(16 Jul 2014, 7:39 pm)Dan wrote For me it was a matter of it costing £4 (if my memory serves) for a child single using that one, compared to the £5.50 with EC, and I saw that it arrived 15 mins earlier so it seemed a no-brainer...

I made the mistake once...and never again!!

I once had to stand in the vestibule area between Darlington and Newcastle on a hot day, and that was enough for me like! I tried it seated between Newcastle and Leeds once since then, but I couldn't get away from the smell, not even in the coach.

(16 Jul 2014, 7:42 pm)aureolin wrote I once had to stand in the vestibule area between Darlington and Newcastle on a hot day, and that was enough for me like! I tried it seated between Newcastle and Leeds once since then, but I couldn't get away from the smell, not even in the coach.

It's situations like these where I'm pleased I haven't got a sense of smell haha. Was stuck on a CrossCountry from Newcastle to Derby and back back in March and my Dad kept complaining about the dodgy smell.

Anyway, buying tickets for East Coast services on East Coast's website is cheaper than the Trainline or Red Spotted Hanky, and of course you can get the reward points, and as already mentioned, there is no booking fee.

(16 Jul 2014, 7:27 pm)NEBCD Malarkey wrote Come to think of it, sure I seen something similar on the Grand Central Website a few weeks back, with regards to what you have mentioned above, seems rather odd that they are able to do that though.

So basically I could book my Tickets through Virgin but end up on a Cross Country or ECML or National Express Train.

Basically aye.
The toc's are agents in these cases.

Used East Coast more often than not - get loyalty points and have used them for travel on owt from ScotRail to First Great Western and more or less everything in between.

(16 Jul 2014, 7:42 pm)aureolin wrote I once had to stand in the vestibule area between Darlington and Newcastle on a hot day, and that was enough for me like! I tried it seated between Newcastle and Leeds once since then, but I couldn't get away from the smell, not even in the coach.

I often get the 16.52 out of Glasgow Central.
Mainly for convenience, rather than rush across to Queen St and faff on at Waverley or Haymarket.
Often tempted to burn my clothes after getting home and douse myself in bleach, but a good shower (where's eezypeazy's flannel) and plenty of Bold 2 in 1 does the job.

On Wednesday I took the Megabus to Manchester.

Here is my log for the day.

M35 - Newcastle to Manchester Shudehill - Stagecoach De Cymru - 50242 - Van Hool TD927 Astromega
Metrolink - Shudehill to Newton Heath & Moston
Metrolink - Newton Heath & Moston to Shudehill
118 - Shudehill to North Manchester General Hospital - Stagecoach JPT - 14071 - Leyland Olympian / N-C Palatine 1
156 - NMGH to Middleton Bus Station - Stagecoach JPT - 27598 - Transbus Enviro 300 (Former Go North East 4977)
17 - Middleton Bus Station to Rotherham Interchange - First Manchester - 37375 - Volvo B9TL / Wright Eclipse Gemini
Metrolink - Rotherham Interchange to Freehold
Metrolink - Freehold to Oldham Mumps
58 - Oldham Mumps to Oldham Bus Station - First Manchester - 66868 - Volvo B7RLE / Wright Eclipse
409 - Oldham Bus Station to Ashton Bus Station - First Manchester - 33703 - ADL Enviro 400
Metrolink - Ashton Town Centre to Piccadilly Gardens
36 - Piccadilly Gardens to Bolton Bus Station - First Manchester - 33691 - ADL Enviro 400
Train - Bolton to Salford Cresent - Northern Rail
Train - Salford Cresent to Deansgate - Transpennine Express
Metrolink - Deansgate to Piccadilly Gardens
M35 - Shudehill to Newcastle - Stagecoach De Cymru - 50239 - Van Hool TD927 Astromega

Next trip for me is a trip around local operators in my car. Followed by a trip to Sandtoft Gathering at the National Trolleybus Museum near Doncaster.

Trip to WHSmith for the DSA Theory Test book turned into an adventure which went as follows:

12:56 X1 Wrekenton - Washington Galleries (6054)
13:13 2A Washington Galleries - Sunderland (5326)
13:56 35 Sunderland - South Shields (5301)
14:23 50 South Shields - Washington Galleries (5256, running 15-20 mins late)
15:26 4 Washington Galleries - Heworth (5364)
15:42 X3 Heworth - Gateshead (4943)
15:56 X66 Gateshead - Metrocentre (4966)
16:26 X66 Metrocentre - Gateshead (5389)
16:35 X25 Gateshead - Eighton Banks (3804)

(19 Jul 2014, 4:30 pm)Adam wrote Trip to WHSmith for the DSA Theory Test book turned into an adventure which went as follows:

