Unforgettable Bus Rides
Route 376: Bristol to Street via Wells
11 June 2022
ABOVE: First 33665 (SN12 AEG) on route 376 in Farrington Gurney. All photos in this article were taken on Tuesday 8th March 2022
I’ve been meaning to revisit First West of England route 376 from Bristol to Street for a long time. But when I get to Bristol Bus Station, the 0810 departure of this busy half-hourly service is not listed on the departure board.
It transpires that the 376 stand is closed for redevelopment work, and a sign directs people to the metrobus stop nearby (see my previous article about the metrobus network). A map would help as I have no idea what road I am being pointed to. There are Metrobus stops on Bond Street, near the bus station, and I recall having seen a 376 parked up at one of them the previous night, without having appreciated the significance.
But there isn’t one parked there now. And there’s nothing in the stop to suggest that the 376 is stopping there. I try the Metrobus stop on the other side of the road, but there are no clues there either. Traveline suggests that the second stop for the service will be S12 on Broad Weir. I manage to find my way over there and the service – scheduled at 0815 from this stop – is indeed indicated on the board.
But 0815 comes and goes, and the bus does not. It disappears from the display, and not a lot happens. Just as I am contemplating an alternative itinerary for the day, it finally turns up at 0828.
The ticket I want today, a West of England Plus Zone Day ticket, is quite well hidden on the First West of England website (and doesn’t seem to appear at all on the Buses of Somerset site, even though it is also valid there), so I wonder whether the driver will have heard of it. But he has, and the ticket is issued to me without a problem.
My vehicle is an Enviro 400 with a grubby front window, as you can tell from my photos. (What do mean; “a bad workman blames his tools”?)
It takes a long time to get out of Bristol. Every traffic light stays red for a long time. There are bus priority measures, but there are also just too many conflicting traffic flows. After Temple Meads (due 0822, actual time 0838), we’re finally heading out of the city, although the traffic is still heavy.
Trade at this stage is small but steady (circa eight passengers), but we are going against the flow (it picks up later). An incoming service is marked “Sorry, Bus Full”. I have a distinct feeling that this is the next service after mine; due out of the Bus Station (or not – see above) at 0840. But it’s gone that already and there’s a good 12-15 minutes for it to cover yet on the incoming journey.
ABOVE: An unidentified First West of England vehicle on its way into Bristol, on route 376 from Street. This is Highgrove Street, Totterdown.
This is a pretty straight run all the way to Wells, starting in a southerly direction and turning more south-westerly later on. But first we have to get clear of Bristol.
In the southern suburbs of Knowle, traffic into town is solid; fortunately it’s flowing freely in our direction. We start down a 1:9 hill. At the bottom, near Wootton Park, is another 376 heading into town. It’s 0848, and this one is just a couple of minutes behind the previous one, and will presumably form the 0910 departure from somewhere in Bristol City Centre.
There’s a long traffic queue for our direction as we cross the border into Bath & North East Somerset, and reach Whitchurch Village. The jam is caused by a pinch-point on the road where a couple of (legally) parked cars make it tricky for two large vehicles to pass. And there do seem to be a lot of lorries on this road.
Finally, we’re into the countryside, just as the sun pokes out for the first time. It’s not the sort of day where it sticks around for long, but it does stay dry.
It’s another steep descent into Pensford Village, where a distinctive building that was once the Miner’s Welfare Institute is now a coffee shop. A road sign confirms that we’re still 15 miles from Wells (it’s 20.7 miles from Bristol to Wells, and a further 7.8 miles to Street).
Last time I took the 376, in 2011, it was a single-decker. The top deck significantly enhances the views of Clutton as we pass through.
Further along, there’s real time information on some of the bus stops in Temple Cloud, indicating that the next three buses on this service are: “due” (obviously, as we’re here), 27 minutes away and 44 minutes away. Only the last of those is likely to be anywhere near its scheduled time.
“Welcome to Somerset”, proclaims a sign as we pass through Farrington Gurney. Underneath is a separate sign proclaiming that the county is “Twinned with Atlantis”! The sign looks official, but apparently it was erected by a local as a humorous commemoration of a series of floods in the region across the winter of 2013/14. I gather that Somerset’s tourist industry suffered badly the following summer, as everyone seemingly assumed that the whole county was underwater.
