Bus Services from Newcastle Upon Tyne to Alnwick & Berwick

[STEVIEBOY1]

That seems a good plan. If you are going to take the X18 from Alnwick to Berwick then you will leave Alnwick on an even hour (10.00 or 12.00). So to arrive on an X15 and have a break (a good idea) you’ll be there an hour earlier. That means leaving Newcastle at 7.23 or 9.38.

As it happens the X20 to Alnwick via Ashington and Amble leaves Newcastle at exactly the same times. It takes longer so you’ll only have half an hour in Alnwick. The route is different and probably more scenic. You can take your pick on the day - perhaps depending on whether the X20 is a double or single decker.

Thanks, I think there is also an 0838 from Newcastle too. Yes, will see what the weather is like and decide on the day.

 

[Statto]

The coast route was traditionally the 418, becoming the X18 in the 1980s and staying so until Arriva days when it became the 518.

The main road service was more complex. 501 Newcastle - Alnwick - Seahouses was augmented by the 502 variant via Shilbottle. 505 Newcastle - Alnwick - Berwick had variants with 500 (very limited stop) with other variations 515/525

Had many a good trip on a Leopard up the A1 but now, it’s deckers mostly

I have a Tyne & Wear county timetable book early 80s, shows then

501/502 Newcastle-Alnwick/Bamburgh
505/506 Newcastle-Berwick
X18 Newcastle-Alnwick
Shows then X20 was Newcastle-Durham

 

[Statto]

Thanks, I think there is also an 0838 from Newcastle too. Yes, will see what the weather is like and decide on the day.

Yedp 08.38 is an X15 as well.

Also you have a long 90 minute wait at Alnwick if you catch the 08.38, X18, better idea might be do the 08.38, X15 Newcastle-Berwick, then 12.05, X18 Berwick-Alnwick & finish on 14.38, Alnwick-Newcastle, this way the 12.05 from Berwick is guaranteed, as that operates all year, or if you want to do it a bit earlier, do the 08.03, X18 Newcastle-Berwick, then 13.05, X15 Berwick-Alnwick, then 14.38, X20 Alnwick-Newcastle

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

I have a Tyne & Wear county timetable book early 80s, shows then

501/502 Newcastle-Alnwick/Bamburgh
505/506 Newcastle-Berwick
X18 Newcastle-Alnwick
Shows then X20 was Newcastle-Durham

That makes sense. The renumbering of the 418 to the X18 was early 80s.

The 501/2 were the Seahouses routes in that there was an outbase in the main car park there - think the 502 was the Shilbottle variant, but yes, they did run to Bamburgh (and might have been the odd one to Belford at one point).

I confess that I'd forgotten about the 506 but the 505 was the main route. There was also a seasonal 500 that IIRC went from Newcastle to Alnwick non stop, then stopping only at Beal and Haggerston Castle en route to Berwick. Took only 45 mins from Alnwick to Berwick. That was the situation at dereg/creation of Northumbria - the 506 disappeared but later came the 515 and 525. In truth, I can't recall the difference though the 525 was Sundays so might have gone via Stannington?

Interestingly, the 5** routes in Alnwick went via the town arch so were always single decks, operated by Leyland Leopard coaches with Duple, Willowbrook and Plaxton bodies (and some late RELHs)https://www.flickr.com/photos/90039...ccoP9h-28kpVSz-28kpSC8-VVDh2h-28kpPwi-2dRwwHk . Only in 1986 did deckers appear on the X18 with a pair of Olympians based at Morpeth; Alnwick only had single decks. At deregulation (I think), the route was changed so the 5** avoided the town arch via a route near to the depot so Alnwick then gained deckers for certain journeys but that has since changed, especially with ENCTS.

The X20 was Newcastle to Durham but was extended to Bishop Auckland and was operated jointly by United and Northern, in conjunction with the Sunderland - Durham - Bishop X3. At deregulation, the situation changed with the X20 disappearing into the extra 723 Newcastle to Durham and 6 Durham to Bishop.

 

[Kuyoyo]

I have a Tyne & Wear county timetable book early 80s, shows then

501/502 Newcastle-Alnwick/Bamburgh
505/506 Newcastle-Berwick
X18 Newcastle-Alnwick
Shows then X20 was Newcastle-Durham

What is now the X20 is the old 420 between Alnwick and Ashington. The southern bit of the X20 along the A189 Spine Road was previously the X30 - launched at the height of the Go North East 'Bargain Bus' war back in 2007 using 3 Scania L113s. It's gone through a number of changes in the last 10 years - at one point, it was a faster Newbiggin link compared to the X21, before being changed to be Newcastle-Amble in late 2012 (although the Ashington-Amble section was originally the 20, and that number remained until the extension to Alnwick), about the same time the 501/505/518 were revised to become the X15/X18.

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

What is now the X20 is the old 420 between Alnwick and Ashington. The southern bit of the X20 along the A189 Spine Road was previously the X30 - launched at the height of the Go North East 'Bargain Bus' war back in 2007 using 3 Scania L113s. It's gone through a number of changes in the last 10 years - at one point, it was a faster Newbiggin link compared to the X21, before being changed to be Newcastle-Amble in late 2012 (although the Ashington-Amble section was originally the 20, and that number remained until the extension to Alnwick), about the same time the 501/505/518 were revised to become the X15/X18.

The 420 was the historic Alnwick to Ashington route in United days. At deregulation, it was cut back to Ashington - Widdrington (I think) but then HE Craiggs expanded their service (Amble to Red Row) so Northumbria reinstated the 420.

Think it stayed that way until the big change in bus services in Northumberland (c.2008/9?) when it got severed. Ashington to Amble was tagged onto a new service 1 from Blyth, whilst the northern section was covered by an extension of Arriva's 472 Alnwick town service routed via Shilbottle.

 

[Ken H]

The 420 was the historic Alnwick to Ashington route in United days. At deregulation, it was cut back to Ashington - Widdrington (I think) but then HE Craiggs expanded their service (Amble to Red Row) so Northumbria reinstated the 420.

Think it stayed that way until the big change in bus services in Northumberland (c.2008/9?) when it got severed. Ashington to Amble was tagged onto a new service 1 from Blyth, whilst the northern section was covered by an extension of Arriva's 472 Alnwick town service routed via Shilbottle.

What happened to HE Craigs? When I lived in Alnwick for a short while in 1975 they just did the Alnwick - Shilbottle shuttle. Think everything else was United.
There was a working pit at Shilbottle then. For any rail people who have strayed on here, there was a rail link from the pit to the WCML just south of Alnmouth

 

[TheGrandWazoo]

What happened to HE Craigs? When I lived in Alnwick for a short while in 1975 they just did the Alnwick - Shilbottle shuttle. Think everything else was United.
There was a working pit at Shilbottle then. For any rail people who have strayed on here, there was a rail link from the pit to the WCML just south of Alnmouth

I'm struggling to remember when they sold (perhaps early 1990s) to Northumbria Motor Services. NMS took their fleet and sold it off though, as was the thing at the time, they retained a couple as driver trainers.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Yedp 08.38 is an X15 as well.

Also you have a long 90 minute wait at Alnwick if you catch the 08.38, X18, better idea might be do the 08.38, X15 Newcastle-Berwick, then 12.05, X18 Berwick-Alnwick & finish on 14.38, Alnwick-Newcastle, this way the 12.05 from Berwick is guaranteed, as that operates all year, or if you want to do it a bit earlier, do the 08.03, X18 Newcastle-Berwick, then 13.05, X15 Berwick-Alnwick, then 14.38, X20 Alnwick-Newcastle

Thanks, lots of possibilities then.