The Solihull Network Farewell - Part Two

The second of a brace of outings bidding farewell to the old Solihull bus network saw me visiting Sheldon, Cranes Park and Knowle on Friday 23rd January...

• Airport - My starting point for this outing was Birmingham International having caught the extended Arriva Trains Wales service up from Wolverhampton. I make my way to the bus interchange where the 38 is conveniently parked up just waiting to be photographed, although the bleak blustery weather tries its best to ruin the shot.
  
  
• The 38 - way back in the early days, Stuart and I encountered the 38Y bus, a Travel Your Bus route linking Birmingham City Centre and the Airport. The subsequent ride around Olton and Acocks Green as darkness fell remains one of my all time favourite bus experiences to this very day, so there was a certain poignancy as I followed in those cherished tyretreads. The 38Y later became the plain old 38, and here I sampled the section between International Station and Sheldon, only a short run really but enough to offer glimpses of the Clock pub at Bickenhill along with a brief visit to the Air Cargo terminal. The 38 itself is now set to disappear, replaced in part by a new S12 service between Acocks Green and Sheldon. I doubt the new route will fill me with quite the same sense of nostalgia.
  
  
• Sheldon - the 38 drops me off at the Wheatsheaf, and if anything the weather has got bleaker. Somehow the biting wind and grim drizzle seemed entirely appropriate as I looked out over the concrete jungle that is the Coventry Road, complete with signpost gantries and grimy subways. I've visited some pretty ugly spots in Birmingham, but believe me Sheldon is right up there battling for the title. To be fair though, there are some nicer estates once you escape from the main road, so perhaps I am being slightly harsh. I did try a few photos of the junction and some of the local shops, but it wasn't until I got to the Arden Oak pub that I started to feel settled. A useful start at some local photography then, but I'm hardly in any rush to go back.
  
  
• Cranes Park - time for some more local photos whilst hunting down either the 42c or the 672, winging it somewhat as I navigated my way through the estate. I managed to track down the local pub, which seemed to have been renamed the Crane & Dragon to be more in keeping with its self-proclaimed style as an English pub serving Thai cuisine. My stroll then takes me along Parkdale Road to find the terminus loop at Mapledene Road and Greenvale Avenue. The section here is hail and ride, whereby I somehow contrived to miss the 42c as it drove straight past. Thankfully I had more luck with the 672, and just to confirm my reversal in fortune, I note with some relief that the sun has come out!
  
  
• The 672 - having encountered the estate wiggling 671 last time out, I was expecting more of the same from the 672 and wasn't disappointed. Linking Cranes Park and Solihull, we called in at Sheldon and then set off on a maze of local streets such as Valley Road, Rangoon Road and Mayswood Road. I almost lost track of the twists and turns at one point, although I did spot the Harvester pub somewhere, and was also intrigued by the Olton Tavern as we joined Lode Lane for a more direct run into Solihull Town Centre. The route provided my first ride on a Silverline bus, and first impressions were good judging by the clean, welcoming and comfortable interior. Silverline will continue to operate the service once it is renumbered as the S10.
  
  
• Solihull Station - considering the changes that were about to take place, it would have been remiss of me not to have induldged in a proper session of bus photography at Solihull Station Interchange. In the end I spent an hour or so watching the comings and goings, with routes such as the 49, 169, 197, 166 and 42C ensuring the camera saw plenty of action - there was even the bonus of a County Links bus on the 60, a route I'd never come across before, so all in all it was excellent fun.
  
  
• The 40C (again) - my visit to Dorridge last time was supposed to be my final fling on the 40, but I couldn't resist one very last ride just to do the route extra justice. This time I alight at Knowle in search of lunch, thus eventually bidding goodbye to a firm favourite.
  
  
• Knowle - lunch has to wait a little bit longer, as first I'm on a mission to get photos of the pretty church along with the Red Lion pub opposite. Once these are in the bag, its off to the chip shop and then to Knowle Park, where I find a nice peaceful spot to tuck in whilst enjoying views across the parkland. Hunger satisfied, its back into the village for pictures of the village hall (grey breezeblock ugliness) and the library (attractive timber-framed townhouse) - no prizes for guessing which one I preferred. Just as I'm pondering what to do next, I spot the Central Buses 197 service approaching, so its off back to Solihull recalling the day when Rog and I caught the route to Balsall Common. I think Claribel's were the operator back then.
  
  
• The 966 - arriving back at Solihull Station, its a case of take pot luck and see what's in. The first bus to catch my eye was the 966, so I hopped on board for a ride back up to the Airport along Damson Lane. This route isn't changing through the review, and will continue to provide a regular service up to Chelmsley Wood, Castle Bromwich and Erdington.
  
  
• Airport - and so the trip returns full circle as I found myself back at Birmingham International Interchange, taking photos of the 38 on layover and then tracking down the Holyhead train for the return trip to Wolverhampton. The ride home gives me time to reflect on both of my network farewell outings with a great deal of satisfaction. I think I had a really good go at trying out some of the affected routes, and I'm really looking forward to investigating the new ones in due course.