(31 Dec 2014, 3:35 pm)Tom Was meant to be back by 3:30, but couldn't resist a ride on 3832 to Rowlands Gill.

#17 1114 Home to Cramlington 1215 - GNE 6025
#X11 1225 Cramlington to Haymarket 1225 - ANE 7611
#10 1305 Eldon Square to Metrocentre 1325 - GNE 60??
#43 1401 Metrocentre to Stanley 1445 - GNE 5338
#X43 1500 Stanley to Metrocentre 1525 - GNE 3830
#46 1530 Metrocentre to Rowlands Gill - GNE 3832

(31 Dec 2014, 7:10 pm)aureolin Short day out, as I wanted to avoid the NYE chaos.

2A - Biddick to Penshaw - GNE 5322
2A - Penshaw to Wavendon - GNE 5320
5A - Wavendon to Sunderland Hospital - SNE 36089
16 - Sunderland Hospital to Fawcett Street - SNE 28039
2N23 - Sunderland to Heworth - Northern 142017
94 - Heworth to Gateshead - GNE 5221
X66 - Gateshead to Metrocentre - GNE 4843
X88 - Metrocentre to Washington Galleries - GNE 6028
83 - Washington Galleries - Home - GNE 8250

(31 Dec 2014, 7:21 pm)citaro5284 You not stopping at your parents again are you...damn Arriva 

(31 Dec 2014, 7:24 pm)aureolin Completely stranded I'm afraid! Not that I'd expect any services at all on New Years Day. Pretty pointless when nowt but supermarkets are open.

(31 Dec 2014, 7:26 pm)MarcTheA4 I would offer you a lift....if I was old enough to drive!

(31 Dec 2014, 7:27 pm)citaro5284 Now Marcus you wouldn't and we all know why.....you are a d**k 

(31 Dec 2014, 7:27 pm)citaro5284 Now Marcus you wouldn't and we all know why.....you are a d**k 

(01 Jan 2015, 10:38 pm)aureolin Teesside is on the cards for Mr tomorrow. Keep putting an Explorer trip off, but the boredom of today has just about pushed me on to it!

(01 Jan 2015, 10:41 pm)tyresmoke Will give you a wave if you're around Middlesbrough, Guisborough etc!

(02 Jan 2015, 4:18 pm)MarcTheA4 Had a day out with Tom today.

I got up 10:00, got to Chester for 10:40, and made my way to the 50 stand, intending to get it to Washington. Guess who was waiting with her friends to get the X22, just behind it, to the Metrocentre.......'the girl'....

I have publicly made it clear to everyone at school I have moved on. She is now my 'ex-crush'. She's a desert and I'm a tumbleweed....I just keep rollin'...but everything is still 'awkward'...

Anyway, she was standing there with her friends and I was contemplating either boarding the 50 or jumping in front of it.
Took a deep breath and headed over to 4926...hoping they wouldn't see me. How wrong I was. As I got on, the driver turned off the engine and got off to have a cigarette or something. Oh....
I decided to just look the other way, and after about thirty seconds I turned my head and all 4 of them were staring through the window at me laughing their asses off at my embarrasing shituation. What could I do other than smile..? Thank god we departed a moment later.

#50 - Chester-le-Street to Washington, The Galleries - Scania L94UA/Wright Solar - 4926
--- Absolutely horrendous bus. Truly awful. ---

Got off at the Galleries and went for the X1. Didn't look busy so I just got on no bother.

#X1 - Washington, The Galleries to Newcastle, Eldon Square - Volvo B9TL/Wright Gemini 2 6006
--- Meh. Not much to say, it was okay, nice and quiet. ---

Walked across to Haymarket looking for Tom. He texted me to say he would be delayed because of the traffic. He got off 7805 (? - it was a Coastliner 308) and we spent an awkward moment trying to working out if we were looking at each other, and he said he couldn't see anything good in Haymarket, and we walked across to Blackett Street as nothing good was in Eldon Square. We saw a 100 and went for it.

#100 - Newcastle, Blackett Street to MetroCentre Interchange - Alexander Dennis Enviro300 - 27506
--- Not many comments to make, was a busy journey but we both had seats so everything was okay. ---

Went into Poundland for some change, and then made our way across to the railway station for some photos. We saw a National Holidays coach in the coach park so we went for a photo (probs the first time his camera has been out in the open in 3 months!! ) and then caught a photo of a Northern Rail 142 heading to Newcastle before heading back over to the bus station.

Saw a 47 depart, shame as it was an Eclipse. Saw a 43 heading to Newcastle but opted for the 10 instead.

#10 - MetroCentre Interchange to Newcastle, Eldon Square - Volvo B95L/Wright Gemini 2 - 6073
--- Bus was superb, the best of the day by far. Traffic gave us the opportunity to have a talk.

Walked across to Haymarket for a ride to Regent Centre. Saw a Sapphire so got on.

#X22 - Newcastle, Haymarket to Regent Centre Metro - Dennis Trident 2/Alexander Enviro400 - 7509
--- Absolute disgrace to the bus industry. Awful seating, bluh!! ---

Walked across to the Newcastle-bound stands. There was an ALX400 and a Solo but they left before we could get on.

#X11 - Regent Centre Metro to Newcastle, Haymarket - VDL DB300/Wright Gemini 2 - 7622
--- No better than 7509, not much to say really. ---

Walked across to Eldon Square and left Tom, as I had to be back home at mother's request, and he went up to Consett on an X70, as it was 3823. Waited a while for the X21, and luckily it was a Lolyne.

#X21 - Newcastle, Eldon Square to Chester-le-Street - Dennis Trident/East Lancs Lolyne - 3879
--- Okay, bit crowded but a nice quiet journey on the upper deck. ---

Went up to Bon Bons (it's a sweet shop) to get my parents some stuff. Spend £11.40 overall on my dad's floral gums and my mam's liquorice. hehe

#21 - Chester-le-Street to Home - Volvo B5HL/Wright Gemini 2 - 6057
--- Really short journey but it was alright. ---

Overall - good day!

(03 Jan 2015, 3:47 pm)aureolin Sounds like a good day, but I notice no flickr updates from either of you.  

Have you both been put off taking photos or something? Shame like, as there's a lot of stuff you will potentially miss if you don't get it now.

(03 Jan 2015, 5:33 pm)Jimmi Keep meaning to get photos of the nPower Park and Ride services - how often do they run around 1pm sort of time on weekdays?

I'd hate to do the full 7 route, thankfully I never have to do this. I did ride the old 7A from the Arnison Centre to Darlington once but back then DurhamGate didn't exist and the bus allocated on that journey on that day was Volvo Olympian 7363 and I hadn't rode them on anything apart from the X66, I enjoyed that journey so much I ended up doing the full route.

I've had WiFi problems on the MAX Omnicitys although I think I somehow deleted the network on my phone, so if anyone knows how to get it back on my Windows Phone please let me know!