Cheshire 13 - Chester - on the buses/ memories of the Crosville and Chester Corporation buses/a heritage day to enjoy

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The first minister of Wales had pronounced a whole raft of instructions and guidance on how to spend Christmas and New Year safely. In the company of a few people . Not allowed to watch football. Not going out to celebrate New Year . Nightclubs closed . . But across the border just a stones throw away Boris had allowed everyone a free rein to enjoy themselves . We could have listened to the first minister and stayed locked up . But this time we had had enough. We were fed up of being forced to stay in. It was time to spread our wings and rebel.

So what did we decide to do?

On the buses - that is the clue to how we spent the day. Did you watch Reg Varney all those years ago in the rather corny situation comedy On the buses . He was a clippy on the buses working on London bus services and the show followed his misadventures and love life . Perhaps you watched Summer Holiday with Cliff Richards driving a red London Bus on a long holiday .

Well today we were going to go on one of those old buses . A few weeks ago I had spotted in a magazine a list of things to do over the holiday period . Angels at St Giles Church in Wrexham - ticked that box twice . Wrexham Victorian market - an interesting night out in town with its fairground . Christmas trees lit up at Gresford Church - missed that one because of the restrictions . And then there was the Heritage bus day organised to raise funds for the local hospices in Wrexham and Chester.

. The event had been organised for last year and the first minister had effectively shut it down then when he closed Wales down . The hospice had lost out on much needed funds .The First minister in his wisdom had done his best to do the same today . . I spent all of yesterday trying to find out if the event was indeed going to be on or cancelled . I asked at the swimming baths in the hope that someone knew something . I began to think that I had dreamed the whole thing until someone mentioned that they had seen a poster about it . Someone else told me that they too had seen it advertised in the local free magazine . So I had not dreamed it .

It turned out that the original event was starting in Wrexham bus station where all the buses would start out . They would line up and give us the opportunity to give them the once over . They would then run ever ten minutes to Chester bus station and back . However due to the welsh restrictions the event organisers had to work very quickly to find somewhere else to run the event from . It was in danger of being cancelled again . That would have been a travesty .

Chester Railway station and the Chester Park and Ride came to the rescue . The event was quickly moved over the border into England . The buses would line up at the Park and Ride and from there one bus would head back to Wrexham and the other head for Chester. The first bus would leave for Chester at 9.38 so we headed off across the border to get to the Park and Ride to travel on the first bus . We heard that instead of buses leaving every ten minutes they would instead run every half hour . That was better than nothing we thought .

We were surprised just how empty the massive car park was . It looked a very overgrown and unloved park and ride . There were height barriers up but it seemed if we rang beforehand they would raise the barriers for high sided vehicles . Today though there were no staff on duty . Perhaps many thought that the event was cancelled and had not turned up. Thankyou First Minister for denying the hospices much needed funds . A few cars were parked up and as we walked over to the parked up buses we could see the drivers hanging about waiting for passengers . There were a number of anorak wearing men with cameras . They reminded us of train spotters who stood on bridges waiting for a named train to come along . They talked amongst themselves about the gear changes in the buses , the colours of the buses and asked which museum the bus had come from .

. It was lovely to see them so lovingly cared for and in good condition. Some had come from private collections and others from local transport museums. The volunteer drivers must have enjoyed bringing the old girls out for a much needed drive on the public roads . They had all gone through the routes yesterday . Working out where to go and where to park . It was all carefully orchestrated to keep the buses and the passengers safe .

The buses brought back so many memories . Green Crosville buses that we used to catch to take us to school . We used to climb aboard and pay the conductor our fares . Acton Corner please. We would either sit at the front of the bus behind the drivers closed compartment or in the back seat . Sometimes the bus would have a front entrance or a back . Each bus would be different . Double deckers that brought us home .

Maroon City of Chester corporation buses that travelled all around the city and around the outskirts . As we walked over we photographed the Red Routemaster London buses that had arrived for the event . Looking inside the stairs brought make memory memories . The favourite seats the back one above the stairs and the front seats . It felt as if we were being taken back in time . Many of these routemasters are still used for wedding events . We travelled in one from a wedding venue in London to the pub reception near to Highgate cemetary .

