Pity Me to Chester and back for 50p

The 2024 Bus Trip

Firstly I must stress that we are talking about Chester, Cheshire and not Chester-le-Street.

In September 2024, after a period of immobility following an eye operation, Ted and I decided to pay a visit to our friends in North Wales. We decided that we wouldn’t just take the train. I hit on the idea of spending  several days over the journey, using my English wrinkly bus pass (bears of all ages travel free). The aim was to reach Chester by bus (the English bus pass doesn’t cover Wales), travelling out one way and returning by a different route.

En route, we would stop at some places we wouldn’t otherwise visit and drop by a few pubs on the way. After some planning – scouring through bus timetables online, consulting the Good Beer Guide and sorting out accommodation – we were ready to set off. The plan was to travel from Monday to Thursday, spend the weekend in Beaumaris, Anglesey, and return the following week, once more from Monday to Thursday.

Outward Journey – Monday

Our first bus took us from our home in Pity Me into Durham Bus Station on a grey, showery morning. It was on this 10 minute journey that we had to shell out 50p – in County Durham that is the charge for concessionary passholders before 0930 on weekdays.

We then caught the 0930 departure to Darlington. An Arriva driver once told me that the ticket machines are set up to charge zero from 0927 so you can board a bus that departs at 0930 a couple of minutes beforehand – and it worked.  

The bus manages to take 73 minutes for the journey, compared to 16 minutes by train. However, that includes taking in the delights of Ferryhill and Chilton before wandering endlessly around Newton Aycliffe (which was celebrating its 75^th year of existence – whew).

Next, after a visit to Greggs for a sausage roll, was the journey to Richmond.  By this time the weather had brightened up. On arrival we had time for a pint in the Golden Lion in the Market Place. It was closed off to buses due to the start of resurfacing work – this appeared to have happened at short notice and it wasn’t clear where buses were calling instead.

The next two journeys were by Hodgsons Buses. We found the temporary bus stop by spotting a man hanging around outside a carpet shop and asking him if he was waiting for a bus.  The journey took us through rural countryside with views towards Swaledale and Wensleydale, until we reached Leyburn for our next break. We bought some provisions from the local shop, Campbells, which had an excellent selection – we spotted haggis pakora on the shelves – followed by a pint in the Kings Head.

The bus from Leyburn to Ripon only runs  3 times a day. Our early start from home was to ensure we could catch this bus, even if there were delays or cancellations en route. It took us through Middleham, past a road with the interesting name of ‘Straight Lane (Love Lane)’ and the Black Sheep brewery at Masham.

Ripon was our destination for the day – we had only visited once before, for a couple of hours sometime in the 1990s.  We checked in to our hotel, had a short walk around the Market Place and the cathedral followed by a couple of pints. We can recommend the One Eyed Rat, a fine pub, busy with locals on a Monday evening.

Tuesday

The day began with a Wetherspoons breakfast (we were staying in one of their hotels), then a latish start to catch a bus to York via Boroughbridge. There are frequent direct buses from Ripon to Leeds via Harrogate which would have been quicker, but I decided to explore some new territory. The 80 minute journey took us through attractive countryside and several villages with virtually no remaining facilities such as shops or pubs. Boroughbridge itself looked as though it would be worth a proper visit.

We alighted at York Railway Station and popped inside for a comfort break (where we noticed that these days the station appears to have absolutely no tourist or travel information). We then caught the Coastliner bus (which links Scarborough or Whitby with Leeds) as far as Tadcaster and a break of an hour. It is the first time we’ve seen the Sam Smiths brewery, after almost 50 years of drinking their beers. We popped into the Howden Arms – as plain as many of their pubs.

After the break we carried on to Leeds. The bus was 10 minutes late and busy with people who had been for a visit to York. After a few minutes in Leeds, the next bus took us to Dewsbury. As we passed through the city centre and along the Dewsbury Road to the White Rose shopping centre the bus became busy, as schools were coming out. We passed through the interestingly named Hanging Heaton, then down into Dewsbury. A short uphill walk took us to the West Riding Refreshment Rooms by the railway station – a smashing pub.

