(28 May 2016, 8:36 pm)BusLoverMum wrote We accidentally managed a journey involving no repeat bus types, today. Even more unusually, it featured no streetlites!Interesting review, I seem to always have 22034 by chance (my grandparents live in next to the X77/X78/GNE 74 route) and the past ten times eight of them on the X78 I have had 22034, not great but not rubbish, there is a ramp because I have seen it before. On another note if you want a great SNE SPD catch 35192, I use them regularly on the 32/32A and the 7 to/from my school so I know plenty about those buses, and 35191 is worst of all and if you want info about the ALX300s 22038, 22408 and 22050 are some of the best (22038 only because of the registration) and the worst is 22031 by far
We started off in Durham, having been dropped off there so Big'un could have his head pruned. Grabbed the ritual sarnies and headed down to the bus station in time to hop onto a 16 at 10:40 - 5289. Definitely my favourite batch of Citaros, these.
Straight onto a Venture Solo on the V8 at Stanley at 11:16. Can't remember which one we got, but it wasn't the really rattly one. As always, this bus was very full.
Went to powder our by now shiny noses at the Metrocentre, then sat and ate our lunch and watched the world go by, in the bus station. I can recommend the pret classic club - v tasty (and kept me full until dinnertime, which went down well with MyFitnessPal)
We had decided to catch one of the stagecoach services to the Freeman hospital, for a change of scene. Caught the 12:22 7. Annoyingly, the driver tried to turn us away with our tickets "you can't use Northerns". This vehicle was 25191 - a very uninspiring SPD which struggled on hills.
Having used the route maps available onboard to work out what went where, we decided that we were bored, after the grimness of Kenton (and all the loud gobshite kids) and hopped off just after Fawdon Metro. A 30, which would take us straight into Newcastle wasn't far behind. This driver understood our tickets, at least. This vehicle was an ALX300 - 22034, big'un thinks. This was a nicer ride than the SPD, though I'm assuming there must be a portable ramp stashed away somewhere, or else how the hell is it DDA compliant?
We had a good walk around town, at this point. Some of the worst buskers I've heard in Newcastle for a long time, including a guy torturing a harmonica vaguely along to a backing track. Big'un was disgusted that John Lewis no longer have blueberry muffins in their cafe, so my free cuppa and cake voucher for this month has gone unused.
We grabbed some goodies from Waitrose (mostly pasta meals for Mr Fussy McFussypants, here) and then, after some scouting around, caught 4927, the Y reg Solar on the rather delayed 14:25 X25. Turns out that our trip via the West end was probably a good move, since there had been a rather disruptive incident on the Tyne Bridge, at lunch time.
We left this vehicle at CLS and crossed the road for better light to get a few pictures. We didn't stay long, though as 3872 turned up on the 21 to Durham. Big'un likes this Lolyne, even if it does stink and plods along the A167.
Durham bus station was absolutely heaving. We'd spotted newly repainted ANE 2839 pulling in on the 49, so took a walk the long way round to the roundabout to catch it for a photo, along with a few others. Headed back into the station, once it had passed, as our 22 was pulling in - a lovely, lovely Pulsar - 1520. Probably my favourite ride of the day since the morning's merc!
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