark on the landscape around St Austell. The Cornish Alps as they are sometimes referred to are the spoils from the clay pits which form large, originally white, conical mounds. Over recent years some of these have been lanscaped and flattened to from a less surreal landscape.

The nearby Wheal Martyn China Clay Museum is an interesting insight into china clay production with interactive displays based in a 19th century clay works.

Another long running industry in the town is St Austell Brewery. Founded in 1851 by Walter Hicks it has grown to become easily the biggest brewery in Cornwall with a string of pubs. The brewery is open to the public for tours

Perhaps the towns biggest draw these days is it's proximity to the mighty Eden Project, only 2 miles away. Eden is now, without doubt, the most popular single tourist attraction in Cornwall. Interestingly enough the biomes were built in an old china clay pit. There has been much written about the environmental and righteous motives of the Eden Project, however there is plenty of evidence to the contrary along with the fact that it has certainly increased traffic in the area!

The bus station, near to the railway station, is presently under reconstruction and should be ready this autumn. Until then buses use stands on the far side of the railway line which can be seen as one approaches on the coach.


To get to the stop one has to go "round the block" which does ad to the running time.

Now some seven minutes behind schedule, after loading 13 passengers, we leave the town and head for Lostwithiel which is a hidden treasure, tucked away in the River Fowey valley, obscured by richly wooded hills, between the A390 and the upper tidal reaches of the river.

John Betjeman is reputed to have said “There is history in every stone in Lostwithiel”. The Black Prince called Lostwithiel "The fairest of all small cities". Truly metropolitan yet retaining all the features of rural excellence, Lostwithiel is a treat not to be missed. Once the Duchy Capital, this small town has a character all it’s own, proud of its heritage, independent, yet friendly and happy to share its many charms.


As we approach our stop we see the army on manoeuvres.


Up ahead I can see the passengers waiting to board our now well loaded coach.
The family is being seen off by friends and when boarding appear to be going to Heathrow.

The next village we pass near is Dobwalls, presently being by-passed by a new road. These roadworks can cause delays as there is single line working but once complete will speed up the journey to the south west. However in looking for information on this village I chanced upon a fascinating miniature railway. There is a web page devoted to the line at the following link.

http://homepages.tesco.net/~jksharman/_dobwalls.htm

Dobwalls by-pass


The road works can cause delays as seen above.

Having negotiated the Dobwalls roadworks, it is not long before we are in Liskeard approaching our stop in Barras Street. We are able to get onto the stop today and I am faced with the sight of a fish and chip emporium which does nothing for my hunger which is beginning to press on my mind.


Barras Street and the fish and chip emporium which does nothing for my hunger. It is over four hours since breakfast in Penzance.

We load more passengers in Liskeard and are now almost full, I can only see half a dozen spare seats, some of which are jealously guarded by those travellers who hate sitting next to anyone else. We will soon be in Plymouth where many passengers will change onto the 330 service to Nottingham and points en route. I say soon but we still have 50 minutes running time to Plymouth Bretonside. En route we come to the Tamar Bridge and take the very nearside lane which seems reserved for traffic having a prepaid status for the toll crossing.


The Tamar Bridge - we are leaving Cornwall which I have much enjoyed.


The River Tamar in all its glory. What a beautiful country we live in.


The TAG only lane which is used by National Express coaches leaving Cornwall and entering Devon.

We are now approaching the outskirts of  Plymouth and will set down my travelling companion, a lady who joined at Penryn Bridge and who is visiting her son in Saltash for the day. It turns out that she is a keen county bowls player and knows so much about the towns and villages we have passed through.


Entering the suburbs of the city we pass at 56 registered Dart on a Park & Ride service, I thought they used fully liveried deckers on these routes?


We are soon nearing Bretonside bus station and I catch a first glimpse of this place.

