I quite enjoyed today's outing to Seaburn despite not knowing when it was on, how to get there or anything else about the event in general. For some reason Geoff and I were drawn to the area, perhaps it was the draw of the open-water or the lure of singing sea-shanties while tucking into our fish and chips, but when we got there, we both noticed a strange gathering taking place in a large field featuring buses and other assorted motor vehicles. After much deliberation, we decided to park the car and have a butcher at what was transpiring. Geoff, who has no sense of adventure, became a little worried and decided to stay in the car and listen to Radio 3 while I decided to take the plunge and venture into the unknown to see what was transpiring...

After handing over £3, I strolled into the venue (not the former nightclub based in Spennymoor) and had a mooch around the stalls. Nothing really took my fancy so I decided to head on towards the outer perimeter of the field where the buses were stationed. While traversing the vast empty plain, I noticed the presence of two other forum members - Dan and Aureolin respectively. I enquired upon the whereabouts of R852 PRG and I was reliably informed he was participating in a meeting being held on 4710. I thought this was strange, after all, how could one bus fit onboard another bus yet alone taking part in a talking shop regarding restoration - I think we must have had our wires crossed somewhere. The three of us gravitated towards 4710, the doors open and Marcus emerged. Suddenly, everything become clear, 'ah, that R852 PRG' - I thought to myself.

After the shenanigans involving Bazza and Andrew Todd, the four of us decided to ride some buses. After waiting in the rain, getting rather drenched in the process, a national rocked up at the bus stop. We all boarded and took our seats to the rear of vehicle. The vehicle had an unusual feature not present on modern vehicles - a manual demister. I quite liked this and I hope other manufacturers take this idea on board. I think Jimmi may have showed up between this and our next trip although it is possible he was with us on the National - if you were, I'm sorry for not mentioning you until now. The next bus boarded was the 500 Group's Bristol VR, unfortunately, this broke-down at the bus stop and we were forced to disembark. A few minutes later, another bus appeared, 33101. This bus seemed quite modern - it was alright but nothing special. I'm sure it holds more sentiment to others though. After getting something to eat and walking along the seafront back to where the rally was located, we boarded the Alder Valley Open Top Bristol VR, LFS296F. I'm a mark for both Bristol VR's and Open-Top buses in general so this was, without doubt, the highlight of the day for me. Aureolin appears to concur and was certainly in good spirits throughout its run around Seaburn and Whitburn, however other enthusiasts seemed, well, less enthused. As well as Aureolin's inadvertent soaking of passengers, the bus also got stuck while attempting to navigate a junction and we all witnessed some car being pulled over in what looked like a drugs-bust. Quite eventful really. The last trip of the day was on the 500 Group's, Bristol VR. This proved to be disappointing, not because of the vehicle which was, overall, pretty decent, but because after boarding we were informed that the South Shields Busways Atlantean was scheduled for the next run. Personally, I would have preferred to have taken a ride on that.

After that, we all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. I found Geoff fast-asleep in my car, however I was a bit concerned that the engine was running with a hose strapped from the exhaust to the cars' interior...