Aberdeen cross-country
Did a trip to Aberdeen today - cross-country. This meant Dundee-Montrose-Laurencekirk-Aberdeen-Dundee. I could have went straight up and back, but I've done that before often enough of late... You can see all the pics, or read the highlights below...
From Dundee to Montrose, took Strathtay 608 (sorry no pic this time!) on Service 39. I've done this trip with these vehicles often enough of late, so not a lot of thoughts to add. We passed through Arbroath, and back out again quickly as we were running a little sharp.
After stopping in Montrose at Roadrunners take-away (opposite the library) I thought of the first time I'd been there - it was the day that the service I am about to use, was introduced. Well, at the time, there were two other very similar services also on the road, but that is issue probably best explained in the DBB! Anyway, went to Montrose Station in enough time to nab the half-hourly influx, before taking the 1230 Montrose Station to Laurencekirk Nicoll's Service 9. The route operates as an 9 to Laurencekirk, and a 8 to Montrose, but as you can see on the picture of the bus we used, Mercedes Vario/Transbus Beaver 2 SF 04 EVM, that the drivers can now display 8_9 on the front! As the Mercedes pulled out of Montrose, I could see Strathtay 311 has been transferred to Montrose... thought I'd not seen it round the tech park for a bit! The usual quite nice run up the A937, including (this time) the double run into Craigo Village, dropping off three, and allowing sight of a bus from Northumberland now with one of the villagers! Anyway, £1.65 for the 25 minute journey, but in the end we make it in well before time. It's the driver's last trip, as he took out his module (from the ticket machine) on arrival at the Red Cross Centre in Laurencekirk Main Street....
Then on the through journey at 1305 from Laurencekirk to Aberdeen, using Nicoll's Mercedes/Onyx V502 FSF. Service 103 is a route which largely runs in two sections - Laurencekirk to Stonehaven, and Cookney to Aberdeen. The latter has been extended to Laurencekirk for depot positioning purposes, and the former got a "rural transport fund"-ed evening service, which is now Friday & Saturday nights only. £4.80 for the near 90 minute trip - less than the cost of a run from Stonehaven to Montrose on the 101 three years ago, so I am really not sure how much that would set you back these days! - for a longer journey! The driver spoke politely to all passengers with a Yorkshire accent, and upon arrival at Drumlithie, asked a passenger why she'd not been around this morning. Turns out she fancied a long lie, but had been standing at the bus shelter almost all day - she was unable to remember the times of the service... Another timetable outed from the driver's wallet for her, but she could have always got a 24 followed by a 106/107... We picked up a couple at Little Farrochie, Stonehaven, where the bus double-runs into a set of bungalows and cottage types. We got a few round the various parts of Aberdeenshire (this is the point where I could REALLY do with a blue OS-style atlas - can you imagine doing one for Aberdeenshire - Fife and Tayside took long enough...) Upon arrival at Aberdeen, the driver offered the passengers choice of the three main stops (Music Hall, Mothercare or the Bus Stn - i.e. 1/3 way along Union St, 2/3rd way, or the end of the line).
I left at the bus station, and was able to snap a few other buses before heading for the shops. First stopped at the Tourist information - and they had a new, blue, OS Aberdeenshire atlas for sale... I'd missed this one until now... It is dated 2004 but without the "Direct Line Breakdown Cover" plug, so obviously a later issue than the Fife/Tayside one, back in the beginnign of the year, which had this. I had a copy in my bag by the end of the day - ISBN-10 is 0-504-08654-1 for the pocket version.
Purchased a £2.30 First day ticket, and bashed the town for a bit, including 31533 which was former Grampian 104 to Dubford terminus, and back. Upon getting back to the Bus Station, I'd pre-booked on Megabus to return to Dundee on the 1900 trip. The bus was artic 51062, which is due for transfer to Ayr (along with its colleagues) in exchange for three other ex-Tube MAN double deckers. Got home to Dundee quickly, and the Megabus driver went into Dundee via Dura Street, Victoria Road and the Marketgait - i.e. past my flat ;-) (I've seen it happen before, but not been on one of these runs before!)
posted by Suzy Scott @ 23:57
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