TheGrandWazoo
Veteran Member
Well, what can I say.... I thoroughly enjoyed the comprehensive write ups from both @Teapot42 and @Temple Meads.
Shame about the lack of photos from the Peak District but appreciate the reasons why. Having already had another detailed write up from @M803UYA from the same area, it does have me hankering for a trip north. Lord knows how I'd fit it in, so thanks again for such a detailed travelogue of the Peak District. It's probably one of the National Parks that I know least and sounds like @Teapot42 had a great time though had the unfortunate vagaries of information provision and service reliability that we sometimes have to encounter and surmount.
The one from @Temple Meads is just the sort of massive loop of a trip out that I used to do. In fact, I did do something similar but not as adventurous a few years ago when the 155 did run from Tiverton to Barnstaple. I didn't fit in Appledore (though it's a place I love) and instead when to Hatherleigh before some Sidmouth faffing and back to Tiverton. You fitted in a lot more and I love the photo of Totnes. Incidentally, I did a trip to Tavistock earlier this year and had the same appalling weather
Perhaps it's just a damp old town! I'm sure that when they've returned from holiday, @RELL6L will be enthused by both trip reports.
**** NEW TRIP REPORT ****
Making the most of the long days, and having a spare day off after coming back from holiday, I fitted in a rather topical trip out and in @RELL6L's manor. I'd not done a Home Counties trip for a while, so it was a day in Bucks with a few other nearby bits thrown in, and a last chance to have a trip on Arriva's operations in the area before meeting up with some friends locally.
I drove to Marlow Bottom for my first bus of the day. The 800 to Wycombe was running 9 mins late; I assume it was temporary lights but suddenly, it was only 4 mins late (recovery time in Marlow?) and it duly arrived. Two others and I got on to a half loaded Citaro; I always find the seating arrangement odd when used as single doors when they're clearly a European citibus. This wore the "new" Arriva livery save the nearside front corner panel that seemed to be in MAX dark blue - scavenged off one of its sisters. Despite that, the Citaro was a decent ride into Wycombe as our driver powered up the hill and down, arriving virtually on time.
Late running vehicles were to be a theme of the day. I didn't need to worry about my next journey as the 40 to Thame was still making its way inbound. It duly arrived and as Red Rose aren't in the £2 scheme, I paid £5.50 for a trip across the border. This was a former Yellow Buses machine that had been nicely refurbished by them. Externally, it still had a Yellow Buses sticker on the window (?) and an unpainted replacement skirt panel. To be honest, all the Wycombe vehicles irrespective of operator were fairly underwhelming for presentation; Carousel had a couple of ex Plymouth e200s that were absolutely appallingly presented. The e200 left 20 mins late and traffic in West Wycombe didn't help. Neither did the asthmatic e200's lack of power as it climbed via Piddington to Stokenchurch (walking pace) and then more traffic before began to weave our way through the Chilterns, passing via Chinnor to Thame - a lovely journey across the plain to Thame. I know this is a tendered run but it was really well loaded with fare paying passengers so Red Rose are probably doing ok out of it!
Thame town hall and my late e200
Sadly, the 25 min delay meant I had no time to explore this small town. Instead, two competing buses arrived simultaneously. I had my Arriva day ticket so the newish Evora of Redline was ignored in favour of a second Citaro of Arriva's Aylesbury depot for a relaxing run via Haddenham Parkway (no passengers) and into Aylesbury. I wish I'd had time to explore the town (as I never have done so) but instead, I stayed in the Stygian depths of the bus station. It seemed a bit better than last time I was there but it's still a dreadful place to wait. I was waiting for the X5 to Tring and it was another Citaro. This had various notices promoting fares... All of which were out of date. Like my first Citaro, this one had been refurbed with blue eLeather whilst the one before still had the Arriva blue check moquette. The Citaros are certainly powerful machines but not the most comfortable.
The Citaros that brought me to, and took me from, Aylesbury. The bus station is still a hole though a bit better than it was?
The former London Transport/London Country depot at Tring
Tring town centre - another Citaro approaches through the really pleasant town centre
I got off at Tring and for two good reasons. One is that I wanted a rest stop and to explore. The other was that the former London Transport depot is still there and I fancied having a look. It's been converted to a Royal Mail depot and gym but is still recognisable. A rare survivor, and apparently, Tring depot was regarded as a backwater in the day. The town itself is affluent and well heeled so I had a wander round, got a coffee and cake, and then waited for a late running X5 to continue my trip to Hemel Hempstead. All the Arriva runs thus far had reasonable passenger numbers so expect that Carousel and Redline will do well. Arriving into Hemel, dark clouds were massing (literally and figuratively) and the rain came as we arrived in the town.