12:56 X1 Wrekenton - Washington Galleries (6054)
13:13 2A Washington Galleries - Sunderland (5326)
13:56 35 Sunderland - South Shields (5301)
14:23 50 South Shields - Washington Galleries (5256, running 15-20 mins late)
15:26 4 Washington Galleries - Heworth (5364)
15:42 X3 Heworth - Gateshead (4943)
15:56 X66 Gateshead - Metrocentre (4966)
16:26 X66 Metrocentre - Gateshead (5389)
16:35 X25 Gateshead - Eighton Banks (3804)

Everything with you seems to turn into an adventure, doesn't it

(19 Jul 2014, 6:15 pm)Marcus wrote Everything with you seems to turn into an adventure, doesn't it

Certainly does haha. That's what happens when you've finished school and have nothing more interesting to do

(19 Jul 2014, 7:32 pm)Adam wrote Certainly does haha. That's what happens when you've finished school and have nothing more interesting to do

After you pass your test, do you intend to become a bus driver or not?

(19 Jul 2014, 7:34 pm)Tom wrote After you pass your test, do you intend to become a bus driver or not?

I'm sure he once mentioned a job interview with GNE, or that could be have been someone else.

Had a small adventure today. I started in Whitburn at about 10:30am and arrived back at around 5:45PM. Departure times for services have not been mentioned because I kept loosing track of the time throughout the day .

SNE 27723 - 10:27am E6 - Whitburn Souter View/Lizard Lane to Park Lane.

GNE 4904 - 78 - Park Lane to Stanley.

GNE 'Venture' 643 - V8 - Stanley to Consett.

GNE 'Yellow Bus' 3833 - 46 - Consett to Eldon Square.

GNE Unid'd (forgot the fleet no.) 'Venture' - X70 - Eldon Square to Sunniside.

GNE 3887 - X30 - Sunniside to Stanley.

GNE 'Diamond' 5286 - 43 - Stanley to Durham.

GNE 'Prince Bishops' 5213 - 20 - Durham to Houghton.

GNE 'Laser' 5301 - 35 - Houghton to Park Lane.

SNE 27728 - E1 - Park Lane to Whitburn.

(19 Jul 2014, 7:34 pm)Tom wrote After you pass your test, do you intend to become a bus driver or not?

No. I'll get university out the way first and then see how things pan out.

(19 Jul 2014, 7:44 pm)Marcus wrote I'm sure he once mentioned a job interview with GNE, or that could be have been someone else.

Weren't me

(19 Jul 2014, 9:40 pm)Adam wrote No. I'll get university out the way first and then see how things pan out.


Weren't me

Oh; might have been Mobbsy then.

(19 Jul 2014, 10:06 pm)Marcus wrote Oh; might have been Mobbsy then.

To be fair, why would he go for a interview with GNE when he hasn't even passed his test.

Going to go to Newcastle to get the half 8 train to Sunderland as it uses 2 units so i will get the front unit to Heworth then the rear unit to Sunderland.

My day out today using the GNE Buzzfare I won, courtesy of Aureolin, in the NEB World Cup Fantasy Dream Team competition. The prize was a one-day ticket in the zone of my choice but I paid the extra to upgrade it to an all-zones ticket.

0933 45 from Rowlands Gill to Metrocentre
???? X66 from Metrocentre to Gateshead
1010 X10 from Gateshead to Middlesbrough
1210 X7 from Middlesbrough to Seaham
1400 265 from Seaham to Durham
1509 X21 from Durham to Gateshead
1559 1 from Gateshead to North Shields
1715 310 from North Shields to Newcastle
1815 46 from Newcastle to Rowlands Gill

I think I managed to travel in most zones with the exception of Cherry and Orange. However, as I'm in and around both of these zones on a daily basis, it was no huge loss.

Thanks again to Aureolin for providing the prize which enabled this day out.

(21 Jul 2014, 6:43 pm)AdamY wrote My day out today using the GNE Buzzfare I won, courtesy of Aureolin, in the NEB World Cup Fantasy Dream Team competition. The prize was a one-day ticket in the zone of my choice but I paid the extra to upgrade it to an all-zones ticket.

0933 45 from Rowlands Gill to Metrocentre
???? X66 from Metrocentre to Gateshead
1010 X10 from Gateshead to Middlesbrough
1210 X7 from Middlesbrough to Seaham
1400 265 from Seaham to Durham
1509 X21 from Durham to Gateshead
1559 1 from Gateshead to North Shields
1715 310 from North Shields to Newcastle
1815 46 from Newcastle to Rowlands Gill

I think I managed to travel in most zones with the exception of Cherry and Orange. However, as I'm in and around both of these zones on a daily basis, it was no huge loss.

