Richmond to Richmond by bus Part Three

Richmond to Richmond: Part Three

2 July 2023

ABOVE: RATP London United DXE 30359 (YX19 OLP), an ADL Enviro200 MMC, is seen in Hounslow, outside the bus garage, on route H37 to Richmond (Surrey), on Saturday 10th June 2023. Photos in this article were taken on Friday 9th or Saturday 10th June 2023, as shown below.

THE STORY SO FAR...
From Richmond, North Yorkshire, to Richmond, Surrey, using only local bus services; that 's the challenge that I have set myself. In Part One, we started the journey from North Yorkshire and travelled across Yorkshire as far as Barnsley. In Part Two, we continued across the Midlands - partly on a Comet (which still counts as a local bus). The presence of a Uno vehicle in Northampton symbolised our progress in getting to the south, and we ended up in Central Milton Keynes. The end is in sight as we embark on this last leg of the journey - but I can deviate a bit on the way...

The locals already know this, but Central Milton Keynes and Milton Keynes Central are not the same place. They're about a mile apart, in fact, as the crow flies.

The former is the heart of the city of Milton Keynes - the location of the huge Shopping Centre and the base of the City's amenities (including an arena and an indoor artificial ski-slope)! The latter is the Railway Station.

The City Centre does not have a bus station; on my first visit in the 1990s, buses just picked up on the main road outside the shopping centre, Midsummer Boulevard. Subsequent expansion of the shopping centre cut a hole in Midsummer Boulevard, so buses now approach via the nearby Avebury Boulevard and the very US-sounding "Lower Ninth Street".

In contrast, the railway station has a bus station with a dozen stops. In order to blend in with the railway station behind it, the bus station is functional rather than attractive.

ABOVE: The bus station outside Milton Keynes Central railway station on Friday 9th June 2023. The station itself is in the building on the left.

There are numerous bus routes between the two "centres" and I have already passed the railway station on my way into town on the X6 from Northampton. Now I am at "The Point", where the bus services converge in Central MK.

"The Point" is not named as a focal point for the buses, but represents a building that sits adjacent. A former cinema, the building was approved for demolition, and replacement with a retail-based structure, in 2014. But it's still there.

Although Richmond is south-east of here, I am heading for Aylesbury, broadly south-west, for the next part of my journey - simply because I want to do a ride I haven't done before!

There are at least three routes linking the two. On this occasion I am looking for the Red Rose service 100, which takes a quick route via Bletchley and should get me there in about 52 minutes.

ABOVE: Typical of the wide roads throughout Milton Keynes, this is the junction of Avebury Boulevard and Grafton Gate, between the station and the City Centre, on 9th June 2023.

It's just before 1500 and the 100 should be evident, as it runs every hour, on the hour. But it isn't, and there's nothing listed on the bus stop's real-time display either.

It transpires that, for some inexplicable reason, the "1500" departure actually leaves at 1452, and runs eight minutes earlier throughout. So the reasonable assumption is that it has already gone.

I don't get time to check though, as there's an X60 service, provided by Arriva Beds & Bucks, loading on the stop. This is the 1458 departure, so I have only just made it.

I tend to associate the letter "X" on a bus service number as implying a limited stop or "express" service of some kind - perhaps faster than a parallel service. But the X60 seems to be the slowest of the three routes, taking an hour-and-a-half, and presented online (but not on the bus) as two connected services terminating in Buckingham.

There are 10 of us on board at the start of this run, but we are approaching school time, so it could get busier...

We're on one of Arriva's VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2s - eleven years old but still doing a good job. After heading west out of Milton Keynes, we turn towards the north-west. I am now literally heading away from my end point!

I'm not unduly concerned, to be honest, as the last part of this journey was always going to be slightly less logical than the earlier stages. And, when one can appreciate the lovely High Street of Stony Stratford, what's to complain about!

ABOVE: Stony Stratford High Street on 9th June 2023

As we head for Old Stratford, we cross the River Great Ouse, which takes me briefly back into Northamptonshire!

ABOVE: Crossing the River Great Ouse in Old Stratford, right on the Buckinghamshire / Northamptonshire border, on 9th June 2023.

But the bus turns south-west and heads back into Buckinghamshire, and soon to the county town itself. The bus does not terminate here, as is implied by the presentation of the timetable, but does arrive at the High Street bus stop focal point at exactly the sane time as two other buses, causing a brief local jam.