On this occasion and since so many passengers were leaving or joining our coach, I stayed on board and resisted the temptation to take more photos. This also helped the drivers, we now had two drivers taking us on from this point. One driver, Peter was only going as far as Taunton Deane services where he would leave us and take over a southbound service and our new driver was then to take our coach through to London Victoria. They did change over near Exeter to comply with hours rules and then again at Taunton Deane.

No sign of that lovely lady, Kelly, who was so helpful on my way down two days ago but I managed a few more pictures from the coach of Plymouth before we were soon leaving the city limits and heading towards Exeter on the A38.


Some views of buses and the bus station at Plymouth. The odd shaped building makes the picture look odd.

1/ Plymouth Bretonside and the Mayflower Link.

2/ Plymouth Bretonside and SCD 18303.

3/ Plymouth Bretonside and strange buildings.

Leaving Plymouth we retraced my earlier steps as I came into Plymouth on the Stagecoach X38 service. I had chance to take a few pictures as we left the city and also on the A38 as we headed towards Exeter.


Plymouth and First 34198, one of the ex Airbus Olympians on route 48.


Plymouth and First 20408 on training duties.


A Johnson's Bova heads south towards Plymouth on the A38


We passed the southbound 336 from Edinburgh heading for Plymouth on the A38. It would not arrive in Penzance until 1600hrs.


 An Olympian decker Stagecoach 16604 heads towards Plymouth on an X38 working.


There in the distance I could see a Brookes Trident on loan to Stagecoach Devon working the X46 from Torquay.

Passing by Exeter on the A38 and heading northwards, having had a driver change, we press on towards Taunton Deane where Peter would leave us and take over a southbound service. I was sorry to see him go as he had been an excellent driver, making the job seem easy and somehow time never seemed to matter. Even so we were only a few minutes down at each stop. He always had time for the passengers and I liked his use of a piece of marker chalk to put the name of the stop each bag was destined for.

Nearing Taunton Deane I was reminded of some 8 years ago now when I used to visit Quantock Motor Services and Steve Morris with his wonderful collection of elderly buses and coaches. To see and hear those vehicles from the '40s and '50s was a real pleasure. Memories of years gone by when I started my driving career and AEC Reliances, Leyland Tiger Cubs and other such buses were new and all challenging. How we marvelled at the 90 or so extra coaches, on the Yelloway service, which left Manchester and the North West every Friday evening throughout the summer to far away destinations such as Bournemouth and Torquay. Coaching names such as Black & White, Royal Blue and Yelloway still Kings of the Road and one never imagined they would be but a memory within ones own lifetime, such was their seeming longevity.


Taunton Deane and a driver change, where Peter left us having brought us safely all the way from Penzance.

We were soon on our way again and heading northwards on the M5 towards Bristol passing some interesting coaches and buses on the way. As we approached Bristol a large load had caught on the overbridge at one point and been dragged off the low loader carrying it. This meant only one lane was open southbound and we passed several miles of queuing traffic.


1/  First 34167 on service X25 on the M5 near Bristol

2./ Roselyn YDU556??: on the M5 near Bristol

3/  A school bus YIL4417 but whose??? - on the M5 near Bristol, I saw another similar bus on the M4.

4/ Eastville Coaches decker on the M5 near Bristol

We were soon at the junction of the M5 with the M4 and took the slip road to take us round onto the M4 and the final part of my journey to Reading - Calcot. Traffic was light and we made good time on this part of the journey. Some way along the M4 I saw a familiar coach on the hard shoulder and wondered what was wrong. We sped past the stationary Volvo B12BT Stagecoach Megabus 54001. There was no indication as to what was wrong. We then passed a couple of westbound National Express services and as we slowed to leave the M4 a Leigh Delamere services, the London bound Megabus passed us seemingly none the worse for wear.


We sped past the stationary Volvo B12BT Stagecoach Megabus 54001

1/  First 20460 working the 040 on the M4 near Bath.

2/ Trathens-Park's HSK658 working the 501 on the M4 near Bath.

3/ The London bound Megabus passed us near Leigh Delamere services, seemingly none the worse for wear.

