Richmond to Richmond: The Prequel
27 August 2023
ABOVE: ADL Enviro200 MMC No. 102 (SN67 XBC) is operated by Hodgson's. It has just arrived at Richmond Market Place on Thursday 8th June 2023, after a journey on route 29 from Darlington (a run that I could have tried, but the timings felt a bit tight for me). Its presence here proves that I would have made it!
I have already recounted my extraordinary journey from Richmond, North Yorkshire to Richmond, Surrey by bus (it starts here). But the actual journey to the start line in North Yorkshire is a story in itself (or at least, I’m going to turn it into one)!
In bus terms, it starts in Newcastle. I’ve travelled here on the Lumo open access train from London; the late morning journey runs non-stop from London King’s Cross to Newcastle in three hours.
As the train leaves London, I make a bet with myself that it will not be completely non-stop and, indeed, it stops for five minutes on the York avoiding line (does what it says on the tin – avoids York station). This stop appears to be because the train is ahead of schedule, but it loses time further along and reaches Newcastle 12 minutes behind schedule.
So, just over a year since my last visit, I am back at Eldon Square bus station in Newcastle City Centre; this time waiting for the number 21 service to Durham.
In bus terms, it starts in Newcastle. I’ve travelled here on the Lumo open access train from London; the late morning journey runs non-stop from London King’s Cross to Newcastle in three hours.
As the train leaves London, I make a bet with myself that it will not be completely non-stop and, indeed, it stops for five minutes on the York avoiding line (does what it says on the tin – avoids York station). This stop appears to be because the train is ahead of schedule, but it loses time further along and reaches Newcastle 12 minutes behind schedule.
So, just over a year since my last visit, I am back at Eldon Square bus station in Newcastle City Centre; this time waiting for the number 21 service to Durham.
Go North East 6316 (NK67 GMO), a Wright StreetDeck Micro Hybrid, shows off its route 21 branding to full effect as it pulls out of Eldon Square bus station in Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Pictures in this article, as far as Darlington, were taken on Wednesday 7th June 2023.
The 21 runs every 10 minutes – but only as far as Chester-le-Street. Beyond there, the service is half-hourly – which means it’s not a long wait really for me.
There is also a service X21 – a limited stop service that links some of the same points. (I wrote about that one last year.)
When I step onto the 21 and ask for Durham (only two pounds of course), the driver asks me if I wouldn’t prefer to wait for the express bus, which should be three minutes behind. I tell him that I’m quite happy with this bus. “As long as you promise not to shout at the driver”, he says, putting himself into the third person, "because this journey takes longer"! Thirteen minutes longer, to be precise. I solemnly promise not to shout at the driver.
The journey is soon underway and we cross the River Tyne via the 'High Level Bridge' bridge, en route to Gateshead. Clearance is very tight and, as has happened on some previous bus journeys across this bridge, an audible warning sounds in the cab that we are potentially approaching a bridge that will be too low for us to traverse.
6324 (NK67 GNN), another Wright Streetdeck Micro Hybrid, passes Engine Lane on the Durham Road in Low Fell, heading for Gateshead and Newcastle
Route 21 is run by Go North East using Wright StreetDeck Micro Hybrids in a very smart and eye-catching green livery. The service is branded as 'The Angel', reflecting that it passes the 'Angel of the North' sculpture.
This sculpture by Antony Gormley stands close to the A1 and A167 road interchange, about three miles south of Gateshead, and it is estimated that 33 million people see it every year (source: Wikipedia) - not necessarily 33 million different people, I suspect...
It's certainly an impressive sight, standing 66 feet high with wings measuring 177 feet, and weighing 208 tonnes:
We are soon approaching Chester-le-Street; a settlement that has existed at least since the Romans built a fort here, and possibly earlier.
Buses on the X21, and rival Arriva routes from Newcastle, re-join us here. It’s a Wednesday afternoon so schools are starting to empty out. The journey gets busier (and louder) from this point.
Wright Streetdeck Micro Hybrid 6359 (NK20 EMJ) is actually liveried for X-Lines services between Newcastle and Consett, as it passes through Front Street in Chester-le-Street
At Plawsworth, we catch up with an X21 (truth be told, it probably left Newcastle after we did). The X21 is one of Go North East’s X-Lines express services, and carries appropriate branding, including a description of the points served by the route. With all this branding, it must be a challenge in the mornings to get the right buses out onto the right routes! Oh wait...
Also liveried for X-Lines services between Newcastle & Consett is 6332 (NK67 GOA), another Wright Streetdeck, seen turning from Ropery Lane into Front Street in Chester-le-Street, whilst working route 50 from Durham to South Shields
The X21, now immediately in front of us, seems to have hit a problem of some kind. The driver is out of the cab on his phone, and many of its passengers are taking the opportunity to transfer to our bus.
That latter action may be a bit pointless… We’re in a layby on a busy dual-carriageway rather than just at a bus stop. It’s not designed for overtaking – the layby is only one bus wide and there’s a fence separating us from the road – so there’s no way out for us unless the bus in front can pull out first.