ABOVE: The High Street stop in Buckingham is busy on 9th June 2023, as the X60 heading in the opposite direction to mine arrives at the same time. Arriva Beds & Bucks 3873 (MX13 ALO) is a VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2. Not visible here is the X5 to Oxford, which has also turned up and is loading in front of the X60.

We pick up around 15 schoolchildren on the way out of Buckingham, but they're well-behaved and there's plenty of room for them.

The trajectory is now south-easterly, and I'm going in the right general direction again. We pass the delightful town of Winslow. I have heard of the town, as I used to work with someone who lived here, but I don't believe I have passed through it before. It's delightful.

ABOVE: A thatched cottage on the edge of Winslow, on 9th June 2023.

After the joys of Winslow, and further south the attractive village of Whitchurch, Aylesbury's bus station always brings one down to earth pretty quickly.

It's an enclosed bus station, underneath the shopping centre, so is in perpetual darkness. I'm not sure what sort of an environment it would present late at night for someone feeling vulnerable, even though it is quite well lit.

ABOVE: Aylesbury bus station on 9th June 2023. Taken using the "night" setting, at 4.40pm on a hot summer's afternoon!

But despite the general gloom, it does feel fit for purpose. Its dozen bus stands are arranged around three sides of a square, with essential facilities and a waiting room in the middle. There's a screen showing departures so I am easily able to find my next stop (although I stop for dinner first)!

As I wait, there's an announcement that "the centre will be closing in 15 minutes". That's the shopping centre above, not the bus station, so why broadcast that message here?

There is strong competition between Arriva and Redline (a local operator) on the Aylesbury to High Wycombe corridor. As I am now heading to High Wycombe, I decide to try Redline on this occasion.

The bus is exactly on time. It's a 10.2m ADL Enviro E200 and is distinctly rattly. That the bus originated from Nottingham City Transport (NCT) is apparent as the seat headrests carry the name of that operator.

This 1750 departure leaves Aylesbury with 10 passengers on board, and the driver does seem to be in a hurry, with some quite aggressive driving as he works his way out of the town centre. He does calm down after that, and is particularly attentive to a passenger who boards at Stoke Mandeville Hospital asking for the nearest stop "to a railway station", dropping her a few minutes later close to Stoke Mandeville station.

As we progress, I realise that it's not only the seats showing signs of the vehicle's former owner - the adverts in the cove panels are too. Even the fleet number of the vehicle, 348, belongs to NCT!

ABOVE: Nottingham City Transport offers in Buckinghamshire, aboard Redline on 9th June 2023.

It's clear that Redline puts its buses out in whatever state it acquires them in; I also see a vehicle proudly proclaiming to be part of the Yellow Buses fleet - the Bournemouth operator that sadly collapsed last year.

It's a relatively short run, by my standards, at 46 minutes. There is lovely countryside to be enjoyed throughout.

Before the town of Princes Risborough is the neighbouring village of Monks Risborough, which is, as its entrance sign proudly proclaims, "England's oldest parish 903 AD".

When we reach High Wycombe, I take a proper look at the vehicle I have been travelling on (something that's just not possible in the gloom of Aylesbury Bus Station). The NCT name might have gone but it otherwise looks exactly as it would have done in Nottingham, even claiming to be part of "your frequent City bus network".

ABOVE: Redline Enviro200 No. 7 (YX13 BNV) still shows its Nottingham fleet number (378) and livery when seen in High Wycombe after bringing me from Aylesbury on 9th June 2023.

There's another Enviro 200 parked up in High Wycombe Bus station, showing Redline's official and rather smart livery.

ABOVE: A Redline Enviro200 is parked up at High Wycombe bus station in the evening sunshine of 9th June 2023.

I now retire for the night to the local Premier Inn. Richmond, North Yorkshire, feels like it was a long time ago, even if it was only yesterday, and, tomorrow, I will complete my journey.

I'll be honest. No-one in their right mind who is making a journey from Richmond in North Yorkshire to Richmond in Surrey would include the Arriva 37 to Maidenhead in their itinerary! In fact, no-one who is making a journey from High Wycombe to Richmond in Surrey would include route 37! That's nothing against route 37 - it's just not the logical way to go from here.

