BRISTOL TO CARDIFF - THE LONG WAY ROUND
(Part One of Two)
23 October 2022
ABOVE: Newport Bus 351 (BV19 LPA), a Volvo B8RLE MCV eVoRa, is loading in Chepstow Bus Station for another run on route T7 to Bristol (shown here with its Welsh spelling – the display alternates between English and Welsh). All photos in this article taken on Wednesday 10th August 2022.
I’m at Bristol Temple Meads station, looking for a bus into town. Previous experience has suggested that route 8 is likely to be the best bet. The one on the stand is labelled for somewhere I’ve never heard of. (I didn’t note it at the time but it might have said “Rupert Street”.)
Apparently, staff shortages mean that the bus won’t be doing the full journey out to Clifton. Only problem is that I have no idea where the stated destination is in relation to the bus station.
It turns out that the bus is terminating at The Bearpit roundabout, which is right next to the bus station! Once I have sorted that out with the driver, it’s a very simple journey.
First in Bristol is one of those operators that offers a ticket-free option for its standard fare, so it’s a quick touch-in and we’re sorted. By touching in, I have paid the standard fare, but I wonder afterwards whether the ride should have qualified for the lower short-hop fare.
I’m not too fussed as I’m well in profit already this morning. I had been planning to travel to Bristol via Paddington, but went via Reading instead, from where the Anytime Single fare is more than £37 cheaper. And, by the skin of my teeth, I’ve caught a train half an hour earlier than the one I was aiming for!
Back to route 8. A woman boards at the Old Market, Temple Way stop, a couple of stops short of where we’re terminating, and touches in. She then decides that the bus is not for her and leaves again. But she will have been charged for that journey...
I leave at The Bearpit (no bears)! I’m heading to Cardiff, and I live on the Great Western Main Line, so naturally I have come to Bristol. From Reading I could have reached Cardiff at 0938 (just about what the time is now). Even from here I could now get there for 11.00.
But, if you’re a regular reader, you will know that I don’t take the straight route! I’m taking the long way round to Cardiff, by bus.
First, I need to cross into Wales. The T7 TransCymru service doesn't qualify for a space in Bristol Bus Station itself, so it has to settle for a roadside stop just across the road on Marlborough Street; the actual stop name is Stokes Croft, which sounds to me like somewhere further out of town... A shame, in a way, that such a major service cannot be accommodated.
I’m at Bristol Temple Meads station, looking for a bus into town. Previous experience has suggested that route 8 is likely to be the best bet. The one on the stand is labelled for somewhere I’ve never heard of. (I didn’t note it at the time but it might have said “Rupert Street”.)
Apparently, staff shortages mean that the bus won’t be doing the full journey out to Clifton. Only problem is that I have no idea where the stated destination is in relation to the bus station.
It turns out that the bus is terminating at The Bearpit roundabout, which is right next to the bus station! Once I have sorted that out with the driver, it’s a very simple journey.
First in Bristol is one of those operators that offers a ticket-free option for its standard fare, so it’s a quick touch-in and we’re sorted. By touching in, I have paid the standard fare, but I wonder afterwards whether the ride should have qualified for the lower short-hop fare.
I’m not too fussed as I’m well in profit already this morning. I had been planning to travel to Bristol via Paddington, but went via Reading instead, from where the Anytime Single fare is more than £37 cheaper. And, by the skin of my teeth, I’ve caught a train half an hour earlier than the one I was aiming for!
Back to route 8. A woman boards at the Old Market, Temple Way stop, a couple of stops short of where we’re terminating, and touches in. She then decides that the bus is not for her and leaves again. But she will have been charged for that journey...
I leave at The Bearpit (no bears)! I’m heading to Cardiff, and I live on the Great Western Main Line, so naturally I have come to Bristol. From Reading I could have reached Cardiff at 0938 (just about what the time is now). Even from here I could now get there for 11.00.
But, if you’re a regular reader, you will know that I don’t take the straight route! I’m taking the long way round to Cardiff, by bus.
First, I need to cross into Wales. The T7 TransCymru service doesn't qualify for a space in Bristol Bus Station itself, so it has to settle for a roadside stop just across the road on Marlborough Street; the actual stop name is Stokes Croft, which sounds to me like somewhere further out of town... A shame, in a way, that such a major service cannot be accommodated.
Newport Bus 352 (BV19 LPC), another Volvo B8RLE MCV eVoRa, on the stand in Marlborough Road, Bristol, taken from just outside the bus station, prior to taking up the 1005 service T7 to Chepstow.