Fortunately, the X21 driver is able to fix whatever the problem is, and both buses are on their way again. This makes a couple of the transferees a little disgruntled, as the 21 starts another little detour, via the Arnison Centre in the quaintly-named Pity Me, which the X21 doesn’t serve.
As we approach Durham we are scheduled to be 10 minutes behind the X21 (although the delay to the latter has knocked the timings out slightly). But, as we reach North Road in Durham, we have caught up with it again.
North Road in Durham makes for a very crowded bus interchange area whilst everyone awaits the new bus station. Parked up is 6312 (NK67 EBF), a Volvo B5TL Wright Eclipse Gemini 3 working route X21 from Newcastle to West Auckland. As is relayed in the text, it seems to be experiencing problems and will not complete its journey this Wednesday afternoon. According to BusTimes.org, this bus didn't make any more trips in service until the Friday.
The City of Durham is dominated by its cathedral, and by the River Wear, which meanders through its centre. Wikipedia tells us that Durham was founded in 995 by Anglo-Saxon monks seeking a place safe from Viking raids, to house the relics of St Cuthbert. The church the monks built lasted only a century, as it was replaced by the present Durham Cathedral after the Norman Conquest. Together with Durham Castle it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The main East Coast railway line runs along a spectacular viaduct through the city, providing the best views by far:
Durham Castle (left) and Durham Cathedral (right) dominate the skyline in this view of Durham city centre taken from the Lumo train on the outward journey to Newcastle, looking down on North Road. The building with the clock tower in the centre foreground looks like an old cinema, but is now a couple of bar-restaurants. The white building in the foreground is where the new bus station will be, so may be the over-site development that these places always have now. In the immediate foreground, far right, the roof of the Bethel Chapel, built in 1853, can just be made out; it is now the North Road Methodist Church
Durham Bus Station closed for redevelopment in autumn 2020, and ever since, buses have been stopping in the very busy North Road, and around the corner in Millburngate. It’s a very tight environment, and the replacement bus station, due to open in "summer 2023", cannot come soon enough.
Such is the case that there’s barely room for my next bus, on route 7 towards Darlington, to squeeze in front of the next X21, which has just arrived.
Arriva North East 7536 (NK15 ACO), an ADL Enviro400, approaches its pick-up point in North Road, Durham, at the start of a peak-hour journey on route 7 to Darlington. Behind it is Go North East's 6308 (NK67 ECD), on route X21 to West Auckland. This bus will shortly have to pick up the passengers from the previous X21 working, when that finally gives up the ghost just around the corner.
I'm joining the 1625 service. This is a busy run – schools are out and some of the early ‘nine-to-fivers’ are starting to join them as well. Buses run every 15 minutes for much of the day, but the frequency widens slightly, to 15-20 minutes, just at the time that more people are travelling. (Extended journey times mean widened headways rather than adding an extra vehicle into the schedule.)
It’s a double-decker bus on a route that seems to have mix of doubles and singles. We’re with Arriva North East now, on an ADL Enviro400 – to my mind the best of the modern double-decker designs. The panoramic window allows a view of a bus passing the railway viaduct:
Underneath the dominating Durham railway viaduct, Arriva North East 7521 (NK09 FVR), an ADL Enviro400, is working route 49A between Durham and nearby Brandon.
As we edge out of Durham, we pass the X21 again – the same vehicle as earlier. The X21 normally continues beyond Durham to Bishop Auckland and West Auckland. But not this one; the driver is again out of his cab amidst some serious fault that is preventing him from proceeding.
This time the fault looks irreparable (on the roadside at least), and passengers are on the pavement alongside him. I know that the next bus is very close behind (we left it in Durham), so they shouldn’t have too long to wait.
Another ADL Enviro400 passes on route 7 towards Durham. This is on the Darlington Road on the outskirts of town
We come to the town of Ferryhill, where we do four sides of a square to serve a bus focal point adjacent to the Market Square.
Although the foreground has houses down both sides, in the distance I can see open countryside. Quite a lot of what follows is fast running down main rural roads.
Looking down the Darlington Road in Ferryhill; note the open space in the distance
There’s a longer rural run now. The large load of people that had boarded back in Durham have largely disappeared, and it’s the open road for a while.
Arriva North East 1478 (NK61 CYP), a VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2, is on the open road south of Ferryhill, working route 7 towards Durham
Although a reasonably straight route, the 7 diverts (as it should!) to call into villages such as Chilton and Woodham. The latter blends seamlessly into the environs of the New Town of Newton Aycliffe. We bypass the town centre, though, in favour of the neighbouring Aycliffe Village.
Aycliffe, with its distinctive clock tower, sits to the south of Newton Aycliffe. The village is well established (St Andrew’s Church dates back to Saxon times). The neighbouring town was only established following the New Towns Act of 1946, at which time Aycliffe became Aycliffe Village.
The village centre is a little more sizeable than some:
Aycliffe Village Centre
A half-mile walk from here will bring you to the line of the original Stockton and Darlington Railway, the World’s first public railway to use steam locomotives, opened in 1825. Over in Newton Aycliffe, the Hitachi rolling stock factory opened a mere 190 years later.