But that's exactly what I am doing as I roll up at High Wycombe bus station on Saturday morning, to undertake the last part of my quest, and the 0825 service is pulling onto the stand.

ABOVE: Arriva Beds & Bucks 2954 (YJ61 MHX), an Optare Versa, approaches its stand at High Wycombe bus station prior to starting its run on route 37 to Maidenhead. This, and all the pictures that follow, were taken on Saturday 10th June 2023.

The most straight-forward way from here is probably via Uxbridge and Ealing, but that will pass through my home town and I don't want to do that during this journey. The alternative is via Slough, and that's where I want to go. But I know the X74 route and don't want to do that one either.

I've never been on the 37, and it turns out to be a lovely ride; one that I immediately vow to return to and study in more detail another day. Six passengers travel out of Wycombe on this fine morning - the heat is starting to build up even at this early hour.

There used to be a railway line from High Wycombe to Maidenhead, but it was closed north of Bourne End in 1970. The 37 is the best option available to people nowadays.

ABOVE: The bus stop at Wooburn Green. Note the sign indicating that buses to Bourne End station serve this stop (it can be seen on many stops in this area). Has such information been shown on bus stops round here since the railway line through the area closed in 1970, or is it a more recent innovation?

From Bourne End, the route parallels what is now the branch line to Maidenhead, via Cookham, which looks delightful. It's staggering that I have never set foot in a village that lies just 15 miles from my home town as the crow flies. (I don't set foot today either, but I will, soon.)

The bus, an Optare Versa, seems to have a number of alarms going off at various points. At one stage we're on the move while a constant "please apply handbrake" message is being sounded repeatedly. The driver knows what to do though, which is to stop and apply the handbrake, then release it and start off again - that seems to satisfy the vehicle systems!

We're into Maidenhead on time at 0920, and the bus terminates on Frascati Way, which is basically one of the main roads into town. The shopping centre is a short walk away, but there's no focal point for buses here. There's a lot of redevelopment going on (mainly new flats); such a shame a bus station didn't work its way into the plans.

ABOVE: Maidenhead Clock Tower, built in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. Evidence of much redevelopment can be seen behind. Maidenhead station, on the Great Western Main Line, is out of sight to the left, and crosses the road on a bridge behind me.

I have 43 minutes in hand before I can catch the now-hourly First Berkshire service 6 to Slough. There were some service changes made earlier in 2023, prior to which I believe there were three buses an hour to Maidenhead - two on route 4 (now Cippenham Green to Heathrow Airport) and one on route 6. Route 4 was cut back and this hourly service is all that is now left to link Maidenhead to Slough by bus.

The lack of any central point for buses here means that the vehicle on route 6, a Wright Streetlite DF, has to park under the railway bridge on the other side of the road. Not the most inviting place to be parked up (although, on a hot day like this, it is at least in the shade).

There are several people waiting at the bus stop adjacent to Maidenhead station. But when the bus pulls up, they don't board it. Just two of us are heading out on this 1003 departure.

We're now on an easterly trajectory. We cross the River Thames over the Maidenhead Bridge. River crossings around here are all very pretty.

Once past the river, though, and through Taplow, this is not a scenic journey. We're into the extensive trading estate (industrial and retail) that lines the road all the way through to Slough.

Along the way, the bus is getting busier. A woman in air hostess uniform boards. She will leave at Slough to find the bus to the airport, and is probably missing the old through service.

Once we pass Cippenham, we are paralleling route 4. Most of the bus stops around here mention the 4 but not the 6.

ABOVE: No mention of route 6 on this bus stop; nor on others in the area. Even the 4 is a bit faded.

There's also a bus lane leading into Slough, where it might be quicker to list the vehicles that are not allowed to use it, as buses, bikes, motorbikes, taxis, zero-emission-vehicles and "authorised" vehicles are all allowed to:

ABOVE: Reading Buses 759 (YY15 OYA), an Enviro400 MMC, is working route 703 (Bracknell to Heathrow Terminal 5). It overtakes First Berkshire 66313 (SM65 LNH), a Wright Streetlite DF on route 6 from Maidenhead to Wexham Park. This is Wellington Street in Slough.

There are 11 passengers on board by the time we reach Slough, and they all alight. The bus continues to Wexham Court, to the north of the town, with a fresh set of passengers.