Thanks again to Aureolin for providing the prize which enabled this day out.

Sounds like a good day out - did you enjoy the Cobalt B9TLS?

(21 Jul 2014, 8:11 pm)Tom wrote Sounds like a good day out - did you enjoy the Cobalt B9TLS?

To be honest I was too busy doing stuff on my netbook to notice anything particularly special about the Cobalt B9TLS. To me, a bus is just a bus I'm afraid. The only thing I noticed about that leg of my journey was that the next stop displays use Windows XP.

Did this today;

# X25 - Chester to Wrekenton
GNE 4931
# 56 - Wrekenton to Gateshead
GNE 6095
# X66 - Gateshead to Metrocentre
GNE 5341
# 10B - Metrocentre to Newcastle
GNE 6075
# 21 - Newcastle to Chester
GNE 6063
# 21 - Chester to Newcastle
GNE 6066

I fancy Aberdeen and back in a day....

(26 Jul 2014, 5:24 pm)citaro5284 wrote I fancy Aberdeen and back in a day....

Go the whole hog and HST it up to Inverness and back

(26 Jul 2014, 5:24 pm)citaro5284 wrote I fancy Aberdeen and back in a day....

Ooh - you're going to be jealous then, as I'm heading up there next month!

Wouldn't mind paying a visit to the Stagecoach depot up there if it meant I could get some photos of the new ugly ducklings that have arrived.

(26 Jul 2014, 5:28 pm)Dan wrote Ooh - you're going to be jealous then, as I'm heading up there next month!

Wouldn't mind paying a visit to the Stagecoach depot up there if it meant I could get some photos of the new ugly ducklings that have arrived.

You get about.....how close is the Stagecoach Depot to the centre of Aberdeen?

(26 Jul 2014, 5:27 pm)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Go the whole hog and HST it up to Inverness and back

Cannot really to Inverness in a day, but Aberdeen on a HST you can.....

(27 Jul 2014, 6:10 am)citaro5284 wrote Cannot really to Inverness in a day, but Aberdeen on a HST you can.....

Whey aye man, of course you can do Inverness in day - may not be a HST (mixture of toc's too), but it can be done.
With the correct timed trains, you can get about 3hrs up there to explore too.

(27 Jul 2014, 8:28 am)Andreos Constantopolous wrote Whey aye man, of course you can do Inverness in day - may not be a HST (mixture of toc's too), but it can be done.
With the correct timed trains, you can get about 3hrs up there to explore too.

But I have some EC Reward points to use which cannot be used on ScotRail, so has to be EC and EC only!!

(27 Jul 2014, 10:34 am)citaro5284 wrote But I have some EC Reward points to use which cannot be used on ScotRail, so has to be EC and EC only!!

Why didn't you say?
Yes, there are date limits on them, so make the most of them.

Today...

Metro 4084 - Stadium of Light to Regents Centre.
ANE 1209 - Service X20 - Regents Centre to Ashington
ANE 7491 - Service X21 - Ashington to Newbiggin
ANE 7513 - Service 35 - Newbiggin to Morpeth
ANE 1213 - Service X15 - Morpeth to Berwick

My trip to Newbiggin today went like this:

0842 7 Newton Aycliffe - Durham (ANE 1515)
0936 X21 Newcastle (GNE 6021)
1040 X20 Ashington Bus Station (ANE 1209)
1137 X21 Newbiggin Cresswell Arms (ANE 7491)
1222 X21 Ashington Bus Station (ANE 7512)
1400 X21 Newcastle (ANE 7456)
1500 X71 Gateshead (GNE 646)
1522 X66 Metrocentre (GNE 5347)
1555 X24 Aykley Heads (ANE 7434)
1640 7 Newton Aycliffe (ANE 1513)

My trip to Whitby went like this:
19197 X34 Marsden to Gateshead
6047 X10 Gateshead to Middlesbrough
7488. X93 Middlesbrough to Whitby
7487 X93 Whitby to Middlesbrough
5333 X7 Middlesbrough to Peterlee
2819 23. Peterlee to Sunderland
4924. 35A Sunderland to Harton Nook
22050 X34 Harton Nook to Marsden

(29 Jul 2014, 10:38 am)Dan wrote Today...

Metro 4084 - Stadium of Light to Regents Centre.
ANE 1209 - Service X20 - Regents Centre to Ashington
ANE 7491 - Service X21 - Ashington to Newbiggin
ANE 7513 - Service 35 - Newbiggin to Morpeth
ANE 1213 - Service X15 - Morpeth to Berwick

What did you have on the way back?