Round Trips

[Kevin]

Got a long weekend next weekend (thank to a music festival I was going to being cancelled), so going to make the most of it and plan a few days worth of traveling.
Got a few routes I want to do so hopefully I'll make it a day on Arriva buses around the north midlands (lichfield, tamworth, cannock etc) and a day in north worcs (first, diamond, redditch rail replacement buses etc). Also going to a gig in London sunday night so might spend a day on the underground

You could also include Stafford to get the once a year sight of NXWM buses there on V Festival services.

That's another temptation... They doing the Telford shuttles as well?
Tbh it's almost looking like two day's worth of Arriva stuff, there's a lot of routes I wanna do it turns out

[Tony]

Got a long weekend next weekend (thank to a music festival I was going to being cancelled), so going to make the most of it and plan a few days worth of traveling.
Got a few routes I want to do so hopefully I'll make it a day on Arriva buses around the north midlands (lichfield, tamworth, cannock etc) and a day in north worcs (first, diamond, redditch rail replacement buses etc). Also going to a gig in London sunday night so might spend a day on the underground

You could also include Stafford to get the once a year sight of NXWM buses there on V Festival services.

That's another temptation... They doing the Telford shuttles as well?
Tbh it's almost looking like two day's worth of Arriva stuff, there's a lot of routes I wanna do it turns out

They are, Saturday & Sunday only (Stafford/Wolverhampton also run Friday/Monday) from the Rail Station. Buses this year will be from BC; PB; WB; AG; WA & WN

[Sh4318]

Tomorrow:
Train to Birmingham Snow Hill/Moor Street/New Street
3 to Shirley High Street
76 to Solihull
70 to Marston Green
14 to Chelmsley Wood
97A to Airport
Train to Coventry
11/12 to Pool Meadow
6/6A to Canley
Train to Birmingham New Street
Train to Smethwick Galton Bridge

[Liverpool Street]

Got a long weekend next weekend (thank to a music festival I was going to being cancelled), so going to make the most of it and plan a few days worth of traveling.
Got a few routes I want to do so hopefully I'll make it a day on Arriva buses around the north midlands (lichfield, tamworth, cannock etc) and a day in north worcs (first, diamond, redditch rail replacement buses etc). Also going to a gig in London sunday night so might spend a day on the underground

You could also include Stafford to get the once a year sight of NXWM buses there on V Festival services.

That's another temptation... They doing the Telford shuttles as well?
Tbh it's almost looking like two day's worth of Arriva stuff, there's a lot of routes I wanna do it turns out

They are, Saturday & Sunday only (Stafford/Wolverhampton also run Friday/Monday) from the Rail Station. Buses this year will be from BC; PB; WB; AG; WA & WN

Oooh, so does this mean the Telford Shuttle could be run by BC's finest? :D

[Kevin]

Got a long weekend next weekend (thank to a music festival I was going to being cancelled), so going to make the most of it and plan a few days worth of traveling.
Got a few routes I want to do so hopefully I'll make it a day on Arriva buses around the north midlands (lichfield, tamworth, cannock etc) and a day in north worcs (first, diamond, redditch rail replacement buses etc). Also going to a gig in London sunday night so might spend a day on the underground

You could also include Stafford to get the once a year sight of NXWM buses there on V Festival services.

That's another temptation... They doing the Telford shuttles as well?
Tbh it's almost looking like two day's worth of Arriva stuff, there's a lot of routes I wanna do it turns out

They are, Saturday & Sunday only (Stafford/Wolverhampton also run Friday/Monday) from the Rail Station. Buses this year will be from BC; PB; WB; AG; WA & WN

Gah the temptation now to travel on some of the shuttle buses as well.....