I take a moment to visit Slough Bus Station, which was damaged by fire last autumn. It is boarded up, and seemingly abandoned. No sign of any repair work going on, and no-one has thought to put up a poster to confirm alternative boarding points for the buses that have been displaced.

ABOVE: Slough Bus Station (or is it the Starship Enterprise)? The damaged section is on the right.

This is a significant point for my journey, as we have reached Transport for London (TfL) territory. My next bus is the 81 to Hounslow, operated for TfL by Metroline. In the absence of a bus station pick-up, I have made my way to Slough High Street, where the bus arrives almost immediately (there are no published timetables in TfL-land, of course, but buses run every 12 minutes on this route).

I've known this busy route since I was very small, and have seen it progress through a variety of single-decker types, including Swifts, Darts and Leyland Nationals, and through tendered operation by the independent London Buslines (which briefly used double-deckers in the 1980s but reverted to singles). Formal double-deck conversion finally came in 2009, and not a moment too soon.

Nowadays the route is run mainly with Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2s of 2012 vintage. Unlike most buses I have experienced on this route, this particular journey is not that busy.

The bus diverts off the main road to serve the village of Colnbrook. Coaching inns were once the main industry for the village, given its position on the London to Bath road, and just prior to the turn-off for Windsor. It still retains that country feel, despite being just one mile outside the Greater London boundary.

ABOVE: Only the London-style bus stop flag really helps to narrow down the location of this picture, which could otherwise be anywhere in Britain. It's actually "Ye Old George Inn", a former 16th century coaching inn in Colnbrook village.

...and then it's over the M25 motorway, and into Greater London.

ABOVE: Looking north along the M25, just north of Junction 14. And yes, that is six lanes each way, plus hard shoulders, making 14 lanes in all!

Even over the boundary, there's still a distinctly country feel to some of the roads as we come into Longford village - at least until a plane comes in overhead to land at Heathrow Airport, now just a stone's throw away.

ABOVE: A plane comes into land as we traverse down the Bath Road in Longford, between the M25 crossing and the airport's Western Perimeter Road.

The 81 does not call into the airport, but it does run along the whole northern side of it - a distance of about three miles. The village-feel has gone now as we approach the outskirts of Hounslow, identified as one of 12 or 14 (depending on what you read) metropolitan centres within Greater London.

It's certainly a busy place. The High Street was part-pedestrianised some years ago, with buses on certain routes now able to use the restricted bit in one direction only, and other services not allowed into that section at all. An extensive one-way system has helped improve traffic flows generally, but still with conflicts for buses.

And what a lot of buses! Around nineteen bus routes serve the centre of Hounslow, not counting school or night buses.

ABOVE: A selection of buses are in view in High Street Hounslow. Metroline VW 1249 (LK12 ABX) on route 237 (Hounslow Heath to White City) and the vehicle on route 81 are both Volvo B9TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 2s from Metroline. Behind the 81 is an ADL Enviro400 of RATP London United, substituting for one of the normal Mercedes-Benz Citaro O530s that officially work this route.

The bus drops me off outside Hounslow Bus Garage. The garage is operated by RATP London United, but is also used as a layover stand by other operators' services - the 81 being an example. There is something called a bus station here, but it's a shadow of what it once was, as only two routes actually pick up passengers there; the rest use the adjacent main road.

A stop next to the Hounslow Bus Garage alighting point allows me to pick up the H37 service to Richmond, Surrey (or Richmond, Greater London, if you prefer). The final leg of my journey.

This is a very busy service that is restricted to single-decker buses by a low bridge in Isleworth. It is therefore operated by a batch of ADL Enviro200 MMCs of 11.5-metre length - an unusually long single decker for London.

Buses run every 7-8 minutes, making this the most frequent service on the whole trip. I only have to wait a couple of minutes though.

ABOVE: This Catholic Church is known as "Our Lady of Sorrows and St Bridget of Sweden", and sits at the junction of Twickenham Road and South Street in Isleworth, also accommodating St Mary's Catholic Primary School.

The H37, operated by RATP London United for TfL, is a remnant of what used to be the major trunk service 37, which ran all the way from Hounslow to Peckham. It was split into three separate routes in 1991, and the actual 37 still exists as a route between Putney Heath and Peckham.

ABOVE: The end is almost in sight...