We were told that one of the buses heading for Wrexham had broken down . Felt that was nothing new . They used to break down in the 1960's and 70's leaving us stranded and having to wait for the next bus . It meant a slight change to the running order . Buses were arriving all through the morning and were listed in a directory which was for sale at £5 with proceeds going to Nightingale House and the Hospice of the Good Shepherd . There as a queue waiting to buy them .

At 9.30 we were invited to alight the bus . The conductor offered us a choice of two buses . We chose the single decker red London bus . The seats were plush blue velveteen . Old and used but well loved and familiar . We felt a sense of real nostalgia . Immersed in our memories the driver started her up . A warm familiar noise came from her engine . He engaged the gear and we were off . Mostly men aboard with the exception of myself and another lady and her child . We were off along the main road to Chester. Two miles to the city boundary .

People stopped along the way shocked to see a big red London bus on the road . They waved at us . They smiled at us . At traffic lights or stopped at roundabouts the drivers in cars took a second look at us not sure that they believed what they were seeing . They smiled too .


We passed the Roodee racecourse and could see a handful of motorhomes parked up . Perhaps we could come to Chester and stay a day or two . I know that we know the city well but perhaps sometimes you need to come again and see it as a visitor . And for a visitor there is much to see . Past the castle where the trial of Hindley and Brady took place in the 1960's. As we drove around the city we were the centres of attention . Do you remember the local bus service at Chesterfield ? Glenn admitted he did and talked about his journeys as a child on the local bus service . The big double decker was behind us and we both pulled up together outside Chester train station . We could have stayed on the bus or changed to the one behind for the short journey back . But instead we threw our donations into the charity bucket and left the bus behind . Our plan to walk down into the city and have a coffee, a walk around before returning to the station for the bus back . We hoped our return would be on a different bus .

There were a few people at the station armed with cameras. They took still pictures of the buses or videos of the bus moving off . Apart from them our walk into Chester was a quiet one . Under the underpass and we found ourselves on Eastgate Street and an open Cafe Nero . Just right for a sit down, a people watch , a croissant , a cake and a coffee . It was a pleasant way to spend New Years Day and we felt that we were sending out a signal to the First Minister that for us life was going on and he was not going to spoil it . Cafe Nero had a few punters but we virtually had the place to ourselves . We did not want to move but he did want to see the Christmas decorations along Eastgate Street . The clock as always looked lovely . We joined a few more shoppers but Chester was relatively quiet . Just the way to enjoy it . Some people wore masks . Others talked without maintaining any social distance . It all felt so easy going and enjoyable . Up the steps onto the walls . We stood for a while looking along the walls towards the cathedral . It would have been a joy to go inside but we left that for another day . Looking up towards the Cross the shoppers were spending money in the few open shops . Perhaps next time we come we can walk up to the old Cross and head off around some of the streets we were missing today . We had one eye on the clock as we had little idea of the bus times nor did we know how busy they would be .

Runners past by on the walls . Walkers hand in hand . 2022 felt good for a change . New years resolution to do more of this . We crossed over the gateway that crossed Pepper Street . Called in on the roman gardens . Apparently not roman gardens but just an area set aside some years ago to display some of the columns found around the city . We walked on passing the oldest church remains in Chester, Grosvenor Park, the walk down to the River Dee. Ending up by the station again our day was almost over . No sign of the bus . We had seen one earlier . A double decker colours split green on the bottom half and cream on top . We fell into conversation with a lady who was also waiting for the bus to return her to the park and ride . She was enjoying the journey as much as we were .

After a few minutes a bus could be seen in the distance . Bright red double decker . It was the one that was behind us on the way in . This time we were going home on it . It felt claustrophobic on the lower deck . The roof seemed lower than I remembered . A notice told us smoking was not allowed on any of the buses and another gave information on the bus . a 9.6 litre engine , the type of brakes and suspensions and that it turned on a 62 foot circle . The journey back took us round the railway station , back to the new bus station where it stopped but picked no-one up. . The conductor rang the bell to stop the bus at all the bus stops and he tried to encourage the people waiting for their buses to catch ours . As we approached our final destination and the end of the line we could see the green Crosville bus in the distance heading towards Wrexham . I guess we could have switched buses and taken the journey to Wrexham and then returning back . However we chose not to today . Perhaps next year we could do a different run . We stopped off to look at a bright yellow double decker and a bus in the stages of renovation . We loved our day out and Sion was a happy sheep too .

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