[Tony]

Got a long weekend next weekend (thank to a music festival I was going to being cancelled), so going to make the most of it and plan a few days worth of traveling.
Got a few routes I want to do so hopefully I'll make it a day on Arriva buses around the north midlands (lichfield, tamworth, cannock etc) and a day in north worcs (first, diamond, redditch rail replacement buses etc). Also going to a gig in London sunday night so might spend a day on the underground

You could also include Stafford to get the once a year sight of NXWM buses there on V Festival services.

That's another temptation... They doing the Telford shuttles as well?
Tbh it's almost looking like two day's worth of Arriva stuff, there's a lot of routes I wanna do it turns out

They are, Saturday & Sunday only (Stafford/Wolverhampton also run Friday/Monday) from the Rail Station. Buses this year will be from BC; PB; WB; AG; WA & WN

Oooh, so does this mean the Telford Shuttle could be run by BC's finest? :D

8 BC buses will be based at Walsall for the weekend, I haven't got a list of number yet for any garage

[CL]

What service number is this frequently on?

11,32,33 and 59

Which one of these is the longest service?

[CL]

What service number is this frequently on?

11,32,33 and 59

Which one of these is the longest service?

They are all relatively short but I'd say my local route, the 59 which takes 24 minutes to get to Ashmore Park (Higgs Rd).

But the majority of buses on the 11, 32 and 33 are Spectra's so if you were to wait for a Spectra to turn up then chances are they will turn up on those routes as the 59 is mostly allocated Tridents and a couple of E400H's so on a typical weekday atm you will find 3 Spectra's at the most

Alright then, thanks! I'm sure some appear on the 79 from time to time, I guess services 32/33 are worth a shot. Get the 32 there, 33 back... ::) lol :P

[Kevin]

Went on a "little" trip today....
Genuinely did note all the fleetnumbers, and I have a strange feeling that particular bit of paper is currently still on a seat on the 51 somewhere now cause I can't for the life of me find it.... Man do I feel stupid now.... Will just have to go on vague bus types and what I can sort of remember / work out from Tony's pictures...

Anyway:
07:00 X56 Tower Hill - City (4681 - I know this cause I posted it in unusual working this morning)
07:29 116 City - Tamworth (Omnilink)
08:44 X65 Tamworth - Lichfield (Merc Citaro - loved it)
09:35 15 Lichfield - Boney Hay (dart - want to say 22xx, either way, the driver said the same bus has been on for two weeks because it's reliable)
did that route purely cause I wanted to see where the X56 goes, now I've been there I really wanna see a decker on those roads
10:20 62 Chase Terrace - Cannock (one of 3617/8/9 I think)
11:30 75 Cannock - Penkridge (Eclipse of some sort - whatever is branded for 74/75)
12:03 76 Penkridge - Wolves (another of 3617/8/9, remember it being the next one numerically)
12:45 10B Wolves - Codsall (pretty sure it was 4796)
walked to Pattingham - lovely afternoon for it
15:03 10A Pattingham - Wolves (also 4796, thankfully different driver - but by christ a decker along those lanes with this particular driver was a scary experience)
15:50 22 Wolves - Tipton (dart)
16:40 43 Tipton - Bilston (NX Gemini)
17:12 23 Bilston - Wednesbury (Diamond 20xxx Dart)
17:30 79 Wednesbury - West Brom (4004) - Just went for whichever of 47/47A/75/79/311/313 turned up that wasn't a B6LE, trident, B7TL or Omnilink. Annoyingly 1764 turned up on the 311 just as we pulled off.
18:00 5 West Brom - Scott Arms (4083)
18:20 51 Scott Arms - Tower Hill (branded E400 - probably with my route notes still on board....)

Day 1 of my 6 day weekend done good I think. Planned it all as far as Codsall then just wherever me mind fancied.