Our final bus of the day took us to Huddersfield through Mirfield, where we met an oncoming bus at the trickiest corner of the journey, though we managed to squeeze past. It would have been sensible to jump in a taxi to the Premier Inn, slightly out of the centre by a canal basin (pictured). However I had been told there was no evening food in the hotel. I wandered around until I found a supermarket -then carried on walking to the hotel. It didn’t help that there were road closures due to demolition work and my knees were killing me by the time we reached the hotel by a roundabout route – to find that they did have a limited food and drink menu. A quiet night was essential.

Wednesday

We traipsed back to the bus station, by the quickest route this time, and caught the hourly Stagecoach double-decker across the Pennines to Oldham. The previous bus from the stand was off to Scapegoat Hill – almost as good a name as Pity Me. Our bus travelled to Marsden, then over Saddleworth Moor to Uppermill and through the suburbs into Oldham. I managed to mistake Oldham Mumps tram/bus interchange for the bus station so more punishment for the knees followed. I was glad to find the indoor market and the friendly Cob and Coal Tap micropub.

The next bus took us to central Manchester through the endless suburbs of Failsworth and Newton Heath, past umpteen terraced streets – many fine but some in disrepair – and closed and shuttered pubs.

A quick change at Piccadilly Gardens on to an Arriva service, which headed out  of the city via the university area, Hulme, Trafford, Stretford and Sale to Altrincham, the territory gradually becoming more upmarket as we travelled.

The fourth bus of the day was a Cheshire Cat (pictured), which carried us to the posh village of Lymm, where it was time for a break in the Lymm Brewery Tap.

Another Cheshire Cat took us onward into Warrington for our overnight stop. Maybe we were in the wrong area, though we were close to the bus station and the city centre, but Warrington seemed particularly lifeless for a Wednesday night. The dodgy knees prevented us exploring further afield. We did find the Lower Angel, a good traditional pub, for a pint, followed by a takeaway shawarma and back to my single room. Luxury.

Thursday

From Warrington the X30 runs to Chester, the end of our outward bus trip. Once out of town it headed for Runcorn, where it travels in a large loop round part of the town. It uses a section of the Busway, which claims to be the world’s first bus rapid transit system. It was opened in 1971 and is still in operation, aiming to reduce dependence on private cars. With the local bus services being operated by Arriva I have my doubts. The bus continued to the pleasant village of Frodsham, where we had a break in the Queens Head.

An hour later we boarded the next X30 which took us to Chester Bus Interchange. A bus going to the railway station pulled into the next stand just as I alighted and we jumped on board. And that was the outward journey. From there we caught the train to Bangor and our weekend in Wales.

Return journey – Monday

Four days later, after a relaxing weekend on Anglesey (some chance – but it gave the knees time to recover), we returned to Chester. The first bus was from the Railway Station to the Bus Interchange, where we missed an X30 by a couple of minutes – the Arriva bus had actually left on time. It turns out the Interchange is in the rough end of town. The first pub we tried was too grotty even for Ted so we put up with a pint in the City Arms.

We caught the next X30 to Warrington and we experienced the only serious delay of the trip on this journey. The swing bridge across the Weaver Navigation,at Sutton Weaver between Frodsham and Runcorn, decided to swing as we approached and the road remained closed for 35 minutes, creating long tailbacks. There were no boats passing through and no information provided, though we heard the reason  was routine maintenance (in the middle of the day). This is the very bridge that, several weeks later, was the subject of an a late-night altercation in Frodsham between the local MP Mike Amesbury and a constituent. After a two hour journey we arrived in Warrington, where the bus station toilets remained closed for maintenance, as they had been the previous Wednesday.