The 1005 service is already on the stand at 0950 and the doors are open. The chirpy driver is having a stretch break on the pavement but is quite happy to break off in order to sell me my ticket. There are four others already on board.
A problem arises as a man tries to pay cash for his journey, as this route uses a farebox and does not give change. The fare is £7.50, and he only has a tenner. He offers to give the tenner and let the driver keep the change, but the driver won't allow this either.
I am able to change the man’s tenner into two fivers, which enables him to offer the right sum to the driver, who now produces the ticket with a flourish and a cry of “abracadabra”!
There are six others on board for this journey to Chepstow, which will take just under an hour. This is my first experience of an MCV eVoRa (that's how they spell it!) and it's a pretty smart vehicle, with big side windows. The only thing that spoils the effect is the large luggage rack at the front, although this feels appropriate for the only service that crosses the border around here.
It's not immediately clear which company runs this service, as the T7 is branded as part of the nationwide TransCymru network. Closer examination reveals it to be a Newport Bus service. The farebox should have given it away really – not many bus companies still use them in my experience!
The 1842 Victoria Rooms; part of the Department of Music within the University of Bristol
The journey gets underway via the Whiteladies Road on the western side of the city. We pick up a man and his child at Clifton Down station.
Publicity on the bus suggests that the T7 links the “pretty towns and villages on the Welsh side with the retail heaven of Cribbs Causeway and Bristol City Centre”. I feel a bit of a Welsh bias here – is the best we can offer on the English side really the shops? Actually…
It’s noticeable that the number T7 is not shown on many of the bus stop flags in Bristol, which can't help to push up trade for this service.
It takes an age to reach the bus station at Cribbs Causeway. Despite the large size, and the fact that most of the stops in the bus station are empty, the T7 serves the same stop in both directions. A Bristol-bound service has arrived just ahead of us (Annoyingly, it’s a double-decker – very well-loaded, though.) We double our own passenger load here.
It's surprising that this route - not so much Cross-Wales as cross into Wales, was not considered to be viable by First Bus, and was, I believe, a service that was not provided for a few years.
And there was and is no other service across the spectacular Severn Bridge – the northern crossing, which is now the M48. A lovely crossing that is especially impressive if you can find a double-decker (which I have not)! There are about 15 passengers on board now.
Of course, as soon as we land the other side of the bridge we are in Wales, and in fact already in the environs of Chepstow. The bus picks up a couple more passengers for local journeys, using their Welsh bus passes.
A bus shelter in Bulwark Road, Bulwark (a suburb of Chepstow) needs a thorough clean and a timetable panel.
Very quickly we arrive at Chepstow Bus Station; now the terminus although buses went on to Newport (mainly along the M4 Motorway) in First Group days. We’re just a couple of minutes late at 11.00am.
Chepstow Bus Station itself is rather chaotic. A tour coach has parked in one of the bays, and I suspect it's not supposed to be there. It dwarfs the various small buses parked up on the stands.
Chepstow Bus Station, with vehicles of Phil Anstow Travel, Stagecoach and Newport Bus, as well as a tourist coach. Limited room for manoeuvre!
I’m now looking for a service to Monmouth. My notes direct me to a Stagecoach service at 11.15, but I can’t find any reference to such a service on the timetable panels. It is possible that I have inadvertently noted a Sunday timetable.
The only one I find mention of is a service 65, operated by Monmouthshire County Council. I also had note of a 12.30 service, which would have allowed me time to wander into Chepstow, but I can’t find that listed either, so decide to press on because of the uncertainty. The bus I want from Monmouth is irregular, so I don’t want to risk missing it.
It’s not clear which of the stands the 65 will stop at. There are five or six stands in the bus station, but it all feels a little chaotic. Stand 1 is labelled for the 65 but there’s no room at the moment – there’s a bus belonging to Phil Anslow Travel parked up, with passengers on board but no destination showing (it’s one of those vehicles where the display goes out when the engine has stopped).
Branding on the vehicle covers two routes, 63 & 69. The driver is outside having a stretch break. There’s a 63 to Cwmbran due at 11,20, from stand 1. There’s also a 69 to Monmouth due – also from stand 1! Which is this?
Phil Anslow Travel SN16 OGM looks like a standard ADL Enviro 200. But is it the 63 to Cwmbran or the 69 to Monmouth?
Services come and go, but there’s no sign of the 65 as 11.15 also comes and goes.
