Greetings all. I've been on leave this last week, and whilst the storms put paid to any hopes of outings on Monday and Tuesday, I have been active over the last few days - here's what I've been up to...
Wednesday - I made my way across to Selly Oak to track down more of the Dudley No. 2 Canal, starting at Harborne Lane where the relief road project appears to be gathering pace. The old canal flanks Selly Oak Park, but then becomes more of a woodland path as it heads towards Weoley Castle. The trail reaches an abrupt end at an overgrown bridge round the back of the old castle remains - it was an interesting walk but I was hoping there might be more remnants of the canal itself to photograph. Next, I make my way into Weoley Castle for photos of the market hall and the 69 bus, then catch the 647 to Bearwood - a fascinating ride through California and Harborne that also provided me with my first look at Moorpool, a rather exclusive looking conservation zone. Bearwood provided photos of the 450 and a walk through Lightwoods Park, and the afternoon saw me venture up Thimblemill Road for photos of the swimming baths, library and Thimblemill pub. Next was Londonderry, with the impressive Queens Head pub, before I concluded proceedings at Langley with a look at the Merrivale, the local library and my old friend Langley Green Station.
Thursday - a further attempt to get to grips with the current Dudley bus network before it all changes in April. Firstly to Stourbridge where I meet up with Rog and add to my Stourbridge pub repertoire with the Waggon & Horses and the Glasshouse - a nice little catch-up that. The traditional bus photos at Stourbridge Bus Station included a long sought after shot of the elusive 288 route, and then I caught the 251 up through Withymoor Village and The Delph to continue the photo session at Merry Hill. It was great fun, rolling back the years to those early trips where I would linger at bus stations and photograph any bus in sight - routes such as the 265, 002 and 123 were happy to oblige. The 276 took me across to Dudley, where I finally tracked down the 224 route for the ride over to Bilston. I've been wanting to try this route for ages and it didn't disappoint, with a run up through Woodsetton, Sedgley and Woodcross topped off with a first glimpse of Sedgemoor Park - the Elisabeth Arms is a definite future photo target.
Friday - the three-in-a-row was completed with a little adventure down Northycote. The Green Bus Service have started up a new No. 4 route linking Wolverhampton and the Moseley Parklands, and I simply just had to investigate. The route provided me with my first ever ride on a Green Bus (I've taken a few photos before but never actually been on board), and also introduced me to the Springfield Farm estate round the back of Fordhouses - fascinating. The terminus is on Ainsworth Road, and the driver was happy for me to take pictures, always a bonus. The route runs hourly in the off-peak and responds to a lengthy campaign from residents wishing to see increased bus provision in the area, although I kind of got the feeling that the route was on a trial basis only, and I'm not sure whether it'll be around for that much longer. That said, I was delighted to have explored the route and nailed a photo at a new Wolverhampton terminus. I then continued up to Northycote Farm for a look at the animals and the duckpond, before finishing off with the latest in a long line of visits to Northwood Park, where old favourites such as the Vol and the park itself helped me to a healthy haul of photos.
Well there you have it, a most constructive batch of outings, and in the 647, the 224 and the 4 I have some cracking bus route memories to look back on with fondness. I had originally intended to use this week for Rail Rover 2008 - sadly the weather put paid to those plans, but I definitely think I've more than made up for that initial disappointment.
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