After a comfort break in the nearby shopping centre, we caught our next bus, to Wigan. It took us past endless retail parks, then via Newton le Willows and Platt Bridge, and finally crawled through Ince and into Wigan as the rush hour was beginning.

It had been warm and sunny all day and on a Monday evening Wigan was lively.  On and around Wallgate there are plenty of pubs with a good choice of real ales and we tried several. We were impressed by the traditional bar in the Swan and Railway (where we were staying) and by Wigan Central, a modern pub in a railway arch. That leaves several others to try when we next visit.

Tuesday

In the morning we left the hotel by the fire escape – the doors to the ground floor pub are alarmed and that is the only way out – and returned to the bus station to catch the 111 Stagecoach bus for the 103 minute journey to Preston. From Wigan to Newcastle upon Tyne every bus was operated by Stagecoach. We discovered that, in this part of the country, they still ask you to state your destination and give you a zero-fare ticket. The bus meanders through the posh end of Wigan, Standish, Eccleston, Leyland and Lostock Hall. Finally we crossed the River Ribble into Preston and pootled around the edge of the city centre until we found the bus station.

Preston Bus Station is known for its impressive brutalist architecture, which narrowly escaped demolition by being listed. It is a long structure with 40 bus stands which are well used – there were originally 80 but one side has been converted into a public square. We had built in enough time to have a pint in the nearby Black Horse – the beer was excellent and the pub interior is outstanding. At the time of writing it is one of the four finalists to become CAMRAs National Pub of the Year 2024, and we can confirm that it is a worthy candidate.

The next journey was from Preston to Lancaster – it turned out to be hard work, due to a particularly noisy group of women, and a bloke whose every sentence included at least one F-word, endlessly and loudly on his phone. The route is along the A6, calling in at Garstang. We passed the huge University of Lancaster campus and (perhaps because there were no students waiting to board) we arrived in Lancaster early.

A bus to Kendal was due to depart 2 minutes after we were due to arrive. We had assumed we wouldn’t catch it, but our early arrival allowed time for a loo visit and still catch the bus. Ted and I were the only passengers on board for the entire journey on a double-decker with comfortable coach seats. It was a fast journey, partly along the M6, and we arrived in Kendal after forty minutes, an hour earlier than expected. As usual, we wandered around town, trying a pub or three – the New Union and the Fell Bar both had a good atmosphere and decent beers.

Wednesday

The first bus of the day took us to Windermere – it was a busy double-decker, as the continuing sunny weather had brought out the day trippers. A late start meant that it was almost noon and we could treat ourselves to a pint in the tiny Pie and Pint at the Crafty Baa.

We had never been over the Kirkstone Pass from Windermere to Ullswater and Penrith and that was the route we had decided to take. The bus driver saw my County Durham pass and told me he was originally from Bishop Auckland. He first took us through Bowness, by the lakeside, which was absolutely packed with tourists.

The Kirkstone Pass was as impressive and scenic as we had heard. The bus carried on down Patterdale, to Glenridding at the head of Ullswater, where we took a break.

While attractive, the village was not as peaceful as we had hoped, due to a combination of noisy roadworks and low flying jets. However, it was good to sit out in the sun for a while – one of the few times this year.

Two hours later, we took the next bus along the lakeside to Pooley Bridge and on to Penrith, our destination for the day, The bus was full and standing (though Ted and I managed to bag a seat), with people returning from their day out in the Lakes. Penrith, which I had never stopped in before, seemed very quiet by comparison with the Lakes. We had our usual wander around town and, in particular, we enjoyed our pint in the Fell Bar.

Thursday

Our final day on the road and our first bus took us along another stretch of the A6 into the centre of Carlisle. Along the way there were views of the Pennines and the Cumbrian Mountains.

From there we took the hourly bus towards Newcastle – the whole journey takes 2 hours 20 minutes so we knew we would have a break along the way. The bus travelled via Brampton, then through empty countryside to Haltwhistle, Haydon Bridge and Hexham.  By then, it was time for a comfort break – and a pint in the Victorian Tap, a pub we have always liked.