Nearly raining - it would soon move from aggressive drizzle to full on rain but Hemel looked ok here
The Arriva Hemel commitment to quality - still promoting the service to Wigan and Horwich after reallocation in September. Making your everyday journey sparkle!
Now the X5 is currently Arriva Midlands will transfer to Arriva Southern Counties. I'm sure most passengers don't see a difference but there is. I thought the three Arriva vehicles I'd been on were presented ok and aside from a bit of late running, they were fine. Arriva Southern Counties is a poor operation in that area. I saw the two ex Bolton Pulsars that are still operating in full 362/575 livery nine months after transfer. I was waiting in the pouring rain for a 320 that never arrived, and fellow passengers were complaining about the state of the local Arriva operation. The 320 to Watford runs every 20 mins (theoretically) and was operated by a Max liveried Pulsar that had come from the former Guildford operation - at least they'd removed the vinyls but so crudely that it's former routes were clearly visible. We headed off to Watford and whilst I like Pulsars, this was a bit of a dog (being 16 years old). It suffered from the usual Arriva clagging of passive aggressive stickers with three no smoking ones by the cab alone. The rain was still hammering down as I arrived in Watford as I negotiated the subways to get to my next stop - I hadn't scheduled a Watford exploration and the weather wasn't helping!
My next journey was to take me into TfL land proper as we went to wend our way through Metroland where the tube runs but you're not in London. It was the Green Line 724, operated by Arriva's Harlow depot. It was on time surprisingly. Last time I experienced the 724, it was on a four year old e200mmc. Now it's operated by eleven year old Pulsars and this was a standard liveried example. We made our way around Metroland, passing via Rickmansworth and the former Comet HQ and via Croxley where a Japanese lady got on with three suitcases of which two were nearly the same size as her! It was school run time but we still made decent time until we got to the outskirts of Uxbridge.
I had a bit of time to kill in Uxbridge. The rain had passed and instead, sunshine with bits of blue sky were now drying things out. I wandered from York Road to the bus station and then through to the front entrance of the tube. The bus station entrance gives no clue to the fine Charles Holden design internally or from the front. I was parched and needed caffeine. Uxbridge was certainly busy and vibrant. I had my Costa and retraced my steps to York Road to await my penultimate bus of the day. A former London Country service, the run to Wycombe is now a Carousel corridor (as most of Wycombe will be soon) and it was another Citaro. It was slightly older than my Arriva ones (2009 rather than 2012) but the seating was moquette and it didn't have the same odd layout of longitudinal seats. It also had no internal promotion at all - not one vinyl - which I though odd. We fought the traffic out of Uxbridge and then were out into the Chilterns again as we went through the pretty town of Beaconsfield and then continued on into High Wycombe. I was pleasantly surprised about the amount of bus priority in that part of Wycombe. We arrived nearly on time into Wycombe bus station before a final uneventful trip back to Marlow...on my sixth Citaro of the day.
Uxbridge station - how many people take notice of the rail wheel detailing?
The less attractive side of Uxbridge - the bus depot is on the far left
I may not have had much vehicular variety (6 Citaro, 2 Pulsar, 1 e200) but it was a delightful day in a corner of the world that I visit fairly often but always by car to see friends and never on public transport. I'd say that all three operators in Wycombe aren't exactly stellar but Arriva was probably no worse than Carousel who had a couple of ex Plymouth machines that looked terrible. However, it was Arriva in Hemel that was the worst I saw and experienced. Yes, they have modern Streetlites amongst the Pulsars and e300s but it has a stench of neglect. Another cut comes soon with more territory lost to Red Rose and running former Garston stuff via interworking was always destined to fail. You wonder if it too has declined so much that it be readily put right.
Goodbye Arriva High Wycombe
The scenery was lovely and I wish I'd had time to explore Thame as well as perhaps fitting in some more time in Aylesbury but I did prioritise time in Tring. Lovely day and have to say that Arriva's staff at Aylesbury and Wycombe are being professional in providing a service despite the circumstances. I know I'm like a broken record but the corporate and strategic management of Arriva (not having a go at those striving locally/regionally) has been ruinous. I remember the Shires being a decent operation, even under British Bus and the constraints that brought. So many places (not just Wycombe) have Arriva operations that are a shadow of what they once were, or they've simply packed up and left. Services seemed well patronised (£2 fare helping?) despite the competitive elements between Arriva and Redline. Let's hope that with a single operator, Carousel can begin to establish an operation that is higher quality and sustainable.