And then, at about 11.20, a 16-seater minibus pulls into stand 4. The only clue that it’s mine is a card in the windscreen saying “65”. It doesn’t display a destination. It looks like a Fiat Ducato Mellor Orion, but I can’t be certain.
Monmouthshire County Council’s SJ17 ZDX, the vehicle used on route 65 from Chepstow, dropping off at Monmouth Bus Station
I’m pleased to note that, despite its spartan appearance compared to other buses, I am able to buy the multi-operator ticket that I need to cover the rest of the day, even if I only have the option to pay cash.
As we head out of Chepstow, I am aware of a bus behind that also appears to be heading to Monmouth. This is the service 69 that I was looking for (11.20am departure); albeit operated by Phil Anslow Travel rather than Stagecoach. I wonder whether this was the one I was looking at in the Bus Station?
Whilst I appreciate that the two services are going by different routes, I also wonder why there is a need for two services running in such quick succession, rather than one running, say, half an hour later, to the benefit of through passengers (or to attract some)?
The 65 is a fascinating ride, though. There are two of us from Chepstow and we quickly head into a lonely country lane. At Trellech we pick up a mum and two children, but there is no other churn during the journey.
ABOVE: Images taken along the 65 route
At The Narth, the roads are becoming so tight that, when we meet another large vehicle, we have to reverse a hundred yards or so to reach a suitable passing place. This is when I notice that the vehicle is fitted with a rear camera, with a monitor in the cab, to give the driver a perfect view of what is going on behind him – very useful as it now turns out.
What is nice to see is that, here in the back of beyond, there are proper bus stops, with flags and timetables.
At The Narth, the roads are becoming so tight that, when we meet another large vehicle, we have to reverse a hundred yards or so to reach a suitable passing place. This is when I notice that the vehicle is fitted with a rear camera, with a monitor in the cab, to give the driver a perfect view of what is going on behind him – very useful as it now turns out.
What is nice to see is that, here in the back of beyond, there are proper bus stops, with flags and timetables.
Interior view of the Monmouthshire County Council vehicle
I had made a very brief visit to Monmouth a few months before, but I now have sufficient time to have a proper look around the place. A bit too much time if anything – it’s just gone 12.00 and my next bus isn’t until 2.20!
It’s a very pretty spot, and on this scorching summer’s day, the perfect afternoon to appreciate the ancient Monnow Bridge - the only remaining fortified river bridge in Great Britain with its gate tower standing on the bridge. The waters of the River Monnow trickle underneath, and I observe people trying a bit of fishing from the convenient rocks that straddle the river nearby.
The Monnow straddles the English / Welsh border almost all the way to Hay-on-Wye to the north, but spills southwards and then steers eastwards into the River Wye, just half a mile or so away.
The Wye follows a much longer and more convoluted course from Monmouth to Hay-on-Wye. Looking at the map, it looks a bit like a pair of bus routes – the direct one and the one that twists and turns a lot more before getting to the same destination. Guess which one I would be on if they were bus routes!
Whilst wandering down the main street, Monmow Street / Priory Street, I stumble across the White Swan Shopping Court, which I immediately recognise as a location from a 2005 episode of Doctor Who (The Unquiet Dead – very good episode, with Simon Callow as Charles Dickens).
The Monnow straddles the English / Welsh border almost all the way to Hay-on-Wye to the north, but spills southwards and then steers eastwards into the River Wye, just half a mile or so away.
The Wye follows a much longer and more convoluted course from Monmouth to Hay-on-Wye. Looking at the map, it looks a bit like a pair of bus routes – the direct one and the one that twists and turns a lot more before getting to the same destination. Guess which one I would be on if they were bus routes!
Whilst wandering down the main street, Monmow Street / Priory Street, I stumble across the White Swan Shopping Court, which I immediately recognise as a location from a 2005 episode of Doctor Who (The Unquiet Dead – very good episode, with Simon Callow as Charles Dickens).
I also stumble across Monmouth’s Shire Hall - built in 1724, Grade 1 listed, formerly the location of the Assize Courts and Quarter Sessions for Monmouthshire, and now the offices for Monmouth Town Council, as well as a Museum.
Phil Anslow Travel Optare Solo MX14 FUW on a local service to the suburb of Wyesham, in Monmouth’s Monmow Street
And back to the Bus Station for the bus to Abergavenny, Stagecoach route 83. As I board, I have this in mind as one of my 100 British Bus Routes. It’s not to be... for reasons that I shall explain in Part Two...