Saturday 28th November 2009: November's final flourish saw Woody, Andy and myself heading into unchartered territory with a visit to Bristol and Bath...
- The day kicks off with a ride on the local train into Birmingham, with Mr Wood joining me at Smethwick Galton Bridge. We find Andy waiting at New Street and make our way to platform 10b for the 9:12 service to Plymouth.
- The train seemed popular, but our advanced reservations did the job (thanks Mr Wood) and ensured we had a table seat for a relaxing journey. Andy pointed out his old residence as we sprinted through Bromsgrove, whilst the service also provided glimpses of Cheltenham, Bristol Parkway and local stations such as Yate. In fact, the journey was so relaxing, Woody decided to do some 'spontaneous meditation'...
- Bristol Temple Meads is a grand city station as befits its association with Isambard Kingdom Brunel. I really like the place and got a few platform shots as we made our way out to the forecourt to find our connecting bus. The entrance is particularly impressive, with a clock tower looming over the station drive. The 8 and 9 bus routes both terminate outside the station but their drivers didn't seem very keen on letting us board - the 8 drove off then the 9 wanted to make a quick getaway too and to top things off, the ticket machine thing wouldn't work!
- Things got even more ominous when we alighted on Bond Street in search of the bus station, access to which turned out to be via a grotty subway followed by a block of shops that looked every inch the mugger's paradise. On finding the bus station I wasn't that impressed either - sure its a clean modern facility, but it seems to have been designed specifically to stop people getting photos of the buses. We did get a few shots walking round the back of the layover area, but overall it was a frustrating location.
- To Bath then, and a ride on the X39. Andy's bladder was holding up well so far, and he treated us to a D9 driving re-enactment as we debated Mark's 'previous existence' as a driver at Stourbridge Bus Garage. The route mainly follows the A4 and doesn't take that long, despite the best efforts of the local traffic jams.
- Bath Bus Station was another irritating place, very much in the Bristol mould although I felt it did at least offer a little more scope for taking pictures. The station resembles a narrow glazed box perched close to the river, and seemed especially busy when we visited. I was intrigued by routes to Warminster and Chippenham, and also noticed a few Faresaver buses doing the rounds, a local independent operator perhaps?
- Lunch was beckoning so we venture into Bath City. Our aim was to track down the Wetherspoon's but we lost our bearings somewhat, although I did get a look at Bath Spa railway station and the Royal Hotel. Woody asks the police for some directions, and then its a merry dance through historic streets swarming with visitors to the Christmas market. The place was a hive of activity, and I rather enjoyed the festive atmosphere.
- After a few more twists and turns, we locate the King of Wessex and then have the difficult task of finding a spare table. The pub was rammed full, but we dropped lucky by finding a space and getting in a trio of Guinnesses to accompany our gourmet burgers. Actually, the food didn't take as long as we expected, and the chip count was considerably more than Chester had to offer.
- Our post-lunch plan was to track down the First depot at Twerton, but this was thwarted when the 5 failed to turn up (possibly because of extra demand due to Bath City's F.A. Cup tie with Forest Green). We console ourselves with some extra bus station photos, and I sneak another look at Bath Spa station, before its back on the X39 for the return leg to Bristol. Andy and Mark looked rather cosy when they both nodded off on the back seat!
- Back in Bristol, we undertake another Wetherspoon's hunt. The pub was once again proving very elusive, although I did enjoy exploring the city streets with the festive lights sparkling as darkness set in. Our search took us through the German Christmas Market and around Cabot Circus, the Marriott Hotel and the Mall shops, whilst our attempts to interrogate cleaners and information desk assistants only added to the confusion...
- One collision with Burger King later, we finally discovered Corn Street and were able to sample the historic surroundings of the Commercial Rooms. The pub was another example of Wetherspoon's utilising an impressive old building, and I particularly liked the panel of Presidents and a huge portrait of Brunel. The beer wasn't bad either, a decent pint of Ugly Sisters (a Marston's brew with a pantomime theme) that featured in our festive Cheers photo.
- The day was now drawing to a close, and we just had the simple matter of catching the 8 or 9 from the Hippodrome back to Temple Meads. Unfortunately the rain set in and the buses were nowhere to be seen, with the real time info display seemingly having a nervous breakdown. We worked out that the 1 could get us to the station, but by the time the driver had worked out our emergency ticket and negotiated city centre gridlock, our 6pm train home had scarpered. Luckily we could catch the 6:30 without any problems, so I just had time for a few bonus Temple Meads shots by way of goodbye. The ride home was swift and uneventful, and provided a suitably becalmed conclusion to our 2009 Christmas outing.
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