A Ride Around Rural North Yorkshire
28 January 2023
ABOVE: A Dales & District Optare Solo stands at Ripon Bus Station at the end of a run from Northallerton, in the early evening of Saturday 14th August 2021. All pictures in this article taken that day unless otherwise stated.
I'm embarking on a trip around rural North Yorkshire, to try out a number of low-frequency services across the county. I'm starting in Leeds, and my plan has originally been to catch a train to the number 30 bus from York to Thirsk.
But that hasn't happened. Those who know me are aware that one of the few things that will draw me away from the buses (other than work of course) is likely to be linked to my stomach. But my Travelodge doesn't start serving breakfast until 8am (the Premier Inn, which I usually use but wasn't available this time, starts serving at 6.30am). That means that I cannot get fed and then across the city in time to catch a train to York that will get me to the relevant bus stop for 9am!
I have actually used route 30 in the past. Back in 2015 (on one of the then-rare occasions when I had been let out for an overnight trip!), I took a run on a Thursday afternoon to connect at Thirsk with a 147 service to Ripon. I recall an enjoyable but uneventful ride on route 30.
The 147 service that I caught that day was run by a firm called Shaun's. For some reason, I had felt uneasy about that trip before I had done it, and it was justified. The bus arrived 10 minutes late because of an 'earlier incident', and the driver was apparently supposed to be providing a school service from somewhere in the Ripon area at 1540. As we were not due into Ripon until 1545, that was rather odd.
He admitted that he was cutting out parts of the route (no idea which bits, and I hope no-one was waiting) in order to get to Ripon somewhere near the right time (for us). I was the only passenger for the second half of the journey, and he dashed off to catch up with his school run.
He was a friendly driver - one of the few occasions where I have actually ended up having a proper conversation about my travels, but it was a brisk, spirited run. I doubt either of us suspected that, almost eight years later, I would be writing about it!
So I have arrived in Thirsk by train on this occasion, in order to start my planned itinerary. It's one of those towns that is nowhere near the station - it's a good mile-and-a-quarter's walk to the Market Place in the Town Centre, but well worth it as it's a lovely spot and there are some decent gift shops. I find a gift for a friend and pick up a newspaper; on a Saturday, the latter purchase is probably a mistake as there's quite a lot of paper and supplementary material to cart around now for the rest of the day!
The focal point of the Market Place is the Clock Tower, built in 1896 to commemorate the marriage of the Duke of York, later King George V, to Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Mary of Teck; they were married in 1893, but it took three years to get the 30-foot high commemorative Thirsk clock into place.
But that hasn't happened. Those who know me are aware that one of the few things that will draw me away from the buses (other than work of course) is likely to be linked to my stomach. But my Travelodge doesn't start serving breakfast until 8am (the Premier Inn, which I usually use but wasn't available this time, starts serving at 6.30am). That means that I cannot get fed and then across the city in time to catch a train to York that will get me to the relevant bus stop for 9am!
I have actually used route 30 in the past. Back in 2015 (on one of the then-rare occasions when I had been let out for an overnight trip!), I took a run on a Thursday afternoon to connect at Thirsk with a 147 service to Ripon. I recall an enjoyable but uneventful ride on route 30.
The 147 service that I caught that day was run by a firm called Shaun's. For some reason, I had felt uneasy about that trip before I had done it, and it was justified. The bus arrived 10 minutes late because of an 'earlier incident', and the driver was apparently supposed to be providing a school service from somewhere in the Ripon area at 1540. As we were not due into Ripon until 1545, that was rather odd.
He admitted that he was cutting out parts of the route (no idea which bits, and I hope no-one was waiting) in order to get to Ripon somewhere near the right time (for us). I was the only passenger for the second half of the journey, and he dashed off to catch up with his school run.
He was a friendly driver - one of the few occasions where I have actually ended up having a proper conversation about my travels, but it was a brisk, spirited run. I doubt either of us suspected that, almost eight years later, I would be writing about it!
So I have arrived in Thirsk by train on this occasion, in order to start my planned itinerary. It's one of those towns that is nowhere near the station - it's a good mile-and-a-quarter's walk to the Market Place in the Town Centre, but well worth it as it's a lovely spot and there are some decent gift shops. I find a gift for a friend and pick up a newspaper; on a Saturday, the latter purchase is probably a mistake as there's quite a lot of paper and supplementary material to cart around now for the rest of the day!