Our service is scheduled for a 20 minute refreshment stop at Leigh Delamere service and we pulled in at 1503 and departed at 1535 which gave our near full load a nice break.


Time to stretch ones legs and take a break. It is six and half hours since we left Penzance.

Leaving Leigh Delamere at 1535 we are timed into Calcot at 1620 and we still have 51 miles to run. We pass another few coaches which adds to my interest in this part of the journey.

1/ Kinch K11NCK on the M4 near Leigh Delamere services.

2/ First 23202 on service 040 on the M4 near Leigh Delamere services.

3/ First 23321 on service 412 on the M4 near Reading.

An interesting fact on National Express coaches these days is the encouragement for passengers to send a text message to a text number line concerning the journey. Comments on the coach, driver and service levels are asked for and passengers do use this facility. Each coach has a unique identifier in the form of a number displayed inside each vehicle. Our was FD16.

We are now close to Calcot and we headed up the M4 slip road and round to the large Sainsbury's Savacentre. We pulled into the stop at 1627 - 8 hours after leaving Penzance. We are just seven minutes late and I quickly retrieve my bag, thank the driver and hurry to the Reading Buses 26 service which was leaving. The kindly driver must have seen me in the mirror and I was impressed that he made a point of stopping to allow me catch his bus. It was a two year old Scania number 826 one of a large batch which work this route. Our journey into town was quick and efficient and I was soon deposited near the rail station.

I was impressed by the cleanliness of the bus, the helpful interior notices and the comfortable ride.


Reading Buses 826 at the Rail Station, Reading.

I now had a little time to look around before my Thames Travel X39 service departed to Oxford via Wallingford. I did also have the option of using the Arriva 800/850 service to High Wycombe but chose the X39 instead.


The Reading bus scene on a summers evening.


My steed to Oxford was the fairly new M A N 108 resplendent in the latest livery.

We had a fairly full load leaving Reading a few minutes down. As far as I could tell they use the X39 for driver changes on the 144 service. We were soon out of the Reading suburbs and speeding on our way to Wallingford. Pulling into Wallingford Square I espied a new Heyfordian Enviro 200 and nipped off to get a picture. At the same time I was able to get a shot of our M A N waiting time at this important interchange point.


Heyfordian Enviro 200 OU08AYF one of the new fleet purchased for recent tender gains. The 134 used to operated by Thames Travel..


108 waits time on its way to Oxford.

We were soon in Oxford as the X39 misses Berinsfield and the road is quite fast towards Haydon Hill. I alighted in Castle Street at 1817 and had ten minutes to walk to Gloucester Green for the 1830 737 Stansted service which would drop me in Stokenchurch. Leaving Oxford we passed a number of inbound services and I include a couple of pictures of these below.


High Street and St Clements form the location for these two final pictures of passing buses.

 I joined colleague Dave Baker on the 737 service which left spot on time and dropped me in Stokenchurch at 1905 within walking of my house.


My shadow from the slowly setting sun impinges on this shot of Scania 59213 heading off towards Luton and Stansted airports.

I did enjoy my four day trip and the journey home was somewhat different as I took only 11 hours compared to three days for the outward journey.

I will review the overall trip in the final instalment of this trip in Conclusions which I hope to publish next week.

Malcolm Crowe.

Stokenchurch, 22nd August 2008

"Conclusions" will be published shortly.

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Please note that any comments made in this news page are those of the Editors' and in no way constitute 
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As a news page we reserve the right to make valid comments as seen from an editorial point of view.

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A note regarding photographs which show drivers faces.
Following one complaint from a bus driver in Oxford but considering the fact that the photographs are taken of the vehicle not any person,
I will blank out the face to avoid any discomfort to the individual concerned. If you are the person involved send me an email to have this action taken.
I am sure people will realise that to ask everyone in advance of publication, whose face may appear in a picture is wholly impractical in both time and practice.
I am sorry to have to mention such a matter but we now live in a world of human rights and political correctness which must be considered.