0We set off this morning with no agenda other than to try a few of the local Gateshead routes and, maybe, have a nosey at some bus depots on the way. We did better than we were bargaining for.
We arrived into Durham on our 22 at just after 10am. Our vehicle was 1595, so quiet without the NSAs. Uneventful journey other than being waved past a stopped convoy of horse boxes on Silent bank. Even that is relatively uneventful, as that bit of Co Durham probably has more horses and sheep than people living in it.
An X21 arrived only minutes after we did. It was packed - upstairs completely full and we ended up sitting at the back, facing backwards, by the emergency exit. People ended up standing up at Chester le Street, which is a bit bonkers, considering how frequent the 21 is.
Sitting downstairs was convenient, anyhow, as we alighted at Gateshead Interchange and raced around to stand C for the 93, only to find that the timetable I'd downloaded was wrong and we needed stand A. No biggie, as the 11:02 was a few minutes late, anyhow.
We sat near the back, behind the loops, so we had a clear view. Spotted one of the new purple streetlites parked up at Saltmeadows, along with something big, yellow and much, much older. The rest of the journey took us through the its of Stoneygate and Felling that I used to avoid like the plague when I lived around the area [shudder]. The GCT depot had its fleet of orange presidents all perfectly lined up, though. Big'un approved - once I'd got him to notice them (he just stared at my finger, when I pointed - blooming ASD - so I ended up turning his head to have a look!)
After a short wait in the sunshine, at Heworth, we hopped on the 11:32 27 into Newcastle. By the time we reached Market Street, I was famished and busting for the loo, so we walked around to M&S to sort all that out.
We at our lunch in the luxurious surroundings of Eldon Square bus station - taking care not to sit near to anyone sufficiently challenged in the soap and water department to ruin the fine dining experience. My sarnie was an Orkney Crab, Avocado and lettuce in a malted grain bloomer. Glad it was 20% off because it was meh, at best.
We then stopped off at Fatface, to pick up a few things for me and Littl'un in the sale (they had some nice shirts for Husband, but I'm too much of a shortarse to reach!) then we walked around to Market Street, intending to get the 97 to the Metrocentre.
Unfortunately, the pre-match chaos had already set in. We arrived at about 1:15 and big'un got a few nice photos (one of the more scenic parts of that end of town) before his battery ran out. 1:23 came and went and the 97 didn't. Three 54s later, a 97A arrived. We stood back, but then it started to pickle down, so we hopped on and figured that it would be drier to wait at Gateshead. Unfortunately, I overheard the driver mentioning to another one that he was 41 minutes late. When another 97A pulled in directly behind the one we'd just stepped off, we changed plan and headed for the 49.
This was busy, but big'un enjoyed the route, particularly as we weaved in and out of familiar places.
The metrocentre was heaving, but we needed the loos again and I fancied a cuppa from Pret. Big'un had an apple juice.
By the time we got back to the bus station, we were a bit miffed that we appeared to have missed anything interesting, but 4963 pulled in 20 minutes late on the X88, so we opted for that. Our 3rd Solar of the day! It wasn't a bad ride, though didn't really get a chance to be stretched until it reached the A1231. As a bonus, it left the Metrocentre the long, long way around, right behind Riverside, so Big'un got to see into his 3rd depot/bus works of the day. Noticed a couple of Blaydon Racers parked up - also think I noticed a WTX parked up near the testing bay, when we passed the front way, the first time.
An additional bonus was the sight of First Potteries Optsre Solo W327 DWX being towed up the A1!
We arrived at the Galleries just after 3 - just as the 50 pulled away. Bum.
So we queued at stand A for an alternative that would tske us in the right sort of direction. Would have liked the 8 to CLS, but big'un decided he wanted the X1. No X1 arrived, in about 15 minutes, though, and when the 8 turned up, I persuaded him that the X1 would be horribly busy and this would be a better choice. And it was a good choice, as this leg of that journey is always pleasant, with plenty to look at when my mobile signal inevitably cuts out! The only downer was the occasional juddery gears. I don't know if this is peculiar to the C&Cs, or maybe a few drivers, but it's something I've only ever experienced on that bath of Streetlites.
The first Durham bound bus to arrive at CLS turned out to be the 50 after the one we missed. 5259. We caught it knowing that we had little chance of connecting with the 22 at Durham.
Now I usually love Omnicities, but this was dreadful. Hideously loud (Atlantean type whining) and moving at snails pace. We watched a streetdeck get further and further ahead of us on the A167. Even going through Durham, everything was overtaking us. We must have been doing less than 20mph past the hospital.
We had 20 minutes to kill, in Durham and we were peckish, so we first shrieked at the prices of stuff in McColls, then went to get a tray of chips to share, instead. The "I don't like chips" boy ate most of them. Growing lad.
Our final bus home was 1521. A nice finish to the day.
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