THE M & D AND EAST KENT BUS CLUB

The Isle of Wight Explorer Saturday 19th July 2008

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Tour report by Jerry Spillett. (first published in Invicta 673)

The day dawned wet, and the small group assembled with David Cobb at Armstrong Road depot in Maidstone awaiting the arrival of the tour coach hoped that his confident prediction of better weather arriving from the south west would be fulfilled.  Safely aboard our tour coach, V7 PCL, a Plaxton-bodied DAF supplied by Autocar of Five Oak Green, and driven by Club member Richard Cutler, we headed for the Medway Towns to pick up before an having an easy and comfortable run to Portsmouth, where the rest of the participants were joining us.  We made such good time that we had ample opportunity to watch the Stagecoach and First Bus operations at the Hard, as well as a string of Independent operators, including many of our local ones, discharging their loads of trippers in the bus station.  David’s prediction also came true with the day having developed into a gloriously sunny one, and before joining the Wightlink fastcat craft to the Island of Wight we were able to watch the busy shipping movements in the Solent .

A short but pleasant crossing brought us to Ryde Pierhead, where the first thing greeting us was the smiling face of our Founder, Don Vincent, who was to accompany us for the day, having been instrumental in many of the pleasurable arrangements we were about to experience.  The short train ride to Ryde Esplanade brought us to our first surprise of the day, in the shape of Southern Vectis 602 CDL 899, a 1939 open-top Bristol K5G specially provided by the company for a town tour of hilly Ryde.  Members were treated to a thrilling thirty minutes of first gear hill starts, and steep descents, as our driver manfully nursed the vehicle around the town, to the bewilderment of the tourists, and delight of the enthusiasts. 

Back at the esplanade, amongst the current bus operations of the immaculately turned out Southern Vectis fleet wearing the recent smart livery, we transferred to CDL 479C, the preserved Bristol FLF6G cared for and operated by the Isle of Wight Bus Museum, and set off for a garage visit to Seaview Service’s depot at Sandown.  Here most of the fleet was available to view and photograph.  From there we headed for the seafront at Sandown for a rendezvous with one of Southern Vectis ’s own open top operations in ‘Island Breezer’ livery.  Back aboard the FLF we set off cross-country on a scenic rural route with grand views of the Island to Newport Bus Station, where there was time to photograph the hub of Southern Vectis’s operations, and to grab a bite of lunch for those who wanted it.

Our Founder was then proud to escort us to the Isle of Wight Bus Museum, which he had arranged to be specially open for us, and we spent a fascinating hour and a half looking at the wide selection of preserved vehicles, ranging from a 1911 Pollards semi derelict electric pier tramcar, through various former Southern Vectis Bristols, an ex-TopDeck Travel Lodekka, to other Island operators’ buses and coaches.  All in all it was an extremely worthwhile visit, only to be crowned by a trip back to Ryde aboard DDL 50 - an open top Bristol K5G from 1940, operated by the museum and ably driven by one of the members.

Thanks to David for a perfectly organised day, and to Don Vincent for his help and support on the Island itself.  Thanks too for the warm welcome offered to us by the staff of the Bus Museum itself, and for making copies of Southern Vectis current fleet lists available to members of the party.  The virtually full complement of members and friends made the day a success, and the glorious weather, also promised by David, was the icing on the cake!     

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