Across the Border

To borrow a phrase from Wallace and Gromit, last Saturday's outing was 'A Grand Day Out' that saw Rog, Woody, Andy and yours truly (not forgetting Bruce the Bear) sampling the delights of Chester before venturing across the border into Wales with a visit to Mold...

Meeting at Wolverhampton Station, we caught the 9:37 Preston train up to Crewe, giving us chance to begin the banter by reviewing Bruce's fight with Edd the Duck last time out. At Crewe it was off to platform 9 for the train to Chester, but only after the chaps had endured a rather unpleasant experience in one of the station toilets, scaring some of the other passengers as their moans echoed around the station. The experience also prompted a discussion on the toilet habits at West Bromwich Depot, proving you can never predict where a conversation might lead you! Bruce also surfaced for the ride to Chester, making friends with another teddy sitting on the table opposite.

Soon we were in Chester, and I was immediately into photo-taking action with shots of the train and views along the platform. I really like Chester Station, its a cracking building with a long frontage and lots of traditional features although it works well as a modern facility too. The Queens Hotel and the Town Crier pub provided further interest opposite the station entrance, and there was the added bonus of a bus terminus where route 1 from Wrexham was conveniently on layover.

The Rail Link shuttle bus had arrived and, after a couple more photos, we hopped on board for the short ride into the City Centre. Having alighted, we navigate up Eastgate Street by the impressive clock and then passed the even more impressive cathedral, dodging street preachers to find Chester Bus Exchange. Here I was in my element, surveying the stands for potential targets which included route 1a to Blacon, route 3 to Ellesmere Port, route 401 to Liverpool and route 12 to Connah's Quay Boathouse.

It was now counting down towards lunchtime, so we returned to Foregate Street where Rog set himself the challenge of finding the cheapest Mother's Day card in Chester before deciding on a fairly cute, Bruce-inspired offering. The Square Bottle was our next port of call, where we had plenty of time to debate the lack of service and then the lack of chips once my dinner arrived! It was a good job I wasn't actually that hungry otherwise I'd have had to send out a search party...

Time for more buses, waiting at Stand D on Foregate Street for the X55 to Mold as the rather intriguing X94 to Barmouth called by. The X55 wasn't far behind and provided a nice ride via Chester Business Park, Broughton Retail Park, Broughton Village and Buckley/Bwcle. Bruce got into the action by reading the Daily Star (or was he looking at the pictures?!!), then Andy nearly did himself a mischief whilst undergoing contortion so that Bruce could wave to passing motorists.

Soon we were in Mold, where the camera was quickly back in action at the little bus station, capturing a few buses on layover at what proved to be another nice photo location. It was now time for our next pint, so we headed across the road into the Boars Head, a nice local pub where we set up a group photo in the beer garden and I achieved a mini-ambition by setting foot inside a Welsh pub. Returning to the bus station, we were hoping to catch the 26 to Wrexham but it didn't show, so our stay in Mold was extended by a visit to the local Wetherspoon's where Bruce got cosy with one of the barmaids, lucky him! The X44 then got us back on track with a return ride to Chester, calling at Buckley, Hawarden and Ewloe, thus returning us to England although I'd definitely venture back into Wales and return to Mold in future.

The ride back was fairly swift, which was just as well considering both Rog and Andy were suffering with their bladders. One urgent toilet stop later, we hopped onto the 1 back to Chester Station but still had time for a bonus pint in the Town Crier - I think this pub could become our regular Chester watering hole. With a quick dash through the station, we boarded the Euston train for the ride back to Crewe and I received the excellent news that Wolves were leading 1-0 at Nottingham Forest. The pub at Crewe Station was shut, so I consoled myself with some shots of the station entrance before we caught the London Midland service back to Wolverhampton.

Back in the West Midlands, Woody bid us farewell until next time, whilst Andy, Rog and myself decided upon a visit to the Great Western round by Low Level Station. The pub enjoys an excellent reputation in Wolverhampton and didn't disappoint, providing a traditional atmosphere with lots of railway memorabilia on display. Bruce and Andy then said a tearful goodbye as Andy caught the Metro home, leaving Rog and me to finish off proceedings at our new Wolverhampton favourites, the Wheatsheaf and the Giffard.

On reflection, it really was an excellent day, despite never quite making it to Wrexham. I got a few photos, enjoyed a few pints and I think that goes for everyone. It was nice to get back out further afield, with both Chester and Mold making quite an impression and proving worthy of further investigation. I'm already looking forward to the next time we head across the border...