From Hexham we continued on the next bus to Newcastle.

We have usually taken the train to and from Hexham, so it made a change to travel by road via Corbridge, Heddon on the Wall, Throckley and along the West Road into the city. We arrived at Eldon Square Bus Station just as a bus to Durham pulled out – we had thought we would be lucky to catch it.

After half an your (and a quick half in the Mean Eyed Cat) we boarded the next Go NorthEast X21, a route we know well. The bus arrived at Pity Me on time at 1608, but we decided to stay on the bus into Durham for a celebratory drink in the Colpitts.

We had enjoyed the journey. We normally take the train for longer journeys, including every time we have travelled to and from North Wale. By bus we saw much more of the places we passed through at a slower pace. We also stopped in several places we had never visited before, and discovered a few new pubs to add to our list of favourite UK pubs. Moving on each day was sometimes tiring, even though we limited the number of hours we travelled, but that is probably just Ted and I getting old. Now to think about a bus trip for 2025.

Our itinerary

For the nerds reading this, here is our itinerary. All bus times and frequencies are for Mondays to Fridays, as of September 2024. D= Departure Time. A=Arrival Time

DURHAM TO CHESTER
		time	service	frequency	notes
MONDAY
Pity Me	Front St	D0906	Arriva X12	frequent	1
Durham	Bus Stn	A0915
Durham	Bus Stn	D0930	Arriva 7	Ev 15 mins
Darlington	Tudwell Row	A1043
Darlington	Town Hall	D1110	Arriva X26/7	Ev 30 mins
Richmond	Market Pl	A1146
Richmond	Market Pl	D1235	Hodgsons 159	6 daily
Leyburn	Market Pl	A1305
Leyburn	Market Pl	D1425	Hodgsons 159	3 daily
Ripon	Bus Stn	A1524
TUESDAY
Ripon	Bus Stn	D1114	East Yorkshire 82	6 daily	2
York	Railway Stn	A1235
York	Railway Stn	D1251	Coastliner 840/3	Ev 30 mins
Tadcaster	Bus Stn	A1321
Tadcaster	Bus Stn	D1421	Coastliner 840/3	Ev 30 mins
Leeds	Bus Stn	A1457
Leeds	Bus Stn	D1519	Arriva 202/3	Ev 15 mins
Dewsbury	Bus Stn	A1626
Dewsbury	Bus Stn 13	D1716	Arriva 202/3	Ev 15 mins
Huddersfield	Bus Stn	A1809
WEDNESDAY
Huddersfield	Bus Stn	D0935	Stagecoach 184	hourly
Oldham	Bus Stn	A1057
Oldham	Bus stn	D1201	Stagecoach 84	Ev 10 mins
Manchester	Piccadilly Gdns	A1240
Manchester	Piccadilly Gdns	D1258	Arriva 263	Ev 20 mins
Altrincham	Interchange	A1349
Altrincham	Interchange	D1422	Warringtons Buses X5	hourly	3
Lymm	Cross	A1449
Lymm	Cross	D1524	Warringtons Buses 5	hourly	3, 4
Warrington	Bus Stn	A1600
THURSDAY
Warrington	Bus Stn	D1102	Arriva X30	hourly
Frodsham	Bears Paw	A1154
Frodsham	Bears Paw	D1254	Arriva X30	hourly
Chester	Interchange	A1324
Chester	Interchange	D1325	Stagecoach 1		5
Chester	Railway Stn	A1330
CHESTER to DURHAM
		time	service	frequency	notes
MONDAY
Chester	Railway  Stn	D1230	Aintree Coachlines 40	Ev 15 mins
Chester	Interchange	A1235
Chester	Interchange	D1333	Arriva X30	hourly
Warrington	Bus Stn	A1454			6
Warrington	Bus Stn	D1601	Arriva 360	c. hourly
Wigan	Bus Stn	A1710
TUESDAY
Wigan	Bus Stn	D0942	Stagecoach 111	hourly
Preston	Bus Stn	A1125
Preston	Bus Stn	D1245	Stagecoach 40/1	Ev 30 mins
Lancaster	Bus Stn	A1412			7
Lancaster	Bus Stn	D1414	Stagecoach 555		8
Kendal	Bus Stn	A1454
WEDNESDAY
Kendal	Bus Stn	D1101	Stagecoach 555 555	Ev 30 mins
Windermere	Railway Stn	A1125
Windermere	Railway Stn	D1255	Stagecoach 508 508	Ev 2 hours
Glenridding	Greenside Rd	A1355
Glenridding	Greenside Rd	D1555	Stagecoach 508 508	Ev 2 hours	9
Penrith	Bus Stn	A1634
THURSDAY
Penrith	Bus Stn	D1002	Stagecoach 104	Ev  30 mins
Carlisle	Bus Stn	A1052
Carlisle	Bus Stn	D1115	Stagecoach 685	hourly
Hexham	Priestpopple	A1239
Hexham	Priestpopple	D1339	Stagecoach 685	hourly
Newcastle	Eldon Square	A1437
Newcastle	Eldon Sq	D1515	Go North East X21	C. Ev 30 mins	10
Durham	Bus Stn	A1626