Hope you enjoyed the read.
Shame about the lack of photos from the Peak District but appreciate the reasons why. Having already had another detailed write up from @M803UYA from the same area, it does have me hankering for a trip north. Lord knows how I'd fit it in, so thanks again for such a detailed travelogue of the Peak District. It's probably one of the National Parks that I know least and sounds like @Teapot42 had a great time though had the unfortunate vagaries of information provision and service reliability that we sometimes have to encounter and surmount.
The one from @Temple Meads is just the sort of massive loop of a trip out that I used to do. In fact, I did do something similar but not as adventurous a few years ago when the 155 did run from Tiverton to Barnstaple. I didn't fit in Appledore (though it's a place I love) and instead when to Hatherleigh before some Sidmouth faffing and back to Tiverton. You fitted in a lot more and I love the photo of Totnes. Incidentally, I did a trip to Tavistock earlier this year and had the same appalling weather
Perhaps it's just a damp old town! I'm sure that when they've returned from holiday, @RELL6L will be enthused by both trip reports.**** NEW TRIP REPORT ****
Making the most of the long days, and having a spare day off after coming back from holiday, I fitted in a rather topical trip out and in @RELL6L's manor. I'd not done a Home Counties trip for a while, so it was a day in Bucks with a few other nearby bits thrown in, and a last chance to have a trip on Arriva's operations in the area before meeting up with some friends locally.
I drove to Marlow Bottom for my first bus of the day. The 800 to Wycombe was running 9 mins late; I assume it was temporary lights but suddenly, it was only 4 mins late (recovery time in Marlow?) and it duly arrived. Two others and I got on to a half loaded Citaro; I always find the seating arrangement odd when used as single doors when they're clearly a European citibus. This wore the "new" Arriva livery save the nearside front corner panel that seemed to be in MAX dark blue - scavenged off one of its sisters. Despite that, the Citaro was a decent ride into Wycombe as our driver powered up the hill and down, arriving virtually on time.
Late running vehicles were to be a theme of the day. I didn't need to worry about my next journey as the 40 to Thame was still making its way inbound. It duly arrived and as Red Rose aren't in the £2 scheme, I paid £5.50 for a trip across the border. This was a former Yellow Buses machine that had been nicely refurbished by them. Externally, it still had a Yellow Buses sticker on the window (?) and an unpainted replacement skirt panel. To be honest, all the Wycombe vehicles irrespective of operator were fairly underwhelming for presentation; Carousel had a couple of ex Plymouth e200s that were absolutely appallingly presented. The e200 left 20 mins late and traffic in West Wycombe didn't help. Neither did the asthmatic e200's lack of power as it climbed via Piddington to Stokenchurch (walking pace) and then more traffic before began to weave our way through the Chilterns, passing via Chinnor to Thame - a lovely journey across the plain to Thame. I know this is a tendered run but it was really well loaded with fare paying passengers so Red Rose are probably doing ok out of it!
Thame town hall and my late e200
Sadly, the 25 min delay meant I had no time to explore this small town. Instead, two competing buses arrived simultaneously. I had my Arriva day ticket so the newish Evora of Redline was ignored in favour of a second Citaro of Arriva's Aylesbury depot for a relaxing run via Haddenham Parkway (no passengers) and into Aylesbury. I wish I'd had time to explore the town (as I never have done so) but instead, I stayed in the Stygian depths of the bus station. It seemed a bit better than last time I was there but it's still a dreadful place to wait. I was waiting for the X5 to Tring and it was another Citaro. This had various notices promoting fares... All of which were out of date. Like my first Citaro, this one had been refurbed with blue eLeather whilst the one before still had the Arriva blue check moquette. The Citaros are certainly powerful machines but not the most comfortable.
The Citaros that brought me to, and took me from, Aylesbury. The bus station is still a hole though a bit better than it was?
The former London Transport/London Country depot at Tring
Tring town centre - another Citaro approaches through the really pleasant town centre
I got off at Tring and for two good reasons. One is that I wanted a rest stop and to explore. The other was that the former London Transport depot is still there and I fancied having a look. It's been converted to a Royal Mail depot and gym but is still recognisable. A rare survivor, and apparently, Tring depot was regarded as a backwater in the day. The town itself is affluent and well heeled so I had a wander round, got a coffee and cake, and then waited for a late running X5 to continue my trip to Hemel Hempstead. All the Arriva runs thus far had reasonable passenger numbers so expect that Carousel and Redline will do well. Arriving into Hemel, dark clouds were massing (literally and figuratively) and the rain came as we arrived in the town.