The focal point of the Market Place is the Clock Tower, built in 1896 to commemorate the marriage of the Duke of York, later King George V, to Her Serene Highness Princess Victoria Mary of Teck; they were married in 1893, but it took three years to get the 30-foot high commemorative Thirsk clock into place.
Thirsk Market Place, with the Clock Tower prominent. Buses pick up in a (theoretically-exclusive) lay-by, just out of view behind the road to the left.
Thirsk has another claim to fame - it was where James Herriot lived, worked and wrote the books that inspired the All Creatures Great and Small TV series (series is plural here of course, now that Channel 5 has made a new version). The house itself has been turned into a museum, and the Herriot influence can also be felt in the gift shops.
I'm starting today on route 153, a 35-minute run to Northallerton. The service, which runs three times a day on Mondays to Saturdays, is provided directly by North Yorkshire County Council. The bus is a 12-seat Fiat Ducato Mellor, and, unusually for 2021, it's cash-only. Fortunately the driver has plenty of change, as I don't. We leave Thirsk with about five other passengers and I find a nice seat, with plenty of legroom, at the back.
It is inevitable that the first part of the journey exactly retraces my steps all the way back to the station! After this broadly westerly run for the first couple of miles, we turn north towards South Otterington.
There aren't many major settlements around here, but we do pick up one or two more people as we go. By the time we enter the village of Thonton-le-Beans, we have nine passengers on board. This is rather unfortunate in a way, as a group of five people is waiting at the village bus stop. Unfortunately the 12-seater bus has no authority to carry standees, and the group therefore cannot be accommodated. There are no other buses through here so they will have to find another way of getting to Northallerton. Such a shame - turning away passengers is never going to be a good thing.
The driver says something about bigger buses to come; I have no idea if anything has come of that in the near 18 months since my visit.
As we come to Northallerton, the driver advises that he can't drive down the High Street because it's Market Day, and we're unceremoniously dropped off on East Road at the southern end of town. The bad news is that I am not now where I am expecting to catch my next bus from; the 'good' news is that I have an hour-and-three quarters to find my stop (it actually takes just over half an hour to find it, including a Costa stop on the way).
North Yorkshire County Council's Fiat Ducato Mellor has just dropped off nine passengers on East Road in Northallerton, at the end of the journey on route 153 from Thirsk.
It turns out that, if I had sat tight, I could have stayed on the bus to the place I intended to be - The Buck Inn at the other end of the High Street. But I have plenty of time to explore this North Yorkshire town, and the market certainly adds to the general sense of busy-ness that pervades.
I love a good pun in a shop name (or anywhere else for that matter), so I have to stop to take a picture of one of the local hostelries:
There are quite a few bus services in Northallerton, but none of them are especially frequent, which is why I have so much time here.
The bus stands at The Buck Inn allow up to four buses to park up at once. Intending passengers may have to cross the path of one bus to get to another, but I think the risk of an accident is fairly minimal. Whilst The Buck Inn is how the stopping area is described, All Saint's Parish Church is the most striking landmark:
Northallerton, The Buck Inn bus stand, with All Saint's Parish Church in the background. Dales & District YJ65 EPY is an Optare MetroCity awaiting a departure shortly. As can be deduced by the church clock, my 1300 departure is still a long way off!
(Incidentally I once tried to find a website for an All Saint's Parish Church, for 'her indoors', and ended up on a site for a girl band.)
I'm moving on to Richmond on route 55, which runs three times a day. The service is run by Hodgson's of County Durham, another operator that only accepts cash. My bus is a mid-length ADL Enviro200.
It's only a 40-minute run into Richmond, largely through open country. The bus attracts a moderate load for this lunchtime run. Amongst them, a couple are looking for their campsite. The driver tries to help, but they get off the bus, in the middle of nowhere, with no clear idea as to whether they are in the right place. With buses running three times a day, it could be a long walk in prospect for them...
The bus drops off in Richmond at the Town Hall - specifically the Town Hall pub and hotel, which sits right on the Market Place (the actual Town Hall is a few yards further down).
Hodgson's Enviro200 YX17 NDY is in Richmond, North Yorkshire after the run from Northallerton on route 55.