Our bus re-joins the A167 road, which has been its companion for most of the run, and now heads straight into Darlington.
On the approaches to Darlington, I stumble across a couple of Arriva's gas-powered buses:
Two of Arriva's MAN EcoCity buses, powered by compressed natural gas, meet at Harrowgate Hill roundabout, north of Darlington Town Centre. On the left is 4812 (WX61 FXO), heading into town on route X21 (Peterlee to Darlington - not be confused with the X21 discussed earlier in this article). This X21 was withdrawn a few weeks later.
By the time we reach Darlington, the 7 is virtually empty, and just a handful of us are left to alight at the last stop in Tubwell Row.
I'm staying overnight in Darlington, and I capture the view from the top floor of my hotel the next morning:
Looking south from Darlington Town Centre, with Feethams Roundabout in the foreground; the River Skerne is just visible in the background, between the blue car and the white van. This, and all subsequent pictures in this article, were taken on Thursday 8th June 2023
A new day, and the sun is shining. Today I will embark on my Richmond to Richmond trip. But I still have to get to Richmond!
It's back to Darlington Town Hall bus stop, literally around the back of my hotel. I've written before about the confusing array of bus stops in Darlington, but today I am reasonably clear as to where I need to be.
A lone VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2 stands outside Darlington Town Hall in Feethams, in Darlington town centre
I'm aiming for the 0810 departure on route X27. Arriva North East routes X26 & X27 provide a joint half-hourly service between Darlington and Richmond, before going off in different directions thereafter (both serve Catterick Garrison by different routes, then continue to Colburn or Scotton respectively).
Arriva North East 1522 (NL63 VPW), a VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2, approaches the Town Hall stop in Darlington at the start of its run to Scotton on route X27
Because I am looking for a bus to Scotton, I am momentarily disorientated by the "Kemmell & Hipswell" destination display, and completely overlook the "via Richmond" bit underneath. I don't want to go wrong before I even reach the start of the main journey!
For the uninitiated - like me - Kemmell seems to be a locale within Scotton, and buses pass through Hipswell on the way to Kemmell. A quick clarification with the driver and I've confirmed that I'm on the correct bus.
The vehicle is one of Arriva's many VDL SB200 Wright Pulsar 2s. On the one previous occasion when I did this run, I was on a Scania OmniCity CN94. Streetlites are used on the route as well, and I even spot a double-decker in Richmond, and speculate on what a lovely ride this would have been with a top deck. Well, any ride round here would be enhanced with a top deck, really.
It's an interesting drive. Even before we have left Darlington, we are passing the extensive South Park. It's a park that has been in place since the 1630s, and is Grade II listed with Historic England. The park contains three landmarks - a bandstand, a fountain and the Polam Lane Bridge over the River Skerne - all are Grade-II listed. There's a great selection of photos on Trip Advisor.
As the bus ventures into the countryside, and crosses the border into North Yorkshire, I find this attractive bus stop in the village of Skeeby (population in 2011: 357):
The delightful and unusual bus stop by the Travellers Rest public house* in Skeeby (*no apostrophe). You can just see the pub in the background
Not only does the stop have a quaint stone-built shelter, and not only is it doubling-up as a community library, but it also has a little bridge to cross Skeeby Beck, a stream that flows through the village. Skeeby Beck flows into the River Swale, and the main street and surrounding farmland are reportedly prone to flooding.
It's interesting to see how many schoolchildren start to join this service (unsurprising given the time of day, of course). They're coming at us from all angles, even where there don't seem to be much in the way of settlements. The bus is getting busier and busier, and most seats are taken by the time we leave Skeeby.
Then, on the outskirts of Richmond, two schools in quick succession clear out the bus. There's the St Francis Xavier Roman Catholic and CofE School, closely followed by the Richmond School. We're back down to penny numbers after these stops.
And so to Richmond Market Place, where we arrive on schedule at 0846. This is the third time I have brought you, dear reader, to Richmond, and I've only been twice to this town in real life! The first visit was on a busy Saturday afternoon, and it's amazing how much quieter the place feels at pre-0900 on a weekday - there are parking spaces available for a start!
The former Trinity Church in Richmond is now The Green Howards Museum, celebrating an infantry regiment that was formed in 1688, and saw 318 years of service before being amalgamated with the Prince of Wales’ Own Regiment of Yorkshire, and the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment, to form The Yorkshire Regiment in 2006.
And so here I am, ready for my journey to Richmond, Surrey to begin. Of course, one could argue that my journey is actually Newcastle-upon-Tyne to Richmond, Surrey. But that doesn't have the same ring to it...
North Yorkshire County Council SJ22 HKW, a Fiat Ducato Mellor minibus, is parked in the Market Place in Richmond, working a local route
My 'Richmond to Richmond' articles can be viewed by clicking on the photos below.
PART ONE: Richmond, North Yorkshire to Barnsley
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PART TWO: Barnsley to Milton Keynes
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PART THREE: Milton Keynes to Richmond, Surrey
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