Notes:

• 1 Also Go Northeast X20, 21, X21. 50p fare before 0930
• 2 The bus was branded ‘North Riding’         
• 3 The 5 and X5 services are branded ‘Cheshire Cats’
• 4  In addition the X5 runs hourly via the same route
• 5  We caught this bus by chance. Aintree Coachlines service 40 runs every 15 minutes
• 6  This service was delayed by 35 minutes, arriving at 1530
• 7  This service arrived early at 1405 allowing us to make this connection
• 8 The fast 555 via the M6 operates only in summer. The regular 555 service is hourly, departing at 5 past the hour and taking 79 minutes for the journey
• 9  During school summer holidays an hourly service operates
• 10 The bus passed our home in Pity Me on time at 1608

A few pieces of advice for anyone contemplating something similar:-

• If you don’t have a wrinkly pass each journey would cost £2 (this may increase after December 2024).
• Plan things carefully, don’t overdo it, and always have a Plan B in case something goes wrong (particularly where infrequent services are involved).
• Allow at least 10 minutes, and preferably more, connection time when changing buses, unless they are very frequent. Our experience was that many buses run several minutes late, even where there is no obvious reason. In particular, Arriva doesn’t seem to allow sufficient time for many journeys.
• Timetables are usually available online either from the bus company, local councils or bustimes.org . Don’t rely on picking up timetable leaflets at bus stations or on buses – the only ones we saw were by Stagecoach Cumbria.
• Information at stops and bus stations can often be non-existent, out of date or wrong. This can include the electronic screens at bus stations (I’m talking about you – Durham and Warrington). The same stop can have different names online, on Google Maps, local authority and bus company information.
• Real-time information is largely lacking. We found the best source to be the real-time maps at bustimes.org .

Our accommodation:

• Ripon: Unicorn Hotel (Wetherspoons) – old coaching inn on the Market Place. Comfortable and inexpensive.
• Huddersfield; Premier Inn Huddersfield Central. Standard Premier Inn by canal basin, a  15 minute walk from the bus station. There appears to be hardly any accommodation in the town centre.
• Warrington: Kings Head. Rooms above a pub. Close to bus station. Rooms inexpensive but basic and small. Breakfast included.
• Wigan: Swan and Railway Hotel.  Rooms above a fine old pub. Comfortable, central and reasonably priced.
• Kendal: Shakespeare Inn. Comfortable rooms attached to a pub. Breakfast included. The most expensive on the trip – it is a tourist area.
• Penrith: Lounge Hotel and Bar. Comfortable but small rooms though reasonably priced. Breakfast included.

Copyright: The text and all photographs are copyright © Steve Gillon 2024