Richmond Market Place, with the 1771 Richmond Obelisk (a replacement for a medieval market cross) on the left, and a church which now houses the Green Howards Museum, commemorating a line infantry regiment of the British Army, on the right.
Just time for a cuppa here before I board the Arriva North East X27, which has come from Scotton and is heading to Darlington. This is one of the more frequent services in these parts, running hourly and providing a joint half-hourly service with route X26 (Colburn to Darlington).
Hopes of a double-decker here come to nothing - it's a Scania OmniCity CN94, with about 20 passengers on board as I join; most of whom stay all the way to Darlington. Of course, being Arriva, a credit card payment is not a problem.
Arriva North East 4647 (NK05 GXA), a Scania OmniCity CN94, is standing outside Darlington Town Hall prior to its next run to Scotton (beyond Catterick) on route X27. Behind is 4810 (NK13 CFP), a MAN EcoCity Caetano, fuelled by Compressed Natural Gas
St Cuthbert's Church in Darlington Town Centre
I guess this marks the half-way point of my journey today, as I'm now heading south again. I'm taking the 72, another Hodgson's service, back to Northallerton. This is a marginally more frequent service, with five journeys a day on Saturdays, and a sixth one on weekdays. This is a longer Enviro200 than the one I travelled on earlier, but it's a quiet run.
Again we are in the countryside for most of the trip, but of course you never know what you're going to find around the next corner on a country lane... Somewhere near Great Smeaton, we come face-to-face with an extraordinarily large tractor, pulling an equally-sizeable trailer. I anticipate a few minutes delay whilst we try to pass one another on this narrow road, but it causes no angst for either driver, and no delay:
Giant tractor with trailer passes the number 72 bus!
At 52 minutes, this is my longest ride today so far. But all too soon I am back in Northallerton for my last low-frequency service of the day, the 70 to Ripon. I spent a long time in Northallerton earlier; this time I only have 13 minutes - just time to grab an ice cream from the enticing parlour next to the bus stop...
At the time of my trip, the 70 was run by Dales & District; it has since passed to Reliance. Given today's experiences with small operators, I don't even attempt to pay by card on this bus. It's a 1630 departure, which seems not to exist any more, and I'm on a Optare Versa for the one hour journey.
We pass back through Thirsk but this time I'm not stopping (and I don't have to walk back to the station).
Our on-time arrival into Ripon Bus Station is 1730. There's already a big crowd for my next bus (due 1745) so I decide to have a wander around and catch a later service. I come to another Market Place and another obelisk:
Ripon Market Place
I didn't go into the Cathedral in Ripon, but I did get this partial view of it from within the City Centre
My last bus of the day is the flagship route 36 to Leeds, operated by The Harrogate Bus Company (part of Transdev). It's a route I have done before (and since) that will take me all the way back to Leeds, and, as always it's a lovely drive, with credit cards accepted.
And not just me - the Volvo B5TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 is full and standing as it leaves Ripon with the 1815 departure. These highly-specified vehicles, complete with spacious "2 + 1" seating on the upper deck, present a strong high-quality advert for the route. It just shows what can be achieved by forward-thinking operators.
With no front seat available, I secure a single seat halfway along the vehicle for the first part of the journey to Harrogate. There's a mass exodus there, to the point that I am suddenly almost alone on the top deck. I take the opportunity to grab the best seat in the house, but I'm not alone for long, and we're full and standing again as we leave Harrogate Bus Station.
An unidentified Volvo B5TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 on route 36 at Harrogate Bus Station, on Monday 10th January 2022. Note the prominent route 36 branding stretching all across the departure bay.
It's been 35 minutes from Ripon to Harrogate, and it will take another 43 minutes to get to Leeds, making this by some way the longest ride of the day.
But what a day. I have travelled on four low-frequency bus routes, acquainted myself with three new operators, and covered what I estimate to be a bit over 120 miles from Thirsk to Leeds, spread over nearly nine hours. North Yorkshire is lovely of course, but its rural nature is always going to make cost-effective bus provision something of a challenge.
The four rural routes I have seen have had customers (too many in the case of the 153), and appear to be viable (with subsidy, presumably), but it's hard to see how they would ever generate much new business, that would in turn allow more attractive frequencies to be trialled.
I'm back at my Leeds hotel by 8pm. Breakfast is only 12 hours from now, after which I am going to circumnavigate Greater Manchester...