So I'm on the last bus, on a run scheduled to take 27 minutes, through Isleworth and St Margarets.

ABOVE: RATP London United DXE 30357 (YX19 OLN) passes through St Margarets on its way to Hounslow

Despite the short running time, I'm still taken by surprise when Richmond Bridge comes into view.

ABOVE: Crossing Richmond Bridge into the town, one can't help but notice the very grand buildings that sit on this eastern side of the bridge (we're moving onto the south side of the river officially, but the shape of it is such that, just here, this is a west-to-east manoeuvre).

A few minutes later, I'm stepping off the H37 into the centre of Richmond. Journey's end is at the station, just as I had started at the former station in Richmond, North Yorkshire.

ABOVE: The bus that has brought me to journey's end is DXE 30359, also pictured at the top of this article. It's in The Quadrant, at the stop called "Richmond Station", a short walk from the station itself. In front is BCE 47080 (LG71 DZB), a BYD ADL Enviro400EV, on route 65 towards Ealing Broadway

But there are no fireworks (forgot to order them)! No brass band either to mark the conclusion of this remarkable trip (ditto). Not even anyone to meet me! Just a dozen or so people getting of the H37 behind me, and dozens more already on the street, all going about their daily business.

Most of those leaving my bus here have probably only made that one ride today, from Hounslow, Isleworth or St Margarets into Richmond. Some may have caught another bus to get to the H37, or may be on the return, rather than the outward, leg of their day. Some will have another bus, or a train perhaps, to catch to complete their journey. I know for certain that none of them have completed a continual bus ride that started in North Yorkshire.

But that's the beauty of what buses do best - they carry people from A to B, in a quiet and unassuming way. The journeys people make are a part of their day, but not the defining moments of it. Whisper it, but buses are generally reliable - I've been on 16 this trip without a serious hitch.

I have a small feeling of achievement, and a sense that I have done something interesting, challenging and, frankly, rather pointless and ridiculous (it's all in the name of research).

ABOVE: A busy scene outside Richmond station, as an Abellio Enviro200 loads up on route 490 to Heathrow Terminal 5.

If we gloss over the costs of hotels, the journey from Richmond, North Yorkshire, to Richmond in Surrey has cost precisely £31.50 in bus fares (14 journeys at two pounds each, and two London trips at £1.75 each). A bargain! As you can see from the table below, I have used 16 buses with a total journey time of 17 hours and 42 minutes, covering an estimated 319.2 miles.

Would I do it again? Yes of course I would, but there are other places to see and other trips to do first...

ABOVE: The 13 bus tickets I collected during the journey. The two TfL rides were of course tap-on payments with no tickets issued, as was the 110 from Leeds to Wakefield. The ticket headed "Price Drop" is for the 36 from Ripon (so long that it runs below the various Stagecoach tickets), whilst the Dales and District ticket that started it all off carries an advert for the Lightwater Valley Theme Park in North Stainley, Ripon.

Richmond to Richmond Journey Log
From Richmond, North Yorkshire

159 to Ripon 1008-1135 87 mins 29.4 miles
36 to Leeds 1203-1335 92 mins 27.6 miles
110 to Wakefield 1353-1428 35 mins 10.4 miles
96 to Barnsley 1505-1618 73 mins 18.5 miles
2 to Sheffield 1715-1828 73 mins 16.4 miles
43 to Chesterfield 1842-1935 53 mins 16.3 miles
"The Comet" to Derby 0815-0944 89 mins 24.3 miles
"Skylink Derby" to Leicester 0945-1122 97 mins 35.5 miles
X7 to Northampton 1207-1342 95 mins 38.0 miles
X6 to Central Milton Keynes 1402-1454 52 mins 20.5 miles
X60 to Aylesbury 1458-1628 90 mins 31.2 miles
130 to High Wycombe 1750-1836 46 mins 16.8 miles
37 to Maidenhead 0825-0920 55 mins 11.3 miles
6 to Slough 1003-1038 35 mins 6.0 miles
81 to Hounslow 1056-1159 63 mins 12.5 miles
H37 to Richmond, Surrey 1201-1228 27 mins 4.5 miles

1062 mins 319.2 miles
(17 hours and 42 minutes)
Mileage figures estimated using Google Maps

Next Article: 100 British Bus Routes - Route 13 >>>