WME in Devon - the 85 and 85A

My explorations in Devon took me on some great bus routes, but I think the 85/85A has to be my favourite...

Staying in Dawlish Warren, the local routes are the 85 and 85A linking Exeter with either Torquay or Newton Abbot. The routes run frequently (a bus about every 15 minutes) with services operating well into the evening, and with the bus stop right outside the camp I had regular connections on my doorstep. Not only was the route convenient, it was an absolutely cracking ride in either direction. Tuesday saw me head into Exeter, with the bus providing leisurely views of pretty villages such as Cockwood, Starcross and Exminster - and the entire journey took just over half an hour. Come Wednesday I had the delights of Teignmouth and Kingsteignton as I headed into Newton Abbot on the 85A - so many places were just one ride away.

Better still, the routes provided good photo opportunities too. Stagecoach Devon buses give change, meaning buses often pause for a little while at bus stops, giving me just enough time to get a nice picture. Good photo locations included The Green at Dawlish, The Diner at Teignmouth and Sherborne Road in Newton Abbot.

It was great fun exploring the route, from waiting on Warren Road early in the morning looking for the bus to come, to hovering in Dawlish or Teignmouth in the evening then finishing off the outing with the bus back to the holiday park. Time to absorb and enjoy different surroundings, the route was a pleasure to ride

WME in Devon - a quick intro

I said I would post a few notes on my recent holiday, so here goes. I offer here a little introduction, and hope to add further posts focusing on my favourite bits of the adventure, so prepare yourself for a rambling kind of highlights package over the next few days!

As you know, last week I visited Dawlish for a well deserved holiday. Whilst down there, I took the opportunity to do a couple of days worth of exploring - and what a couple of days they were! I really enjoyed it, visiting some great places and trying out some fantastic scenic bus routes, not to mention investigating the local railway scene as well. With the weather just about right for photos - dry but not too bright - I was free to explore Devon at my leisure.

I had intended to do my exploring by rail, with the Freedom of the South West Rover ticket sounding tempting, but decided to go for the buses instead. Stagecoach Devon offer an Explorer ticket that gives you one day's unlimited travel on any of their services - and it only costs £5, a real bargain. What's more, the range of routes you can use the ticket on is extensive, spanning the county from Plymouth to Barnstaple. This meant I could catch a bus right outside the holiday camp and go anywhere I wanted - perfect!

So thats what I did - armed with my camera and a good dollop of suncream, I walked the two minutes it took to get to the bus stop and from there I could catch the 85 or 85A and set off into the unknown...

Updates to WME Birmingham

Another busy morning of work on WME - this time I've concentrated on WME Birmingham, providing a few useful additions >>> http://wme4.fotopic.net

• A photo of the building work during the 2003 redevelopment of Moor Street Station has been added to the Moor Street collection - nice to capture and include the station's transformation in progress
• Additions also to the canal collections for Birmingham & Fazeley (Newhall Street Bridge) and Worcester & Birmingham (University Distance Post) - Newhall Street is a good addition making use of the WME Archive, the distance post is more of a filler that reflects another part of the canal furniture
• A collection has been started for the Bromford Bridge estate - this currently includes the Racecourse pub and a shot of a local shop. I don't know how much more will be added as I'm not in any hurry to revisit the area. With the best will in the world, it is a bit of a dump
• And finally, I've added a collection on Erdington Station. Its hardly the most exciting station I've visited, but I am pleased to include it. Looking back when adding the photos, I realised how much I enjoyed visiting the station despite its lack of age and charm, so it can't be that bad.

So, a fairly sizeable update there as I continue my return to action. Looking at WME1 and the test collections now though, there aren't many obvious candidates left as regards further additions. I will need to work on editing and improving some of the photos, as well as plundering the archive for new material - this might take some time. Whilst I am pleased with the recent updates, I am concerned that there isn't much happening on some of my galleries - particularly the ones for Coventry, Sandwell and Staffordshire. Add in sorting out the Devon stuff, and it looks like I've got a busy time ahead!

Straight back into it

Well I'm back from my holiday in Devon, and what an excellent holiday it was. Loads of exploring, hopefully some good photos - anyway, more about that some other time. I thought I'd get stuck straight back into updating WME, with the result that I've made a little bit more progress this morning

• On WME Wolverhampton, I've updated three collections. The old sign at Bushbury Pool joins Exploring Bushbury - its one of those filler photos that might prove useful to have around on the site. I've also added to the Birmingham Main Line and Staffs & Worcs Canal collections, both are beginning to take shape now. I'm particularly pleased to add Marsh Lane to Staffs & Worcs as its a special location with great memories, and is probably one of the main reasons I became interested in exploring canals in the first place, building on childhood walks around the Rakegate area >>> http://wme2.fotopic.net
• Meanwhile, an Exploring Brierley Hill collection has found its way onto WME Dudley. Brierley Hill is one of those places that defines the Black Country so its good to finally include it on the site >>> http://wme5.fotopic.net

A good constructive return to WME duty there - hopefully something to build on over the next few weeks. I want to sort out my Devon photos and share a few thoughts with you on the holiday explorations, so more ramblings should follow shortly...