ABOVE: Somewhere between Farrington Gurney and Chewton Mendip
It’s nine miles to Wells. Most of this stretch is beautiful, undulating countryside. Then we’re passing farmland, followed by the village of Chewton Mendip, where the downward slope of the hill becomes so steep that it requires an ‘Escape Lane’ for runaway vehicles.
ABOVE: High Street, Chewton Mendip
Wells is a small City, but is well (no pun intended) worth a visit. It’s a pretty place and the Cathedral and surrounds are worth spending some time in. The streets are paved with shops, eateries (and drinkeries!) and hotels.
ABOVE: Wells Market Place, looking down towards The Bishop’s Palace (right, background) and Wells Cathedral, which can just be picked out (left background)
This blog has already visited Wells, on route 126 from Weston-super-Mare, but that’s still a couple of days in the future as I reach the Bus Station on route 376, 16 minutes down.
A driver change takes place here, and virtually everyone else leaves as well! A new set of customers joins, but in smaller numbers than before.
I’m now into new territory – no wonder my feet are itching. On my previous trip on the route I didn’t venture south of Wells. That’s changing now as we head for Street.
We’re on the main road, heading through Coxley, which is a bit more built up than I’ve seen since the outskirts of Bristol.
The major town on this part of the route is Glastonbury. Of course, I am expecting tents and mud, but what I actually get is a sizeable town with a vibrant High Street. It’s tight for two-way traffic, and the drunks accumulated in the entrance of the church do not enhance things.
ABOVE: Glastonbury High Street, with Dennis Dart 42969 (WA56 FTZ) from the Buses of Somerset fleet
There are one or two shops that suggest the influence of the annual Music Festival – even if that does only run for a few days each year. There’s a shop selling guitars and ukuleles, an organic food store and several selling those all-important accessories for such an occasion – all-over wraps, ponchos and umbrellas.
There’s also a pet shop called “A Place 2 Paws” (even more amusingly, it’s in an old Mews), and a woollen fabrics shop called “Sew Over The Moon”. Plus a shop that accepts Bitcoin.
The bus stops right outside Glastonbury Abbey, which is, so says its website, “connected with legend to a degree that is unparalleled by any other abbey in England”. Even at something-to-ten on a March weekday morning there is a bit of a buzz around here.
ABOVE: Glastonbury Abbey
Out of Glastonbury and a left turn suddenly brings us to the outskirts of Street, where the 376 terminates. It would normally go into the Town Centre and out the other side, but the High Street is closed and most passengers leave at Glaston House, just before the start of the High Street.
The driver takes the trouble to come upstairs to inform me that this is the best stop for the Town Centre. He makes sure that I’m clear on where I’m heading before he pulls off. He’s very friendly and polite, and that makes such a difference when you don’t know a place.
We’ve arrived at 1004, probably about 10-12 minutes behind schedule. I don’t know whether the diversion will help or hinder, but the bus will be working its way around to the south of the town to terminate.
Under an hour later, I’m back at Glaston House to embark on a tour of the Buses of Somerset. A very busy 376 from Bristol pulls in at 1053, followed by another one three minutes later. The first of these is presumably the one I saw heading into Bristol well behind time. A few minutes later it is heading back to Bristol, 25 minutes late. On such tight turnarounds, how will it ever make up the lost time?
ABOVE: A Libra Travel Optare Solo, running through Glastonbury High Street on four-times daily route 668, from Shipham to Street.
ABOVE: Glastonbury High Street
Some hours later I am back in Glastonbury to catch the 1653 service back to Bristol. This bus is very busy and there are no inside seats available on the top deck (although a group of a dozen schoolchildren have spread themselves out, one per two seats, across the back of the bus).
There’s a mass exodus at Wells, leaving about 15 passengers on board. We’re joined by a similar number of new ones. The drive back to Bristol is fast and unremarkable. At least all the buses seem to be on time again now, but I never did find out which bus stop had replaced the closed one at Bristol Bus Station…