Nearly raining - it would soon move from aggressive drizzle to full on rain but Hemel looked ok here
The Arriva Hemel commitment to quality - still promoting the service to Wigan and Horwich after reallocation in September. Making your everyday journey sparkle!
Now the X5 is currently Arriva Midlands will transfer to Arriva Southern Counties. I'm sure most passengers don't see a difference but there is. I thought the three Arriva vehicles I'd been on were presented ok and aside from a bit of late running, they were fine. Arriva Southern Counties is a poor operation in that area. I saw the two ex Bolton Pulsars that are still operating in full 362/575 livery nine months after transfer. I was waiting in the pouring rain for a 320 that never arrived, and fellow passengers were complaining about the state of the local Arriva operation. The 320 to Watford runs every 20 mins (theoretically) and was operated by a Max liveried Pulsar that had come from the former Guildford operation - at least they'd removed the vinyls but so crudely that it's former routes were clearly visible. We headed off to Watford and whilst I like Pulsars, this was a bit of a dog (being 16 years old). It suffered from the usual Arriva clagging of passive aggressive stickers with three no smoking ones by the cab alone. The rain was still hammering down as I arrived in Watford as I negotiated the subways to get to my next stop - I hadn't scheduled a Watford exploration and the weather wasn't helping!
My next journey was to take me into TfL land proper as we went to wend our way through Metroland where the tube runs but you're not in London. It was the Green Line 724, operated by Arriva's Harlow depot. It was on time surprisingly. Last time I experienced the 724, it was on a four year old e200mmc. Now it's operated by eleven year old Pulsars and this was a standard liveried example. We made our way around Metroland, passing via Rickmansworth and the former Comet HQ and via Croxley where a Japanese lady got on with three suitcases of which two were nearly the same size as her! It was school run time but we still made decent time until we got to the outskirts of Uxbridge.
I had a bit of time to kill in Uxbridge. The rain had passed and instead, sunshine with bits of blue sky were now drying things out. I wandered from York Road to the bus station and then through to the front entrance of the tube. The bus station entrance gives no clue to the fine Charles Holden design internally or from the front. I was parched and needed caffeine. Uxbridge was certainly busy and vibrant. I had my Costa and retraced my steps to York Road to await my penultimate bus of the day. A former London Country service, the run to Wycombe is now a Carousel corridor (as most of Wycombe will be soon) and it was another Citaro. It was slightly older than my Arriva ones (2009 rather than 2012) but the seating was moquette and it didn't have the same odd layout of longitudinal seats. It also had no internal promotion at all - not one vinyl - which I though odd. We fought the traffic out of Uxbridge and then were out into the Chilterns again as we went through the pretty town of Beaconsfield and then continued on into High Wycombe. I was pleasantly surprised about the amount of bus priority in that part of Wycombe. We arrived nearly on time into Wycombe bus station before a final uneventful trip back to Marlow...on my sixth Citaro of the day.
Uxbridge station - how many people take notice of the rail wheel detailing?
The less attractive side of Uxbridge - the bus depot is on the far left
I may not have had much vehicular variety (6 Citaro, 2 Pulsar, 1 e200) but it was a delightful day in a corner of the world that I visit fairly often but always by car to see friends and never on public transport. I'd say that all three operators in Wycombe aren't exactly stellar but Arriva was probably no worse than Carousel who had a couple of ex Plymouth machines that looked terrible. However, it was Arriva in Hemel that was the worst I saw and experienced. Yes, they have modern Streetlites amongst the Pulsars and e300s but it has a stench of neglect. Another cut comes soon with more territory lost to Red Rose and running former Garston stuff via interworking was always destined to fail. You wonder if it too has declined so much that it be readily put right.
Goodbye Arriva High Wycombe
The scenery was lovely and I wish I'd had time to explore Thame as well as perhaps fitting in some more time in Aylesbury but I did prioritise time in Tring. Lovely day and have to say that Arriva's staff at Aylesbury and Wycombe are being professional in providing a service despite the circumstances. I know I'm like a broken record but the corporate and strategic management of Arriva (not having a go at those striving locally/regionally) has been ruinous. I remember the Shires being a decent operation, even under British Bus and the constraints that brought. So many places (not just Wycombe) have Arriva operations that are a shadow of what they once were, or they've simply packed up and left. Services seemed well patronised (£2 fare helping?) despite the competitive elements between Arriva and Redline. Let's hope that with a single operator, Carousel can begin to establish an operation that is higher quality and sustainable.
Hope you enjoyed the read.