[Kevin]

My day yesterday, bit of a tour of North East Worcestershire:

08:57 5 Scott Arms - All Saints (NX 4048)
09:07 45 All Saints - West Brom (NX1666) (yes I could have stayed on the 5... but saw the merc coming)
09:17 4H West Brom - Hayley Green (DIA 30808)
10:00 244 Hayley Green - Halesowen (NX 1630)
10:45 007 Halesowen - Bromsgrove (CB AE06 ZBR)
11:25 202 Bromsgrove - Rednal (DIA 30500)
11:42 98 Rednal - Longbridge (NX 2127) (was aiming for the 45 tbh, but this came first and hell it aint far to walk to the station)
12:14 Rail replacement Longbridge - Redditch (TGB 104) (them country lanes and tight corners between Barnt Green and Alvechurch on a trident when you meet a dart on the 182 coming the other way - scary sh*t man)
12:45 Rail replacement Redditch - Longbridge (NX 4723) (Toothpaste in Redditch!)
13:15 49 Longbridge - Rubery (NX 4389)
13:51 144 Rubery - Droitwich (FMR 33403)
14:50 141 Droitwich - Bromsgrove station (DIA 20572)
15:42 143 Bromsgrove station - Studley (DIA 30854)
16:59 26 Studley - Crabbs Cross (STA 18189)
17:13 55A Crabbs Cross - Redditch (DIA 30161)
17:40 51 Redditch - Batchley - Redditch (DIA 30009)
18:30 X50 Redditch - Brum (JOH YN63 BYO)
19:30 X51 Brum - Tower Hill - PUB! (NX 4685) (didn't plan it that way but love the idea of getting two consecutive numbered X bus routes)

I have to say, the number of drivers who had to study the Connecta ticket I had because they didn't believe it, 5 times I was asked "where did you get this?" despite it saying so on the ticket itself....

[trident4370]

My trip yesterday.
Walked up to KH,
Diamond BX07 BRV 50 to Brum,
XC 221 to Coventry,
De Courcey YJ12 GWY 85 to Pool Meadow,
Stagey 16614 X16 to Willenhall,
NXC 4397 13 to Pool Meadow,
NXC 1571 5 to Foleshill Road,
NXC Bendibus 4 to Pool Meadow,
NXC 4423 6/A to Tanyard Farm/Eastern Green,
NXC 4696 10 to Upper Well Street,
Diamond BF60 OFA 82 to Solihull,
NXWM 438* 76 to Kings Heath Park.

[windy miller]

I would like to tackle a trip by service bus from birmingham to leicester.. Do I have to go via coventry?.. is that the quickest? and what sort of frequency could I expect? esp returning from leicester after 5pm?    thanks guys.

[Cheese]

I would like to tackle a trip by service bus from birmingham to leicester.. Do I have to go via coventry?.. is that the quickest? and what sort of frequency could I expect? esp returning from leicester after 5pm?    thanks guys.

Just had a quick look on Traveline, 17:45 De Courcey X6 Leicester (St. Margarets) to Coventry 19:00, 19:20 NXWM 900 Coventry to Birmingham 20:25 ish.  There is a connection at Coventry off the X6 at 18:30 from Leicester which is the last X6 of the day.  After that, guess you would be messing around with 48s at Hinckley, Nuneaton and Coventry which could take quite a long time.  Think the 18:30 is probably the last sensible journey back, but you would have to go via Coventry regardless, X6/900 the quickest way.  X6 is hourly, takes 1 hr 15 or 1 hr 20 depending on route through Burbage.

[P419 EJW]

I would like to tackle a trip by service bus from birmingham to leicester.. Do I have to go via coventry?.. is that the quickest? and what sort of frequency could I expect? esp returning from leicester after 5pm?    thanks guys.

I did have a day trip to Leicester not long ago. I caught 900 to Coventry then X6 to Leicester (via M69). X6 is hourly, leaves Coventry at 00 minutes past the hour and leaves Leicester at 30 minutes past the hour. Last bus from Leicester is 18:30.

[windy miller]

Many thanks to you both...I wonder if the route of the x6 would take you anywhere near the leicester RAIL station?...  I expect de courcy will have a timetable somewhere.